Happy Productive Life

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Happiness Actions: Rest Is a Right 

Christi Nation  By Christi Nation“You don’t have to prove your exhaustion to deserve rest.” — Dr. Thema Bryant  We’re conditioned to earn our rest.Finish the to-do list first. Make sure no one’s disappointed. Only then—maybe—you can sit down. But here’s the truth: rest is not a reward. It is a right.  And the cost of ignoring it? Burnout. Resentment. A quiet grief for the version of you that once felt whole. When we do

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Happiness Actions: The Peace of Mind Filter 

Christi Nation  By Christi Nation“Worry is essentially a misuse of imagination.” – Alex F. Osborn  Use your imagination for good – not negativity. Do not settle for any thought that is not worthy of you. You wouldn’t want someone saying negative things about you. Why should you let your own mind do that to you?  “But I can’t control my mind!” Yes, you can. Your brain does not control you. The brain

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Happiness Actions: The Greatest Gift

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen R. Covey By Christi NationListening is the most endearing quality you can develop. Your loved ones and work colleagues will appreciate it. Focusing on the other person in conversation is actually a gift to yourself. You get to learn about the other person. Here is a technique that people are not usually taught: During

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Happy Productive Life: Just Start

Christi Nation, creator of Happy Productive Life. By Christi Nation “Motivation often comes after starting.” – James Clear Do you ever have a hard time getting going? It’s called overcoming inertia – overcoming rest or motion. It’s hard to start or stop a project. Sitting on the couch being at rest or being in motion running errands. When I am in motion, it’s difficult to stop when it’s time to

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Happy Productive Life: Be Brave: Karma Has Your Back

Christi Nation, creator of Happy Productive Life. By Christi Nation A couple of years ago, my friend, Rachel, became pregnant out of wedlock in her early thirties. She chose to keep the pregnancy, shared her single parenthood publicly, and was fired from her job because of those choices. It was a huge surprise that her employer would do that in this day and time.  Rachel had just bought a home

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Happy Productive Life: Getting Even

Christi Nation, writing to us from her hospital bed this month! By Christi Nation I am writing this column from my hospital bed after my mastectomy surgery with an IV in my hand.  I got mad and I got even! Cancer has taken too many lives prematurely. I was scared to death to learn about the breast cancer, but I researched and got a superb surgical team. Not a lot

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Happy Productive Life: Bouncing Back from Burnout

By Christi Nation – Part 1 We all want to succeed. We all have goals we work toward even if the work is not conscious. A promotion, a new house, a diet and exercise plan, surviving a pandemic. Ah, the pandemic….that’s the tough one. Constant changes and uncertainty cause massive stress. That stress causes, you guessed it – BURNOUT. Burnout is not being able to take one more step toward

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Happiness Actions: How to Handle Really Bad News

We can choose daily to condition our minds with the positive thoughts. By Christi NationI had a setback out of my control the morning after finding out I had to have a mastectomy for breast cancer. With the combination of learning challenging news two days in a row, I was angry, hurt, having a pity party, you name it. When I am scared, I choose a scarcity mindset. When thinking

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Happiness Actions: How to Get What You Want

Christi Nation, author of Happiness Actions By Christi Nation“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson There is a scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where it looks like Indy cannot cross an impossible chasm. When he stepped out in faith, the invisible bridge revealed itself to be camouflaged. He decided to cross the bridge without knowing HOW he was

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What Do You Have Control Over?

By Christi Nation“Focus on what you can do rather than stress about what you have no control over.” – Catherine DeVyre What are the top three things you have control over? With this pandemic, we all feel out of control. Having to change how we live negatively influences us and our personal and professional relationships. Life is choice. We choose our thoughts (positive or negative). From those thoughts come our

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Happiness Actions: Managing Stress: The Antidote to Overwhelm

By Christi Nation “Don’t worry too much about how you are going to get it all done. Get started, learn as you go, and it will all come to you. Action creates momentum, and momentum energizes you to keep going.” – Averstu.com In Three Steps to Overcoming Overwhelm Michelle Nickolaisen states, “Everyone hates overwhelm – it leaves you feeling stressed out and often mentally paralyzed (which just makes the overwhelm

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Life’s Unpredictability & Its Antidote

By Christi Nation “As the world we live in is so unpredictable, the ability to learn, to adapt, and to change is imperative, alongside creativity, problem-solving, and communication skills.” – Alain Dehaze Recently I was watching my niece, Lauren’s, soccer game. It struck me how unpredictable where the ball would go from one minute to the next. It depended on the trajectory of the shot if the team kept the

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About the Cover . . .  “ARKANSAS DIAMONDS” Photographer – Jeremy Rodgers 

Thriving Under Pressure:  Arkansas Diamonds Manager Lauren Hatten Discusses the Team’s Success and Goals  By Lana Pierce Fans (and future fans) of the Arkansas Diamonds: Tune in! Arkansas’s best indoor arena football team, established in Hot Springs as the “Wiseguys” before expanding this year, the Arkansas Diamonds are bringing back the hard-hitting entertainment. The sport’s

Yoga: Benefits of Mermaid Pose 

Can you tell where this mural is located? The First person to snap a selfie in front of the same mural and text it to 501-651-0545 will receive a free drop-in class! Photo by Missy Conry & Melissa Stevens  By Missy Conry & Melissa Stevens Yoga offers countless opportunities to build strength, improve flexibility, and create

Happy 150th Birthday, Hot Springs!  

Each person attending the birthday gala will receive this special commemorative coin.  Hot Springs’ 150th birthday gala will be held August 11 in Horner Hall at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Funds generated by the celebration will be given to the Garland County Historical Society.  “Although our city’s history goes back hundreds of years

Melissa Carper Will Open Inaugural Birding Festival of the South 

Singer Melissa Carper. — Courtesy Visit Hot Springs  Melissa Carper, the nationally acclaimed country singer with deep ties to Arkansas and a profound commitment to nature, will open the inaugural Birding Festival of the South Presented by Oaklawn Hot Springs, with a concert October 8 on Bridge Street in downtown Hot