Thank you to Daren Streblow for having me on his comedy show again. It was a difficult, deep confession but I feel better now that it’s out. You can hear more by clicking the link below.
The Daren Streblow Comedy Show Mini-Cast 169: Bank, Stacy Pederson & Ken Davis
Stacy Pede
rson is a Colorado based Humorist and Funny Motivational Speaker who is incessantly insecure with a chronic Thai Food / Netflix binge habit.
So you want to be a writer. Better yet a blogger. An EPIC blogger. Prose flowing means money growing. Here’s a simple 17 step plan millions of bloggers have used to write their first epic post:
Continue reading “How to Write an Epic Blog Post in 7 Easy Steps + 10 More”
Peanut b
utter and jelly. It’s hard to imagine one without the other. Peanut butter alone between two pieces of bread. Jelly alone between two pieces of bread. Not delish. Together? FABULOUS!
It’s difficult to understand why two separate items from opposite ends of the spectrum could work so well together. Peanut butter: a root, under the ground, plain colored, in a shell. Jelly: made from colorful fruit, above ground, pretty and sweet.
What’s this have to do with happiness? Happiness and work.
The two seem polar opposite. One entails visions of flitting around in fields or lounging on a beach. The other entails the ugly, under the ground, boring, day-to-day grind. Don’t we work hard so that one day we won’t have to work hard, so that we can finally do what we want, so that we can finally be happy?
If you want to live a happy life you’re going to have to smash work and happiness together. On one end lies birth. The other end lies-death. All that life in the middle is an intermixed mess of work and your happiness.
Here’s What Work Does for You:
–Flow factor. Here’ a fantastic Ted X talk on Happiness and “Flow”. goo.gl/p4V1MI
–Belonging. One good co-worker, a client that you love, a boss that you can help. We are social beings. YES-there are those you’d be fine NEVER SEEING AGAIN. However, perusing around at home day in and day out working alone does not make you happy. Don’t argue with me if you don’t like that last sentence. Argue with science.
–Sense of Purpose. We all need a sense of purpose or long-term goal that is not “me” oriented. You are a part of something bigger at work. And NO it’s not just about money. You are helping your company or organization contribute something that is needed in the market place. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be in business. Think bigger, though. People need their jobs. Your co-workers have families. They need food in their stomach, gas in their tank and a roof over their head. By you doing your job well you are contributing to their lives by helping ensure you all have a place to work at tomorrow.
–Security. Unfortunately, as much as my artist heart hates to admit it, we all need money to survive. I’ve not been able to work on a few different occasions and, at one point, lost everything. It’s not fun. It’s not fun being in a place where you are unable to pay your rent or buy your kid’s shoes. The security of knowing you will have a paycheck GREATLY contributes to your overall well-being and ultimate happiness.
The happiest people I’ve known have always worked in one way or another. My Dad is a great example. He retired three years early, taking a smaller retirement, so he could work. He volunteers all of his time building or repairing homes for people who need it. Flood damage, tornadoes, or just a family who’s trying to build a home on a minimal budget. My Dad lives simple, in a very modest home he built himself, on a very limited budget, and is one of the happiest people I’ve ever known. The only time I’ve seen him miserable in the last 15 years is when he had cancer and wasn’t able to “work”.
If you want happiness, think of a PB & J. Makes no sense why it’s so good. A good life requires work. A happy life requires work.
One last thought, for those who think PB & J is not so great, it was once only enjoyed by the very wealthy and served at the finest restaurants. If you lived a hundred years ago you’d really think this sandwich was something. Hope you enjoy one on your lunch hour today.
Stacy Pederson is a Colorado based Humorist and Funny Motivational Speaker who is incessantly insecure with a chronic Thai Food / Netflix binge habit.
Bill Murray and Paul Schaffer’s newly released video, “Happy Street” has a simple recipe for happiness. Want to be happier? Do what Bill Murray says!
Here are a few lyrics that can literally make you happier:
Paul Schaffer: “How are you doin?”
Bill: “Right now I’m just lovin’ the way that I’m walking, baby.”
Mindfulness. Bill’s statement on loving how he’s walking reveals he’s only thinking about the present moment. He’s not worried about what’s happening in the future, nor contemplating the past.
The definition of mindfulness is: “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”
In a 2013 Massachusetts General Hospital study, participants who practiced mindfulness experienced a significant reduction in anxiety. Other studies have shown mindfulness helps in reducing depression, improving focus, and reducing fatigue.
Want to feel better? Take a step outside and love the way you walk!
“Take a step outside”. Want to be happier? Once again, get off your rear and step outside. That’s all it takes. Nature amps up brain waves, gives you a nice dose of mood improving Vitamin D, and reduces stress.
“It’s so great to be alive”. Gratitude. Being thankful for the small-even the fact you are alive-can greatly improve your overall happiness. According to an article from Harvard https://goo.gl/ghHFNB: “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
“Smiling at those you meet”. The literal act of smiling, whether you feel like it or not, is associated with greater happiness and reducing anxiety. Why? Smile lines around the eyes. The muscles around the eye trigger a change in brain activity that boosts mood.
AND my favorite: “When things ain’t cool, here’s my real simple rule. Why not just change your point of view?” The power of your perspective is mighty. The simple act of changing the way you view or approach life, or how you perceive a difficult situation, greatly determines your own personal happiness. Remember, your way of looking at life or a problem is not the only way. As my husband likes to say, “There’s a million ways up a mountain.” You may be right in certain things you observe and “feel” about life-but you’re way is not the definitive. If your perception is making you miserable-change it!
So, if you’re feeling blue-here’s what you do. Pick up a beat and listen to my new favorite song: “Happy Street”.
Stacy Pederson is a Colorado based Humorist and Funny Motivational Speaker who is incessantly insecure with a chronic Thai Food / Netflix binge habit.
Pain. We spend our lives consciously and subconsciously trying to avoid pain. As a comedian, why do I want to acknowledge pain? Humor is pain. It’s presenting a struggle or hurt you can relate to in a unique way. In the same regard, I’ve come to believe you cannot experience the true extent of joy without experiencing suffering first. Continue reading “How to Be Happy: Pain – The Key to Unlocking Your Happiness”
I’m often asked to speak on “Overcoming”. What steps does one take to overcome a difficult or painful life altering circumstance? It’s simple:
You get up.
You just make a decision to get up. It’ll hurt-as in really hurt-but you choose to get up anyway.
If you can’t get up- rest a bit. Then in a day or two, you reach out to those around you. You let them prop you up until you have the strength to stand on your own. But YOU- GET- UP. When you fall back down-and you will-you make a choice to get up all over again.
It’s not fair that this thing-whatever it is-has become a part of your story. It’s not fair this thing has taken something from you. Your innocence. Your hopes. Your dreams. Your security. Broken your heart. Altered your future. But it did. And now-fair or not-you have to answer this question:
How are you going let it define you?
Bitter? Hard? Jaded? Defeated? The easy road that is well deserved. The road you have a right to take. You’ve earned it. The road that allows you to lie down because IT HURTS!
Or will you choose to get up, despite the pain, and take the hard road. The road you should’ve NEVER had to choose. The road that doesn’t allow you to have all of your questions answered first. The road that requires toil, tears, sorrow, hard work and an uncertain place of arrival. The road that- with time- allows whatever this thing stole from you-that empty place that now exists-to be filled with a softer kind of stronger. Empathy. Compassion. Humility. Wisdom.
Which person do you want to be when it’s all said and done? Bitter or wise? Angry or Compassionate? Humble or Self Righteous in your pain? It’s up to you. Again-it’s not fair-but it is truly up to you. No one can decide what to do with your pain for you.
So-if you can. If you choose to:
-Get up when it hurts
-Get up when you’re afraid
-Get up when you’ve failed
-Get up when you’re embarrassed
-Get up when you have no hope
-Get up no matter how many times you’ve fallen before
-Just GET UP
My prayer for you, that just like a toddler learning how to walk, each time you rise, it’ll get a little easier. You’ll get a little stronger. When you fall and scrape your knee, you stay down for a bit, but you get back up. My hope for you is that someday you’ll be able to, not just walk, but run. You’ll be able to feel life again. The rhythm and the view will bring you comfort. You’ll never be the same, but you will be strong, steadfast and beautiful. Get up.
StacyPederson.com
What Happiness is. StacyPederson.info
We reached a new financial milestone. We now have enough debt to last us through retirement. Goes to show that with the old-fashioned hard work of overspending and a lack of foresight and planning, you too can live the American dream.
I am trying to get better with money. Work through some issues. I’ve learned we all have a relationship type with money. If I was to explain my relationship type with money, I would call it, “The one that got away.” I lay awake thinking about it at night. The other day I saw money on the arm of another woman, and they looked so happy together. I wondered what ever happened to us? What went wrong? Where did it all go? Now I try and fill the void with cheap plastic credit cards-a void that only money can fill. Continue reading “How to Be Happy When You Have No Money”