TED Talk Tuesday: Less Stuff, More Happiness

For someone who really hates moving, I seem to do a lot of it.

There was a nomadic stretch of my twenties that I moved 9 times in 6 years.

No matter how often I move, I invariably end up saying to myself at some point during the packing process,

"Why do I have so much stuff?!"

When I move into the new place, I have this little game I play with myself.  I vow to keep things pared down, and I promise that this time I will keep my desk neat.  That I will have a place for everything, so things don't end up cluttered.  This time will be different.


But a few months later, and I'm back to my shopping, accumulating, buying ways.  And then a few years later when it's time to move, I'm in an all too familiar place- staring at a mountain of boxes, asking myself,

"Why do I have so much stuff?!"

Here We Go Again

The interesting thing is, when I think of the times that I was the happiest, it's usually times when I barely had any stuff at all: backpacking through Europe, being dirt poor in college, traveling the world.  I had less stuff, but I was more happy, more free, and more ME.

In today's TED Talk, Graham Hill makes the case that editing your life and taking less space can actually make you happier.

Here are his three rules for living little:

Check out his TED talk here:

In what way can you edit your own life today?

Motivation Monday: Rocky Quote

Today's Motivation Monday is a clip from the last Rocky movie.

Do yourself a favor.
Take the next 46 seconds out of your life and play the video.
Trust me, It is the swift kick in the butt to get you motivated this Monday!

Photo Friday: A Dog's Loyalty

This image was one of Buzzfeed's 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011.

It's a photo of "Hawkeye," the dog of slain Navy SEAL, John Tumlison.

Tumlison was part of the Navy SEAL team that was killed by enemy fire when their Chinook helicopter was gunned down in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011.

During the funeral, the Chocolate Lab wandered over to his owner's casket and lay next to it through the service, refusing to leave his side.

As a huge dog lover, this image makes me tear up every time I see it.  Dogs are the physical embodiment to unconditional love and unyielding loyalty.  We have a lot that we can learn from dogs.

Here are the two fuzzy loves of my life!

Moxie and Rocco

The Mugging of Julio Diaz: A Story About Remarkable Generosity

Today's Inspiration Cupcake is one of the most unbelievable stories of generosity I've ever heard.

One evening, Julio Diaz stepped off the subway onto an empty platform in the Bronx and was approached by a teenage boy with a knife demanding his wallet.

Julio handed over his wallet, and as the boy started walking away, Julio stopped him.  He said, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."  

The boy stopped dead in his tracks and asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Julio responded, "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome."  The boy took him up on his offer and they ate dinner at Julio's favorite diner. 


When the waitress left the bill, Julio said to the boy, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."  The boy returned the wallet and Julio gave him $20.  Julio asked for something in return — the knife.  The boy gave it to him.  


Listen to Julio's story in his own words on NPR's Storycorps here:

Quote of the Day: This is Your Life

I just love this.  It's hanging on my bulletin board and I am inspired by it every single day.
Hope you enjoy it too!

TED Talk Tuesday: Sleep Your Way to the Top

Want to be more productive?
More inspired?
More joyful?

Arianna Huffington has a simple but revolutionary idea to help you achieve all those goals:

Get more sleep!

In her short (4-minute) TED talk, she argues that getting more sleep is the key to a better life.

I have to admit, the first time I heard this talk, I resisted the idea that getting enough sleep was that important.  After all, I am #1 a perpetual night owl (if it were up to me, I'd stay up until 3 or 4 a.m. every night) and #2 one of those people who like to brag about how few hours of sleep I had last night.  It's almost like a masochistic badge of honor.

But then I think about how I function when I'm sleep-deprived.  Even after a couple cups of coffee or a Red Bull, my mind is still crawling through cobwebs, and even if I convince myself that my performance didn't suffer (yeah, right), the bigger issue is that when I'm that tired, it's impossible to truly be in the moment.

Beyond that, it's downright dangerous.  Studies show that sleep deprivation is actually as bad as being drunk.

Plus, the crazy thing is - I really LOVE sleep.  I love waking up after a really great night's sleep.  I love drifting off to snooze-land when it's super cold out with a mountain of blankets piled on top of me.  I love the cool underside of my pillow on a mid-day nap.  So why do I deprive myself of sleep?

My theory is its our culture's preoccupation with activity.  We are constantly doing something.  Even when we're lounging at the beach on vacation, we're still on our smartphones posting on Facebook or checking our stocks.  We are obsessed with cramming activity into every single minute, that sleep feels unproductive.

But Arianna is right.  Sleep can actually make us more productive.

Check out her quick TED talk.
I'm off to take a nap ;)

Motivation Monday: What You Should Focus On

It's the first Monday of 2012!
It's the first day back to work after the holidays.
It's also the start of many, many New Year's Resolutions.

That's a little stressful!

It's really easy to get overwhelmed right now.
There are so many things that pull for our attention.
Here's a quick diagram from BehaviorGap.com that helps simplify what we should focus on.

It really is that easy.

....................

Happy Monday!