Getting Clear About Happiness And Life

You are a Badass Deck, by Jen Sincero — It’s time to get mighty clear about what makes you happy and what makes you feel the most alive, and then create it instead of pretending you can’t have it.

The cards in this deck were created from a book You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life.

Getting clear about what makes me happy is an ongoing exploration! The alternative is not being here to experience happiness and an awesome life. It is easier for me I believe as I have experienced not being here. When I woke up, I had a calm that I hadn't experienced before.

No problems too big and no effort too small brought me to where I am today. I'm okay with being me today. No one will stifle me. My feelings are okay. My thoughts are okay. There will be those who won't want to read what I write as they don't like poetry or rhyme.

Or they don't like my taste in art. That is okay, great, fine with me. I am truly writing for myself most of the time. Yesterday I forgot about rhyming on the 8th of every month. Others didn't so I did my best to catch up, even if I was tired and upset.

It helps me to write as writing is healing and poetry is for sure healing for me and others!

CUT OFF THE STREAM OF CRAP - Be more conscious of the information you absorb. What shows, books, or podcasts do you watch, read, or listen to ? What news do you follow? Whose opinion do you ask? Think about how much of this information you really need. Are you staring at a car accident or are you gathering information that will allow you to contribute to positive change? Wallowing in the pain and suffering isn't going to help anyone, yourself included, any more than starving yourself will help the hungry. Jen Sincero

Remember – not everyone has your education or your experiences. It is important to remind myself of this regularly lately. In a similar way as a Native American woman, I do not have white privilege. I grew up with racism and misogyny.

My daughter blurted out to me, "I never knew there were so many stupid people in the world until lately." That comment was helpful for me to put that into perspective. My daughter is smart. She has white privilege because of how she looks, and yet she is socialized in the culture.

Because of how she looks assumptions are made by both Native Americans and non-Native Americans. She can understand and speak enough of the Ojibwe language to know when someone is talking about her as I have. She also looks like she would agree with a racist comment when she won't.

We have blue-eyed, blond-haired Native Americans today and some speak their Native language.

In retirement, I have not paid much attention to politics. I retired from a policy division at the state. I am very familiar with politics and yet I do not want to be involved. I saw how it takes at least four years for someone to catch on to how the system works. And then it changes as the higher-ups change.

The workplan changes. Is that good? Not always, I haven't found it to be. Then someone who has had no experience in government being voted in is usually a nightmare. And those who aren't willing to be teachable because of their personality traits are a tragedy.

It isn't just state and federal government I understand but also tribal politics. A very similar system exists with some differences.

Because I know how to do research, I look for research that has been published within the last five years. Unbiased research. I can read the graphs and the information. Not everyone can. I want to look at more than the abstract.

When people discount what I say, I ask that they do their own research. That includes my husband, who only watches Fox Entertainment News and tells me what is the truth. I find myself saying do your own research, even though I know he doesn't have the background.

Everything has been fake news. I avoid the news. Most of the information I hear from the news comes from friends or family. The pandemic isolated me from seeing close friends, co-workers, school friends, and family. I have missed out on a lot as many have.

Hubby can find what he is looking for on YouTube to fix a car or a household problem. His interest doesn't go beyond that usually. I am hopeful for him though as he thought all yellow birds were canary's and he knows his birds now after I bought him a bird book.

Then he would say all trees were pulp. As he worked in the woods I thought he knew his trees. I got him a tree book too. He says he was just teasing as he now knows his yellow birds and more of the trees.

I'm sure he doesn't like that I give this information to others. I don't always ask before I publish, as when I do he does not interfere or ask that I change anything.

Reading is what I do every day. I read others' writing daily. I read books published by authors I am familiar with and interested in. Suggestions from friends and sometimes authors I know. I listen to short stories on the radio with an occasional podcast that a friend or family member suggests.

Staying in today, the minute even will help me to be okay with what is going on in the world. I don't have to stay stuck in the past or caught up in the future. The serenity prayer gave me that.

Everyone does not have to agree with me. People are entitled to their own thoughts and beliefs. I remember to say Creator/God's will, not mine when I pray. And know that man has free will. It isn't always God's will. As people sometimes we have to make the same mistakes over and over to learn.

We pollute the water to the point that it is not as drinkable as it once was in my lifetime. Now it is buying plastic water, which is not good for us or the environment. Water ceremony is what I can do. I can do what I can in this day only, and not worry about all the problems or try to solve them in one day.

If you're serious about changing your life, you'll find a way. If you're not, you'll find an excuse. Jen Sincero

I am bear clan and will think about how a bear can find a way. And how I do that too. One or more bears took our bird seed container we had stored outside and our suet feeder one night. It wasn't an easy job but if there is a will there is a way.

Life is possible because of my recovery. If no recovery I would be dead. I am sure of that. So many people I grew up with and did what they did are dead from the illness. Others, who are younger are in serious trouble.

Hopefully, I never find an excuse to go back to addiction or to muck around in the illness without the active use of addictive substances. With the recent election, I couldn't help but think of all of the negativity and how our addiction demands we stay negative.

And all of the blaming going on that is a huge part of addiction also. In talking to myself, I got overwhelmed and needed to slow down and take a break. Pull back to this day only. Stay on my path of serenity, peace, and love.