True Friendship
True Friendship
Friendship during the sunshine in our lives is easy,
But when the big storm hits,
The friends who are willing to weather the storm along side us,
Now those are your
True Friends.
~Nicole Johnston
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The Blessing of Authentic Friendships
I dedicated this to those special friendships that have enriched my life, inspired me, brought my joy, laughter, wisdom and comfort, and shown me just how beautiful this world can be. Thank you for being part of my life…
MY RICHES DO NOT LIE IN MATERIAL WEALTH, BUT IN HAVING TREASURED FRIENDS LIKE YOU ~NICOLE JOHNSTON
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Rethinking the Impact of Social Media on Our Relationships and Our Happiness
This simple short video (the link is at the very bottom) speaks to everything I believe in my soul about human relationships, and living an authentic life. Had I not become so ill (for those who are new to The Happiness Tree, I am bedridden), I would likely spend very little of my time on social media. Not because I am not a social person…but because I totally AM.
I love spending time with friends and loved ones, either in person, or chatting on the phone (I’ve never been much of a “texter”). In my opinion, online interactions are less personal…they just are.
So when I did decide to finally go online and do the whole social media thing (being stuck in a bed can really suck, for someone who’s a social butterfly), I made some ground rules…no more than 100 facebook friends, and REAL conversations and feelings. I wanted REAL relationships, REAL connections. I admit, facebook has now become my main lifeline to the outside world…but that’s only because it was the next best option, considering the circumstances with my health.
If you are physically healthy and can go live life, for goodness sake, GO DO IT! Regularly, take some time away from technology. Take a break from your phones (especially texting) and computers, and GO LIVE LIFE, go make some real human connections. Hitting “like” or sending a quick text is easy…but not very personal, nor very fulfilling, in the long run. In the end, you’ll thank yourself for the effort…and probably feel like you’ve had a more satisfying and authentic experience with life.
THINK ABOUT IT THIS WAY ( it may be grim, I know, but it’ll give you a little perspective):
On your deathbed, I doubt you would say, “If only I had spent more time on facebook, twitter, and pinterest. Why did I waste the time (I could have dedicated to texting/social media) just living and enjoying my REAL life…delighting in coffee and a laugh with a few good friends, watching my kid’s soccer game, actually talking to loved ones on the phone, playing board games with my family, having a night out with friends, relaxing at the family cabin, going on dates with my husband/wife, going on a family outing to the amusement park, and socializing with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Oh, I regret how much I took access to precious social media for granted, and didn’t give it the valuable time it deserved. If only I could do it over again…”
Now, just to clarify, I am not saying to ditch social media altogether, not at all (I’d be awfully lonely if you did, lol). I am just asking you to rethink the time you spend on it, and refocus that energy on this precious gift of quality, real relationships, and this amazing blessing called “Real Life”
~Nicole Johnston
LINK TO VIDEO:
The Innovation of Loneliness
from: Shimi Cohen
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A Few Tidbits I’ve Learned about Life…
1. Happiness is found by appreciating the blessings we already have in our life. They are always there, we just have to find them.
2.If we aren’t happy with our life, change it. If it is out of our control, accept it. If we need help, ask for it. Having an ongoing pity party for ourselves won’t make things better…it’ll just make life more miserable.
3.Forgiveness is a gift to ourselves. Forgiving and letting go of anger at those who have hurt us, doesn’t mean what happened was okay…we don’t even need the person we forgive, to be in our lives. Forgiveness just means we will have peace and freedom from the prison of hurt, anger, and bitterness in our lives.
4. Look at people through fresh eyes, now and again. People can, and do change. Whether it’s a subtle change over time, or a more noticeable sudden change due to a major life experience, nobody stays the same…so look again.
5.True beauty radiates from the inside. Real lasting beauty has very little to do with what is on the outside, and everything to do with what is in our hearts and minds.
6. Nobody is perfect. Remember, making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process. If our goal in life is to avoid mistakes, we will fail to really live. Instead, our goal should be to reflect and use our mistakes as life lessons, and do different the next time.
7.Real success in life is based on the strength of our true character (who we are, truly and deeply, when nobody is looking). It is sorely misguided to base true success in life strictly on wealth, prestige, fame, or occupation.
8. Do what you love to do. Whether it be a career or a hobby (within your financial means, of course), just do it.
9. Listen to our intuition. The majority of regrets I have in life, happened when I didn’t listen to that gut feeling I had inside. It truly is our sixth, and most important, inborn sense.
10. Admit when we are wrong. Don’t hide our mistakes. It’s okay, nobody’s perfect. People will think better of us, when are willing to really reflect and admit when we are wrong.
11. Surround ourselves with our life’s cheerleaders (those who treat us with love, kindness, honesty and respect). Choose people that build us up, and say goodbye and so long, to those who tear us down (I think of them as “bullies”. Ain’t nobody got time for that, lol).
12. Choose to be a “life cheerleader” in our friends and loved ones lives.
13. Choose to be our own “life cheerleader”. The most powerful words are the ones we say to ourselves.
14.Laugh LOTS. If you can’t find anything to laugh about, just borrow someone’s three year old and spend a little time with them. I love the way our little ones look at life! I dare you not to find something to giggle about.
15. Time is precious. The most treasured gift we can give our child is not the newest toy or gadget, it is our time. Play with your child, spend time with them, listen to them (even if it is chatter about video games or super heroes for hours at a time, lol). It doesn’t have to cost a dime. The feeling that they are worth their parents’ precious time, is what they will remember and treasure the most, when they grow up, not the material stuff.
16. Never stop learning. We will never have things all figured out.
🙂 I’m sure this list will grow as I do, lol, so to be continued…..
~Nicole Johnston
The Happiness Tree 