Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies

“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies”

      -Aristotle

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Love is so important, that I don't think anyone can live without it. I don't think that Valentine's day necessarily has to be about showering your loved one with presents, or feeling guilty for not doing so. I think that today is a day to assess your social life and your appreciation for the important people in your life. 

How often do you say thank you to one of your friends for doing something that seems natural to them, such as picking you up from work, or helping you buy someone else a present? How often do you initiate social events or coffee dates with your friends? If it is not often then perhaps they might feel that they are doing all the leg work and come to find it tiresome. 

Today is a day to appreciate everyone in your life, not just the person that you feel is your soul mate. 

For that matter, I also do not believe that each person has one soul mate. Doesn't it seem much more magical to think that you aren't with this person because it was pre-ordained, but because you chose them and they chose you out of all of the potential partners that were out there? Show appreciation and love for the person that you chose. 

Not just today, but today especially, show how much you care about your partner, your friends, and your family. Show how much your care about yourself. Allow yourself to have an extra five minutes in the bubble bath. Give yourself an extra chocolate biscuit with your cup of tea. Paint your nails that daring colour that you haven't yet tried. 

You deserve it, and so does everyone else!

"There is more to life than simply increasing its speed"

“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed”

      -Mahatma Gandhi

Have you ever found yourself counting down the days until the weekend? What happens when you get to the weekend? It speeds by and suddenly it is monday again. 

Why not appreciate the days as they go by? There are only so many weeks in our life, and if we wish them all to speed by, we will find ourselves on a porch, in a rocking chair, unable to enjoy our free time. 

Try looking forward to a Monday! See how many people you can inspire each day. How many people will catch your infectious smile? 

Happiness is contagious. Have you ever noticed that if someone is criticising an idea, you find yourself picking the idea apart, but if someone is excited and psyched about an idea, you find yourself being excited and psyched as well? Be the one to spread the excitement. Be the one to spread the joy!

We often want to rush through the commute, but try using it as a time to catch up on reading, or listen to music, or prepare for the day. We often want to rush through the boring jobs like tidying or ironing, but try putting on loud music while tidying and dance around while doing it, or putting a good movie on while ironing. 

Dont wish away the weekdays until there are none left. It sounds cheesy, but enjoy everyday as if it was your last, because in all honesty, we never know what is coming tomorrow!

Dont' cry because it's over...

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”

      -Dr Seuss

Everyday, amazing things happen. But as rational and logical human beings, we are aware that most of them will, eventually, come to an end. For example, when we go on holiday, we know that we will go home soon; or even when we see a butterfly flying past, that it will soon leave us. 

Things leaving us or coming to an end is part of being a human. Therefore, we must enjoy the things that we have while they are with us, and when they are gone, we must remember them in their prime. 

Of course, it is natural to grieve if a loved ones life has come to an end, or if the love of our life does not love us back, but eventually, we should and will be able to look back on the time that we had together and remember the happy times. As Dr Seuss put it, we shall be happy because it happened, not sad because it is over. As the age old saying goes; it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. 

So, as you go about your day, take note of the important things in life, even if they are fleeting. Say thank you to the bus driver who waited an extra half second for you to reach the doors. Acknowledge the door man that has always been there. Smile at the barista who always hands you your coffee. And smile simply because you are alive and well. 

One day, some of these things may be gone, and the only thing that we will be able to do is remember the good times; so commit the good times to memory!

If only we stopped trying so hard to be happy...

“If only we stopped trying so hard to be happy, we could have a pretty good time”

    - Edith Wharton

I think that this quote speaks for itself. There are so many people, myself included, that spend so long searching for happiness that we miss the little things that happiness comprises of. 

We are taught through the media that we need a big house, nice car, and fancy clothes in order to be happy, therefore, we all try to get big, important jobs in order to pay for these things. 

But how many people are truly happy once they get there? If I had that much money and that many material things, I would be looking over my shoulder, worrying that someone was going to try to nick it!

How many of you stop to enjoy the sun on your face, or the feeling of gravel crunching beneath your shoes? 

Little things can build up to a lifetime of happiness. Appreciate life as it goes by, or you may miss it altogether.