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January 1, 2024
Happy New Year!
As we step into a brand-new year filled with infinite possibilities and unwritten chapters, we want to empower you to live your best life! We have heartfelt wishes for you to experience a year filled with joy, happiness, fulfillment, and mindful, meaningful connections.
As we reflect on the past and embrace the future, we’re reminded of the immense power each one of us holds to shape our destinies, nurture our dreams, and cultivate a life filled with purpose and happiness. You CAN live a life of design…not one of default!
But, how can we discover the reservoirs of strength inside of us that we never knew existed? In the face of uncertainties, your resilience shines through…illuminating paths of hope and possibility. Let us be empowered to be our best in 2024.
As we embark on this New Year journey together, let’s pledge to:
Embrace Growth: Let’s commit to continuous learning and personal development, fostering the mindset needed to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
Cultivate Mindfulness: When facing fear or other anxiety…pause, breathe, and embrace the present moment. Focus on the simple joys, finding gratitude in everyday experiences, and nurturing present well-being.
Build Resilient and Happier Communities: We’re stronger together. Let’s create connections, support one another, and cultivate communities rooted in collaboration, empowerment and kindness. Let’s be conscious of bringing more happiness to our moments and creating a ripple effect of happiness to our communities.
As we step into the New Year, let’s continue our journey together, nurturing happiness, promoting mindfulness, resiliency and creating meaningful ripples of positive change.
✨ Create & share your magical moments in our Facebook Group! ✨
Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or are just joining our community, we wholeheartedly welcome you to be part of this transformative journey.
Together, we can make 2024 a year filled with moments that ignite our passions, deepen our connections, and bring us closer to sustainable happiness.
We wish for you all to Soar in 2024 and become more mindful, resilient, abundant, joyful and happy! Game On! 🌟
Yours in Wellness,
Liz and Cyrina
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Call or Text: 720-689-4442
As 2023 draws to a close, we want to take a moment and express our gratitude to you for being part of our Sustainable Happiness Together community.
This holiday season isn’t just about festivities. It’s about cherishing the moments…no matter how small. Your support, enthusiasm, and commitment to fostering a happier, more mindful, resilient and sustainable world have been the driving force behind our accomplishments.
Let’s start a ripple effect by spreading warmth and kindness to those around us. Whether you’re celebrating with loved ones, exploring new horizons, or simply taking a moment to reflect, may this season fill your heart with mindful moments, joy, peace, and happiness.
As we step into the new year, let’s continue our journey together, nurturing happiness, promoting mindfulness, resiliency and creating meaningful ripples of positive change.
Create and share your magical moments in our Facebook Group!
We wish you and your loved ones a holiday season filled with laughter, love, as well as mindful moments and magical memories. 
Yours in Wellness,
Liz and Cyrina
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Call or Text: 720-689-4442
July 26, 2023
3 Steps to Make Your Dreams a Reality NOW:
- Design Your Dream – Clarity is Power! What is the blueprint for your dreams? Turn up your focus and get crystal clear.
- Decide for Your Dream – Our daily choices can have a great impact on the outcome of our lives! Let’s make empowered decisions. You do not need to know how your dream will happen, you need to know where you currently are and your end destination.
- Befriend Your Fear – We all have fear, although we do not need to let fear have us! Believe in yourself and the clarity of your dream.
1: DESIGN YOUR DREAM
How will you design your dream? Clarity is Power! Dedicating time to be very clear on what you would like to bring to the world and/or your life is a gift to support your dreams to come true. If you were building a home, wouldn’t you like a blueprint? If so, you can ask yourself, “What is the blueprint for my dreams?” Turn up your focus and get crystal clear. Having a clear vision that is detailed about your dream will support you to see opportunities, connections and resources that are available to bring your dreams to a reality.
2: DECIDE FOR YOUR DREAM
Everything that has been created in our world started with an idea. Your dreams are your ideas! Will you decide to nurture them, believe in them, and take action every day toward your dreams? When you allow yourself to have clarity and take one step in the direction of your dreams every day, you will start to see your efforts compound. How can we make empowered decisions? We know our daily actions can have an impact on the outcome of our lives! If we are very clear on where we are currently and where you would like to be, you do not need to know how, although you have to decide and dedicate the time to your dreams. Let’s make empowered decisions!
3: BEFRIEND YOUR FEAR
We all have fear, although we do not need to let fear control us! Fear has many different meanings. F.E.A.R. is an empowering acronym for False, Evidence, Appearing, Real. We can recite this when the FEAR starts to show its limiting face. Many times this is the case because the “thought gremlins” like to take charge and generate doubt. Let’s face it, we have all fallen, and when we are resilient and pick ourselves up, we learn, grow, become stronger, and a better version of ourselves. People who believe in and are passionate about their dreams are willing to fail and rise again. Remember, where your attention goes, energy flows. (cont’d.)
Ready to get started with our guided visioning course? Start with “Your Life of Design…Not One of Default” HERE!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#Dream #Dreams #WellnessWednesday #Mindfulness #Happiness #Resilience #Visioning #love #beautiful #nature #happy #friends #smile #family #fun #motivation #amazing #inspiration #bestoftheday #thoughtleadership #explore #lifestyle #healthAndwellness #daily #health #explore #gratitude #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #WinningWellnessExperience #SustainableHappinessTogether
July 19, 2023
5 Ways to Have a Growth Mindset NOW:
1: START YOUR DAY WITH A SMILE
We are continually going through metamorphosis and it all starts with the growth mindset…just like the butterfly starts off as an egg. What will your day hold? What will your mindset be? Life can be really challenging and there’s a lot going on in the world right now! But to get through it, we need to maintain a growth mindset. Sometimes we have to go through hard times to learn and grow and expand. There are some mornings you don’t feel like getting out of bed, but if you force a smile, your brain doesn’t know the difference! Whether it’s a real smile or a fake smile, your body starts to create chemicals in your bodies that can cause more happiness in our day and make your day better. So, SMILE away!
2: CATCH HAPPINESS®
The next stage of our growth mindset metamorphosis is the Caterpillar stage and catching happiness. You can imagine a caterpillar crawling along leaves, getting strong and happy, in preparation for its next phase of transformation. What’s one thing that brings you happiness in your day? Maybe it’s as simple as a cup of coffee or listening to your favorite song. Have a little dance party or sing in the shower. Go for a walk outside and take in the amazing-ness of this beautiful planet. Whatever it is, go and do one simple thing that brings you joy and experience more happiness.
3: BE MINDFUL
The next stage of our growth mindset metamorphosis journey is the pupa phase when the Caterpillar goes into its chrysalis and it has to go within and trust the process. Did you know that when the caterpillar goes into pupa phase it becomes organic goo? These cells are called the imaginal cells! What can you imagine for your metamorphosis? When the caterpillar is in its chrysalis, it is uncertain and a little scared. It’s important for us when we feel uncertain and a little scared to practice mindfulness meditation. Try closing your eyes, put your hand on your belly, and take one slow deep breath and see how you feel. Introduce some mindful moments into your day…like slow, deep breaths and moments of downtime. Rest. Recover. Prepare.
4: BE RESILIENT
The next phase of our metamorphosis journey is when the newly transformed butterfly has to push its way out of the chrysalis. Did you know you cannot help it with this or it will die? It has to do the work itself and be resilient. The definition of resiliency from HeartMath® is “the capacity to prepare for, recover from, and adapt in the face of stress, challenges, and adversity”. Our very own Dr. Cyrina Bullard is a certified HeartMath® Trainer. She had to be very resilient after being in a coma for 18 days after a traumatic bicycle accident…re-learning how to walk, talk, feed herself, etc. A year later, she ran a 5K!
5: DESIGN YOUR DREAMS
You know how a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly and pushes its way out of a chrysalis? It then spreads its wings sharing kindness and gratitude around the world through pollination. What’s your dream? Taking time to write down and imagine your dreams becoming a reality can also contribute to your growth. When we feel our dreams as though they are a reality, we can bring them to fruition. Doing something kind for someone else…or our Selves (practicing that very important Self Care)…or practicing gratitude…can contribute to our dreams becoming a reality as we appreciate the good things in life that we already have.
Now, pick one activity to build your growth mindset and do it! Stay curious and try more than one. Explore these growth mindset activities and find what feels best for you.
Share this with others!
Want happy, resilient children? Get our Lessons from the Bright Butterfly HERE!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#WellnessWednesday #Mindfulness #Happiness #Resilience #Visioning #love #beautiful #nature #happy #follow #followme #friends #smile #family #fun #motivation #amazing #inspiration #bestoftheday #thoughtleadership #explore #lifestyle #healthAndwellness #daily #health #explore #gratitude #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #WinningWellnessExperience #SustainableHappinessTogether
July 12, 2023
6 Ways to Build Your Resilience Muscle
(Be Resilient NOW):
1: BETTER SLEEP – Although this is sometimes easier said than done, it is worth making a conscious decision to prioritize sleep. The benefits of sleep are many. First and foremost, you feel less fatigued! Sleep also helps to maintain a healthy weight. When you’re well rested, you are less reactive and stressed out. Plus, sleep will help with your overall well-BEing! Have you heard of “sleep hygiene”? Prioritizing going to bed at a decent time and having a mindful relaxing time before going to bed is ideal. Having stated that, we are all different. Allow yourself to explore and experiment with the different sleep hygiene tactics that are available. May you have restful sleep, recharge your batteries and have sweet dreams!
2: MINDSET – What is your morning mindset? If you wake up stressed, this unfortunately can foster those thought gremlins and have you spiraling down the negative thinking loop. Hit the reset button, flip the script, and shift your mindset. You have the power to help your health and happiness with your mindset. When you express gratitude, you increase the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. And, you will be more able to see the good in your life when you have gratitude. Allow a smile to spread across your face, express gratitude, have a five minute dance party, or whatever inspires you! All this can help your morning mindset and the outcome trajectory of your day!
3: EXERCISE – When you exercise, you can shake off negative energy! Exercise increases blood flow to the brain which helps to think of solutions more clearly. Your overall brain health will be improved by increasing Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which helps with the neuroplasticity of your brain. That free and easily attainable “runner’s high” feeling produced by exercise comes from increasing endorphins (a.k.a. the “happy hormones”). Scheduling time for (and actually doing) exercise has many benefits! If it is safe for you to exercise, start small and believe in yourself and build your muscles in your body, your resilience, and your brain. This is a gift you can give to yourself!
4: BUILD CONNECTIONS – When you feel connected to others, you boost your happiness level and build resilience. We have a sense of belonging when we surround ourselves with people who empower, encourage, inspire and accept us. When we invest in creating positive relationships, it fosters overall well-BEing which, in turn, impacts our emotional and physical health. What are little activities you can place in your day to nurture your important relationships? Maybe you could mail a random nice card to a friend, send a silly text or share a fun photo together. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or cost money. There are little building blocks to create conscious connections in your life, so get creative!
5: SLOW HEART FOCUSED BREATHS – HeartMath® has evidence-based tools to help with our resilience by reducing how stress can impact our bodies and minds. Building our resilience muscle using their techniques will support us to reduce our energy depletion and feel more renewed. Allowing even just a few minutes to practice the techniques will create an opportunity to pause the thought gremlins. You will think more clearly and be able to mindfully respond instead of impulsively reacting to challenges. Studies by HeartMath® have shown heart-focused breathing helps improve focus, sleep and calmness. Give yourself the gift and build your resilience muscle by introducing a daily practice of slow heart focused breaths.
6: BE MINDFUL!: – This can help you build your emotional resilience. Having mindful practices supports you to be more aware of the present moment and experience emotions without being judgmental. This will allow you to regulate your response and not be reactive. Unfortunately, many of us focus on the regrets of the past or the anxiety of the future. Don’t forget to be present and live this gift of life in the moment. The ability to be mindful of our moments can help us reduce anxiety, depression and introduce m ore calmness, better sleep and improved overall well-BEing.
Want to go deeper? Buy our Flow Through Life with Resiliency course HERE!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#WellnessWednesday #Mindfulness #Happiness #Resilience #Visioning #love #beautiful #nature #happy #follow #followme #friends #smile #family #fun #motivation #amazing #inspiration #bestoftheday #thoughtleadership #explore #lifestyle #healthAndwellness #daily #health #explore #gratitude #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #WinningWellnessExperience #SustainableHappinessTogether
July 5, 2023
6 Ways to Experience Mindfulness Now:
PLAN – Be more receptive to joyful experiences by planning out some Mindful activities. Make a conscious decision to be open to happiness and true well-being. Planning fun activities can allow for more of these happy, joyful moments. Planning ahead can help eliminate stress. This may look like planning for time to do some mindful meditation each morning, or planning goals for the week and time to work towards them. When we are not too attached to the outcome, we can move through life with more ease and grace.
BE POSITIVE – Finding yourself judging your appearance, situations or others? If you can Pause, Breathe and Be Present, you can catch yourself before you say something hurtful or start spiraling down the Negative Nelly rabbit hole. The neural connections in our brains become stronger when we truly relish the moments of joy and well-being. By reflecting on a positively stimulating experience, we can ensure the connections that are strengthened are the good ones.
In the words of Walt Whitman, “Be curious, not judgmental.”
SELF CARE – If you feel overwhelmed, step away from the situation and remember to
take a few Mindful breaths. Close your eyes and feel the prickly energy settle down to your toes. If you can, take a bath or shower or a walk or have a cup of tea or do some other form of Self Care. To achieve even more lasting results, schedule in time for Self Care – like a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, time to meditate and/or journal, and movement (stretching, a walk, swim or other exercise).
BE THANKFUL – A gratitude practice can attract more positivity. Saying “I’m thankful for…[clean water, healthy food, family, friends, vacation, freedom, etc. – OR – something you’d like to have come your way]” before a meal or at another time of day is a convenient way to express
gratitude and appreciation. You can go around the table and take turns expressing your gratitude for the day. This can also be a good time to give a family member or friend a compliment. It just feels good to be appreciated! And, if you dine alone, you can say “I’m thankful for…[anything that made your day special – OR – something you’d like to have come your way]”.
BE GENEROUS – Finding ways to be charitable has been proven to make people feel good themselves. In a 2013 Wall Street Journal article, called “Hard-Wired for Giving”, the notion that humans are essentially selfish has been contradicted by scientists who are finding that the brain is built for generosity. Volunteer to serve food at a homeless shelter, volunteer and take gifts to those in need, read to someone at a nursing home, donate to a favorite charity, buy a friend a small gift just because, smile at someone on the street, (you get the idea).
Have FUN! – Find ways to play!
Get outside, go for a walk, go skating or for a bike ride, sing songs, play games, dance in the kitchen, ask your smart speaker to tell you a joke, watch a funny movie or one that brings back fond memories. Try listening to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” song!
Happiness is contagious. So, rather than catch a cold or the flu, find happiness and spread it like crazy.
If we are happy, we increase the chances of others feeling happy too.
Now, pick one and do it! Then, try something else.
Find what feels best and do it when you want to feel more present for this amazing journey of life.
Want to go deeper? Buy our Experience Mindfulness course HERE!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#WellnessWednesday #Mindfulness #Happiness #Resilience #Visioning #love #beautiful #nature #happy #follow #followme #friends #smile #family #fun #motivation #amazing #inspiration #bestoftheday #thoughtleadership #explore #lifestyle #healthAndwellness #follow #daily #health #explore #gratitude #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #WinningWellnessExperience #SustainableHappinessTogether
June 28, 2023
7 Ways to Feel Happy Now:
- SMILE – “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy” ~Thich Nhat Hanh. When we smile we release dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins which all can have a positive impact on our happiness. Whether it is a real smile or a fake smile, our brain does not know the difference. Bonus, when we smile we are seen as more attractive and we know smiles are contagious, so smile away! 🙂
- EXERCISE – “The reason I exercise is for the quality of life I enjoy” ~ Kenneth H. Cooper. Exercise generates the release of serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and endorphins which can help us with our happiness levels and optimize brain function. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (a book by John J. Ratey, MD with Eric Hagerman) is a great resource that dives into the science behind the benefits of exercise.
- CONNECTION – “Connection is why we’re here, it’s what gives us meaning and purpose in life” ~ Brené Brown. Cultivating and making time for connections with friends, family, our pets or others and allowing ourselves time to socialize can help with our happiness. Life gets hectic, let’s add socialization to our calendar to help with our happiness.
- LAUGHTER – Allowing ourselves to have laughter every day helps elevate our happiness. “Laughter is an instant vacation” ~ Milton Berle. We can be creative and find what brings us to laugh out loud. Maybe look up a joke every day and share it with someone and bring laughter to our day. We can have a jokester of the day with friends, family or colleagues and rotate the joke for the day. Since science shows that laughter benefits our health and happiness, we should find a daily activity that brings laughter to our day.
- GRATITUDE – Allowing ourselves the gift of giving thanks by journaling and looking for the good in our day or week. It is easy to see the negative in our day, although when we allow ourselves to look for or even notice the positive we will be more apt to find the good in our world. A gratitude journal can help us create more happiness in our life! “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough” ~Oprah Winfrey
- KINDNESS – Random Acts of Kindness, as noted in study results by Sonja Lyubomirsky PhD, shows that doing five acts of kindness once a week over six weeks increases one’s happiness level. It does not need to be a huge act of kindness, although trying to mix up our acts of kindness is encouraged. Perhaps having a weekly mission with our friends, family or community to perform an hour of kindness to help create a positive ripple in our world. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier” ~ Mother Teresa.
- DANCE PARTY – Dance our way to happiness! “There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them” ~Vicki Baum. It has been shown through music and dancing we can help generate more happiness. Plan an occasional 30-minute dance party with friends, family or even just ourselves. We can alternate the DJ and dance away. With the dance party we will most likely benefit from laughter, exercise and being silly! Having fun and being in the moment is always a present!
Now, pick one and do it! Then, try something else.
Find what feels best and do it when you need a happiness boost.
Share this with others to spread happiness!
Want to go deeper? Buy our Catch and Spread Happiness course HERE!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#WellnessWednesday #Happiness #Mindfulness #Resilience #Visioning #love #beautiful #nature #happy #follow #followme #friends #smile #family #fun #motivation #amazing #inspiration #bestoftheday #thoughtleadership #explore #lifestyle #healthAndwellness #follow #daily #health #explore #gratitude #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #WinningWellnessExperience #SustainableHappinessTogether
March 24, 2023
Happy F(ph)enomenal Friday!
What’s phenomenal for us is what’s coming next week!
Stay tuned for more about our metamorphosis!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#Heal #Reset #HitTheReset #FphenomenalFriday #healing #metamorphosis #smile #dreams #meditation #breathe #mindfulness #happiness #SustainableHappinessTogether #BrightButterflyLessons #winningwellnessexperience #sustainablehappiness #love #beautiful #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #spreadyourwings #Breathe #BePresent #catchhappiness #wellbeing #vision
March 23, 2023
Happy Thankful Thursday!
We hit the reset button!
Stay tuned for more about our metamorphosis!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#Heal #Reset #HitTheReset #thankfulthursday #healing #getoutside #getinnature #smile #dreams #meditation #breathe #mindfulness #happiness #SustainableHappinessTogether #BrightButterflyLessons #winningwellnessexperience #sustainablehappiness #love #beautiful #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #spreadyourwings #Breathe #BePresent #catchhappiness #wellbeing #vision
March 22, 2023:
Happy Wellness Wednesday!
Our theme this week is HEAL.
Whether your injury is physical or emotional, healing takes time.
But there are ways you can encourage healing.
Here are some ways you can support yourself to heal:
1: Tea time – the ritual of tea time transcends time and cultures – very therapeutic (especially with biodegradable, edible glitter!!)
2: Walk it out – MOVE YOUR BODY – sometimes hurt energy is stuck in the body
3: Kick it out – when you hit something as hard as you can, you can’t feel depressed (at least for a split second) – in that brief space, you can shift and start to climb up the emotional ladder
4: Change your point of view – shifting your perspective can support you on the path of healing
5: Be near the water – connecting with the rhythms of nature and appreciating natural beauty has been shown to be therapeutic
6: *SMILE – your brain cannot discern the difference between a real smile and a fake smile. “Fake it ‘til you make it” ~ literally.
7: Acknowledge your wound – an EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) that supports healing is acknowledging the wound or pain.
8: Honor and release – Once you acknowledge your pain, you can honor it and begin to release it. Sometimes this is very challenging, but can be super powerful.
What are some ways you help yourself heal?
Let us know in the comments or send us a private DM. We’d love to hear yours!
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#Heal #WellnessWednesday #EFT #kickboxing #selflove #resilience #empowerment #healthy #play #moveyourbody #healing #getoutside #getinnature #smile #dreams #meditation #breathe #mindfulness #happiness #SustainableHappinessTogether #BrightButterflyLessons #winningwellnessexperience #sustainablehappiness #love #beautiful #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #spreadyourwings #Breathe #BePresent #catchhappiness #wellbeing #vision
March 21, 2023
Happy Together Tuesday!
How do you heal?
Here are some of ours:
❤️🩹You are what you eat – put healthy food in your body
❤️🩹Move your body – shift that hurt out with movement
❤️🩹Play or listen to music that elevates your mood
❤️🩹Play!
❤️🩹Connect with others
❤️🩹Hold your hands over your hurt heart and think of a positive memory
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💗
What are your go-to ways to recover from injury?
Yours in Wellness,
Liz Rutledge and Dr. Cyrina Bullard
Sustainable Happiness Together LLC
#Heal #TogetherTuesday #Spring #NewBeginnings #selflove #resilience #empowerment #healthy #play #moveyourbody #passion #dreams #mindfulness #happiness #SustainableHappinessTogether #BrightButterflyLessons #winningwellnessexperience #sustainablehappiness #love #beautiful #butterfly #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #spreadyourwings #Breathe #BePresent #catchhappiness #wellbeing #vision
March 20, 2023
Happy Magical Monday~
To become sound or healthy again is one definition of the word heal. We have the opportunity to support ourselves, others, and even the planet to heal. Starting with ourselves is key, we can be proactive, honest and take baby steps to heal and move past to move forward and live our best life.
We are all unique and have different gifts to share. Will we be supportive to a friend or will we help the planet and pick up litter? We can take daily actions to make the world a better place. May this Magical Monday inspire us to heal ourselves first, our community and our planet to help generate more happiness on this International Day of Happiness. 🎆
#Heal #MagicalMonday #internationaldayofhappiness #innerchild #gratitude #butterflies #MindfulnessForKids #MindfulnessForPreschoolers #MindfulnessForChildren #sustainablehappiness #BrightButterfly #BrightButterflyLessons #love #beautiful #Butterfly #LessonsFromTheBrightButterfly #SpreadYourWings #Mindfulness #Breathe #BePresent #Happiness #sustainablehappinesstogether #catchhappiness #Fun #Smile #winningwellnessexperience #selfcare #wellbeing #vision #amazing #follow