Your Happiness Factor

Change is  necessary! 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 Sometimes I don’t believe the effect I have on people. How far my words can reach. Whether I get an icy negative reception or a warm positive one.  Luckily for me, it is usually the latter. And that is because I go into a situation with an open mind, because I am not panicking over what my boss may be thinking and/or feeling.  This may seem naive or very easy for me to say, but the way I look at it: every day is a new day, and though people can’t change overnight, they can start. Though you mightn’t like it: everything is constantly changing; from our thoughts racing to the plate tectonics that make up the earth. Yo...

Underestimation: we all do it 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 "Normal" people underestimate their impact on the world and the people around them.  Generally "we" think that what we do on a daily/regular basis is boring/nothing new. Please give yourself some credit.  Congratulate yourself for the fact that you woke up today, the fact that you are carrying on this fight.  Congratulate yourself because you deserve to, especially if you don't have anyone around who can or will show you how much they appreciate it. Other people do appreciate what you are doing, though they mightn't say it or appear grateful.  And what you are doing may not change the world tomorrow or th...

Never Regular, Spectacular! 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're not like everyone else.  This world is full of people saying you have to fit into a category or something but please don't be sucked into being someone you're not to please others. You can't please everyone. You're not meant to.  Someone in the world will find a fault in your perfection. That's the way it is. Our perfection is so different to other people's. And that's Ok. That's the way it's meant to be. What's special to us is different to others. That's how it's meant to be. Otherwise everyone would be fighting for the same thing. And it's good we're not. You just want to be ...

Finding your quiet place! Lots of us have one already – a quiet place that we like to visit or at the very least remember. It can be a great source of solace when times are hard. Or simply when things are a bit fraught. But do you know that your quiet place doesn't have to be out there? It can just as easily be inside you if you take the time to find it. And once found, of course, it becomes completely portable. You can take it with as you travel about your busy life. To find your quiet place you need first to find a somewhere to do the work. Find a room or open space that feels safe for you. Sit comfortably. Now follow these simple steps. ·         Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly. ·         Fill up the whole of your lungs with air, without forcing. ·         Imagine you're filling up a bottle, ...

You are too hard on yourself! 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 Believe it or not, some days you might sink low and believe everyone else is better than you. And that's okay.  Everyone has a different story to tell and just because you don't have what you want right now doesn't mean it won't come to the light and/or you can't or won't get it. It's not too late! Make the choice today to be what you want to. Other people might try to put you off doing a particular thing; you've just got to stand up for yourself and be proud. It might not be what they would do in your situation, but everybody is different. People will try to dampen your dreams but don't let them. Jus...

Situations can arise at any time.  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 can never be sure when something will strike. You can be dealing with a big problematic event when little ones can occur and you think it’s just to rub it in. I know it can feel burden-heavy. But that’s Ok. Feeling weighed down is not good for you, so try to take everything one step at a time. But I know it’s a real pain when everything comes at the same time. That’s how life seems to work; I see it as a positive thing.  When you’re in the midst of things; challenges and the like, problems that would have otherwise held you up are accomplished without much thought. You don't even recognise how much you acc...

The Women Left Here is a short poem I wrote a while ago now and it appears on one of my poetry blogs ( Dreaming in Purple and Grey ). Now it is my way of marking this year's special anniversary. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and I heard many stories of women who lost their men in the first World War and how they suffered.  My aunt lost her "young man".  She never spoke of it and she never married.  There was no one to marry; a generation had been lost. But the women who had it hardest were the widows of "other ranks" who were left with children to care for and little or no support. This poem is for them. The Women Left And we the women left Make lives for ourselves. Brave women we, The women left. Like flotsam on a stony shore, We shouldn't be here. Discarded parts! Our seasoned wood Has gone beyond its season. But still we scrub and clean And make our knuckles raw With all your dirty laundry. If not, who'll feed our kids? Br...