6 Daily Habits for Year Long Happiness

Resolution #3 – Make Each Day Beautiful in it’s Own Way

January 3rd, 2014 – Here we are our first Friday of the New Year, 2 nights removed from our blissful celebrations, and 3 days of getting back into the swing of normalcy. The New Year is similar to a birthday.. you’re excited, there’s a big shindig, another year has passed, a new age to quote.. and yet, the day after you feel exactly the same.

Often times we expect change to happen based on an event, or some cosmic reaction to time within the universe. That the great expanses should just know and understand that someone turned a year older or that the we’ve invested in our new 2014 calendar. Opportunities should be rolling in, we should feel instantly better and more alive, and things just have a way of working out because that’s what we decided we wanted, right? Not quite.

These feelings, goals, determinations etc. are a several step process in order to become accomplished realities. Thinking the goal through and realizing that you want to accomplish a certain feeling (Make sure to watch ‘That New Year Feeling’ LifefireTV episode here for more advice on this initial step) then moving on to an action plan and finally an execution. This can all take days, weeks, months, years depending on how deep you’re seeking change.

Now you might be thinking, “Okay Vanessa, I get it. We can’t just expect to feel different without putting the right steps into action.. but I really want to start feeling better today not in a year!”

Here are a few simple changes to make right now in order to have a more positive daily life!

1. Breakfast Smoothie – First of all, breakfast is a must. Don’t skip this meal and expect to feel great throughout the entire day. Breakfast literally breaks the fast of sleeping and gets your metabolism working (which in turn gets your brain more alert and causes everything to be more productive) I love to start my morning routine with a smoothie! Power packed with fruits and veggies to get me fueled for the day. I also add a scoop of JuicePlus+ protein powder!

2. Daily Yoga Routine – Whether you’re a regular yogi or the concept seems strange to you, trust me that this is something you will love! Taking the time to improve your mind, body, balance, and inner clarity with just a few poses and 10-30 minutes of your time can be a huge advantage to accomplishing your goals. Yoga is also a slight exertion of your body, similar to a workout, and will release endorphins in your brain which will add your happiness and inspirational thoughts! Learn more by clicking here to watch some of my interview with Yoga masters from the Soul of Yoga studio in San Diego, California.

3. Happy Thoughts Jar – This might sound cheesy, but it’s actually really gratifying. Grab a jar (I suggest decorating it!) and every day jot down a little something that makes you happy. This can be just in general, it can be about yourself, it can be about the events of the day. At the end of each month take a moment to sit and read through each note, reflect on all of the happiness there is to experience in just 30 days of life!

4. Meatless Monday – As most of you know I am a plant-based Vegan, and love my meatless diet. If you’re not quit at that level yet, but would like to try going meatless for a day to see how it makes you feel then take part if my weekly Meatless Mondays! Become a subscriber of www.VanessaChamberlin.com by simply adding your email and I will send you out a new, free recipe each Monday morning! Pair this with the recipes on my website and you’re guaranteed a delicious plant-based day.. which I hope turns into several days!

5. Meditate – For those who do not currently meditate I know it can sound daunting. Meditation has a bad PR rap.. in TV or movies you always see some health nut sitting on a leaf saying “Ohmmmm” in a way that can just seem a bit far fetched. Meditation is the practice of getting calm, looking within, and allowing yourself to drift and grow from the experience. Take a look at my How-To styled meditation video full of tips here.

6. Learn Something New – “You learn something new everyday” is a phrase that is true in small doses. Your brain will catch new little things each day but your conscious mind won’t realize or take this to heart. To truly learn something new and continually grow it takes dedication to a topic and a focused mind ready to receive. One of the most important topics to me is nutrition, what is going in my body, how it reacts and how can I better this experience. I live to fuel my body not just to feed my taste buds, and I know most of you feel the same. This is why I suggest a truly intriguing online conference by the Institute for the Psychology of Eating – The Future of Nutrition! It’s free to sign up for this amazing conference where you’ll hear 40+ of the greatest minds in psychology, nutrition, wellness and more./ from the comfort of your own home! I encourage you to take the opportunity to grow your healthy knowledge and become better for it!

If you’re loving this list but also looking for some long term goal accomplishment then I have just the lifestyle game-changer for you! Take a look at Ignite Your Health, Love Your Body.. it truly is the embodiment of ‘New Year, New Me’ this program is 4 weeks worth of guided meal plans, shopping lists, label reading instructions, exercise methods, videos, webinar, emails, facebook group support, commitment work, self love bootcamp, weekly handouts, gratitude training, and so much more! Take 28 days of guided work and end up with a life time of beautiful habits!