I have been all smiles this week. Well mostly. Not so much that I have been scaring everyone but enough for people to be commenting that I seem really happy.
Admittedly, this is not always so. A couple of weeks in each of the last few months have been decidedly dark. Just like anyone, stuff in my life goes wrong, meetings go badly, bad things you can’t control happen.
But it is all about approach. So, when things look less than rosy, what do you do? You get back on it. Get out there and continue to actively seek happiness. I’m not sure why I am here, how long I have or if there is any master plan after all.
I do know one thing though and it’s that I am not here to idly wait for good things to come my way. Every single day, I try to engage with what’s going on to cultivate my own happiness.
This quote from Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat Pray Love – a much scorned but actually very good book) resonates with me.
People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly.
Decide to be happy. Do the smaller things every day that will help you get there. Keep an eye on the big ideas that will increase the good bits and lessen the bad. Do less of the things that get you down or make you tired.
In this spirit, I’m starting today by eating french toast with raspberries, greek yoghurt and honey. And drinking a big mug of coffee to boost my determination.
P.S. This post is dedicated to my gorgeous little big sister Judy who has done so incredibly well this year and has just started a new course at university. Soooo proud of you x
