Introducing Virtual Happsters Hugs

happsters hugs

Hi friends,

I hope you are staying safe and healthy! I wanted to introduce “Virtual Happsters Hugs.” Let’s come together to support those who are in need of a pep talk.

Here’s how it works:

1 // I’ll post requests from people who would like some extra support right now, giving a little background on what they are going through both on my Instagram account and here on the blog.

2 // You have the opportunity to write words of encouragement by clicking the provided link.

3 // I will gather all of the notes up and send them to the recipient to brighten their day.

Easy enough, right?

Nominate yourself or someone else to receive a virtual hug here.

Here’s an example of a virtual Happsters hug request:

“Hi! I’m 30 and I am a lonely person (well.. most of the time). I live alone since my 20 yo because I have lost my close family. I have a chronic disease and fight everyday to live as well as I can. I am fine with myself actually and I try to practice self-love as much as I can. But… a bit of love from others might help to illuminate my day .
And I love to share with people. I’d be happy to help back.”

I posted this on my Instagram and many members of the Happsters community answered with encouraging words. Here are a few responses:

Virtual Happsters Hug Response 1

Happsters Hug Response 2

Happsters Hug Response 3

 

Here’s the next Virtual Happsters Hug request.

“I am going through a break up of a long term relationship. He came back asking for a second chance I was so happy about that. Few weeks later I got ghosted by him. Trying to move on but it‘s hard without getting a proper reason from him…”

Write some words of encouragement to this member of the Happsters community here. I am accepting responses until 4/10/20 and then will forward your kind words to the community member. Just a few sentences can make a huge difference in someone’s day. Thank you for participating!

I will post these requests throughout the next few months, so please check back here or watch my Instagram stories if you’d like to continue to provide Virtual Happsters Hugs.

Sending you all lots of love,

Kelli

 

 

Marie Coté on Gratitude, Coaching & Loving Yourself

marie
Happy Friday, friends! Today I’m excited to introduce you to Marie Coté, an inspiring holistic coach who uses her natural intuition to help others transform their lives for the better. I’m so excited to share her interview with you today – I think you’ll see her genuine soul shine through! Enjoy ♥♥♥

1. What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day for me would be to wake up feeling grateful for another day of life! I did not always feel this way, but I truly do now. It is not because my life has gotten so much better, it is more about my perspective being changed on life. I wake up early to meditate most mornings because I have two young boys, a dog and a husband. A quiet house for my morning meditation is amazing! I try to always get exercise and eat a healthy, protein rich breakfast with lots of water. I choose to take excellent care of myself everyday because I believe I am worth it. That does not mean I do not have indulgences like chocolate, bread and wine, but it means I try to have balance. Typically I am then busy getting my boys to school and working on my business. The day ends with a simple dinner and some tv or reading. Unless I have fun plans, I typically enjoy relaxing at night!

2. How did you decide to become a holistic coach and how do you describe what a holistic coach is?

The call to do the work I do came to me at a very young age. I observed so much suffering around me and within myself that I knew deep down there had to be a better way to live. Through much of my studies over the years, I have grown and changed so much, but the lasting changes came when I saw my own anxiety and depression leave my life completely. I came to discover that my suffering came from my thoughts and beliefs about life. Once my perspective changed my whole life changed. My mission with holistic coaching is to help guide others to find their own freedom from suffering as well. Holistic coaching is a powerful form of life coaching that approaches every aspect of a person’s life – body, mind, and spirit – in relation to the whole. It can help you access your full potential and make transformational changes.

 
3. What book have you suggested the most to friends and why do you love it?

Loving What Is by Byron Katie and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle would be my two favorite books of all time. They both teach you to love and accept this moment as it is. If you can love life as it is in each moment, you can do anything!

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4. What has been the biggest learning experience in your life?

Becoming a mother made me feel more vulnerable than ever before. It was terrifying to love someone so much and know you could not ultimately control their future or keep them always safe. It really opened up some big questions for me and helped me learn how to trust life on a deeper level than ever before.

5. It’s often said that life is about enjoying the little things. What are the little things that you appreciate?

I really appreciate laughter, sunshine, exercise, good food and good company simply because I didn’t always appreciate these things. To say that I do now, feels really good.

6. What gives you energy? What depletes your energy?

It gives me energy when I do something positive for myself and others. I am depleted of energy when I am being negative towards myself or others and when I say “yes” to something that I wanted to say “no” to.

7. What is your favorite mantra right now and why?

“I love myself.”  If I love myself, I can truly love others. Life also finds a way to love you when you love yourself. It is simple, yet it can be so challenging. It just takes consistent practice!

8. Do you have any upcoming retreats or courses coming up that you’d like to share?

You can go to www.miraculouslyyou.com to find more about what I do and how to work with me! : )
___________________________________________________________________________________________

You can follow along on Marie’s journey on Instagram at @miraculouslyyou and at her website http://miraculouslyyou.com/.

This interview is part of Happsters Happy Questions, an ongoing series of interviews that take a peek inside the lives of inspiring women around the world.

Top 5 Inspiring Snapchat Accounts to Follow

Top 5 Inspirational Snapchat Accounts to Follow

Snapchat is my new obsession. I cannot get enough of the behind-the-scenes looks at peoples’ lives. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that it isn’t easy to find inspirational accounts to follow so I wanted to solve that problem! Here are 5 motivational and inspirational Snapchat accounts you should follow.

1) LoveSweatandFit
Katie is a southern California fitness professional and blogger who kills it on Snapchat. I love watching her days whether she’s filming a new YouTube video or just showing what her grocery haul is and chatting about her favorite products. Love her! Add her at: LoveSweatandFit
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Screenshot this to add LoveSweatandFit on Snapchat
2) MichelleObama
Michelle Obama recently just got her own Snapchat account. I love her personality and have found it incredibly inspirational to peek into her life and see all the good she’s accomplishing in the world on a daily basis. Add her at: MichelleObama
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Screenshot this to add MichelleObama on Snapchat
3) SophiaBushSnaps
I’m a fan of Sophia Bush from her days on “One Tree Hill” and her Snapchat does not disappoint. She snaps lots of photos and videos on set of her TV show and highlights causes that she’s an activist for. Add her at: SophiaBushSnaps
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Screenshot this to add SophiaBushSnaps on Snapchat
4) Rachel_Brathen
Rachel Brathen is also known as “Yoga_Girl” on Instagram with 1.9 million followers. She gives a glimpse into her life being a yogini in Aruba with her husband and adorable dog. What you see is what you get with her and I love her down-to-earth real vibe. Add her at: Rachel_Brathen
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Screenshot this to add Rachel_Brathen on Snapchat
5) KelliDav
This is my Happsters Snapchat account! I post happiness Snapchat challenges, happiness tips and a peek into my daily life (which lately has a lot of art, my fiancé, friends, beach time, and neighborhood walks). Add me at: KelliDav
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Screenshot this to add “KelliDav” AKA Happsters on Snapchat
Happy snapping!
Kelli
P.S. I just realized all of these inspiring Snapchat accounts happen to be women – girl power!

Happy Quotes Delivered Straight to You!

I share a positive quote a day on my Instagram page with over 72,000 followers, but many of you have requested another way to access these quotes. So, here we go! If you don’t have Instagram or would simply rather have them delivered to you via email, this is your chance!

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Get the happiness boost you deserve.

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happy quotes a week.

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Inspiration delivered straight to you.

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Sign up here to get the best happy quotes of the week delivered to your inbox!

Take 31 Happy Photos This August

Are you up for a photo a day challenge this August? Join my #HappyAugust Challenge and get happy! All you have to do is:

1) Accept the challenge here

2) Invite your friends to join you (optional, but recommended :-))

3) Post a photo to the challenge page each day for the month of August

4) Follow along on Twitter and/or Instagram by posting your photos there as well with #HappyAugust @happsters

Here’s a look at the photo prompts for each day:

#HappyAugust Happsters Challenge

Will you join me in making this August the happiest one yet?

5 Ways to Get Yourself Out of a Funk

It’s normal to be in a bad mood every now and then. You may even feel like you want to hide like this kitten at times:

5 Ways to Get Yourself Out of A Funk

But if you notice that you aren’t snapping out of your funk for a few days, try these 5 tips to shake your bad mood:

1) Journal

5 Ways to Get Yourself Out of a Funk

Writing down your thoughts is a great way to let go of something you’ve been holding onto. Another one of my favorite things to do is to write down 3 things I’m grateful for. If you don’t want to write them down, just think about them. It’s surprising how effective it can be!

2) Watch something that will make you laugh

Laughter reduces stress and releases endorphins into our body.

3) Hang out with a friend

5 Ways to Get Yourself Out of a Funk

Spend some quality time with a friend. Bonus: Give them a bear hug! Hugging someone releases oxytocin (also known as “the cuddle hormone”), making us feel better.

4) Go for a walk

5 Ways to Get Yourself Out of a Funk

Researchers at Cal State Long Beach found that there was a clear and strong relationship between the number of steps people took and their overall mood and energy level. 

5) Lend a helping hand

5 Ways to Get Yourself Out of a FunkPhotography by Jack Bates

Help someone out or pay them a compliment. It’s helpful to take the focus off of yourself so you can get some perspective.

What do you normally do to get yourself out of a funk? Let me know in the comments!

5 (More) Happiness Movements You Need to Know About

Last year I posted about a few Happiness Movements I was loving at the time, so I thought it would be fun to make an updated list because there are so many amazing ones out there! Here we go:

1) The Chalk Project

5 Happiness Movements You Should Know about - Chalk ProjectSource


I stumbled upon Chalk Project on Instagram and have been a fan ever since. Their purpose is to spread messages of kindness and inspiration. They “create uplifting messages with chalk on neighborhood sidewalks, with hopes that this anonymous message will collide with the person that needs it most.”

Learn more about Chalk Project here: http://www.chalkproject.com/ Continue reading “5 (More) Happiness Movements You Need to Know About”

Awesome Things Thursday

Happy Almost Mother’s Day! We are getting together at my parent’s house for brunch. Do you have any fun plansa? Here’s what I’m loving this week:

1. The Happiest Facts To Make You Smile (I always love a good BuzzFeed video)

 

2. This granola I made the other day. I got the recipe from Billy’s mom and it’s heavenly!

Delicious Granola

3. My experience paying it forward in the first week of the Happy Explosion. It gave me such an adrenaline rush. I’ll post more about it on Saturday!

Buying Someone Coffee- Pay it Forward #happyexplosion

4. Hanging with IDEA World BlogFest presenter, Gina. I haven’t blogged about BlogFest yet, but I’ve been helping to work on it behind the scenes for months. I can’t wait until it’s here! I’m especially excited to see the Keynote, Jillian Michaels :). Hope to meet you there! 

5. This new flower I got for my adorable pot that Ashleigh gave me. Thanks Ash!

Spring Flowers

6. The 25 Best Pieces Of Advice A Mom Can Give

7. @golden_budweiser on Instagram. You will not be sorry you followed this adorable pup!

How is your week going? What are your plans for Mother’s Day? Let me know in the comments!