I noticed the other day that one of my mentors wrote a newsletter this month with the same title. Is this a coincidence? I considered coming up with a new topic and title. Wait, I told myself, maybe it’s an important enough message to be told in more than one way.

I got the idea to write about the topic after my husband heard my last interview of “Regular Folks With a Noteworthy Story” and told me that I sounded too serious and needed to “lighten up.” My interpretation is that I need to laugh more, I could use more fun in my life, and I ought to mellow out. Yes, I had to admit that “lighten up” was good advice.

How can I lighten up?

Here comes full disclosure… On more than one occasion, even prior to my husband’s recommendation, I’ve questioned on the CalmUp^® Journey how I could lighten up a bit. Here are a handful of suggestions I’ve integrated:

•    Schedule fun first
•    Spend more time in the hot tub
•    Take more naps
•    Bake
•    When your kid asks you to go sledding, say yes

It’s no accident that this is the season for lantern walks, lighting candelabras, and decorating homes with multicolored lights. It can be a long winter, and these traditions remind us to carry the light within. Attending my son’s school holiday concert, I heard these words in a song: “Be the one to ignite the flame of peace.” Now there’s a powerful way to lighten up—and the song continued, “Pass it on.”

May you be filled with light this long winter, and may you pass it on.

IT’S ABOUT YOU:

1.    If someone told you to lighten up, how would you interpret that advice for yourself?
2.    What suggestions would you integrate in your day-to-day life to lighten up and have more fun?
3.    What are you passing on with your words, your thoughts, your dreams?