To define is to limit

“To define is to limit”

     - Oscar Wilde

Have you ever thought of yourself as 'the shy one' or 'the silly one'? Does this stop you from speaking out or taking yourself seriously? I often define myself as a shy person, and in the past this has stopped me from answering questions that I knew the answer to, or putting myself forward for something that would be beneficial to me. But I have recently decided to take away all of the labels that I have given myself and to see what I can do. 

What about your skills? have you ever said to yourself that you are not artistic? or not sporty? Seeing yourself, or having others see you as bad as something, doesn't mean that you cant still do it if it is what you enjoy. If you enjoy colouring, then buy a colourng book or sketch pad, it doesn't have to go on display in a gallery!

See if you can let go of your self-definitions today. Can you break down a barrier that you had put up around yourself? Even better, see if you can help someone else to break through their barriers. 

Make someone feel confident today!

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!

Most folks are about as happy as they allow themselves to be...

“Most folks are as happy as they allow themselves to be”

      -Abraham Lincoln

Sometimes, I find myself feeling guilty for being too happy. That is crazy. We should be able to be as happy as we feel. 

When something good happens to us but something bad happens to others, even if it is completely coincidental, we feel guilty for being happy. If we feel happy, we should allow ourselves to be happy; similarly, if we feel sad, we should allow ourselves to be sad. There is nothing healthy or strong about bottling up how we feel. 

Some of the things that people perceive to be weak, such as panic attacks or anxiety disorders, can be symptoms of being strong for too long. Sometimes the symptoms of such disorders manifest themselves because people bottle up their issues and feelings for so long that they manifest themselves in physical symptoms such as fainting, sweating, and heart palpitations. 

Allow yourself to let out your feelings; positive or negative, and to embody exactly how you feel in the moment. Be happy when you feel happy or be sad when you feel sad, and don't feel guilty for expressing yourself. 

"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!

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

      -Mother Teresa

This quote has recently inspired me. When people come to you needing something, then we should try our best to help them. If someone asks for directions, try your best to point them in the right direction. If a homeless person asks you for money, try buying them some food rather than dropping a penny on the floor in front of them. If you see a mother struggling to wrangle her kids and carry the shopping, offer to help with the shopping bags (I would't recommend offering to help with the kids as this may make her feel bad as a mother!)

Try to help people as best you can. 

Sometimes, people don't look like they need help. They may be having a normal day. Try to make their day extraordinary! Offer them a simple smile, or compliment their clothing or organisation. Bake cakes for the office, as a little treat, or organise a few drinks after work, just because you like to hang out with colleagues. 

Simple things can make someone's day!

Try to make someone happy today!

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!

Be the change

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world”

      -Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi certainly lived by this quote; leading India to independence, and inspiring non-violence, civil rights, and freedom across the world. 

We can all learn a little something from this gentleman! If you want to see something change in your world, you need to be able at least kick-start this movement. 

If you are feeling down or bored, pick up the phone and call a friend for a chat. If you are feeling uninspired, pick up a colouring pencil and see where it takes you, and if you are feeling like your voice doesn't matter, then pick something that you are passionate about and start a blog!

Small steps can lead to big changes without you even realising it! 

A lot of the time, we complain about the state of the places that we live in but don't do anything about it. For example, how many people complain that the youth of today do not respect their elders, but then fail to help the poor old lady with her shopping bags? How many people complain that the gap between the poor and the rich is too large, but then tell the homeless man that they have no change?

I am not saying that we need to start a revolution, but doing something small each day can change the way you think. I recently read, in a text book, that we should not try to change the way that we think in order to change the way that we act; but that we should change the way that we act in order to change the way we think.

So, I am putting this question to you; What have you done today to make yourself proud?