In two days, I will be headed south, to the 2015 Leading to Well-Being Conference in Falls Church, Virginia. Two days!
Infinite blessings on the friend who gave me a Live Happy subscription - and a confession. Each Christmas, this spectacularly insightful woman gives me a just-right book I've never heard of, which takes me to new places of awareness & action. When the notice about the magazine subscription arrived, I thought - seriously? A magazine subscription? I confess to disappointment. My first & often best Christmas present was, in 2014, a magazine subscription. How was this possible??
When the first issue arrived, I opened it - without enthusiasm. How could she do this to me? One of the great catalysts for positive change in my life, one of the five people who lit a fire in my soul to find the truer ME, reduced to giving this for Christmas. A cutsy shot of Kristin Chenoweth paired with sunshine & rainbow featured stories looked like Cosmo on happiness steroids. Held little hope of new insight & fresh perspective.
Oh me of little faith!
What I discovered were articles that I enjoyed reading, which resonated. I was surprised at the sense of almost homecoming. Some people reminded me of friends, could even see myself in a couple. Yes, it was bright, sunny & clearly written for folks with attention deficit disorder - the articles are uniformly short. I read through it twice, then handed it off to John, who only leafed through it to make me happy, but then brought it up to bed with him, kept me awake reading through it. He agreed it's a pity many people won't even bother picking it up to check out, turned off by the chipper covers & feel-good articles. What they will miss!
Am getting a subscription for the Wellness Center at a grannie client's senior residence - every oldsters & ancient, guy & gal, could get something out of the unabashedly upbeat but surprisingly substantial magazine. Perfect for folks waiting for an appointment - uplifting graphics, short articles, real information on how to achieve higher levels of happiness for yourself & others.
Hmmm... A subscription is a spot-on giftie for each of my clients. Will put more spring in their step, more lift in their heart, and definitely more smiles - lots more smiles - on their face. Oh, and one for my hometown retirement community. And one for...
Turns out, Live Happy aced my friend's position in my pantheon of great gift givers. That first issue contained an advertisement for my Leading to Well-Being Conference. Enticing, but I wasn't sure - was it directed at organizations, or would a little ol' elder care solutionist like me get anything out of it? Shot off a note to George Mason University - the organizers - and got back the just-right reply - "I believe we will be a good match for you. Even more, Deev, I know that YOU would most certainly bring a lot to us."
Thanks, dear friend. Thanks, Live Happy.
Let the magic begin!
Voila - the Amazon review I just wrote:
Where I expected drivel, I found substance. Where it looked cutsy, I turned out to be grounded. Where I expected nothing, I got so much more than I ever could have imagined. The editor in me is amused at how the magazine is aimed to an attention-deficit readership - the articles are SHORT, with lots of bouncy graphics. But they have excellent content, perspective shifting ideas, and there's really no faulting anything that helps nurture a happiness meme.
I can think of no better example than this month's feature article, on Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen is bright (personality & mentality), upbeat, a natural connector. John & I met her before her first book became a rip-roaring success. It's seriously hard to imagine this woman ever was challenged to either be immensely happy or to grapple with bad habits. But who better to help people be happier & develop better habits than someone who aces both? Her books - which I expected to also be sunny drivel - made a change in my life. Many changes. Can't argue with success.
Ditto for LIVING HAPPY magazine. I've been reading it since Jan 2015 - four issues - and my life, already famously happy, is even more so. And headed in new, fabulous professional directions, thanks to LIVING HAPPY.
Why five stars? Because there's no arguing with success.
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