2014 Snapshot

Most people will tell you what a hard/bad/broke year 2014 was - including myself.

Up until September, I was well on my way to successfully realizing a few of my Twenty Wishes. Then a double whammy work bombshell hit and it was downhill for the rest of the year.

Exercise & getting fit took a backseat and I gained 8kgs in a few months.
Besides gaining weight - the additional side effects of not exercising is that is negatively affects your state of mind.

Clearing out my phone and looking through all the photos I took in 2014, I was surprised to discover that work has clouded my mind into thinking that it was all bad, when in fact - it was not.

I heard a wonderful idea on Stacey Norman's show today & she posted it on Facebook. Instead of resolutions, start a "Rememberlution" jar. You write down all the great stuff that happens to you throughout the year and place them in the jar. Then, on 31 December, instead of making promises you can't actually keep, you open the jar and reflect on all the awesome.

I love the sound of this. I will be doing this in 2015, but if I had done it in 2014, my jar would have looked something like this:

10 Things You Never Realized You Could Do To Be Happy

The older I become, the more I realize that it is up to US to make ourselves happy.

Wisdom really does come with age! :-)

I made the decision at the end of last year that I was going to be a happier person this year.
It is working. I am happier.
Yes I do still have those few days every now and then when I cannot pull myself out of the black hole that threatens to suck me in. I try to ride them out without letting it cause any ripple effects (I try not to speak to people and avoid causing fights from being over-sensitive etc)

I have a few posts lined up about aging, things I wish I knew, things I want to accomplish, etc. I hope you will find them useful and perhaps in some way they will resonate with you as well.

For today - here are some handy tips I really loved - they sound like common sense, but we don't always apply them to ourselves.

What do you do that make you a happier person?

1. Stop comparing yourself to other people.
Many seemingly happy and successful people are burning themselves alive on the fire of their inner turmoil. So focus on you.

More to read: How to Stay Happy No Matter What Happens

2. Socialize.
Even if you are an introvert, force yourself into social scenarios that give you the opportunity to meet people and form connections. These connections will put you back in touch with your humanity.

3. Make healthy decisions.
It is amazing how much exercise and good diet can change your outlook on the world around you. The negative thoughts in your head that seem so very real and pressing will melt away.

4. Do something different.
Stop wasting your time trying to find the “perfect hobby.” Pick anything – whether it’s fiber art or coffee tasting. Find something that you can put effort into, build competence, and see results.

5. Get in touch with your anchors.
We tend to lose these anchors as we get older. Try to better position yourself within any communities you once found a home in, whether that’s your family, your neighborhood, your culture, or your religion.

6. Look less ahead. Look less behind.
Try to refocus yourself to the current moment more often. Start building memories instead of living in them. Start creating your future instead of just hoping for a better one. If you don’t do this, your life will become a fog that can stretch across your entire time on earth.

7. Create.
Write in a journal. Paint something. Make up a song even if you will never perform it. Start to fashion the relics that you will leave behind when you are gone.

8. Let go.
Forgive those who hurt you. I’m sorry you were hurt but if you do not leave that hurt in the past, it will follow you like a wolf – forever casting a dangerous shadow over everything you do.

9. Worry more about the others.
Many times it is our own narcissism that destroys us. It seems counter-intuitive, but take some time each day to think about the needs of the other people in your life. Helping them meet those needs will make you happier in a way that you might not understand right now.

10. Stop running.
There is no such place as “away.” Travel as far as you want, but you will still find yourself waiting for you when you get there. Pull out your sword. It’s time to turn around and fight the dragons inside you.

Source

21 Things About Me #6

List FIVE things that make you happy

1. Giving a well-thought out gift to somebody & they genuinely love it
2. Kittens (or any other baby animal for that matter) & of course my grown up kitty Squeaky
3. Coffee in bed
4. Music that moves my soul. Beautifully written words accompanied by the perfect music and voice - nothing can beat that. (Mirrors - Justin Timberlake, You & I- One Direction, Running Away - Eden, Not a Bad Thing - Justin Timberlake, All of Me, John Legend)
5. Flirting - its a thrill!

Feeling good about myself

I have been feeling a bit low up until recently and the turn of events with MBA and MC have really improved my mood.

As I have learnt from previous experience though -  person can not make you happy, you have to be happy within yourself to be happy.

However having said that - these are a few things that have happened recently to make me happy to hopefully help me reaffirm that my life does not suck as much as I sometimes make it out in my head - this isnt a list to say that I love myself, it is merely a nice reminder....

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  I have someone who is hopelessly in love with me and would do anything for me. I don't feel the same but it is nice to know that I can make someone weak at the knees
  
  
  
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  The make up artist told me I have beautiful features
  
  
  
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  I was asked for my ID at a club - they would believe I was over 25!
  
  
  
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  People gasped when I told them I was 30, they never imagined over 27
  
  
  
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  MC thinks I am Superhot
  
  
  
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  AC thinks I always have the answer to everything and I am the best thing that ever happened to her
  
  
  
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  Race car thinks I am one of the nicest people he knows
  
  
  
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  Today Racecar said i am "the perfect girl" because I like action movies and love sex and think like a man
  
  
  
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  My Housemate thinks I am always so well put together and on top of my life (which I know is not always the case - I fake it well!)
  
  
  
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  My friends phone me for advice
  
  
  
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  A top photographer once told me I had a good eye for photography
  
  
  
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  A wildlife specialist told me I had eyes like a leopard (I love Leopards so that was a great compliment)
  
  
  
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  The dress maker said i have a very nice hourglass figure (when is Marilyn Monroe shape going to come back into fashion again?) 
  
• I got to wear a stunning dress for the wedding
  
• I wore slip slops most of the evening snd no one noticed
  
• I finally bought my Guess Purse and I love it!
  
• I am going on holiday tomorrow
  
• I got a bonus
  
• I have Christmas Presents under my tree
  
• Someone said I remind them of Sandra Bullock
  
• My family love me no matter what
  
• I have more than 1 best friend
  
• I am a truly lucky girl
  
• I am blessed with a great cleavage
  
• I have naturally long eyelashes
  
• My eye colour varies with my mood
  
• with some help from gel overlays my nails grow nicely and look pretty
  
• I love my Sparkly dresses