Sharing my Blisstory

Many of you who have picked up The Blisstory Journal and The Sisstory Journal have emailed me regarding questions and answers from my own Blisstory Journals. I write in my journals daily and encourage you to do so, too. What a great way to leave a legacy for your family and friends.

You wanted to hear more of my answers. So everyday I will be Tweeting one of the Blisstory questions, totally at random. I will answer the questions, briefly, I hope, through this blog! Love to hear more about YOUR Blisstory - send us your answers!

Today's question:

Who set a good example for you as a child?

Easy - my parents. My mom was the "CEO" of the house and my Dad was the "CFO". Back then, most women didn't work outside of the home. It was up to them to manage the household. Men were the "bread winners", bringing home that weekly paycheck.

Mom's were the CEO, financial planners, teachers, plumbers, maids, psychologists, electricians and more. My mom worked her tail off taking care of the 6 of us (and then some) from the time she got out of bed in the morning till way beyond the time we hit the hay. I was very fortunate to have her there everyday when I walked in the door after school to give me a hug and ask about my day. She's still the one I call first, no matter what's going on in my life!


Leaving the house at 6:30 am everyday, my dad brought home the bacon. He took his job at Chrysler very seriously; he had to in order to keep his family fed. He was loyal, dedicated and committed. Just "showing up" was never good enough. He also thrived on helping his fellow man, including strangers, going out of his way to give someone a ride or simply a pat on the back. Too me, they were both larger than life.

As we go through life, it's important to recognize those that have made a difference to us and continue to honor the impact they have had in our lives. Reach out today and share with that someone how much you appreciate the positive effect they made on you!

Bliss out!

It's just stuff!

Nine years ago today I awoke in the middle of the night to a house filled with smoke; my smoke alarms never went off. The Fire Chief from the Bloomfield Township Fire Department said, “Someone up there is looking out for you. The majority of people that experience the kind of fire you all had don’t make it out alive.” Thank God for small miracles.

Running through the house, I woke everyone in the middle of the night, getting them up and out as quick as possible. Years of listening to the fire fighters that visited my children's classroom paid off! Everyone did what they were taught; they headed for the meeting spot in front of the house. The Bloomfield Twp. Fire Department was there in less than two minutes – quick enough to save the structure and our pets! I remember the look on my daughters face when a young fire fighter handed her one of our kittens. Talk about priceless. We lost almost all of our belongings – what does it matter, it’s just stuff. Every one of us made it out alive.

We were fortunate enough to have insurance, (even if you rent, you need insurance) as well as many, many friends, family and a few strangers, who pitched in to help us through the cold and crazy days that followed. To you all, my family is forever grateful. Watching the news the last couple of days, hearing the countless stories of people that experienced the loss a fire creates, made me realize even more how precious life is. Celebrate life, live in the present and help someone, somehow– that’s how I plan to spend the rest of my days! I hope you’ll join me!

Here's to your most blissful years ever! Bliss Out!

Merry Blissmas to all and to all a happy life!

Merry Blissmas – Celebrate Joy and Happiness Every Day

This morning I read a post from Brad Morris, Honorary Gratidude. He shared how he and his girlfriend, Ally, journeyed through their neighborhood to offer help, in almost any format, as a way of creating income. What they actually created were incredible connections and reminders of the abundance of joy in not just their lives, but the lives of those who they touched that day.

Over the course of the year we tend to wait until this time of year to celebrate that abundance of joy and happiness in our lives. My mission is to create more awareness of the effects of celebrating “Blissmas” every day; that is to say, share your own happiness and passion with others in order live a blissful life – and quite possibly increase the happiness level of the people in your life - the Bliss Effect!

Recently a study was conducted by Harvard Med School’s Dr. Nicholas Christakis and University of California, San Diego’s, Dr. James H. Fowler on, “How Social Networks Affect Mood”. The study suggests that “happiness is influenced not only by the people you know, but by the people they know.” Happiness spreads through social networks like a virus”. It can affect people we don’t even know. The most significant changes found by the doctors were seen in the first three degrees of separation. The study found that your happiness levels increase:

15% in immediate contacts;
10% in 2nd degree contacts, a friend of a friend
6% in 3rd degree contacts a friend, of a friend, of a friend
Wow! It is so empowering to know that we all have the capacity to create more joy simply by knowing happy people.

Fowler said, “We need to think of happiness as a collective phenomenon – If I come home in a bad mood – I may be missing an opportunity to make not just my wife and son happy, but their friends, too.”

Working from home means being there when my kids arrive after a day at school or my husband walks in from work. I notice immediately that when any one of them arrives in a great mood, everyone wants to hang out and tune in. They all feel the energy and want to soak it all up –it’s quite magnetic. If, on the other hand, any one of them is in a bad mood, everyone scatters to another part of the house, including the dogs!

Each of us contains within us the capacity to change the world, to make it a better place – by creating our own blissful empire and by sharing that happiness, gratitude and joy with others. This past Thursday, I had the privilege of sharing these findings at the Third Thursday Networking Luncheon hosted by Dean La Douceur. More important was that each person in that room shared something that made them feel a little more blissful, creating an opportunity to make someone else a little happier. Taking control of your own happiness, again, means your positive mood will affect others, especially those closest to you.

Additionally, the study found that people with smiling faces on Social Networking sites, like Facebook, tend to cluster and group together, creating that happiness or bliss effect, on line as well! It amazed me to know that my cheery face can brighten someone’s day, even if their thousands of miles away. “It thus seems to be the case, online as well as offline, that when you smile, the world smiles with you.”

Go ahead, post that smiling face of yours on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Networks For Women, The Bliss Network Community, MommyMillionaire and Twitter, etc… Realize that each moment, each smile, can be an adventure, a celebration, and a chance to make a difference in someone else’s life, starting with your own! Create the bliss effect in your own Social Network.

Merry Blissmas to all and to all a happy life!

Positively Positive and more!

Someone posted a note on Facebook the other day regarding positive attitudes “not being all they’re cracked up to be”. I didn’t even read the whole post. I did read a couple of the comments; some folks agreed, many did not. Holding the title of Chief Visionary Officer of The Bliss Network, as well as being labeled “The Bliss Lady”, you can guess that I don’t agree with that statement.

What do I have to say about that?

Having a positive attitude does not mean that you are in a constant state of euphoria. We all have that evil twin lurking somewhere deep inside that wants to get out to spread a little (or maybe a lot) of negative energy around. Occasionally, mine will pop her head out to scream in the car. What it means, to me, is that you remain optimistic by choosing to:

· be positively positive
· maintain a cheerful countenance
· look at the bright side
· be creative
· be responsible for your actions
· choose wisely
· never stop reaching for the best

These are qualities and characteristics that I look for in others, as well.

I make a conscious effort to surround myself with likeminded individuals on a daily basis. Included in my personal space are constant reminders that inspire and ignite my passion such as photos’ of my family and pets, candles, books and quotes from great masters like Depak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Oprah, as well as my own creations, Blisstory Journals, Sisstory Journals, and Miracle Boxes. Each item represents something to smile at and be thankful for. As moms, wives, business owners and members of an incredible community, we have more than enough tools and resources available to look beyond the negative headlines and thrive.

We simply need to be a shining example of love and light. Share your light and make the choice to follow our bliss! Smiles...Teri Williams, The Bliss Lady

Blisstory Question -

Would you rather shop online or at the mall?

Black Friday is fast approaching. For many years my mom and my brother picked me up at 4:30 am and we would hit the malls and department stores in the hopes of getting the best deal on holiday gifts. Remember the Beanie Baby and Tickle Me Elmo craze? Boy, do I remember the mad rush as the doors opened, people pushing and shoving to get in. Hundreds of obnoxious men and women would stampede to the back of the store to make sure they were the first 100 to get that extra bonus and to get there before the toys were gone. Talk about great marketing; limited supply and the free gift. Aren’t holiday’s meant to be fun and blissful?

Thanks to the advent of the internet and its amazing growth, I now sit in my office, toasty warm, with a mug of my favorite Perfect Blendz coffee, shopping online! The only stampedes I experience are my two dogs as they vie for the spot under my desk. It’s way more safe and convenient than fighting the masses at the mall; not to mention there’s no traffic. With our lists in hand and breakfast cooking on our own stove, my husband and I hit the net!

If you love the Day after Thanksgiving Sales but can’t stand the crowds, shopping online in the comfort of your own home is wonderful. Almost anything available "in store" is generally available "online", except for a few of the extreme door busters. Most stores offer the same, if not better, deals online as they have in store, will have have online only sales and offer free shipping. If you are interested in "buying local" many local retailers have a website, which makes it easy to shop with them and keep the money in your own community.

We get a list early from our brood of five children and my husband spends a few hours researching where we’ll get the best deals. Then, between reading our email, updating our Facebooks and tweeting about how warm we are, we get busy ordering our holiday gifts. In just a couple of hours we are finished with most of our holiday shopping. The best part is nobody pushed and shoved us around or scowled at us as we picked our prize.

No matter what your preference is, I wish you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, as well and a wonderful holiday season. Next time you’re in line at the store, even if it’s the mad rush of Black Friday, remember we all have one thing in common – gift giving. Give the gift of a smile and a warm wish for happy days!

Smiles…

Blisstory Question – What does integrity mean to you?

Integrity? What’s that my daughter asked? The definition, according to her favorite source, Dictionary.com, is:

1. Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

Ok, so what does that mean to a kid? It means, “be kind, be truthful, and be the person you would want to be your best friend.”

To preserve the integrity of my empire, that being my family, I look to lead by example. It’s really not that difficult when you think about it. First and foremost I tell my children to be true to yourself and then everything else will fall in to place. You’ll always know if it’s the right thing to do when it feels good. When that uneasy feeling begins in the pit of your stomach, you better run! I then tell them that when you live your life with integrity, you never really have to question whether it’s the right thing to do.

Over the years, I have experienced many who do not value the word, integrity. Sometimes I didn’t heed my own advice. I stayed in a situation, maybe a work environment, surrounded by people who had no ethics or values, people who were mean spirited. I stayed way beyond the point when I felt that knot in the pit of my stomach, hoping to make a difference. We’ve all been there. I’ve learned to listen to myself, to trust my instincts and to act on them. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A little integrity is better than any career.”

Make it a blissful week!

Blisstory question

What are some of your dreams and goals?
How will you achieve them?

For years I have said that when my daughter (the youngest one living with us right now) graduated high school (and started college) it would be time to move more freely, getting back to my own dreams, goals and visions. Like many of you, plans got altered, dreams changed, careers transitioned and life, well, just moved forward.

As parents, our main goal in life, was to help our children become well rounded, responsible, loving adults. Although they are “young” adults, I do believe we’ve been successful. They are pretty amazing young people. All are giving, outgoing, creative individuals, moving forward with their own dreams and visions.

My vision and dream, however, will always include them, as well as my husband and the rest of my family; whether it’s my biological family, my family of choice or my “earth family”. They are all part of my blissful history and future. We are all pretty much here for the same purpose aren’t we; to serve humanity to the best of our abilities, while nurturing ourselves along the way? My dream and vision is to create more and more bliss in my life and the life of others. I’ve got a few ideas on how I’m going to make that happen.

How am I going to keep my dream alive? Aside from sharing my life through The Bliss Network, the Blisstory Journal questions, using Social Networking strategies and really connecting with as many people as I can comfortably fit into my schedule, I’m creating a “Miracle Box” with my friend and colleague, Tamara Stone. For me, the Miracle Box will be a beautiful reminder of the Miracle of life and the wonderful travels it holds. Like a vision board, my Miracle Box will hold that which I believe expresses my bliss completely.

I’m really looking forward to setting my Miracle Box in a place that I can view on a regular basis. I’m looking even more forward to the days I can pick out one of the dreams inside the box, knowing the Miracle is alive.

Here’s to you all and the Miracle of your life! Blissfully yours, Teri