Looky look - another Hoosier native

Yo yo yo! Happy Thursday my lovies!!

Currently I am not occupying my blog - but I am occupying over at Michelle's blog. Yo yo yo let's organize yo closet fool. See you over there. 

As for my blog............

I am so so excited to share with you Emily! She is a fellow Hoosier ;) Hence the title!  

{i think i over used the word yo}
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Hello Blabbering Thoughts readers! My name is Emily, and I blog over at Celebrating the Day. The lovely Miss Tiffany recently did a guest post on my blog, and I was so pleasantly surprised to learn that she is from Indiana, just like me! While neither of us live there now, being from the same place sure is a quick way to feel like you know someone!

I am pretty new to the blog world, but so far I am loving every minute of it! I am a recent college graduate and a newlywed living in Austin, Texas. On Celebrating the Day I like to talk about how my husband and I celebrate all the little things in our daily lives, the crafts we do, what I wear, overcoming bad days, keeping a positive attitude, and all sorts of other things that pop into my head. I try to put all said topics into a positive light, because I think constantly appreciating everything around you is the best way to stay happy. Through all the writing I've done for my blog, I have started to wonder, can you choose to be happy? Most things don't happen like we plan. But even when things end up differently than we hoped and expected, can we just decide to be happy about it without having to fool ourselves?

I have written a couple posts on how to be happy, but what brings me happiness might not be the same as what brings you happiness. Choosing to be happy can be hard when emotions and life situations sometimes seem out of your control, but figuring out what makes you happy can help you create a more rewarding life for yourself. To choose happiness, you have to first know what happiness means to you.

When I started this little project for myself, I wanted to find all the things that brought me joy. Now some people might think that there are certain things that would make anyone happy - maybe things like having a lot of money, not having to do anything you don't want to do, or looking like a super model. But those are not the things I am talking about! I am talking about the tiny things that make up each and everyday - the ones that may seem insignificant at first. To figure out what these things are for you, keep a journal of all the things that make you feel good during the day. For me that included things like leaving a nice tip for a waitress, keeping my house clean, and dressing my best. These things don't have to make a have a drastic change in your day, they just have to make you feel slightly better. The difference between a $4 tip and a $6 tip isn't going to be a life changer for you or your waitress, but all of those little things add up, and with every good deed you do, you are making the world a better place for you and those around you. Once you take note of every little thing that brightens your day a little bit, you can put them in place, and soon you will see a big difference. To see some examples of what makes me happy, check out my posts here: one & two. Then start to keep track of the small things in your life that make a difference in how you feel overall. Once you are conscious of them, you can make an effort incorporate them into everyday!

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So once you have a good list going of the things that make you feel happy, does that mean you will always be happy? Probably not. My list grows everyday, and I try to share them on my blog often, but there are days when I still feel down. Feelings are hard to control. That brings me back to my original question - can you choose to be happy?

To me choosing happiness does not mean being naive to the negativity around you. It doesn't mean turning your back to conflict in the world. Instead choosing to be a happy person means living your life with your glass half full. Yes, bad things happen (even to good people), but it's how you deal with those things that determine who you are. So maybe you won't be beaming with happiness every single moment of everyday, but that's ok! Choosing to be happy means (to me) that you are always finding the best in your situation. You are spreading your joy to those around you and acknowledging the little things everyday. By appreciating the simple things in your life, you will be able to see how wonderful your life is. Then when you have those not-so-happy days, you can take them on with a positive attitude.

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I challenge you to make your own list of things that make you happy. If you have your own blog, I would love for you to share them! And if you do, please send me the link! I love hearing what brings smiles to other people's faces, and I would love to hear from you!