Silence in the Chaos

Life can get a bit too hectic sometimes. We don't see the hurricane coming, but then out of the nowhere we can be swept off of our feet. Your head starts to spin and you begin to feel like you are drowning in mental 'to do' lists. Your treasured assets that you have become so reliant on such as your car or blender or hoover decide to break down (often all at the same time!). A friend or relative might have said something that has upset you and it plays on repeat in your mind. One of your children might be going through a bad phase and keeps being naughty and testing your patience to it's limits. And then the dog gets sick and needs umpteen visits to the vets at god knows what expense.

You begin to crumble. Everything feels like it is going wrong. You've tried remaining optimistic. You've tried telling yourself "this I can deal with". But it seems that the list of problems just gets longer. Where is the light? You want to see some light. You feel miserable. You think to yourself "when is it all going to end".

Hang in there...

Life is life. We can reach for the stars, we can aim high, we can work on making our dreams a reality, but sometimes life just gets in the way. One negative event can spiral into more negative events and before we know it our brains have been taken over with negative thoughts. Negativity is like a contagious disease. Once it enters our mind and our lives, it spreads. When you are thinking negatively, negative situations are more easily attracted to you. Then, when you begin feeling angry about 'everything going wrong' it can be easy to project your anger onto those you interact with. You begin to complain and soon enough, everyone around you complaining too. The negativity disease is spreading like wildfire.

In order to regain control of the reins of your life, you need to break the negative cycle. And to do this, you are going to have to allocate yourself some time. Yes, TIME. Time is something many of us struggle to have enough of. So it's very easy to immediately think "yeah right, I don't have time to spare". But how much time do you spend trying to fix all of your problems? If you invest a little bit of time now, then you will save a lot of time later.

So, you have organised your schedule and given yourself a few slots of 30 mins - 1 hour. Now, what do you do with this time? You do...

...NOTHING

You find yourself a nice spot where you can sit and relax. If the weather is nice, go outside, sit by a tree or a lake or on the beach if there is one nearby. If the weather isn't so good or you're not able to go outside, then make up yourself a cosy corner with lots of cushions, maybe a blanket and put on some relaxing music. If you don't have any, you can find a big selection on you tube.

Sit or lay in silence. Let your thoughts flow. If you're outside, listen to the birds and any other noises of nature. Just take some time to let yourself relax and try to let go of your troubles, your anger and the bad vibes flowing through your body. If a negative thought comes into your mind, push it back out again and replace it with a thought that makes you smile. Once you are feeling more relaxed, have a go at stilling your mind by not thinking about anything at all for a moment and simply immerse yourself deeply into your relaxed state. What you are doing here, is giving yourself a mini holiday from your life. 

Once you return back to your daily activities and chores, just be aware of how much better you are feeling. Now, you are back in control!

Allow yourself to be happy, allow yourself to feel free, allow yourself some 'you' time and give yourself some silence from the chaos.

Live Your Life with Meaning

This blog has been quiet for a while, and here's the reason why...

Saturday 4th June was a very sad day for me and my family. In the words that I used to explain it to my little girl, "Great Nanna got on the train to heaven today, so we won't be able to see her for a while".

My Nan, a Mother of 4 (1 of which was her only son and sadly he lost his life to illness when he was just 2 weeks old), a Grandmother to 7 and a Great-Grandmother to 6. She has co-created many lives and through giving the gift of life, she has left her mark on this earth.

When it's all over and we look back and reflect, what are the things that are really important? What are we here for? What makes our life worthwhile? I find these questions difficult to answer. In fact I don't think the answers are the same for everyone.

My Nan was not a career woman. So she did not waste her time on a career. She was not academic and did not enjoy reading. So studying a subject was not something she ever considered. She has holidayed in many places around the world, but was not necessarily a keen traveller and found the heat of the sun uncomfortable.

But there were many things that were important to her. Her family was what held top place on her priorities list. She made her family her life. She was always there to listen when any one of her children or grandchildren needed her. She liked to help out however she could. She wanted to make life easier for those she loved and she would do this just by being available when she was needed. And the thing I loved most about her was that she knew her own mind and would fight for what she believed in. She was not afraid to tell you if you had upset her and she would just as easily be prepared to fight your battle with you if she agreed with your cause and you needed her support.

She also loved to cook. I have enjoyed many of her delicious dinners. For her, the more mouths she was feeding, the more inspired she felt. A full table means a busy house full of her favourite people. She also loved to waltz and fox trot on the ballroom floor and enjoyed a cheeky gamble on the bingo. In her younger days she enjoyed hosting many parties for her friends and family. In her old age she spent a lot of her time living in her memories of those parties. And now I get to enjoy memories of her telling me stories about those parties.

My Nan did not live a life full of wild adventures and did not have a wall filled with her achievements. She lived a simple life. But she lived a life that was right for her. It was the smaller things in life that fulfilled her. She lived her life surrounding herself by the people that meant everything to her and through looking after those people, she made her life meaningful. Those people will always love and remember her for all of the things that she has done for them. She may no longer be here in a physical sense, but she will live on in our memories and be treasured in our hearts.

So ultimately, when we ask the question what is of most importance and matters in life? The answer is far more simple than we realise. Whatever is important to you, is what matters. There is pressure out there to be somebody, to make a difference and to leave your mark. But we are all somebody to someone, whether it be a mother (father), a sister (brother), a daughter (son) or a friend. The difference you make matters only to those you love. Take actions to make a difference to their life. The world does not need to hear of your successes. Only the people that matter to you. And as for leaving your mark. This one I cannot advise too much on. Whilst I think to reproduce is the natural thing for us to do, I also appreciate that we live in an age of choice and it's not for everyone. You need to consider what you want your legacy to be and this will be your mark.

On Friday 24th June we said our final farewell's to my dear Nan as she was laid to rest. Now we look to the sun in the hope that one day we will be greeted by her smiling face.

Live your life the way YOU want to live it. Do the things that are IMPORTANT to YOU. And live each and everyday of YOUR life with MEANING.

Overcome Your Anger and Give Me a High Five!

What makes you angry? And I mean really angry! Is it an ex that cheated on you? A sibling? A parent? A friend who you know isn't really a friend? The job that you didn't get because you were too nervous? Being blamed for something that WAS NOT your fault? An event or situation you had to go through alone? A game you lost unfairly? The hairdresser on your wedding day? What else?

Well here is a way to both overcome this anger and get super fit at the same time.  It will have you feeling free from your troubles and free from those extra pounds you've been carrying around.  You will breath better, sleep better and look great.

It's simple:

 Channel your Anger into Exercise

When you're running on the treadmill, think of all of the things that make you angry and use that anger to run a bit faster. When you're spinning on an exercise bike, picture the people that have betrayed you and spin them out of your life.  When you are lifting weights, as you take the strain, visualise pushing your angriest thought into space so that it can't trouble you anymore and let out a big scream as you lift that bar into the sky.

Not a member of a gym?  It doesn't matter!  Sign up!  Or if you can't afford to, go for a run, borrow a bike from a friend and start lifting tins from your kitchen cupboards.  Even get some tape and tape a few tins together.  There are no excuses not to participate.  If you want to be free from the angry monster that lives inside of you, then you must take action.

Exercise done. Feeling better? Yeah! Tempted to punch the sky? Do it! Wanna go round giving everyone a high five? Back at ya!

But then what happens? A few days or a week pass by, the endorphins relax and the buzz wears off. You start thinking about the things that made you angry once more and they start to take over your mind. The feel good factor has worn off and you are angry again.

Now, I know you don't want to be back to feeling angry, so it's important that you are consistant with your actions. Try your best to exercise regularly, 3 times a week or every other day minimum to keep your demons at bay. If you need a few days every off every so often, fine, but don't make the mistake that many do by letting a few days off turn into giving up. 

Each time you exercise, remember to focus on your 'angry thoughts' and channel them into the work you are doing.  Keep thinking about those thoughts every time you work out until they no longer make you angry.  By then, you're going to be so fit and healthy that you won't need your anger to drive you. You will be both strong on the inside and strong on the outside. When you feel good about yourself, it's impossible for other people and situations to bring you down.

Now, stop procrastinating reading my blog, go get fit, overcome your anger and give me a HIGH FIVE!

You're Never Too Far From The Edge Of The Abyss

Sometimes sadness can strike us unexpectedly.  

This morning as I got out of my car to drop my daughter off at nursery, a car in front of me pulled away and rolling around on the floor underneath where the car had been was a kitten.  This kitten must have been 8-10 weeks old. So not old! The kitten bounced back and fourth in a powerless struggle.  At first I wondered what was wrong with the little creature. Was it having a fit?  Did it need my help?

I stood staring, holding my daughter in my arms and wondering what I should do.  I then noticed blood coming from the kittens mouth. Although the kitten did not look to be squashed in any way, It then occured to me that the poor little kitten must have been injured somehow by the car that had driven away.

The kitten slowly stopped fitting and lay very still.  The kitten was now at peace.

I heard myself say the words:

Oh my god,

Oh my god,
Oh my god

An old lady came along, picked the kitten up by it's tail and threw it in the bin.

I found that this experience had awoken a flood of questions and feelings.  My head started racing and my heart started beating heavily in my chest. I wondered 'where has the kitten gone?', 'It was here and now it's not!' 'What did the kitten do to deserve to die today?'.  My heart felt a longing to bring the kitten back to life, to help it in some way. And I felt great sorrow for the loss of life. The completley pointless loss of life.

This morning after just 2 months of experiencing life on this planet, the kitten woke up to the birds singing and the fresh morning scent. It probably went to look for some breakfast and maybe had a little play with a leaf on the ground.  And then, when it heard the traffic and people in the street it felt a little vulnerable and afraid out in the open, so it crawled under something (the car) to hide and then...BAM!  Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. Gone.

Where did that little kitty go?

I'm not going to get religious or too philosophical and discuss the possibilities because there are far too many. But the message I am trying to convey is just how close any one of us might be to sharing a fate like the kitten. We are close to falling into the abyss of the unknown. Scary isn't it?!!

There is something from which we cannot hide, which is, one day each one of us will have a turn at falling into the abyss and discovering what's in the big black hole. Is there a bright light waiting for us to climb into? Is the kitten sitting in the light? 

This post is very unlike my previous posts, isn't it? They are usually so positive and motivating. They are usually so supportive, where you get a pat on the back and a 'go show 'em how it's done kid!' Today we are going deep. We are peeping into the abyss. This is deeply vocal after all, we're here to talk deep and to bring our thoughts into the open. 

Only, this post is actually not so different. This post is an awakening. You ONLY get ONE LIFE! And we are all far too close to the edge of the abyss. Live it! Live it to it's fullest, achieve everything you possibly can, go every place that you can get to, eat every type of food you can find to try. Experience, experience, experience. Stop complaining, stop making excuses, stop being uncaring and unloving.

Life should not be about getting the bills paid or doing the weekly shop. It should not be about trying to please your unappreciative boss or shutting down your social life beacuse it's 'month-end!'  

Your life is simply an experience on planet earth. You are here to become the best that you can be. And that means in every way possible. Practise self discipline, look after your body, go out of your way to help others and never shy from doing all it takes to achieve your goals, desires and dreams.

And when you do reach the edge of the abyss, just remember, it's just one more experience, one more adventure to top the brilliant and enjoyable life you have had.  

May Health, Wealth and Peace be with you all 

In loving memory of a little street kitten that lost it's life today

Don't Rain On My Parade

Visualise a parade in a country that looks like the suburbs of Southern India. You're marching down a dusty road. The sun is shining and the sky is a clear baby blue. There are crowds of people. A big brass band is playing. Everyone is swaying side to side. There are Elephants dressed in brightly coloured silk blankets with tassels hanging from all directions. Everyone is happy, joyful, singing and shouting in praise to the music. The faces of the people in the crowd radiate a cheerful glow.

Everyone is having such a great time.  The music fills their souls with contentment and as they dance, they connect with others around them feeling the same way, smiling at one another. Then, splash! What's that? The crowd look above where they see that out of nowhere a grey cloud has moved in overhead.  At first the splashes of rain are light and only small, so the parade continues. But soon they begin to get heavier and more frequent.  The grey cloud turns darker and darker and begins to rumble with the sound of thunder. Flashes of lightening electrify the sky. Everyone starts running away, abandoning the parade and heading for shelter.

This scenario symbolises how our lives can sometimes be. When you are happy and content but others may not be, they can often represent the grey cloud that comes along and takes away your smile.  You may have had some good news or a bright idea or just be feeling happy because it's Friday.  But when you see your friend or your mum or your boyfriend or girlfriend, they soon say something to bring you down and wipe the smile from your face. Or maybe it is not something someone has said, but some bad news that you hear or something that goes wrong.

You're a strong person, so you can take one negative blow. You can take one grey cloud with light rain.  And so you carry on.  But if you become surrounded by too much negative energy, you keep pessimistic company and too many things go wrong, the sky becomes too dark and the rain falls so hard that you can't see ahead. And so you stop trying to enjoy your life. You stop reaching out, because you don't want to feel that sinking feeling that those in the parade felt when the rain got heavy and so, like them, you feel there is no option but to abandon your plans and find somewhere to hide away from the storm.

It's important to remember that rain is only temporary, no matter how heavy and gloomy it becomes. And so too are your troubles. They will pass like the storm. But there are things that you can do in order to help yourself to both avoid and to deal with the negative energy that comes into your life.

Firstly, you need to do is to think about where the negative energy in your life usually comes from. Is there someone who is always putting you down? Does your job make you miserable? If so, what is it about your job that makes you miserable? Do you like where you live? Could you move house and live somewhere nicer? If you manage the situations that are within your control, then you will find that you cope better with those that are out of your control. 

Once you have identified the areas in your life that need to change in order for your happiness to last, it's time to start taking action. Distance yourself from unsupportive people, move jobs or take the necessary steps to changing your career, decide what your priorities are and work towards making your life as you would want it to be. Stop listening to the opinions of others and focus on what is most important to you.

Live your life to its fullest, dance in the sun and don't let anyone rain on your parade!

You'll Always Be Wherever You Are

Wake up day dreamers! 

Slowly bring yourself round, bring your awareness back to reality and take a look around you.  Do you like what you see?

Whether you were day dreaming or you were fully awake, you've all been there haven't you?  You find yourself in a trance like state thinking about a better life.  What else do you day dream about? Owning that gorgeous convertible sports car?  Being happy?  Looking fabulous?

 

In a day dream, everything appears in bright lights.  Often, you dream about the future and how wonderful it will be.  Once you reach that point where you have quit smoking, stopped drinking so much, regularly exercise, pay more attention to your appearance, buy those trendy clothes, get that fancy haircut.  You'll be on top of the world once you finally train for your dream job and spend your time going on luxurious holidays.

OK, you can get your head back out of the clouds now and come back down to earth.  Here is the truth about your dreams.  Your dreams do exist and they are achievable without a doubt.  That's the good news.  But the reality is that once you achieve them, you will have that great healthy body and the job of your dreams, but the bright lights of your day dreams won't be there.  In reality, you will have all of these wonderful things, but life will still be life.  There will still be bills to pay, the boiler will still go on strike every so often, you will still encounter traffic jams and some days it will still rain.

Please let me be clear, this is not a post to convince you to give up on your dreams.  It is in fact the very opposite.  You should always aim to accomplish every goal and achieve every dream and fulfil every desire that you have.  But the problem that many encounter is mentioned in that last one there, feeling fulfilled. 

Many outstanding people manage to achieve all of the things they want in life.  They don't let fear hold them back.  They reach out and they take all of the things they have always wanted and make them their own.  But then, they look around, life is still life and they feel unfulfilled and unhappy. The reality of having their dreams come true does not feel like the vision that they saw in their day dream.

To feel truly fulfilled, every single achievement must be acknowledged.  They must be celebrated.  And they must not be forgotten.  The smaller things in your life must be recognised and appreciated. The food on your plate, the warmth of your bed, the shelter of your house, the petrol in your tank, the air in your lungs.  There really is so much to be grateful for.

People alive in this century are extremely privileged and live in the best era that humans have ever experienced. So stop making your day dreams the best times of your life and enjoy the present, because you really have so much already.  The present is where you will always be, you'll always be wherever you are.

Let Their Negativity Be Your Determination

Ever had a 'Big Idea' that you've wanted to share with someone? You come along bouncing, all positive and wanting to share your amazing idea and the person you are talking to responds negatively and says something deeply hurtful like "you won't do that" or "you can't do that" or "that's not going to happen!".  It's painful isn't it?!

There is a breed of you out there who choose to live life walking along a path to self-improvement.  You know that you have just one life and you want to make the very most of it.  You know that sometimes you may fail along the way but you are willing to try.  You are always looking to better yourself and you enjoy the journey along the way.

Then there are the others! There is another breed who just don't seem to understand, do they?  They seem to lack the imagination and creativity to consider alternative options to their life.  And they are not very happy when they see others trying to climb higher and be better.  They are not happy because they are living in their comfort zone and they want you too to remain in their comfort zone.  If you choose to do something different and you succeed, then you put everything that they know at risk.  They will have no excuse not to try and better themselves. And they don't want to.

So to try to keep you from leaving 'the comfort zone' this breed of people insult you by making excuses and telling you that what you want to do is not possible.  They do not realise that they are hurting you, they are merely trying to defend the existence that they know and are comfortable with.  I won't say the existence that they love, because most of these people do not love their lives.  They often spend most of their time complaining about their lives, but complain as they may, they are not looking for a way out of it. They are afraid of change.

When faced with this type of scenario you have a choice to make, do you swim or sink, stay or run, fight or flight?  The easy option would be to conform and fit it.  You would join the countless number of people who do nothing to change the things that continuously make them unhappy.  If you join them, then you won't be challenged, you'll keep your ‘not very supportive’ friends and you won't have to face any big hurdles, right? Wrong! If you are of the first breed mentioned, then you do not get a choice.  You are different whether you like it or not.  You could choose to let the negativity of others bring you down and keep you where you are, but you know that this would make you unhappy and you are not someone who is able to just settle with being unhappy for the long term.  At some point you would need to do something about it!

So, what is to be done when faced with a negative that is standing in your way?  Turn it into a positive of course! When people tell you that you cannot do something, you use that very reason to prove to them that you can.  Think of it as an argument and it is necessary for you to take action to prove your point.  Let their disbelief in you, be your belief in yourself.  A time will come down the line when you realise that these people's opinions aren't really that important, but if you let their negativity feed you with determination then you will be grateful that they were so discouraging because without realising, they will have helped you to succeed.

Put Your Good Pants On!

Some days, you wake up and spring out of bed. Your clothes are ironed and your outfit is neatly hanging from your wardrobe, waiting for you to slip it on. You made sure to be organised the night before so that the morning would breeze by without any hiccups. Because you took extra time to plan your outfit, you chose one of your favourite outfits to wear which always makes you feel well dressed. On days like these you put your good pants on.  And to be clear, I'm British, so I'm referring to your underwear!

You eat a yummy, healthy breakfast and then in your own precious time you skip to work. You see that cute guy or girl that works in your office in the lift and they smile at you which makes you blush. The rest of your day goes well. You're organised, you get your work done in a timely manner and have some productive conversations with colleagues. You feel good. You think you might even head to the gym after work. And then finally return the 12 missed phone calls from your Mum! What a great day you have had and you've really made the most of every part of it.

Then there are those other days! The alarm goes off late. You stumble out of bed only to find the cat slept on the pile of ironing, leaving the blouse you had intended to wear all hairy. Yuck! So you throw on any top and trousers you can find and a pair of old pants. You want to save your good pants for better days and nicer outfits. You go to have breakfast and realise you forgot to stock up on breakfast foods when you were in the supermarket last night so you end up rushing out of the door with an empty stomach. 

You get to the train station to find you missed the last fast train and the next train that you can get is not for another hour. Ahh! You finally stroll into work an hour late. Your boss is angry, you missed an important meeting. It is not a good day. You feel terrible. By lunchtime you are starving and fill up on junk food. Then after work you skip the gym and head straight home and slouch yourself in front of the television to procrastinate and feel sorry for yourself. 

Which day would you rather have? It's obvious, isn't it? We can't always predict how well our days will go and the events that will occur. But we do have control over our mood and state of mind and can increase our chances of having a good day by making sure that we are well organised ahead of time. Things may not always go to plan, but you'll feel much better knowing you tried your best. Start every day well and put your good pants on.

Live Each Day As If It Were Your Last

This is a phrase we've all heard before but how many of us actually do this?  My guess is not many.

Do you sit at work watching the clock, waiting for home time?  Or watch your children play, counting the minutes until bedtime?  Do you look forward to the days in your week by thinking about when your favourite television programmes are on? The days disappear, they turn into weeks, then months and then years.  Before you know it you look back at the last few years and everyday has felt very much the same and you have achieved little.  Life is passing you by and you are bored.

STOP!

Take a minute to think about if today was your last day, is there anything that you would regret? Do the people in your life know how you really feel about them?  Are there experiences that you wished you had done?  Are there places you wished you had been to?

Now make yourself a 'Bucket List' of all of the things you want to do and see in your lifetime.  It can be something as small as having a cup of coffee at an intriguing cafe you have passed a thousand times but have never been into.  Or reading a particular book you've often thought about reading but never actually sat down and done it.  Or it can be something huge such as travelling to a country you have always wanted to go to.  Or acting on a business plan you've had in mind for a long while now. Keep your Bucket List with you at all times and continue to add to it every time you come across something else you'd like to do.  Never stop adding to your Bucket List.  Make your Bucket List your life.

The good news is that it's highly likely that today isn't your last day.  So you have no excuse not to start doing the things listed in your Bucket List.  Yay!  We don't know what lay ahead in our future and which day will be our last so it's important that we live in the present.  Enjoy each day for what it is.  Stop procrastinating and letting your life sail away without a destination and start doing something each day from your Bucket List and living each day as if it were your last.

Love Can Heal a Broken Soul

We have a lot of broken animals in our house, rescues.  They have all had a hard start in life.  They were not fortunate enough to have been born to a mother who safely and securely raised them until they were old enough to be homed into a loving family where they would spend the rest of their days. For them, it was more a case of being thrown into the world on fight or flight mode.

From being dumped in a bin as a baby and left to die, to being thrown out of a 6th floor apartment window or merely just being born on the streets with no food or shelter, our furry friends have had a hard time. Most have spent some time in their lives living in a pound where food is rationed, toys are rare and beds are dirty and worn.  Dogs live in cages; Cats live in sheds.  It's a miserable existence.  It's a prison sentence without having committed a crime.

All of these animals have entered our home in a fragile state.  They have needed time, patience, lots of attention and most importantly love in abundance.  We have watched these animals blossom from being weak, afraid and traumatised, into confident, loving creatures in our presence.  They now feel safe and secure and feel a part of a solid pack.

Not everyone can understand why we have so many animals and continue to adopt.  They cannot see the beauty in these creatures that we see.  These animals are broken souls with big soppy eyes, just looking and hoping and praying that someone will open their heart and home to them.  It's so humbling to watch a broken soul become unbroken.  And knowing that soul is healed and fulfilled because you chose to love it.

We didn't choose our bodies and neither did the broken animals.  Help heal the broken souls and choose to love, love, love.

Fear Fuel: Turn Your Dreams into Reality

Is there something you have been wanting to do for a long time?  Maybe you have a number of different goals you'd like to achieve.  Or even bigger than goals, dreams! But you keep putting off doing anything about them and making excuses.  And the reason for that is because the thought of taking action gives you a dreaded feeling deep inside the pit of your stomach, you know, the one that feels like butterflies.  The fear.  Is it fear that is holding you back?

We fear things for different reasons.  Fear of failure, fear of judgement, fear that we might actually succeed and will be completely out of our comfort zone.  Well guess what?  Fear is a good thing!  We fear things that are new to us because we have never done them before.  It's new territory like walking around a neighbourhood that you haven't been to before.  You're not sure where each path will lead to or if you might get lost.  But just because you feel the fear, does not mean you should not take action.  We can only learn and grow as individuals by taking chances, by walking down new avenues.  Let your fear be the fuel for your human vehicle to achieve as much in this lifetime as possible.

You really can make your dreams a reality by tuning into your fear and using it positively.  The next time you think about doing something new and you observe yourself quickly deciding to change your mind because you feel 'the fear', pause for a moment and remember, your fuel has arrived.  Fuel up your vehicle and turn your thoughts into actions.  There are no losers, only participants, there are no failures, only those who choose to try again from a different angle with alternative methods.

Good luck and enjoy your fear fuelled journey!

You are Successful

Success is not merely about status, but also the path we have travelled to get to where we are today

There is a lot of pressure out there to be successful. To feel successful. Men and women alike are competing for the same job roles and income bands. Women are no longer expected to be homemakers but are instead if they should choose to reproduce, they must take the minimal time out of work and get back in line on the career ladder whilst making sure that they are keeping up.

In a relationship whether it is the man or woman who is earning more, there is almost always the presence of pressure on the person earning less or with the least responsibility. Why do we do this to ourselves and each other? Why have we among us created a culture in which we feel so pressurised to follow form and be 'somebody'? Equal rights are a beautiful thing but let's remember how we got here in the first place. Let's go back to basics. We are human beings and the 21st century is far from the way in which our long, long line of ancestors lived.

Let us take a step back. Forgot the pressure, loosen your shoulders and breathe deeply.  Now ask yourself, 'where did I come from?' and be honest with yourself. Did your family struggle for money when you were a child?  Did your parents separate? Were you ever bullied?  Have you been abused in some way? Were or are your parents supportive? Have you had to overcome any addictions? Was finance a problem when it came to education? Did you manage to get educated anyway? If you have answered yes to any one of these questions or you have anything in your past, which most of us do, that has made things more difficult for you, then you are successful.

I don't care if you're an ex alcoholic currently unemployed whilst you focus on recovering from your addiction. You are successful. You overcame your addiction and you will use the skills you have learnt to bring you more success in the future.

The journey's we endure are all so different and some have it so much harder than others. So do not judge one another on one's income or status, but on the obstacles we have each overcome to be the wonderful people we have become.

Congratulations on your success!

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

A smile is infectious and can travel a hundred miles, so let's spread some happiness. There will always be someone out there who will appreciate seeing your smile. Maybe they are having a bad day or they are having problems with health, family or a relationship. Maybe they are old and feel alone or even may be young and feel alone. A smile from you may change their day.  Your smile may stop them in their tracks of misery and help them to perceive the world as a happier place.  Our moods play like domino's in our lives. If one thing goes wrong and puts us in a bad mood, accidents and mistakes continue to happen. We attract this negative energy through our negative mood.  And so the same thing happens when we are happy. Our happy, positive mood attracts happier, more successful outcomes. One person cannot change the world but united we are stronger. Let's make this world a happier place.

So, as inspired by the little people, if you're happy and you know it and you really want to show it, clap your hands, stamp your feet, shout hurray and smile! 

Turn your Hate into Love

I recently saw these words when I attended a local yoga class:

Live to love, love to serve

What beautiful words I thought, but how is that possible?  Are there people that actually manage to do that?  And so I took the thought and those lovely words with me when I left.

There are a lot of cruel people out there.  Some are mean intentionally, but most don't realise they are doing the things they do.  You see most people are talking in monologues.  It's all about them really.  They will ask  questions and take actions based on their own interests. And when they are unhappy with an outcome they project their insecurities onto the person easiest to do so.  

Let me give you an example to make it clearer:

Kate is going about her day.  She meets with a friend Terri for coffee and a chat.  Kate sits quietly listening to Terri talk about the latest things going on, nods in agreement and smiles politely.  Terri has always been open about everything whereas Kate will tell Terri what she needs to know, but not everything.  In the past Terri has always spoke often about her financial situation.  She has a lot of debts.  She talks about her salary, about how much she pays in rent, about everything to do with her finances.  There really isn't much Terri hasn't informed Kate about when it comes to how much or what little money she has.  

Terri has recently got involved with a new man in her life.  This new man is very private when it comes to financial matters. He discloses nothing to Terri about what he has and what he earns and he has made it clear to her that he is not interested in hearing about her situation.  Money is not one of the reasons why they started dating.  So now Terri is suddenly aware that money is something she 'used to' talk about.

Kate asks Terri "How is it going paying off your debts?  Are they nearly cleared now?".   Terri turns to Kate with an unimpressed look on her face and says "You always want to know about money Kate. It's not something you should talk about, some things are private".

Wooooaaaaahhhhh! Kate wonders where that came from.  So what just happened there?  All of a sudden Terri is aware that she talks too much about something her boyfriend thinks she shouldn't.  And she now feels guilty about having talked so much about money because her new boyfriend has made her feel like she did something wrong.

Kate would not normally bring up the topic of money, but she knows that with Terri it is something she often talks about so Terri has created an environment for Kate where it should be OK for Kate to ask such a question.  All Kate is really doing is showing her concern.  But instead, now Kate is feeling bad.  She is feeling bad about discussing a topic she knows outside of her environment with Terri, she would not normally talk about.  So what happened?  Terri feels guilty about the money topic as a result of her new boyfriend's attitude about the matter.  She has then projected her feelings of guilt onto Kate.  Terri feels better for viewing Kate as the problem, only temporarily however, whilst Kate now feels guilty due to Terri's reaction.

In a scenario such as this, and let's be honest, this type of thing happens all the time, everyday with different people on different topics, how do you find the strength to love?  Right now Kate feels a lot of anger towards Terri because she knows this is not right and Terri is in the wrong but she believes Terri cannot see the truth and therefore Kate continues to carry Terri's guilt.

Kate needs to take a step back, take a deep breath and let it go.  She needs to consciously be aware of letting it go.  She needs to take those feelings of anger and  turn them into pity and through pity, into love.  Kate needs to be the bigger person.  She knows she is not in the wrong here.  She needs to go with that intuition and stand tall, and just love.  Love that she is not Terri, love that she can see clearer than Terri, love that Terri is still Terri and Kate does love Terri.

Whether Terri has become toxic in Kate's life is a question that Kate needs to answer and if the answer is 'yes' then she needs to let Terri go.  By letting Terri go, Kate will be showing true love to both herself and Terri, for it serves neither of them any purpose to be in a relationship that is unhealthy.  It is still possible to love a person, even when they are no longer actively in your life.

Living to love, includes loving yourself and doing what is right for yourself.  This may sometimes include eliminating unhealthy friendships.  Toxic people are one of the most common problems that make people miserable.  Keeping these people in your life will likely lead you to hold a lot of hatred and resentment towards that person in your heart.

Once we have taken care of ourselves, we are then able to pass on our love to others and serve their needs.

Live to love, love to serve, turn your hate into love and set yourself free.