Joy is a word that we are all familiar with and one that we hear a lot about during the holiday season. But what is joy…really? And how is it different from happiness?

Here’s how I differentiate the two.

Happiness is an outward expression of positive emotions. Joy is a more profound, internal feeling of peace, gratitude, and purpose. Each sentiment is meaningful and necessary. But finding the joy of your soul and building a life around the pursuit of it? Well, now you’ve just leveled up!

How then, do we find our JOY? Well, there are many ways to identify the things in life that bring us joy. One of my favorites comes from the mental state of FLOW. Positive psychologist, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, describes flow as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.” You are completely immersed in an activity.

Self care is a hot topic these days. To a lot of people, it means mani-pedis and treating ourselves to a face mask. And while those can certainly be part of a good self care Sunday, they aren’t the whole story. In my opinion, self care is about taking care of your mind, body and soul. It’s about listening to what you need at a particular moment and honoring it.

A great way to learn this practice is to write things down in…wait for it…your Happy Planner! You can start by using the worksheet download listed below. At the beginning or end of every day, take a few minutes to ask yourself the following questions:

1. How am I feeling?

2. Is there something I need?

3. What can I do to receive what I need?

I believe that we are all creative beings. That there is magic inside all of us that can create something from nothing! Creativity is not reserved for artists or writers. It’s for all of us who dare to put our imaginations to work. There’s no room for fear and here’s the best part…you can’t fail. Trying = success in the creative space. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Do you ever find yourself somewhere and your mind starts wandering…thinking about ALL THE THINGS that you have to do? You may as well not even be there at all because you are a million miles away, obsessing about the future. Or the past. What a waste of a perfectly good moment in time. I do this ALL. THE. TIME…and I don’t like it. So it’s REALLY important for me to focus on being in the moment and mindful of what is happening in my life right now.

During the busy holiday season, it’s way too easy to be three steps ahead of ourselves and miss what’s going on around us. You’re not alone. It happens to ALL of us and it will continue to happen. But I have identified 4 tips and ideas to help you fully enjoy the Gift of Presence this holiday season. Here they are!

This week, we are putting the HEALTHY in Happy & Healthy Holidays.  I know it's not what we are usually focusing on during the hustle and bustle of the season but it's what we NEED to be focusing on to get the most out of this magical time of year.

Think about it.  When we were kids, the holiday season was a time of delight and wonder.  We didn't feel stressed out and exhausted.  Why?  Well, for one, we had someone looking out for our health and well-being.  I mean, even Santa was watching to make sure we got enough sleep every night.  Now, as we are firmly planted in adulthood, we're on our own.  If you don't take care of yourself during the holiday season (or beyond), Santa isn't coming to save you from your unhealthy habits.

Hey everyone, it’s Stephanie! The holidays are my FAVORITE time of the year, but this can also be a season of OVER-COMMITTING, OVER-INDULGENCE, and OVER-SPENDING — if you’re not careful. However, if we enter into this season being a little bit more INTENTIONAL & MINDFUL about our actions we can totally change that. That’s great news!

The Happy & Healthy Holiday challenge + emails are here to help remind you of what this season is all about. We love and appreciate that everyone celebrates this holiday season differently and we want to encourage you to embrace what makes you HAPPY & HEALTHY.

Let’s do this together! Sign up for this meaningful challenge and join me. Here’s what you can expect!

I have been using a HORIZONTAL ‘Faith Edition’ Happy Planner® for two years now. In this planner, I typically journal notes from my current bible study. When The Happy Planner revealed the new layout for The Happy Planner Girl® - Faith Warrior, I was so excited to try something new! This planner uses a S.O.A.P layout for your Bible study. S.O.A.P is an interactive way to study scripture.

Hey Planner Babes! It’s Abi! Can you believe it’s already October?!

My favorite part of October, besides the candy, is watching HaLLoween movies!