Believe in happy

Believe in happy by prawkp on Polyvore

Rainy Sunday Inspiration

Affirmation Stones and Creativity

Over the past few weeks I've been starting to re-explore my creativity. Recently I read a post on The Wholehearted Life about painting affirmations on stones for your home and garden.  It's a simple and cute idea to surround yourself with love and inspiration. Since we've recently moved to Brighton we are surrounded by a beach full of interesting stones and I thought what a better time and place to give this a try. This combines my need for creativity with a connection to our new home.

Brighton beach

Painting has never been my strong suit but I found this process to be both calming and inspiring. Also I'm learning again about colors and textures which is not something I've done since school. I love feeling the connection with my new home by searching for stones from the beach and having them around us as little reminders. The process is so important because it forces me to really think about my life,how it is, and how I want it to be. I've really enjoyed how it feels to be creative again and combining this with living mindfully and positively has been a great perk!

A few of what I've completed so far!

I'm still just starting to get back into drawing and playing around with painting but am loving it so far. It's easy to forget how much creativity and inspiration can brighten your life. I hope to have more to share later!

España

This an incredibly belated post about our Spanish holiday back in May!

We stayed in a resort town of Torrelominos in the south of Spain. This was our first resort holiday and our first holiday to somewhere hot! It was delightfully different than other traveling we've been doing over the past couple years as it wasn't a rush to see as much as possible but was really centred around relaxation and sunshine. We went with Lina's parents and it was good for her to have some quality laid-back time with her parents :) Here are a few of the best pics.



Torreleminos beaches

Malaga

views from the castle above the city

Ronda

 







The Power of a Smile

Today I had a pretty great interaction with a client. We were completing some ordinary paperwork when she said to me "You're always so happy, everyday you're always smiling. It's contagious. I always smile when I see you."

This meant SO much to me. Since coming to the UK I feel as if I've lost my smile, motivation, and inspiration. I've felt a bit deflated and that my big American smile had disappeared. This sweet woman, whose struggles are exponentially greater than most, made me realize a few pretty monumental points. One, I am big biggest critic and find it difficult to see the greatness in me. Two, I am happier since we've left London and I feel more relaxed and able to enjoy my days and my work. Three, I am doing the work that I want to do. and Four, the affect that I can and do have on other's around whether it be positive or negative. Although, these are all things that I have been thinking about and may seem quite normal it has really opened my eyes again and put it all in a better perspective.

Today I've been feeling a bit low physically and emotionally but this beautiful compliment has brought a huge smile to my face and tear to my eyes. Never forget the power you have to make someone else's day.

Be Grateful

A reminder to myself... Be grateful every single day.

Zen and the Art of Happiness

I recently finished the book Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss. I found it recommended on The Feel Good Lifestyle. I found myself needing a bit of inspiration to keep motivated and moving forward emotionally in this time of change for me.

All in all I found that this book had it's pros and cons. The positive is that it is a great reminder of some lifelong philosophies that are needed to constantly work on your wellbeing and to be as happy as possible. It's philosophy is very much like most relating to positive thinking and new patterns of thought. In order to achieve the outcomes and progress that we want for ourselves we have to change our responses to what happens in the world around us.

The more I work at it the more I realize what a difference the way you think and react to the situations in our lives really affects your own mood and outcomes. It is definitely not easy and something that I have to constantly work at and if I don't the same negative thoughts and emotions sneak in. I'm still on my beginning of my journey and have a long way to go. This book helped to confirm and remind me how to replace the negative and depressing thoughts and why I am on this journey in the first place.

The cons would be that some of the examples are very extreme and ridiculous and difficult to relate to your own life. Also, no matter how many positive thinking or self-help time books and blogs I read I cannot give into the idea that everything happens for a reason. In the case of this book Chris Prentiss says that you have to go through your life with the expectation that everything that happens in life is for your benefit and for the greater good for the world on the whole. When I was younger I was entirely behind the idea that everything happens for a reason and I know that the difficulties as well as positive times in my life have made me the person I am today and has taught me much.What I cannot get behind is that everything has a  reason with no exceptions. There are far too many terrible things that happen in this world to good people and things like rape, abuse, murder, childhood illness and death, and extreme violence have no rhyme or reason. No one is violated or hurt for their own good.

I enjoyed the read and more and more think that it is so important to top up my knowledge, motivation, creativity, and inspiration. The day to day grind of work, commuting, and routines can get me off track and this book has been a really great reminder about putting the work in to make me the best version of me.

So, I recommend you pick up this book. It is a small quick read that puts the world in a bit better perspective and definitely makes you think.

New Life

It's early days but all of the changes seem to be working out pretty great. Over the period of a weekend I changed city, house, and job. I have to admit that there was some rough points including some tears the night before I started the new job. I felt completely overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions that just now I'm beginning to really breathe and sort through my emotions.

I really like my job so far. The atmosphere is much more positive and it truly feels like a fresh start. The role is the same but so many things about the clients, colleagues, and how the work is done is so differently that everything feels fresh. I'm taking the train to work through the British countryside... Today I hardly read my book and instead enjoyed the feeling of space with music in my ears. I'm just treasuring these moments and doing my best to keep my head in a good place.

Today I feel pretty great and I'm going to work hard to make the changes that I want for myself.
The seaside air is doing wonders!

Moving Forward

The past couple of months I've found myself closing down my creativity and journey of self-love and greater happiness. There have been a lot of things going on in my life including many visitors, holidays, and making decisions about where my life is going practically and I feel like my emotions have gotten a bit lost along the way.

At the moment I find myself confused about how has all played out because I have been surrounded by family and good friends and have visited some beautiful places but haven't allowed myself to be really inspired. I have been focusing on the reasons to literally move forward with my life but forgetting to breathe and take time to understand my own feelings and why I am doing what I am.

Now as I'm moving  into an even busier month I feel that I have physically and emotionally slowed down enough to really think about my life, my happiness, and why I really need these changes in my life. Although I'm a bit sad that those weeks have passed and I didn't appreciate and use my time and surroundings in a more positive way I am happy to say that I feel comfortable getting it out there, addressing it, and moving forward more positively.

Now for the future. In the next month I will be changing jobs and moving away from London which has been my home for the past five years. I've made a decision to step out of my comfort zone knowing that this change is what I need right now and as the days go by I become even more confident about this. Change can be such a frightening thing but more and more I'm finding the fear waning and the excitement building. I've gotten stuck where I am and although I know that a change in job or location isn't the answer to all my problems, it is definitely the change of direction and atmosphere is what my life needs now. I'm moving forward in many ways and trying to make each step a positive one.

I'm looking for some good reading about changes and moving forward and haven't found anything that has hit home just yet. If you have anything that might help please let me know!

Moving!

It's no secret that I've been in a bit of a rut for awhile both personally and professionally. It is definitely a time to  make some drastic changes because I'm losing sight of my aims and falling backwards. After spending a lot of time going back and forth with what is best for me as an individual as well as with my partner we decided to make the leap and move away from London. I've managed to secure a transfer in my current job role to the seaside and we will be moving to Brighton in the next month.

I'm really happy about this move and think that it is what I need in my life right now and of course I also have anxieties around such a big change. There is a lot to do in the next month and it will be bittersweet to leave London after 5 years but there are so many positives about moving to concentrate on.

So here's to a new journey in a new atmosphere!