Tag: happiness

Did you grow up taking quizzes in magazines? I did on occasion… magazines were a bit of a luxury in my house. Whenever I could get my hands on a magazine – at the doctor’s office, the library, a friend’s house, etc – I flipped through it quickly to see if I could find a quiz. I would be quite surprised if many of you didn’t do the exact same thing. I assume that many of us have loved quizzes and pop psychology for a long time 🙂

These days quizzes in magazines can be quite fancy, but when I was growing up they had a basic format that they rarely deviated from. Magazine quizzes were basic – ten questions and three outcomes. They tended to address a simple life issue, and there was usually a result at each extreme and one in the middle which was the “best” result. The questions tended to revolve around life scenarios… “what would you do?” and “how would you react?” type questions. A lot of magazines used this type of quiz, but the ones I remember most were Teen, Seventeen, Sassy, and of course, Cosmopolitan.

If you look at some of the early Blogthings quizzes, many of them are in this early “magazine” style. As I learned more about programming and writing, my quizzes got more complicated and varied. However, the magazine style of writing quizzes still has a place in my heart, and I thought it would be fun to write one in that way for nostalgia’s sake. So I present How Optimistic Are You?, an old fashioned women’s magazine style quiz – but updated for a more diverse and modern audience 🙂 Let me know what you get on this one!

1. What do you get on How Optimistic Are You? Is it true for you?
2. Do you think there is such a thing as being too optimistic? Why or why not?
3. Did you take magazines in quizzes when you were growing up? Which magazines?
4. What things in your life do you tend to be optimistic about?
5. What things in your life do you tend to be pessimistic about?
6. Take Are You An Optimist or Pessimist? What do you think of your result?

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel totally blah and unproductive? I have them all the time! I have found that instead of fighting against those days, it’s better to lean into them a little. The more compassionate I am with myself, the better the day goes. It’s hard to force something that doesn’t want to be forced. Sometimes I just have to step back and get a bit philosophical to get through the day. This is where something like a motivational phrase or mantra comes in handy.

Motivational phrases are funny because you have to get them just right. There’s a reason why they are often so cheesy … get the tone wrong, and they can be totally demotivating! I suppose that this is why I like to group motivational phrases with mantras. They are a very personal thing, and no boss, parent, teacher, or other authority figure can tell you what should motivate you. Only you can figure that out for yourself 🙂 I don’t know about you, but my biggest source of motivation definitely comes from with in.

Do you have a phrase that helps you get through the day? Whether you do or not, take my latest quiz to find out: What’s Your Motivational Phrase? You’ll get a phrase that will help you persevere when times are tough. Even if it’s not the phrase for you, hopefully it will set you on the right track for finding your phrase. I don’t know about you, but I find that things like this really help me set the tone for my life.

Please let me know what you thought of this one! Does it get the gist of what keeps you going in life? What’s your personal motivational phrase? Is it close to what you got on this quiz?

When I go to my dentist’s office, I always notice a little sign that says “Happiness is a choice.” It always gets me in the right mindset, because to be honest, I hate going to the dentist. It reminds me that my biggest problem at the dentist is not the dentist, it’s my attitude. Happiness is a choice, and I can choose to be happy, even if I have to get dental work done.

Thinking about our own role in happiness inspired me to write my latest quiz. I think all of us have something to smile about if we dig deeply enough. This quiz will show you what’s going right in your life and why you should be smiling. Do you agree?

What makes you smile? Take this quiz to learn why you should smile today: What Do You Have To Smile About?

Do you seem happy to other people? Often we can’t tell if we are truly happy or not, but friends and family always seem to know the truth.

Take my latest quiz: Do People Think You’re Happy?