Rediscover Your Sparkle: Revive the Real You and Be Rebelliously Happy Every Day

by Julie Schooler

book as a low-cost luxury,

finding out what you love the most and doing more of it.

“I wish I had let myself be happier.”

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and someone out there is swimming under a waterfall, learning how to juggle or strumming their favorite song on an acoustic guitar and you are not.

being happier is harder than not being happy.

This is hard because anyone who seems truly happy can be considered at best, naïve and at worst, certifiable. How can anyone be happy when the world is on fire?

We are so used to numbing and distracting ourselves these days that acute emotions – of any type – are avoided at all costs. After all, no one likes to cry during a performance review or get the giggles at a committee meeting. Being in touch with your emotions puts us in a vulnerable state and this can be incredibly uncomfortable.

Rediscovering your sparkle doesn’t mean that you will suddenly deny all the horror and hurt in the world. It means tapping into all of your emotions – both ‘good’ and ‘bad’. It is boldly seeing all the trauma and suffering yet not letting it suck you in and consume you as well.

do things that make your heart sing,

you are responsible for your life; you create your life.

Don’t let the story you tell yourself stop you from being truly happy and fulfilled.

Savor means ‘to delight in / enjoy’ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). It is not just about noticing but extracting enjoyment from the moment or activity for as long as you can. Savoring, or its associated words, luxuriating, reveling, marveling, relishing or basking are simple methods of finding pleasure in everyday moments.

Jen Sincero says in You are a Badass, we are so distracted it is a wonder we still speak in full sentences.

Take a two-minute break three times per day

Do something that taps into your physical senses, resets you and keeps you present.

any time you eat and fully appreciate each taste is a bonus.

Charlie Hoehn points out in his fabulous book, Play it Away that if you dedicate 30 minutes per day to play, that only adds up to 2% of your week. When I decided to go on the waterslides, without ‘too busy’ to use as an excuse, I realized what stops me from playing is a bunch of fearful thoughts: that waterslide looks quite big and scary / you will look silly as one of the only adults there / you will freeze at the top of the hill while waiting to go down again / your swimsuit could come down / you could stand on something sharp while walking back up etc. We fear standing out or looking silly or hurting ourselves or not being ‘good’ at it. And yes, there is a risk of all these things.

But the risks of not playing are far greater: Dr. Stuart Brown argues that the opposite of play is not work but depression.

“Sorry it is not my policy to do X.” (People respect policies, even ones you have made up yourself!)

Play can simply be thought of in terms of what you absolutely love to do: activities that bring you joy and things that are fun for you.

Choose a word that resonates with you and simply decide to be more thankful. Anything else is just a procrastination attempt to stop you from doing something that can quickly return the sparkle back into your life.

What are you grateful for? What are you happy about?

Sleep is not a luxury but we treat it like one.

ask them at least two follow up questions on the topic without relating it back to yourself

you are not sure what to ask, say these three little words: “tell me more.”

Don’t start with a criticism.

five acts of kindness in a single day gives a significant boost to happiness.

Think of the difference between Play and Lightheartedness as the difference between doing what you love and loving what you do.

Trying to feel lighthearted while consuming the news is like sunbathing at night – it will never work.

I love that about me!

Our diversity is humanity’s greatest strength. Let’s embrace it.

The best time to use this mantra is when you feel shame, embarrassment or lack at something you can’t do well. Instead of denying it, own it with lively exuberance. Just because you are ‘bad’ at some things doesn’t make you any less of a person. Often it leads to hilarious stories and an opportunity for others to help you – i.e.: extend their kindness to you. It also doesn’t mean you give up or never try to do that thing better. All it means is that next time you will attempt it with a lighter understanding of yourself.

Shake that ass! Put on a song and dance to it. Some call this ‘a one-minute dance party’. Speaker and ultimate performance specialist, Joseph McClendon states that when you move your body you change your attitude. He calls this ‘asstitude’. Stand up, move your ass and forget about your problems for a few seconds. It’s been proven that dancing helps you to rewire your brain into a more productive and happier state. Put some alarms or reminders on your phone to ‘shake that ass’ today.

remember when you are down that nobody, not a single soul on the planet, can continue to be frustrated while saying ‘bubbles’ in an angry voice.

Many of us crave something sweet and think we will find it in the back of the pantry or fridge. But this craving for something sweet is not a nutritional need, it is a deep need for more light and laughter in your life. Do something nice for yourself that doesn’t involve chocolate: prioritize fun and give yourself the chance to have some sweet and essential joy.