Top 5 for Greater Satisfaction in Life

5. Disconnect from technology
Ever been out for drinks, or well...anything, and your friend won't put down the damn phone? Yeah. That sucks. I don't know about you, but when it happens to me I feel like they would rather be with the person they're on the phone with. Disconnect a bit and focus on the real and true friendship that's sitting right there beside you and stop focusing on 'friendships' based on Facebook likes.

4. Be a REAL friend
To piggyback on number five, be a real friend. Be present in their life. Don't assume that someone's social media life is really what's going on in their lives. Liking someone's photo or status doesn't really do anything but offer a materialistic means of gratification. The picture of your friend's kid that you liked...yeah, have you ever met the kid? I don't know about you but to me things mean a lot more when they're directed at me individually and not through social media. Be the person who's their for your friend when there is no social media status, when it's just every day life that we're all trying to get through.

3. Be Kind
Every single one of us is facing a battle--most of those battles we never know about, but they continue to go on.  All we can do is be kind. We can take the extra time and care with each other and each others feelings. Stranger or not, kindness goes a long way.

2. Be Thankful
We tend to dwell and focus on those things we don't have. I know I'm guilty of it. We need to focus on the positive in our lives and use those positives as stepping stones to move forward with our lives. Every single damn negative thing has given us a new perspective and outlook and we need to use those negatives and develop from them. Take the time to really see and be a part of what you're thankful for in life.

1. YOU (yes you!) are perfect as-is.
I don't care if you have an extra 5 or 50lbs, you are perfect as-is. You are who you are and who you are is what matters. Stop focusing on negative things you want to change. See the thing you see as imperfections, are actually the thing people love most about you. Our so-called flaws help define us--if we were all society's perfect Barbie doll, we would all be the same. We wouldn't have any uniqueness to set us apart. So keep smiling with that non-so-perfect smile. Keep laughing that crazy loud and weird sounding laugh that makes people stare.

Infertility & Getting Rid of Facebook

Some weeks are harder to get through than overs on my infertility journey.

This week has been hard for me emotionally. Blogging about my infertility experience started as a way for me to blurt our everything my heart was feeling about what I was going through, but it's done more than that. It's let me put it out in the open with no fears. It's let me actually have a place where I didn't have to receive advice from every one and their dogs. It's let me actually reflect without tears. It's let me see how real this is. Something about putting something on paper makes it more real.

The first year of infertility I was calm. We were just going to let things happen.
The second year hit and each pregnancy hit me harder. Thanks to Facebook, I knew 12 people pregnant. After feeling down, I got rid of Facebook and I feel so much better.

I don't have to hear about how wonderful and terrible the pregnancy is, or better yet, I don't have to hear about babies' every sneeze and bowel movement. Yes, I'm sure they're wonderful, but taking myself off the Facebook grid has opened my world up. I'm more in touch with the people who matter most to me. And those babies that are actually apart of my life, I see their sneezes and smell their diapers when friends visit. It's a great experience removing yourself from technology. It actually has made me more relaxed. 

I am a better wife, better daughter, better aunt, and better friend because the connection isn't a click away. I find myself in a happier place by forcing those efforts to connect in life. I get show people how much I care about them and love them and value  those relationships more because of the connection. By connecting directly with my loved once, and physically showing up in their life's events, I have an extra sense of value in my own life.

Disconnecting from social media has made me re-connect this those important people in my life.
It's also made me see myself with more value. I get to be apart of these people's lives and they love me whether I have kids or not. They may not understand what I'm going through in this journey, but a hug from my niece touches my heart more than a million likes on Facebook could ever do.

Make sure you see those connections outside of social media and make sure you live them up.
Those people who show up with a tub of ice cream and sit on the couch with you and while you just be are the people who will make all the difference. Quality people makes all the difference.

Katie