Aventura & Sunny Isles Beach Luxury Real Estate

A popular greeting card attributes this quote to Henry David Thoreau: “Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” With all due respect to the author of that quote, that just isn’t always so. You can choose to be happy. You can chase down that elusive butterfly and get it to sit on your shoulder. How? In part, by simply making the effort to program the workings of your mind. Research has shown that your talent for happiness is, to a large degree, determined by your genes. Psychology professor David T. Lykken, author of Happiness: Its Nature and Nurture, says that “trying to be happier is like trying to be taller.” We each have a “happiness set point,” he argues, and move away from it only slightly. And yet, psychologists who study happiness believe we can pursue happiness. We can do this by pushing away negative emotions such as pessimism, resentment, and anger. We can foster positive emotions, such as empathy,serenity, and especially gratitude. The first step, however, is to make a conscious choice to boost your happiness. We must make the decision to consciously choose attitudes and behaviors that lead to happiness over unhappiness. The next step is to cultivate gratitude which shifts you from bitterness to being grateful. Step three is to foster forgiveness by not holding on to grievances and nursing grudges. Next, try as hard as you can to counteract negative thoughts and feelings. A few good techniques will make this much easier to overcome. Step five is recognizing that money does not buy happiness. Research shows that once income climbs above the poverty level, more money brings very little extra happiness. Yet, we keep making the assumption that because things aren’t bringing us happiness, they’re the just wrong things, and we continue to make more money and buy more things. A most important step is to foster friendships. There are few better antidotes to unhappiness than close friendships with people who care about you. Several studies show that people over 70 who had the strongest network of friends lived much longer. And lastly, engage in meaningful activities. People are seldom happier than when they’re in the “flow.” This is a state in which your mind becomes thoroughly absorbed in a meaningful task that challenges your abilities. Yet it has been found that the most common leisure time activity, watching TV, produces some of the lowest levels of happiness. To get more out of life, we need to put more into it. We know that active leisure that helps a person grow does not come easily. So it seems that happiness CAN be a matter of choice and not just luck. Especially during times of illness, trying to find happiness is more difficult than ever. It is as necessary as the air we breathe and should be sought after with every ounce of strength you can find. Be Happy!
by
Susan Koslovsky

It’s amazing that when you are so engaged and focused or should I more aptly say disconnected and distant from the events around you that you don’t even realize summer time is fleeting by and more than half the summer is over. So many projects expected to tackle over the quieter days of summer that have simply gone by the wayside. Will they ever get done? Maybe. This summer? Not a chance. These days are filled with doctor appointments, tests, and trying to hold it all together as we continue to wage the war on our Noa Maya’s crusade to fight the Neuroblastoma. It is now six weeks since her diagnosis and the last almost four weeks have been spent in New York with surgery, therapy and many follow tests and scans. The days have started to overlap one into the other and some days feel like a blob where no distinction between where one ends and a new one begins. Thank heavens for computers and the ability to stay connected via blackberry and I phones. Each day brings a whole new agenda and we do the best to tackle that day’s activities. The amount of energy and and emotion that surrounds all of this is what amazes me the most. It’s hard not to feel disconnected from the rest of the world even though you walk the same streets and eat in the same places. Calls, emails, texts are what keep me connected to all of you. Each one is how I keep my mind focused on the people who surround me with astounding warmth, love and friendship. Family has always been number one and that is what keeps us grounded throughout all of this. The belief in our hearts and souls for a complete recovery (refuah shlemah) is our driving force. The power of all the prayers and powerful energy is what is going to be the strength that will sustain and endure. And, as in every weak and difficult moment of time there always seems to be a shining ray of sunshine that pours through, as we have been blessed with the engagement of our son and his beautiful fiancé. To our dearest David and Jenna we wish you a beautiful life as you take that journey together. Even in these rough and rocky times, there is such comfort in knowing that our children have each found their mates in life. Cherish your children and grandchildren with every fiber of your being. No one knows what the future will bring only that time will pass more quickly than you realize, After all, who can believe it’s already August 1st.
by
Susan Koslovsky

Long term plans, short term plans and all of life’s plans in between, are what many or most of us do as a blueprint of our lives. After all, most education, family, and even vacation wishes and dreams work on time schedules and need to be mapped out for the future both immediate and long term. I don’t know anyone who has ever set out a perfect plan and achieved everything at just the exact moment that was expected. We all have our “bumps” in the road and adjustments in life that have to be made. Business, professional, family and of course economical issues arise all the time that alter our blueprints. Some alterations are minor and you don’t even have to miss a beat. Others are cause for major reconsideration, and you make those adjustments accordingly. Health crises are not your typical “bumps” in the road. They shake the very core and foundation that keeps your world sane. Illness is more than just a terrible thing. The old adage, “If you have your health you have everything,” is more than so true. When our granddaughter was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma and I heard those very words for the first time, I remember feeling like the foundation beneath my feet had fallen right below me. We had now stepped into a real live nightmare and could not make our way out. Life changed at that moment forever. Already having the unfortunate experience of illness close by, the concept was not foreign to me. But this was different. Too close. Too painful. Too much to bear. The first few days I was numb. Disbelief was an UNDERSTATEMENT. A few days passed, and now a few weeks. A plan was forged and determination became the leader. Prayer, hope, and the refusal to believe that this battle will not be overcome has become the mantra. I live by “one day at a time.” My grandmother lived to almost 101 believing those very words. You get up each morning and be thankful for the new day and what you will be able to accomplish that day. Do something for another human being every single day and do something kind for yourself as well. Just live each day to the fullest with no regrets. They are a waste of time. At the end of each day, be grateful for the day you had. Planning is great, and no one is saying you should only live life by “the seat of your pants,” however, remember how special each 24 hour period of time is. Each hour, each minute. Embrace it will all that you have. Life is a treasure and a gift that in a split second can change when you least expect it. You can only make the most of it one day at a time.
by
Susan Koslovsky