I’ve been called The Eternal Optimist. Does this mean I’m living in a happy bubble? No. At one point I felt that if I wasn’t floating through life I needed to up my game to become happier. That was only a few years ago. Now I realize, being an optimist is feeling grateful even during unfortunate circumstances. Just because something isn’t going your way 100 percent, it doesn’t mean NOTHING is going your way.
Yesterday I received a call from someone who was looking to me as a source of inspiration. My advice is to always have something stable in your life to look forward to because life can sometimes be unstable. Aside from having a good marriage, there are a few things I can count on:
- Being vegan. Knowing that I’m living a life that doesn’t harm animals means so much to me. I could be having the worst day, but the fact that I’m not hurting an innocent soul means I’m doing something right.
- Meditation. I can’t stress enough how important this is. It takes your mind from busy to quiet in a matter of seconds. There’s a saying that everyone should meditate for at least a half hour a day. If you don’t have time, then you should meditate a full hour. Seriously.
- My home spa routine. I do not have the body of a gym rat, but I embrace the body I have and I want to treat it right. That said, between 5 to 7 nights a week, I give myself 1/2 to two hours to work on my physical being. I like to do some form of exercise: Pilates, Kickboxing, Light Weights, Low-Impact cardio, and/or Yoga. (And in the summer walks and swims). I also like to give myself facial massages with jojoba oil; and do a little face yoga. Sometimes I’ll give myself a lymph drainage massage, foot massage, and/or belly massage. Hair massages are nice too.
Of course I’m not perfect and on some rare occasions if I really have a bad day, I might skip the spa nights and go for a vegan alcoholic beverage like White Claw. Though that is not very often. I just want to illustrate that I’m not militantly perfect. Optimism is a state of mind and I do all I can to stay there as much as possible. But when I can’t I allow myself to wallow–but just for a night!
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.
She is the author of the following books:
“Be (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Hero” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, visit:Be (Extra)Ordinary
“I Don’t Want to Be Like You” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback, Kindle or audio copy, go here: I Don’t Want To Be Like You
Her fiction book “Love Cats” second printing is now available, under the pen name Krystianna Mercury, from Pink Flamingo. You can purchase it here: https://eroticbooknetwork.com/product/love-cats/
Maryanne is also available for book editing and coaching. Rates are competitive.
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta Presents “Be Your Own Hero” 
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta 