Spiritual Master, Spirit "Animal", and My Gurus

I have been thinking lately on people who I consider to be important to me outside of my family and friends. People who I could consider my life guides. I recently heard an episode from the podcast, Happier, and the hosts, Gretchen and Elizabeth, were discussing their spirtual masters. These are people who show great qualities that people want to imitate. I do have a spiritual master, but I also have a spirit "animal" and a pair of gurus. :-)


1. My spiritual master is Eleanor Roosevelt. I have been fascinated with her since I was a teenager and have grown to love her as I have gotten older. She has shown me how to fight for what you believe in, never give up, and try to make a difference in the world. A favorite quote of hers is "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." I am about to start reading her book, You Learn By Living. In my classroom, I have a picture of her holding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights next to my United Nations flag (I coach Model UN.) It reminds me of what she stands for.

2. My spirit "animal" is Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. She embodies my personality, my drive, my craziness, my loyalty to others, etc. I try to live by the mantra of being the Leslie Knope of anything you do. She is my spirit animal and my patronus. She is probably the most awesome, caring, and dedicated character I have grown attached to, and I am the same age as her in season one.

3. My life gurus are Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. These two funny women make me proud to be a funny, odd, and strong person. I was a complete dork growing up and still am, but I proudly own it. I have read both of their memoirs, and they have helped my in different ways. They definitely offer me life advice. They show how you cannot let others put you down, especially if you are talented and care. Plus, they are funny as hell!


via GIPHY

Watching Football, Having Better Days, and the Path of Happiness

I am sitting on the couch with my laptop in my lap, trying to write this post. Steve has the Falcons-Saints game on, and he has just slowly been getting madder and madder at the game. I giggle every a little when he shouts something at the TV. Sometimes I join in with my own shouts. Every now and then, he looks at me and smiles this goofy, big smile to show that he knows he looks silly. He is a grown man, in PJs, and is trying to run a football game from my living room in Georgia. It is like this every time we watch the Falcons. Sometimes it is at a restaurant. Sometimes it is in a living room. Hehe.

I describe this scene because it feels like home right now, and that makes me happy and at peace with myself. It makes me want to other things. That is what seems to be working right now. I get up in the morning, exercise a little, go to work with excitement in my heart, have a great day, and come home and do things I want to do. I am re-reading Harry Potter for the first time in years. I tried a new recipe for Alfredo sauce, which turned out awesome. I am feeling better this week. I want to feel like this all the time, which is motivating.


I have started reading Gretchen Rubin's recent book, Better Than Before, because I was inspired by The Happiness Project. I didn't know where to start, and I think this book may help me out. I need to build better habits so that I can be happier in my life. It is very important.

One of my major habits that I am trying to build is to blog at least 4 times a week. I feel relaxed while writing. It may be nonsense, but it is mine.

How do you find your relaxation? What is making you happy?

I think I can. I think I can.

So it is early morning, and I didn't make it to the class. I did, however, get up and exercise at home. I am very proud of myself. I only did about 15 minutes, but it is a start. So how do I feel after working out a little? More energized! Hey, I am on my way for my first month. Woo, Sarah! Here is the damage. 

I have lost 59 pounds since July of 2014 after being diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. That was changed to Hashimoto's Disease last March. I have been trying to eat better and get more active since I do have an autoimmune disorder that I must control. It has been hard, but today was a good start.

More later! 

Litte things

It is a lovely Fall night here in Georgia, and I am sitting in my apartment on the couch with my dog, Idgie. My boyfriend, Steve, is in the kitchen, cooking our dinner, while my other dog, Libby, lays on the floor with her chewie. My day was pleasant as a lesson plan with my 10th graders had gone pretty well. I have to say that I am a very contented person at the moment. See picture below.

There was only one thing I did not get to do that I had hoped to do and really wanted to do was exercise. I have been making it my daily goal for the last couple of weeks, and I have not made it. This month the Jazzercise near my apartment has free classes, and my aunt goes there all the time. I want to try, but I haven't made it. I just need to get in there and see if I like it. I actually love exercising. It makes me feel energized, happy, motivated, etc. It is just getting myself in the mode of fitness. I should get up in the morning (like morning workouts), get dressed, do my thing, and make the most of my day. I know what will happen.  I just need to breathe in, look at what I want in my life, and think some of my commandments (in bold):

1. Be Sarah.
2. Let it go.
3. Act the way I want to feel.
4. Do it now.
5. Be polite and be fair.
6. Enjoy the process.
7. Spend out.
8. Identify the problem.
9. Lighten up.
10. Do what ought to be done.
11. No calculation.
12. There is only love.

 How do you get motivated to exercise??
 

Starting the way...

Lately, I have been listening to/reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It has been nice as I have been driving back and forth to work. I wanted to read her book because I feel like I am at a major crossroads in my life. In the last year and a half, I have gone through a lot of changes. My first marriage went through separation and divorce. I moved in with my parents, changed schools (I'm a teacher), started dating again for the first time in 11 years, finished my second graduate degree, turned 33, moved out on my own, and then met and fell in love. A lot has happened to me.

Even though I am starting over in my home and love life, I am still trying to find happiness in all areas of my life. I have many obstacles: debt from grad school and credit cards, health issues, etc. I am happy at work and in my love life, but I know other areas could affect those. I want to be a good spouse and mother someday because it is not fair to my future family if I am not happy and okay. So I am now trying to figure out how to be a happy person in all areas of my life.

Through this blog, I hope to chart my progress. I will follow Gretchen Rubin's model, but I will tailor it to my life. If you have not read her book, please check it out. She is great. As for me, I will have my own commandments and secrets of adulthood, some of which will be similar to the ones found in the book. The book serves as an inspiration for sure.

So what do I want to do to become happy.  It might sound cliche', but I have ones that most have. I want to exercise more, have more energy, be myself, spend less money but spend out more to the world (not money related), get closer to my loved ones, make more friends, be me, write more, truly find my passion, and become a role model at work. These are things I know would make me a happier Sarah. This would lead to everyone else being happier.

I will follow a 12 month model to get started so that I can truly work on my happiness. I will start with October 2015. Yea! Here are my goals for the next 12 months.

1. October- Feel Healthier Inside and Out
2. November- Gratitudes
3. December- Love All
4. January- Shoot for the Stars
5. February- Look to the Heavens
6. March- Find My Passion
7. April- Write, Write, Write
8. May- Attitude is Everything
9. June- Lighten Up
10. July- Always Be Me
11. August- Superwoman at School
12. September- Reflect and Renew

My commandments are based on Gretchen Rubin's commandments in The Happiness Project.

1. Be Sarah.
2. Let it go.
3. Act the way I want to feel.
4. Do it now.
5. Be polite and be fair.
6. Enjoy the process.
7. Spend out.
8. Identify the problem.
9. Lighten up.
10. Do what ought to be done.
11. No calculation.
12. There is only love.

I will also work on my own secrets of adulthood, but I love Mrs. Rubin's. I will post those later. 

Here is to becoming happier and a better Sarah. I look forward to the adventure and the discussion. Here we go! 

Contact me at waytohappy.sarah@gmail.com or on Twitter @way2happy.sarah