Cultivating an Attitude of Thanks!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that we can all switch off the 'thankful spirit' until next year. An attitude of thanks is something we should cultivate every. single. day. Being able to just "be" grateful on a day to day basis is a skill that takes some practice because let's be honest, not every day makes you want to jump for joy! But even when times are tough, you can always find something (or someone!) to be thankful for. And you'll begin to notice that when you train your mind to focus on the good things in your life, the bad things start to take a back seat! 

This year, I have so many things to be thankful for so today, I wanted to say THANK YOU to all those who have helped me along the way! 

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving with your friends and family! 

My new husband! (Wow, I have a husband!)

My awesome family who traveled all the way to Costa Rica to celebrate with me... even though they had to get on a teeny tiny puddle jumper!

My new family who I got to spend Thanksgiving with! (I have 4 nieces now!)

The best friends a girl could ask for!

And most importantly - the fact that my brother survived this epic waterfall leap! (cringe)

Tomorrow Sara Warner from Pidge's Pantry joins us again to share her favorite sweet treats! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Put On A Happy Face: 5 Tips for Daily Contentment!

There are some things you can't control - like when you completely miss your train even though you ran after it with passionate flailing arms, or when your hair wakes up on the wrong side of the bed without asking you, or when the sky decides to open up and rain a tsunami on you the second you forget your umbrella at the office. But while you may not be able to control the weather, you can control your happiness. Happiness is not something that exists in direct proportion to the size of your wallet or your entourage. It doesn't depend on the weather, and it sure as hell doesn't depend on the train schedule. It comes from within. 

Today I'd like to leave you with 5 simple tips to get you in the habit of being happy regardless of your circumstances...

Image via choosehelp.com

'P' IS FOR PERSPECTIVE - Nine times out of 10, that major problem you are dealing with is a 'first world' problem. To clarify, when the barista adds regular milk to your coffee instead of soy, and you can't possibly wrap your head around his incompetency, you've got yourself a whoppin' first world problem. Now I'm not saying your little pickle at the coffee shop isn't super frustrating, but if it doesn't affect your basic needs (food, clothing, shelter), it just might be a first world problem. Are we on the same page? Happy people choose to rise above lactose debacles at their local Starbuck's.

DISCONNECT FROM THE TECH - My phone travels to the bathroom with me (too much information?). But speaking from experience, disconnecting from technology is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. In 2010, I spent three glorious months living in Costa Rica without a cell phone. I learned to wake up by my internal body clock, I ate when I was hungry, I made concrete plans with friends and didn't break them, and most importantly, I had privacy and a calm mind. You may not be able to disconnect for months at a time, but you could start by turning off all your contraptions for a few hours each day. Happy people have no problem disconnecting.

Image via travelfreak.com

ENJOY THE PRESENT - If you're like me, you spend a lot of time thinking (and fantasizing) about the future. I blame my favorite childhood game MASH. According to my MASH fortune, I was supposed to be living in a mansion by now with my strikingly handsome husband (Brad Pitt, obviously) and my two genius children. What gives? But the more you live in the future (or dwell on the past), the more time slips through your fingers. You forget to notice all the wonderful things you have right in front of you in the here and now. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, so frankly, it only makes sense to live for today. Happy people realize that life is a gift and cherish each moment.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT - If this statement is true, then I am just one big bottle of hot sauce (potential Halloween costume for next year?). Seriously though, the food you put in your mouth becomes the fuel for your whole body, including your mind. It's nutritional value (or lack thereof) has a direct effect on your hormonal balance, and we all know that when hormones are out of whack, ain't nobody happy! Happy people treat their bodies as a temple, allowing it the nourishment it needs to grow and flourish.

Image via sheknows.com

LEARN TO LIVE WITH LESS - Back to Costa Rica. Sorry, it's just so perfect for this post! Before going down, I moved out of my apartment, returned the keys to the landlord and stuffed all my personal belongings inside HALF of a 12'x12' storage space. What I didn't need, I left on the sidewalk, and I gave massive amounts of clothing to Goodwill. I've never felt so free in my whole life! Society continually sends us the message that we need more, more, more! But people, I'm here to tell you, I was happiest when I had less. It's about time for some spring cleaning, don't you think? Happy people realize that true happiness is not based on 'things'.

So as we head into the weekend, take some time to make a deposit into your 'happiness bank'. Let the first world problems roll off your shoulders and concentrate on cherishing the 'here and now'. You control your happiness, and don't let anyone tell you differently!

The Experts Weigh In: Surf's Up!

BY: ADAM RUST, CONTRIBUTOR

I'm sure some of you may have read Bennett's guest post last week and thought, "Sure, living abroad sounds wonderful and it would be nice to have the opportunity to meet people from different cultures, but I can't just up and move away from my life". Well, I'd like to share some good news with you about something that I stumbled upon a few years ago - something that changed my life in a positive way, made me see the world from a different perspective and allowed me to make some awesome new friends along the way.

About four years ago, Lauren and I discovered that we both had the desire to travel and it was time to do something about it. We wanted to travel around Europe and see all the wonders of the world. The only catch was... traveling costs money and there wasn't an abundance of that in either of our bank accounts. So we gave ourselves six months to raise some funds and to research the cheapest way possible to travel Europe without getting kidnapped or winding up with bed bugs. As I searched the internet, I came across a site called couchsurfing.org. Couchsurfing is a community of people all across the globe who have two things in common - they love meeting new people and they love travelling. The premise is this... while you are home, you offer up your couch/spare bedroom/floor space to travelers who are in need of a place to stay while they explore your town. In the same way, when you go travelling, you can expect similar hospitality.

Having deep cultural conversations on the subway with Noe.

At first I was skeptical, but the more I looked into the site, I found that they take great care to verify their members' identities. I also learned that hosts could reject a request if the person looked like a creeper. So basically, it's like internet dating, but with couches. So I decided to give it a shot. 

One month later I had four Frenchmen at my door, excited to stay on my floor for the weekend. I was nervous. Four strangers were about to enter my apartment, and I had no idea if they were going to butcher me alive or steal all my worldly possessions. But all those fears melted away as soon as I saw their faces. These guys just spent the last 6 hours flying across the Atlantic to come to New York City! They were on cloud nine. It dawned on me that they were just thankful to have a place to stay for free with someone who was kind enough to show them hospitality in a strange new land.

Lauren and I spent the better part of our weekend showing them around and navigating all the awkward conversations (since we didn't speak French and they hadn't spent much time in America). We learned so much about each other's cultures. We played 'tour guide' for them, while they gave us a unique perspective into their lives in France. 

Noe and his roommate picked us up from the train station in Avignon, drove us to some ruins on the top of a mountain
and popped open a bottle of wine with us while we watched the sunset. Hello, France!

Four months later, Lauren and I traveled throughout France, staying on the couches of two of our newly found French friends, Ben and Noe. We even stayed one night at Ben's mother's house in Calais, the port town. Noe has since been back to New York twice and has stayed with me both times. Ben's cousins have also stayed with me after we met them in France.

Ben's cousins, Marlene and Vincent, showing us around a park in Paris.

This is just one of the great experiences that I've had through couchsurfing. I've met people from all over the globe - from two wild and crazy Finnish guys to a French family of 5 that stayed in my small one bedroom apartment with me (did I mention all three children were under the age of 5?).

Our tiniest couchsurfer yet, Ael.

I've also had great experiences staying on couches throughout my own travels. When my brother and I went to Germany earlier this year, our German host took us to a pub to watch the Euro Cup soccer tournament, even though we fully intended on rooting for the opposing team. On the same trip, we also met a young, ambitious Dutch college student who let us stay on his couch for 4 days. A few months later, he stayed on my couch in the city after he completed his cross country bike trip from Seattle to New York. In 50 years, THESE will be the memories I remember from my trips.

So as you can see, I'm a big advocate of couchsurfing.org. I've met a lot of great friends and I've had great experiences that I would've missed if I'd traveled in a more traditional way. I've learned that the more you put yourself out there, wanting to learn from others, the more you will see that they are human just like you...

...even if they call them 'chips' instead of 'fries'.

Adam Rust is (surprise!) my boyfriend; therefore, I find him pretty fascinating. He's originally from Indiana, though he's been living in New York City for the last 6 years, working as a commercial editor (that means he's good with technology - me, not so much). Opposites attract I guess. Adam has a big heart and big dreams - he loves going on adventures, whether it's a hiking trip upstate or a 3-month surf trip to Costa Rica. Adam gave me the courage to explore the world and take chances (even with a thin wallet). I owe a lot of my travel experiences to him. When he's not working, you can usually find him escorting me to restaurants and testing out the food for my Saturday Splurge posts or riding his bike all over Brooklyn. He has an affinity for classic music, like the Allman Brothers, Steve Miller Band and the Grateful Dead, and he shares my deep love and appreciate for good wine. On his last trip, he brought me back a few bottles from France. Good man!!!

Advice From The Experts: You're Only Invincible In Your Own Mind

That's Rachel...right there in the middle!

It's taken me almost 30 years to realize I'm not invincible. Maybe you're smarter and learned this tough lesson sooner, but I definitely did not. It snuck up on me slowly. Real stealth-like. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Do you feel it too? Maybe you're not so quick to bounce back after a workout, maybe you find yourself more tired these days or maybe you received a diagnosis from the doctor that finally made the message loud and clear.

I think most of us feel like we're doing pretty good until we find out we're not. For some people, it's a gradual realization. For others, it's a 'smack in the face' kind of moment. Tomorrow, my high school friend Rachel Boyd will be sharing her story with you. Rachel was diagnosed last year with a long-term illness. At the time, this was a woman who could count her sick days on one finger. That's right! Just one finger! Obviously the news was shocking and scary, but I'm happy to tell you that Rachel has seized the day and faced her illness with incredible courage. Tomorrow, she'll share her story with you, and even though it's serious stuff, you'll probably giggle as you read it. She's got a snarky sense of humor, a great perspective on something 'not so great' and some thoughtful tips to share with those who may be dealing with the same thing (or know someone who is). Stay tuned for Rachel's article tomorrow! You won't want to miss it!