SETBACKS

"Setbacks in life are opportunities

to perform at a new level."

                                            - William Cranch Bond

I fucked up.  Let's get that out of the way.  Despite my best efforts, I crumbled and I gave in to temptation.  I allowed myself to slip into my old ways.  The demons inside my head got the best of me. 

PODCAST

My podcast is now up! Listen to it here!

For my first podcast, I just read my post "Freedom." I figure a lot of people are busy and don't always have the time to read my long winded entries, so here's an option that you can just listen, whether it's on your commute, your exercising, or just relaxing.

Let me know if you would like to see me read more of my blog entries or tackle other topics.  Any and all suggestions are encouraged.  Message me personally, or drop your suggestions in the comments.

Until next time...

DIET

Not to toot my own horn but "Toot! Toot! Motherfuckers!!"  I'm kind of killing this new lifestyle.  My mind has never been clearer.  Through a combination of therapy, blogging, and just tired of being sad as fuck all the time, my mind has never been clearer.  In a world right now full of confusion, I am kind of thriving and devoting any extra time I have into something positive.  I've found hobbies including cycling and drawing.  I'm not the fastest on my bike and i'm not the best artist either, but goddamnit do i enjoy both.  My art is real, its raw, and it speaks to me so hopefully it speaks to you as well.  Again, I'm taking this time to better myself in all ways possible.  What's next for me on this journey? A diet.  I have more than a few pounds I can afford to lose, and again before I did not care about what I put into my body.  When everything else had brought me down, I found food to be a comfort.  I ate junk because of the temporary satisfaction it gave me.  For those 15 minutes, I stuffed my face with chicken wings, cheese fries, and whatever other garbage I could get my stubby little fingers around and shove down my gullet, just to not think about the piece of shit I was.  Well as I said in an earlier post, you are what you eat, so I ate nothing but garbage so I felt like garbage.  I was garbage, but I don't have to be, and for the first time in a long time, I no longer feel like I am trash.  I have something to offer not only this world. but something to offer myself as well.

HAPPY EASTER

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!!!

I hope everybody is having an awesome holiday, and for those of you with children, I hope you were still able to participate in family traditions such as egg dying and a basket full of candy! Although Easter dinner may not be as crowded as it has been in the past due to social distancing and quarantining procedures, look at the positives.  Whenever the world opens again and life can resume, that will make each and every holiday that much more special among family in the future.  Also, more ham for today!!! Enjoy your day, eat the shit out of some Reese's eggs, and make the best out of whatever circumstance you are faced with!

CELEBRATION

I have written so much about my past, negative experiences.  I have written so much about moving on, letting go, and my hoping to keep becoming better.  I have written so much about both the past and the future, but today i would like to live in the moment.  Today's blog entry will be about the present.  The present really can be a present.

My therapy session a few days ago left me with the world "Celebration." Usually I like to write about my word the day I get it.  Usually the word strikes a nerve with me and I am able to write about it for hours.  However, this word was different.  The word has such a positive connotation that even in my new found, upbeat, happy as fuck attitude I've adopted, it was still a tough word for me to write about.  I've always been hard on myself, I've found it weird when others were happy for me, maybe it was only because I wasn't happy for myself, like ever.  Just recently, when having a conversation with a friend who said she was proud of me, was I able to actually accept that for the first time in my life.  I used to think that was such a weird AF statement to tell someone, like what exactly is there to be proud of.  Again, this was because I wasn't proud of myself.  Now, when i was told this, it actually felt good to hear.  And that is a reason to celebrate!

#BIGMOVES

Hey all!
I will be writing another entry here soon regarding the important stuff but i did want to take the time to say a few things.
First and foremost, thank you to everybody who has taken the time out of their day to read this blog.  It has been a learning experience for me writing this so I hope you enjoy reading it just even a fraction of how much I enjoy writing it!
I am still being hosted by Google's awesome Blogger service but I do have my own domain name now for easy access.  This blog is now on www.happinessisamindset.com
Also, there is a link section at the top, pointing you to my personal Instagram, Facebook, Podcast (COMING SOON), and the most exciting of all of this, the official HIAM STORE.  Thanks again to all of those who have already ordered some new swag.  I really do appreciate it!!

Last but not least, if you look to the right of the new lay-out, you will see some links for coping skills, further readings, past blog entries, as well as the option to enter an e-mail to follow this blog.  Any help is a huge help so please keep on reading!!

Also, what does everybody think about the new color changes? I realized it seemed kind of odd to be writing all this positive shit and posting it on such a dark, colorless blackground!

Stay tuned! More coming soon!!

APOLOGIES

If I said it once, I’ve said it a million times, letting go is the only way I can truly move forward. The past is behind me and there is no changing it. What happened, happened, and goddamnit did some, well a lot of it, suck major ass.  There’s no other way to say it.  However, it only sucked half as hard as I think it did because of my mindset.  I was a prisoner of my own thoughts, my own pessimism, my “don’t give a fuck” attitude, and it was all a creation of my own.  Happiness, after all, is a mindset.

TRIGGERS

Since I started this blog, when I wrote about a topic I had a clear understanding of what I wanted to say. My mind was already made up as I wanted to better myself, and I started with a positive energy and throughout the duration of writing my mind became even clearer. Today’s entry is actually the complete opposite of that but I hope to find an answer by the end of this and unlike prior entries any feedback is actually helpful as I am asking for help, be it coping mechanisms, suggestions, further readings or etc.  I hope by getting this off my chest I can continue my trek forward but today feels like an uphill climb. I am still writing this from a good place, my attitude still remains upbeat and positive and I hope this exercise furthers these feelings.

#QUITSMOKING

This entry will be short and sweet.  I just wanna use this blog to hold me accountable. I AM QUITTING SMOKING AND THIS TIME I AM FOR REAL. 

until next time ✌

CREATIVITY

"I'm just trying to spread positive vibes in a world clouded by darkness"

Today, in therapy, the word I was given at the end of my session was "Creativity."  This particular word resonated strongly with me as lately, I've been trying to explore my artistic side. I tried painting, and although I loved the concept of my piece, the brushwork and overall technique more than left something to be desired. Ditto for my drawing tonight. Sadly again, the vision of my artistic piece in my mind did not necessarily translate to canvas as I hoped.