happiness

Dear Kathryn (A Letter to My Younger Self)

November 18, 2016 by Kathryn 8 Comments

Dear Kathryn,

Being young is such an odd mix of self-confidence and insecurity. On the one hand, you feel like there’s nothing in the world that you can’t accomplish. One day, you’re sure you’ll be a famous actress when you graduate. The next, you’ll be a lawyer. The day after that, you’ll be an international spy. Yet at the same time, you constantly worry about how many friends you have and what others think of you.

At thirty-five, I’m here to tell you that your life will be full of more twists and turns than you can possibly imagine. There are times you’ll be so happy that your heart can barely contain it. And there are times you’ll feel so lost and hurt that you’re not sure you can go on. The important thing, though, is that you will go on. And every time you fight through a challenge that seems insurmountable, the happiness you’ll gain afterwards will be greater than any happiness you’ve felt before.

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Gluten-Free Eating is Pure Joy with Inspired by Happiness Gluten-Free Cakes-Giveaway

February 8, 2016 by Kathryn 124 Comments

If there’s one thing that almost everyone loves, it’s cake. A big slice of moist cake covered in creamy icing is such a treat whether it’s for a birthday celebration or just a way to make an ordinary day more special. But for someone with food sensitivities, finding a cake that’s appropriate for a special diet yet still mouth-watering can be harder than it seems. Inspired by Happiness, a company that wants everyone to be able to enjoy tasty cake any time, wants to change that with its new gluten-free cakes. And recently I had the chance to test them out and see what I thought!

I received a Cravin’ for Cookies & Cream and a Dreamin’ of Chocolate layer cake to test, carefully packaged on dry ice to arrive frozen. I loved that when kept frozen, these cakes stay fresh and delicious for up to six months. Once thawed, they can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. I let my boys decide which cake they wanted to try first, and both of them decided the Cookies & Cream cake was the one we had to try. I defrosted the cake at room temperature for about fifteen minutes and then cut a slice for each of us. [Read more…]

Coca-Cola Canada Shares Stories of Inspirational Canadians this Summer to Help Encourage Acts of Kindness

July 31, 2013 by Kathryn 14 Comments

One of the basic truths of human nature is that our smallest actions can grow to have a big impact on our lives and the lives of others. Even something as simple as smiling at a person that looks sad can create a ripple that yields positive results all day long. And a recent national survey conducted by Environics Research on behalf of Coca-Cola Canada shows that Canadians are performing plenty of little acts of kindness in the course of a month! But many people believe that those actions aren’t getting the recognition they deserve.

That’s why Coca-Cola Canada went on a national search to find and showcase some of the amazing Canadians that go above and beyond with acts of kindness that enrich the lives of others on a daily basis. Reading about regular people doing such incredible things had me feeling inspired to make a difference too. These are some of the stories of everyday heroes that were found: [Read more…]

Sunday Inspirational Quote-Happiness

March 25, 2012 by Kathryn 8 Comments

happiness quote and photo of qu'appelle valley — Words of Wisdom from Frederick Keonig. Photo of the flooded Qu'Appelle Valley from last spring.

Happy on Purpose by Diana Fletcher-Review and Giveaway

September 17, 2011 by Kathryn 42 Comments

It seems to be second nature for women to put ourselves last. We have so many responsibilities in our lives: work, marriage, children, a household…it’s really no wonder that by the end of the day we don’t have any energy left to focus on ourselves. But forgetting to take a bit of personal time every so often is a sure-fire way to eventually end up exhausted, irritable and ultimately, unhappy. Yet how can a woman fit a little bit of self-love into her jam-packed schedule?

happy on purpose by diana fletcher cover Diana Fletcher knows how stressful being a woman can be. In addition to her work as a life-coach and public speaker, she has also written five fabulous self-help books designed to help women find happiness and inner peace in the middle of the chaos of life. Her latest book is especially perfect for those women that don’t have must spare time in their day.

Happy on Purpose is an informative, easy-to-read book full of tips to make every single day happier and more fulfilling. The book explores the concept that happiness is a choice and therefore, we must consciously choose to be happy each and every day.

The book contains thoughts and activities to increase happiness for each day of the year. I loved the concept of reading one page a day; each tidbit took only a minute to read so I didn’t have to set aside a large block of time to read. I liked to read the page for the day first thing in the morning so that I would have a positive thought to carry me forward into my day.

There is an absolute wealth of information in Happy on Purpose. Some of the daily activities were the things that we all know we should be doing, but tend to forget in the course of a busy day…things like celebrating small miracles in our lives. Others were activities that were new to me, but that made a lot of sense when I thought about them, like allowing ourselves to feel our feelings, rather than always pushing them away.

I loved some of the more “everyday” happiness activities in the book. You don’t realize how wonderful colouring with markers or heating up apple cider on the stove can be until you actually do it, and it was so nice that the book had so many simple and effective tips and activities like that.

I also loved the fact that the book’s pages only contained the date, with no day of the week or year to limit its usefulness. When I finish the book this year, I’ll be able to start at the beginning and go through the activities all over again for as long as I wish. There’s even a page for February 29th!

Overall, I found Happy on Purpose to be a great way to take a few minutes for myself every day. With just a moment to read a positive idea every morning, I was able to start my day in a better frame of mind and ensure that in between caring for my children, running errands, doing chores and all the other tasks that fill my day, I also took a minute or two now and again to do things just for myself. Whether I spent a few minutes sitting down to read a good short story before supper or enjoyed half-an-hour with a cup of hot chocolate and a favourite television program before starting my blog work for the night, taking that time to care for myself really made a difference in my mood. If you’re feeling stressed and strung-out and are looking for a way to refocus and recharge, Happy on Purpose is the book for you. A few minutes a day is all it takes to start on the path to a happier you!

Buy It: To purchase Happy on Purpose by Diana Fletcher, shop online today

Win It: One lucky reader is going to win their very own copy of Happy on Purpose by Diana Fletcher

To Enter (mandatory): Visit Diana Fletcher’s official website and leave a blog comment about something you liked or something you learned there, then let me know you did using the Rafflecopter form below

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