Happiness Halloween

Happiness Halloween
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Halloween is right around the corner! You're probably brainstorming about how to scare the neighbor's kids with your spooky home decor, snacking on endless bags of candy corn (I'm guilty of that!) and enjoying a beautiful, rejuvenating fall.

I'm sure you're also going through that annual list of what to dress up as come Hallo-weekend. Halloween is all about the costumes. It's fun to dress up and pretend to be someone or something else for a night. It's exhilarating to be unrecognizable, to feel different and unusual. Yet why do we need a costume to enjoy re-defining and experimenting with who we are? Although it is important to love ourselves just the way we are it's also important to continue to build and develop our own identities; to ask ourselves to be a better person every day.

Halloween is such a special time of year -- it frees and encourages us to push the boundaries of our own creativity. If we were as spirited, experimental and adventurous as we are this time of year ALL of the time, we could potentially learn a lot about ourselves. So this year I encourage you to think about YOU as you step into that costume; to channel the excitement and spirit of this time of year and apply it to every day life. Here is a list of emotional costumes to try on and play in this fall!

The Explorer
The Explorer is boundless. She is curious, adventurous and determined. Manifesting The Explorer in your life begins with one word: Yes. Saying yes to new opportunities and experiences pushes you out of your comfort zone and expands your social and emotional horizons. Want to try a gymnastics class? Hike that trail? Train for a marathon? You will learn so much about yourself by saying yes to something new. It may not always be easy but I promise, pushing yourself to push your limits will teach you and give you things you never knew were possible.

The Reader
The reader is hungry for knowledge. She loves learning, processing and evaluating. Taken literally, the reader loves to explore new places in the pages of books. More expansively, she reads the world around her. She is an open book, passionate about listening and observing. Being a reader can take a lot of patience but it also can give you a lot of clarity. Why not try on the costume of the reader? Plan lunch with a friend just to spend an hour listening to her stories. Ask questions, engage with strangers that you meet in every day life, explore the endless stories of the people in your community. Take time to actually read. Not the newspaper, not a magazine, but a novel. Take yourself on adventures and embrace magic. Make learning and absorbing a priority in your life and you'll feel more grounded and connected to others.

The Supporter
The Supporter is someone we all know. She is always there to talk to, armed with a smile and wise advise. She is also known as The Giver. She is generous with her time and energy and is always fun to be with. The supporter is always filled with love and respect. Being the supporter is one of the most fulfilling traits to develop. Whenever we go through hard times, it's easy to forget that the person next to us may be dealing with something similar. Ask a friend how she's doing, celebrate the successes of the people you love and be mindful of how to care and connect with others.

It takes a lot of self-awareness to develop your self. You have so many of these emotional costumes inside of you already. Try on a new emotional costume for a day, a week or make it a commitment for a year. Use one of these or make up your own. I promise you'll feel more grounded, connected to others and excited for what's to come! Happy Halloween!

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