Top Ten … Happiness
What makes you happy?
It tells everything about who you are, what/who are your priorities and the simple things in life that make it fun. So, when my friend Barry (honorary girlfriend!) asked me to follow his blog lead by sharing a Tuesday Top Ten with the subject being HAPPINESS, how could I resist?
Plus, I want this to be a discussion. So, I’ll share my top ten then invite you to share yours in the comments below. Girlfriends get to know each other and this is one of the fun ways. (So, thanks Barry!) So here’s my top ten:
- Girlfriends – Shocking, I know. But I really do find happiness in the female friendships that bless my life. They make life more memorable and fun. And girlfriends make us healthier, less stressed, live longer, feel more beautiful and … drum roll please … HAPPIER. Thanks to all the great women who have inspired, encouraged and supported me in my dream of making the world a better place one friendship at a time.
- Having a great life partner – I’m blessed with a husband who loves me and encourages me to follow my dreams. (Plus, he cooks, shops, does dishes and laundry, etc.!) I wish for everyone to have a healthy, supportive, loving relationship in their life. (And he’s talented too!)
- Being a work-at-home entrepreneur – No dress code, pets nearby, my fav music playing, no bosses or annual reviews, not having ‘challenging’ employees … I love my life as an entrepreneur. Even if it comes with a too flexible pay plan, no insurance and no paid vacation.
- Music – Tuning into Pandora or an online radio station that I love makes me happy. Listening to Sting (my fav), James Taylor, John Mayer, Sara McLachlan, David Poe, Over the Rhine, Adele, Coldplay or (my Sunday selection) – Casting Crowns, the Winans. Makes me happy!
- Pets – Make the best co-workers! Brando (the 1.5 yr old golden retriever) can make me forget any frustration or stress, just by his silly smile and funny behaviors. Tom Anderson (18 yr old cat) makes me feel loved by snuggling up to me (to use me for warmth). For some pet therapy, watch this.
- Travel – Sometimes being ‘on the road’ is the only time I feel like I’m really in the moment. Observing people on the train in London or NYC, getting lost in Paris or DC, visiting our favorite restaurants in Chicago – I LOVE to travel.
- Social Media – The hours that I can’t count for fear of admitting how many they are, I still love. I love the power of connecting through social media. For the friends (like Barry) whom I’ve met and now get to enjoy their company and conversation (even if it’s on Twitter), I’m very thankful. For the amazing influencers (like Chris Brogan and Liz Strauss) who are so nice and helpful. And to the things I can learn and the opportunity to grow the Girlfriendology community – I’m very thankful social media has come along when it did!
- Home – I love the feeling of being home. My comfy, messy house. My street, neighborhood, the security and safety. A porch where neighbors gather for a glass of wine (which should be one of these happiness categories too!), a deck where we have dinner and conversation and a kitchen where friends hang out. Having a husband and pets to greet me when I return. I love that.
- Creativity - Although I don’t get as much time to create as I once did (I worked in the craft/hobby industry), I still love the feeling of creating. Lately my only creative time (not allocated to creating an online community for women called: Girlfriendology!) has been limited to making some girlfriend gifts. (I am also blessed to have some great girlfriends from this industry – Lisa, Katie, Jill, Vicki and bunches more!)
- Spending time with Friends – James Taylor sings: “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” I just enjoy passing time with friends. ‘Doing life’ together. Laughing, sometimes crying, being honest and vulnerable, caring to the point of pain. All in all, friendship makes life really worth living. And I love the memories and moments with friends.
So, enough about ME! Now, it’s YOUR turn. What makes you happy? Inspire others with your comments below.
Girlfriendology, the online community for women based on girlfriend inspiration, appreciation and celebration
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Tags: Chicago, Chris Brogan, friendship, happiness, James Taylor, John Mayer, Liz Strauss, social media
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3 Comments
Watching the faces of the kids performing at a School of Rock Music live concert. They spend 3 1/2 months learning, practicing, rehearsing and for 2 days they ARE rock stars. They’re playing classic rock music at an adult rock venue. They have a professional sound engineer working for them and the lights and smoke are creating the auro on the stage. They have 200+ people watching them and cheering for them. Man, do they bring it! They usually aren’t the jocks at school. They aren’t the A+ students the teachers always brag about. They appear to be the average kid which means they aren’t good enough to garner attention and they aren’t bad enough to garner attention in their academic school. But they garner a whole lot of attention on concert weekend. Well deserved attention. And that makes me happy.
School Of Rock shows are awesome.
What David Poe are you listening to?
Sting makes me wet.
Hey Debba, this top ten list is fantastic. Pets are the thing that make me the happiest, because no matter what they are always bring me joy. Dogs especially because the are always happy to see you. I think if you combine travel with pets it could move up in your list. You can post this to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/ and link back to your site. We are trying to create a directory for top ten lists where people can find your site. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.