What does the Law of Attraction have to do with parenting?

My special guest, Anna Garcia will talk about how an understanding of Universal Laws - namely the Law of Attraction can enable more empowerment for both parent and child.

Here are the key points we will bring up during the interview:

If you have ANY thoughts, questions, interest in homeschooling- stop whatever you are doing right now and listen to my interview with Avital!

I was so over-the-moon excited to virtually sit down for a chat with Avital.

If you don't know yet, she is one of the brightest beacons of light, inspiration and knowledge on the path to happier parents & happier kids. Avital, mother of 4 young kiddos, devourer of everything parenting, has become a sage in the areas of conscious parenting and a sherpa for homeschooling Everest (which she calls "Joy School" )

Here's the wisdom you will get in this interview episode:

6:38 How to homeschool during these times (easier than you think!)
8:42 "Your home is your co-parent. It's either going to support you or trip you up."
11:55 How to get the kids to stop climbing the walls
18:45 Rejecting the narrative that we are victims
24:35 What REALLY makes us happier and more resilient - what makes or breaks us as parents
31:14 #judgementfree...

Lindsay Powers is the mom-friend we all want to have! Fed up with the pressure to meet unattainable levels of perfection and constant mom vs mom criticism, this editor in chief of Yahoo!Parenting launched the  #noshameparenting movement (reaching over 170 million grateful parents on social media)! Lindsay just released her new book You Can't F*ck Up Your Kids which offers us a validating pat on the back and absolution from guilt for not being perfect (spoiler alert: there is no perfect).

Her recent, viral article "Advice on raising kids during coronavirus: be "The World's Okayest Mom" was everything I needed to hear right now... and I know I am not the only one. 

I am so lucky and excited to be chatting with her live!

If you have ever felt judged as a parent (or judge other parents- shhh we won't tell) then listen in and comment on your biggest takeaways!

Til soon- stay...

So my friends, what to do when you're having a bad day? Let's start with knowing this.

 

We talked about this really early on and we talked about this baseline of happiness because this is called the set point theory. And that we all have this level of happiness and where there's something really great happens or something really bad happens, whether we win the lottery or whether we lose our legs. 

I have to tell you, I just saw Amy Purdy speak.  She just wrote a book called “On my Own Two Feet” and she is a double amputee and this is one of the happiest people you will ever meet. I'm not even kidding you. You watch her and you think maybe I need to lose my legs to be that happy. And what we really walk away with is let's not have to lose our legs or lose limbs or something tragic to happen before we’re that happy.

This is what I do and I hope that we can get to a place where we don't need something tragic to change our set point. My whole...

Do you really know what true happiness is?

Of course, the real definition of happiness is subjective. What it means to me could be totally different than what it means for you.

For you, it might be climbing a mountain by yourself and for me, it might be a rousing game of duck-duck-goose with a couple of toddlers. 

Have you ever truly asked yourself, “What is IRREVOCABLE HAPPINESS for me?” What does Happiness look and feel like to you? Where are you? Who are you with? What's the first thing you do in the morning?

When I was first asked that question by David Harder at an Inspired Work workshop, I was surprised to realize I hadn't really ever defined it in detail.

When I did, it was a pivotal turning point in my life.  I really clarified that I needed a job that allowed me the freedom to be with my children whenever I wanted and the financial freedom to travel and live in other countries.

When I wrote it out, it became even more clear that it is critically...

Do you know that the fastest way to increase happiness starts with just 2 simple words?

Yup- just 2 simple words and they are THANK YOU.

Research shows grateful people have more satisfaction with life! Expressing gratitude increases your happiness by helping you notice the good things that are happening in your life.

Grateful people have less negativity and are less selfish. 

They have better sleep and improved vitality and more optimism! 

Expressing gratitude works because it increases positivity, enhances life’s experiences,  And enables savoring (which means to truly enjoy something to its fullest)! 

Gratitude counters materialism and adaptation and has proven to decrease depression and stress!  And it counters the hedonic treadmill (which means that regardless of what happens to a person, their level of happiness will return to their baseline after the event.)

Practicing gratitude focuses our attention on what's good in our...

Did you answer last week’s question?

I asked, “what is Irrevocable happiness for you?”

Did you take the time to define it- even write it out?

Not only did the definition add clarity to your vision for the future, it also made it easier to deal with any negativity that was happening in the present.

Once I was truly aware of what happiness felt and looked like for me, I used it as a compass to stay focused and positive.  When negative situations or emotions came up, I would remind myself to focus on my positive vision of Irrevocable Happiness and, more often than not, was able to avoid getting sucked into the negative quicksand.

When you are giving attention to negativity over here, you aren't giving attention to your vision over here. If you have that vision, stay the course and don't get distracted by gossip, drama, worry, or issues that you can't control.  

I love this quote by Jim Rohn, “If you don’t design your own life...

Did you know that you can amp up your happiness by amping up your gratitude journaling?

Research shows that writing down 3 things that you are grateful for daily will increase your happiness. Are you doing that yet?

Research also shows that adding how you contributed to that good thing happening will significantly increase happiness and decrease depressive symptoms immediately after doing that exercise. Researchers found these effects lasted as far as 6 months post intervention.  (Research from Seligman, Steen, Park & Peterson 2005)

For example, you may write down, “I am grateful that I get to work with awesome people. I like to thank them by baking homemade treats and they really appreciate it .” or “I am grateful for the wonderful family dinner we had tonight and I am proud of myself for trying a new recipe.”

Remember- You don't have to wait until the end of the day. You can write down a great moment right after it happens during the day....

Did you know that 40% of your happiness is dependent on what you think, feel and do?

Sonja Lub-mor-isky explains in her book “The How of Happiness” that there are 12 INTENTIONAL activities that have been shown to increase life satisfaction. 

They are: 

1. Express Gratitude
2. Savor life
3. Nurture Relationships
4. Set and meet goals
5. Practice kindness
6. Practice Optimistic Thinking
7. Avoid social comparison
8. Forgiveness
9. Increase Flow and engagement
10. Create strategies for coping
11. Practice Spirituality
12. Take care of the Mind and Body

While it would be too cumbersome to tackle all 12 right away, just start by being aware of those 12 intentional activities and how they fit into your life. 

Which one is the hardest for you to imagine doing well? 

Which activity do you do out of guilt? Which activity would you do more of just because you enjoy it?

Happiness can only come after self- awareness begins.

It’s TIME to start taking notice of what you are doing, thinking and...

Did you know that how you look at challenges determines how successful you will be?

Carol Dwecks' research has proven we can change our mindset. From her incredible book “Mindset” (I highly recommend reading it!) there are 4 Steps to Changing Your Mindset

1. Listen! “Learn to hear your fixed, judgmental mindset voices.” As you approach an obstacle, fear, setback or criticism, pay attention and listen to your mind chatter. Become aware of statements like “I suck. I won't be good at that. I will probably fail and look like an idiot. Other people can do it better. I shouldn't even try.”
2. Stop! “Recognize you have a choice.” STOP and tell yourself, “Hmm. I don't have to believe those thoughts.”
3. Talkback! “Talk back to the voice with a growth mindset.” Challenge that inner voice with new thoughts like “Maybe I can't do it now, but I think I can learn. Lots of people have failed before me and survived. I...