Let's Stop the Unnecessary Competition With Each Other, Shall We?
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
Competing with others is rooted in human nature as a deeply ingrained evolutionary strategy for securing scarce resources—such as food, mates, and shelter - to ensure survival and reproduction. However, in today’s society when we’re not competing for basic survival, the innate, inherent drive system of competition has evolved, as things do, into modern competition for status, power, and achievement. Social media has intensified this need to compete and has blown it completely out of proportion with the "highlight reels" that people post, and the online trolls who make it their...
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Choose Happiness Interview with Entrepreneur Ellen Rubin
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
I learned to become an expert knitter by being persistent, being tenacious, and being willing to make mistakes. Which also applies to life. -Ellen Rubin Ellen Rubin is one the most inspiring people I have ever met. Her main goal in life has always been to help others. First as an immunologist working with cancer patients and then transitioning into owning and running a magnificent full-service yarn and fiber arts store called Luv 2 Knit and More in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. She also founded a non-profit organization called Therapeutic CraftCare, which builds community and supports students,...
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Choose Happiness Interview with Sam Butler
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
"I don't want to live through people, I want people to live through my life." -Sam Butler Join me for an uplifting and fascinating conversation with Sam Butler, proprietor of The Hermitage Bookshop, Denver's oldest independent bookstore. I encourage you to watch the video of this one because he gives us a tour of the beautiful store as well as gives us on-camera insights into some of the rarest and most interesting books they have on the shelves. Sam shares about his journey from educator to rare book specialist, and reminds us all of the importance of cultivating our personal...
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Give Yourself Permission To Be Unreachable
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
In this age of everyone being able to be reached at every minute of every day, I have found a certain degree of freedom in allowing myself to be unreachable at times. Let me be clear - I love my phone and I really appreciate the fact that I can communicate with people quickly and efficiently. But the stress of having to respond to every text immediately or the burden to have to pick up the phone when we're in the middle of doing something else can be weighty, especially if we're going through a hard time. This episode is a reminder that our life is our own, our phones are there for our...
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Choose Happiness Interview with Artist Jud Turner
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
Welcome to Season 4 of the Choose Happiness podcast! I am thrilled to kick off this new season with an interview with a truly remarkable individual. Jud Turner is a gifted artist whose work speaks magnificently not just to the eye, but to the soul. Known for his breathtaking sculptures and beautifully unique creative vision, he has carved a space for himself in the art world that offers not only exquisite works made from found materials but also provides a significant service to his community through his distinctive and meaningful public art installations. But beyond the gallery walls...
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Do the Thing...with No Judgement
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
I have long espoused the importance of trying new things when choosing happiness. But a lot of us have found that when we try something new we're faced with self-judgement, self-criticism, and a lot of self-doubt. In this podcast I share my own experience with trying a new activity (that I have always wanted to try), and how I came up against not only my own insecurities, but also a cranky sewing machine that had me consulting the owner's manual far more times than I had expected. Thankfully I did triumph in the end, and I hope my story of perseverance helps to encourage you to try your own...
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Choose Happiness Interview with Erin Guard
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
Join me for a fascinating conversation in my Powerful Women series with CEO and all-around extraordinary person Erin Guard. She shares how in her role as decades-long business owner she has built her extremely successful company on the bedrock of staying true to herself and her own core values and integrity. She embraces an "abundance over scarcity" mindset, which encourages her employees and clients to stop worrying about what might NOT be there, and instead to make what is supposed to be there, be there. Erin also offers stellar advice for anyone who wants to start their own business or make...
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Never Underestimate the Power of a Smile or Kind Word
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
We're so into checking our phones all the time now that we rarely have the inclination to look up and smile at one another. I recently had an experience of sharing a smile that was very profound and meaningful and it made me realize just how easy it is to turn a bad day around with something as simple as a smile. A smile makes us all feel accepted and seen, and it releases chemicals in the brain that reduce stress and instantly make us feel happier. So I encourage you to share a smile today, as it will improve your own day, as well as the day of the person who is lucky enough to receive a...
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Choose Happiness Interview with Amy Rollins
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
Get ready to find your calm. Join me for an enlightening and beautifully informative interview with the amazing yoga and mindfulness instructor Amy Rollins. She shares some truly life-changing tips for relaxation, how to mindfully begin each day, how to easily fall asleep, and how to go about our life with less self-judgment and more serenity overall. She explains how important our breath can be to quell anxiety and reduce stress, and shows us simple breathing practices that we can use in difficult or overwhelming situations. Amy is a gift to the world and I am so excited for you to learn from...
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Self-Loathing is Not a Requirement for Achievement
Choose Happiness With Rachel Cole
If self-loathing was a requirement for achievement, we all would have accomplished everything we wanted to do in life and more. It seems that we tend to put ourselves down in the hopes that our own criticism and self-deprecation will spur us into action. I have found the opposite to be true - and the only thing that berating myself does is make me feel badly about myself and curbs my enthusiasm for getting things done. Imagine what our lives would be like if we spoke to ourselves lovingly, the way we talk to our friends, our loved ones, and even our pets! Making the choice to give ourselves...
info_outlineWhile grabbing for "The Brass Ring" is a great metaphor for going after our biggest dreams in life, it's important to remember that when we focus solely on the prize, we can miss the beauty and magic of the carousel ride along the way. We also need to realize that there is no "One Brass Ring" that makes everything fall into place as promised - the real brass ring is a balance of everything that brings us fulfillment and joy.