Your Happiness Factor

No one lives a life without unhappiness. We all suffer loss and other forms of change we would not have chosen. Often the change leads to better things. And, sometimes, even with the most positive of attitudes, a loss just hurts. We mourn and then get on with life in changed circumstances,as best we can. But, there is a skill you can learn when things are going well that will help when they are going badly. We can learn to listen to the wise and loving inner voice. For some, this is the voice of God. For others it is the higher self - part of you. Somewhere, beneath the chaos of our minds, it speaks. If we can learn to still the chaos, we can learn to hear the voice. You can learn at any time. But, the easiest time is when things are going well. Your inner friend and counsellor will always be there.  Time to pause and listen. Sit quietly in a gentle place if you can. Take a few quiet breaths. Feel yourself there in the present, just sitting quiet and still. Oh, there is a...

Looks can be deceiving: learning has no expiration date  Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos Everyone makes mistakes. If there's someone who performs 'perfectly' and does everything flawlessly as far as you see, believe me, they make mistakes behind the scenes. Or have made a mistake in the past that has thrust them to where they are now. No one is faultless. It's great when someone seems 'perfect' but underneath they might be a mess. Looks can be deceiving. Never has a phrase been so true and applicable in every situation. You can never tell how someone is feeling. My 'beautiful strangers' belief strikes again. We can never tell how something that we do will affect...

All of us! Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos You may not think it, but everybody hurts at some point during their life. Maybe that’s why they’re so successful at what they’re doing now. Everything may look pristine on the surface but not so on the inside. There’s no saying how another person is feeling throughout a day; they could just be putting on a brave face to get through it. We are all different. We can’t feel the same way about a particular situation. We won’t and that’s Ok. How boring would it be if everyone’s reaction was the same? We all have a limited, stunted and incomplete point of view on life. Yes, that’s right, everyone has. We are all facing situations in our lives, be they...

No rewinds! Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos Happiness can be yours. It’s within reach. You just need to convince your mind that it’s possible.  This is easier said than done, but possible.  Happiness is not something that can be found in big bundles. It’s about the moments. Small as they are. Apparently the present moment lasts for 3 seconds before it is wisped away and becomes a memory.  Life is not easy for anyone. Perhaps I’m naïve thinking that happiness is available to everyone. But I believe it is. When you think about it, every situation you have encountered; a form of it has appeared in everybody else’s life too. Maybe not at the same velocity or with th...

There are no rewinds in life. Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos There are no rewinds in life. So it makes it intense to get everything right first time. But everybody has something they still need to ‘perfect’ or for use of a better word, make right.  Everyone messes up, though they may be good at hiding it.  If you have a plan, you can’t always stick to it. There are detours and interruptions that this life will give you and we may never get back to the place we left from, again. But that’s Ok.  The worst thing in life is standing still.  When it’s rushing by I know that we all complain that it’s going too fast but at least you are moving forward, with eve...

If you have to fight for something you have no reason to give up.  Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos When the referee blows the full time whistle you have my permission to give up.  My point is no one has a referee with a whistle to blow full time in this life. Everyone has highs, everyone has lows. Who are you to think your lows are worse than anyone else’s?  Of course good things come to an end, and they have to so you can learn to appreciate them. The good times account for memories: sometimes that’s the best part of being alive because you know that things can only get better.  Of course there will be moments of heart ache and you will go through hard times...

Other People And Their Expectations Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos You shouldn’t not do something just because it’s been marred by other people. They don’t know what you’ve been through and they don’t know where you’re going. Other people’s opinions are rated highly. Why? We don’t know them. We don’t know their story. They’ll only be a passing stranger in your story; don’t let them have the power of deciding what you do.  Other people are so over-preoccupied with their own issues that they don’t notice your faults as much as you think they do. As a human race, we are selfish in that way. So don’t ever be too hard on yourself.  Most of the time you’ll find that y...

If you try to get somewhere! Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos If you try to get somewhere, I can’t promise you’ll get anywhere fast, but if you’re trying you will eventually get there. It might not be where you set off to get to, but that’s ok because plans change their course throughout our lives so we never really know where we’re headed anyway.  Your journey may take many unprecedented twists and turns, but will always lead you to the right circumstance. You may fall many times, but the true power lies in the strength that you can maintain to get back up and keep going. I could go down the negative perspective to try to get you to see that negativity is not the way to go, but w...

You Gain Strength Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos There will be times when situations look and feel negative. We can’t help it. It’s human nature.  For a moment, just pull yourself out of the situation and think about it. Try to steer your thoughts in a positive direction. It isn’t easy to stop doubting yourself for any reason, but it is so worth it when you do. It’s a hard habit to break. But once you start thinking positively more positive things will happen in your life. It isn’t an immediate response though. You just have to believe that the more positive you think, the more positive the outcomes of your endeavours will be. It’s not going to be an overnight phenomenon. Sadl...

You are not alone Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos If life is a like a roulette wheel, you can’t choose what position you are placed in. But you can work yourself into a place. If you want it bad enough, you can do it. That has always been a fact of life. You may not get it perfect first time, although you want to, but you will get to where you want to be.  Life contains a lot of try and fail experiments, you may fail a million times but it only takes one second to change and a doorway will open in which you can succeed. Never stop chasing that dream, because you never know. And if you don’t try, you’ll never know. So don’t give up at the first hurdle, because it only takes a minute...

Different! We are all idiosyncratic! Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos  We are all idiosyncratic, which is just a big word for a bit different. We all have stories to tell and how we choose to portray ourselves says a lot about who we are. We all have different stories.  If we all had the same struggles and issues how boring would that make life? I know sometimes it’s frustrating that people won’t or can’t understand what you’re going through. But that’s all right. They are living out their story with their own obstacles to overcome.                        ...

Staying Positive When Things Hurt! Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos  You don’t have to feel A-OK to be positive or feel happy. It’s Ok to get down sometimes. Makes you appreciate the highs when they come! I was in hospital having just had an operation and I was out four days later! I’m not super-woman; it did hurt for a little while but as soon as I put the pain to the back of my mind and focused on being happy the hurt subsided. I know this can’t work every time. As I’m due to have an operation later this month, I was just lucky it did work for me.  Just keep reminding yourself that people go through tougher things every day. Helped me anyway. People go through pain every day, a...

Smile; you only get this moment once Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos  ‘ Smile; you’ll never get this moment again’ morbid yes, but so true.  Circumstances change in the blink of an eye, from how you’re feeling to the outside no-control zone. I call outside factors this because no one can control some things that happen in life, they just do.  We can view it either as making us stronger people (which it will) or go into the whole ‘Woe is me’ routine. The no-control zone is just like worrying. It makes no difference; it doesn’t stop the bad things from happening; they will come either way. It’s just a fact of life. Bad things come to teach us lessons. That’s all they do....

One chance at life Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos  If one bad happens in a day try not to let it affect the day’s productiveness. We’ve all had days when a bad thing happens first thing and the whole day is ruined because of it. But if you just refocus on the positive after the downfall – whatever it may be – you can turn a downward turn into an upward one.  Everyone fails at something in their life – a mis-venture or makes a million mistakes – there’s no plain sailing in life, even if it looks to be on the surface. You can never really tell what’s on someone else’s mind unless they tell you. Nor what’s bubbling beneath the surface of a smile. So try to be kind. One of...

Never give up! Today, we have another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video on  YouTube   Do you take everything at face value? I know I used to. There’s always a back-story as to why someone’s dressed a particular way or something happens. You may not see it at first, and it may be a part of their life that they don’t want to admit to. Everyone’s going through hard times, but not having the same experiences. Don’t feel alone, because everyone is going through life at their own pace. Though everything may look fine on the surface, you can never tell what someone’s going through. You don’t know how far someone’s come. You don’t know where they are in their life – whether they’re thinking of giving up or anything. Don’t take everything at face value; there are deeper r...

Don’t regret not saying something! Today, we have another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video on  YouTube   Don’t regret not saying anything. I’ve had a few moments where I’ve just had to say something, either to voice how strongly a particular situation has made me feel or just because it was a now or never moment. If I hadn’t said anything, I knew I would regret it and the other person would probably never know. Life is so precious that I don’t want to regret something that I had the opportunity to say or do. The counter-argument to this is that you may not feel the same way by the morning. But if the conviction is strong enough to make you feel it, it must mean something to you. You have the power to change anything at will, those obstacles we have no control over...

 Giving little compliments away can mean so much Today, we have another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video on  YouTube   I think it’s important to always be considerate of other people’s feelings. Like remembering when important things happen in their lives, especially if they’re fearful of that event. That’s why giving little compliments away can mean so much. It can brighten someone’s day. It can be a simple thing such as ‘I like that colour on you’ or ‘I really liked your work today’. As is well known in the world by now, that children don’t respond if there’s someone putting them down, they respond more to small encouragements. We are all like little children and that is nothing to be ashamed of! Just now our little encouragements have developed into compli...