Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins are neurotransmitters that regulate our happiness.  A neurotransmitter is a messenger of neurologic information from one cell to another.  Being in a positive mental state has significant impact on our motivation, productivity, and wellbeing. Did you know you can intentionally cause neurotransmitters to flow? Let’s take a look at each one and how you can activate them to make yourself happy. Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals, desires, and needs, and gives a surge of reinforcing pleasure when achieving them. Procrastination, self-doubt,... Read More

A new survey finds that the U.S. is just the 18th happiest country in the world, because of poor health, poor economic mobility, and a lack of social cohesion.  In each of more than 150 countries surveyed, Gallup asked 3,000 respondents to assess their life on a scale of 1 to 10. The top rung (10) means they are living the best possible life; the bottom means the worst. Americans give an average rung-number of 6.8, while the top four countries all score more than 7.5. There are many reasons why we might not be happy. Social media, while giving the illusion of connectedness actually makes us more... Read More

Take a breath. Exhale. Take an even deeper breath. Exhale. You just connected with every living thing past, present, and still yet to come. The very oxygen each one of us is presently breathing has been in the lungs and blood stream of every living thing that’s spent one second of life here. That same oxygen in your lungs has contributed to the life of every flower that’s ever bloomed, every tree that’s ever sprouted, every bird that’s ever flown, every fish that’s ever swam, every animal that’s ever run, and every human that’s ever entered this world. We’re connected to one another... Read More

“Boulder has it’s own way of bringing happiness into people’s lives. The atmosphere is incomparable. It’s an escape, but the good kind. Just as you can hop on your bike and escape from things, boulder can help with your own personal escape. So take a moment, hop on your bike, and take your own ride to your own escape.” Thanks Daisy!  Read More

Caroline, “I’m from Minneapolis Minnesota and I have family that lives close by. I grew up skiing  Keystone for so long that I just felt like a draw towards Colorado. My passions are that I really love learning languages and learning about other cultures in the language as I grew and I’ve been learning about different cultures and now I am starting Spanish. I really love adventures and waking up every morning in Boulder is inspiring, and arguably life changing. I want to go out there and I want to explore and maybe draw something in nature. I think learning other languages... Read More

Trius has never liked jobs that makes him unhappy. There’s no point to get up and go work for something that doesn’t fill you with passion and joy.  There are interactions that would have never been made if he didn’t go out into the world and create his art. Not only create art, but re-create himself into someone he whole-heartedly believed he is meant to be. Being trained in Realistic Art People’s faces, he sees each face is different, equipped with a new personality that makes up the characteristics on the face sort of like everybody has their own finger print! Thanks... Read More

I cried today. Twice. Unbeknownst to the part of me that likes to feel as if I’m always in control. One of my best friends FaceTimed me from Colorado and then one of my best friends called me from Austin for our typical end-of-day recap, and without warning, the flood gates opened. To better illustrate this moment, please imagine me at my usual table in Whole Foods (meaning, my possessions are strewn all over the place) while I inhale an entire bag (yes, bag) of Justin’s mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Meanwhile, Nugget is staring at me from across the table. Sidebar: if you don’t... Read More

Since I moved into my Airstream, I hang out daily at Whole Foods (eating the salad bar and borrowing precious Wi-Fi). As a self-proclaimed blogger (I don’t know how many blogs it takes to clearly own that title), I like to spend most of the time writing. I find that it’s ironically easy for me to focus amongst the lunch crowd chaos. Today, I painfully watched a couple with two kids absolutely annihilate one another with their words. In public. And, my heart was so soft to their experience that I literally wanted to cry. The wife is pushing the two kids in one of those car-shaped shopping carts... Read More

Caring for both your physical and mental health go hand in hand. With proper care and maintenance of your body’s systems, from top to bottom and inside to out, I guarantee you will go through your days feeling energized, happy, and pristine. Here are my top 10 recommendations to feel great and healthy everyday of the week: 1) Sleep How can you feel well if your body is running on inadequate amounts of sleep? Sleep is so important to your body! It is a time where certain parts of your body shut down but others become highly active. The parts of your body that become active, mainly the brain,... Read More