100 Happy Days

So I recently have seen a trend going about via the hashtag #100HappyDays and decided to look into it.
I found that the premise is just that simple: the idea is to try and be happy for 100 days. Sort of.
It's not easy to just be happy especially if you're living with depression or anxiety or living through difficult circumstances. I suppose the idea is to try and find something in the day that you're grateful for or something small that makes you happy. It's basically the same thing that I've been doing all year with my Silver Linings Search challenge.

The idea is to find things in your day that make you happy, take a photograph that represents that happiness and post it onto social media. It seems like a pretty nice idea if you're willing to commit to 100 days of social networking. Do you think it's something you could do?

Some may see this as just another excuse to take selfies. So what? If someone is trying to tap into their own happiness and positivity, let it be.

Motivational Monday: Love Who You Love

So I know the theme of our last Motivational Monday was all about loving yourself but today it is about the importance of loving others. Today we need to remember the importance of our love for others.

Other people add colour and variety into our lives. They bring excitement, adventure and comfort. We establish bonds with them. It's important to find at least one person in this world whom you love. This can be in a romantic way or a platonic way. Maybe it's a family member of a pet. Find someone who makes you happy and remember to make them happy too. Do something nice for them to remind them that they are loved. Go out and spread some love and positivity. Who knows: maybe the love and positivity will come back to you somehow.

2014: Silver Lining Search

I like to believe in the notion of silver linings, that there's always something positive. These things don't always present themselves; sometimes we have to find them. We have to go out and actively search for the goodness that life can bring.

So I have this crazy idea that, here on the blog, I'm doing something called the "silver lining search" challenge where each day I'll think of nice things I've enjoyed. Let's call this an exercise in positive thinking. Maybe it'll be a story someone tells me, a book I love or a picture I take. At the end of each week I'll write up a little post and share it here with you all. If some of the things that happen are quite personal then perhaps I'll keep them private but the idea is that I'll be sharing positivity with you and with myself. I'll also write them down on paper and put the silver linings into a jar and seal it and not go back and read them until the end of the year. This way I'll have a lovely collection of silver linings, a reminder of all the lovely things that happened in 2014.

So on January 1st I shall start with an empty jar. As the day begins I'll write down any nice things that happen in that day on a little piece of paper and I'll put it into the jar. Piece by piece I'll record the positivity a year brings. When 2014 ends I shall read and review all the lovely things that happened to me that year. Who knows? If it's a good year maybe I'll need more than one jar.

In looking for positive things it'll ensure I remain happy at every turn. I'll try it for the first month or so of 2014 and, if I can continue, I shall.

Please feel free to find your silver linings with me.

The B425 List: New Year's Resolutions with a Difference.

There I was, 21 and curled up on my sofa, staring at a computer screen. I was procrastinating. Again. I was trying to find a break from my university dissertation and had spent the past hour or so just she and her friends went canyoneering. I'd never even heard of canyoneering. I felt something within me deflate like a sad balloon. I wondered "Why can't I be doing fun things like that?" Then, some lost voice within me piped up saying "But of course you can!" I turned my mind to the things I wished I could be doing. It was certainly a nice way to procrastinate. I then started to write down the things I wanted to do in life, the things I wanted to achieve, and very soon The B425 List was created. Named the B425 List, after the P45 list that you receive when you finish working somewhere, seemed apt as I was about to finish my work at university. I needed to know that something good was on the horizon. I wrote them out as a list of things I wanted to achieve before I turned 25. Whilst writing it I found the 30 Before 30 project and took inspiration from lists that other people had written. Once done, I found myself able to get back to work instantly.

My list includes entries like:

• Take up meditation
• Stand out in public with a 'Free Hugs' sign for at least an hour just to spread some joy. Maybe do it to raise awareness of/raise money for a charity that helps with mental health.
• Take up belly dancing
• Write a song and put it out there. Get together with other musicians to create some original music and release it into the world.
• Visit at least one of the following places, at the very least: New Zealand, Australia, USA (preferably for a road trip style holiday), Canada, Spain, Ireland. If you hit more than one, even better.

...and many more. You can read the full list here.

I'm 21 now, 22 in a matter of weeks, and I've already started on ticking things off of my list. I'm so glad to have all these goals. What started as a mere exercise in positive thinking is something that is going to continue steering me towards happiness and rich experiences. My hopes are that I'll grow old knowing that I didn't let life and experiences pass me by. I'll know that I went out and actively sought happiness and fulfilment. When I turn 25 and have hopefully ticked off everything on my list I shall simply sit down and write another for the next five years of my life. I'm hoping to vlog my experience on YouTube. So if you're scurrying around to try and think up some New Year's Resolutions why not also write a list of things to do over the next five or ten years. Have goals specifically for 2014 but think and plan what you want in advance for the next chunk of your life that lies ahead. Set yourself a bunch of goals, begin to plan and start thinking about what you want from your own life. Who knows? It could be exactly what you've been missing...