Cindy Bayles > Quotes

“Creative pursuits like doodling help focus our minds, has been compared to meditation because it calms the brain and body, and releases dopamine, a natural antidepressant that decreases anxiety and depression.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side.” --Maya Angelou”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Show up for yourself like a friend. Talk to yourself like a friend. Listen to yourself like a friend. Give to yourself like a friend.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Gratitude has been scientifically shown to improve: Relationships Physical health. · Psychological health. · Empathy. · Sleep. · Self-esteem Mental strength. I don’t know about you, but I need all of those! But wait there’s more! The participants of a gratitude study were asked to record 3 things they were grateful for every day. These participants were 25% happier at the 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month checkpoints.  Daily gratitude practice creates a gratitude habit. This new habit hones our attention towards gratitude, and we then feel happier.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“There is a simple formula to become a Joy Seeker. It’s not hard. But it does entail intentionality. Seekers of Joy don’t wait for joy to come to them. They seek joy in the tiny moments of their lives. Seekers look for opportunities to be grateful. They try new things.  They know life comes with pain and sorrow but are willing to forge ahead because life is meant to be lived and savored. Seekers are powerful because they don’t wait for joy.  Seekers search for joy. Seekers look for opportunities to create happiness for others and joy in their own circumstances.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“I became a Joy Seeker.  Joy seekers search for God’s gifts.   A joy seeker doesn’t ignore the bad, unhappy, and hard. Rather, a joy seeker searches for joy, for light, and for truth.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“The root of joy is gratefulness. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful. Look closely and you will find that people are happy because they are grateful.” ~ David Steindl-Rast”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Habit two:  Get outside of your comfort zone. It’s time to shake things up a bit. Do something different than you usually do. Try something new. Walk somewhere new. Eat something new. Call a friend you haven’t talked to for a while. Paint without worrying about the outcome. What could you do today that would bring you a spark of joy? Go and do that! No, don't stop to fold the laundry! Go! Do the thing that brings you joy! Life is too short to live alone in our caves. Break out and do something different.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Creativity creates a space to make decisions, make mistakes, and create joy.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Scheduling time for me was a struggle. I believed rest and renewal came AFTER the work was done. Truthfully, the work is never done. This kind of mindset just leaves an exhausted, cranky woman.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Habit one: Create a daily gratitude practice. There are 2 parts. The first part is to write down three things that you are grateful for. (There is a space on the habit tracker or use a journal.) Take the time to gaze at a beautiful sunset, notice a bug on the road, and look up at the stars hanging in the night sky. Not hard. Right? This second part is powerful. Take a few seconds and create the feeling of gratitude in your body. Put your hands on your heart and think about how grateful you are. Let gratitude soak into your bones.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“As I let go of comparison, I found joy. Joy in being me. Life became lighter and freer. When we shine our unique light, we light the way for others. Creation is exhilarating, surprising, messy, and life changing. There is no progress in comparison.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“When you doodle, your mind becomes deeply focused and relaxed. Harvard cardiologist, Herbert Benson identified this as the relaxation response. Doodling can be a meditative experience.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Don’t listen to anyone that tries to mute your light.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Rising joy raises all hearts.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“What do Marie Curie, Einstein, JFK, Edison, and Henry Ford have in common? Doodling! Really!”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“To create something new and different feels like we are risking rejection. When someone rejects something, we create it hurts. So, we ignore new ideas.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“We get to choose who we love. Because we get to choose who we love, we get to choose to love our past selves, our present selves, and our future selves.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“But rejection is part of life. We each have different thoughts, beliefs, and views. So, it’s good if someone loves our work and someone hates it. It means we’re doing something right.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Give yourself 15 minutes of focused, uninterrupted time to create every day.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Research from the Mayo Clinic indicates that being creative helps adults delay future neurodegeneration, lowers blood pressure, and improves the immune system.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Being creative boosts brain function making it easier to learn, solve problems, and enhances critical thinking skills. A study published by the LEGO foundation found that people learn best through play. Doodling is a form of play.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Joy doesn’t just show up on our doorstep because we wish it so. We are the creators of our world. We can create joy, or we can create heartache. We get to choose our life experience. One of the funnest and easiest ways to create joy is to do something out of the ordinary for you.  Do we want to learn something new or restart something? Do we want to travel the world or grow a garden? The choices are endless. Staying in the same place will never produce different results. You can feel joy today. Step out of your comfort zone and try something new!”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.

“Habit three: Find someone to serve. This is not as hard as it seems. Simply think about how you will connect with another soul today. Some easy suggestions are: Smile at someone. Say hello to someone. Say thank you. Send a text or email. Habit four: Look for reasons to laugh. Find a joke and tell it to someone. Laugh together over shared memories. Watch a comedy. It is said that children laugh 300 times a day compared to adults who laugh only 4 times. This will quickly turn up your joy meter. Add it to your tracker and see what happens.”
― Cindy Bayles, Doodle Healing: A fun, easy, and effective strategy to design a life of purpose, self-compassion, and joy. No matter the circumstances.