I recently overhead two young women talking to each other about what had been going on in their respective lives.  One had lost weight and the other was complaining about her life and how boring it was and asked her friend how she had managed to lose so much weight.

The one that had lost weight said she realised that if she wanted to lose weight she had to make some changes to her lifestyle and said she first starting to cut out sweet sugary items and gave up alcohol only choosing to drink it on social and special occasions.  She also decided to start an exercise programme but didn’t want to be stuck inside a gym so she joined the local running club.  She went on to say that as a result she had met many new people and had a new circle of friends.  She tried to encourage her friend to join a club or take up a hobby in an attempt to get out more and change her life saying she would never know if she didn’t try.  She even invited her along to the running club to see if she might like to join.

As an outsider looking in I could tell this other friend who was bored with life was never going to make any move to change her life in any form whatsoever.  I was intrigued by how excited and animated one was and how lifeless the other appeared and would probably continue in this way for a long time.  Her attitude needed to change.

I have always been a great believer in the philosophy that we can do anything we really want to and can really change our lives but the only way this can happen is if we are willing to do so in the first place.    I’m not talking about major changes but simple things that can, in time, make big differences.  For example, taking up new hobbies, taking a different route to work or getting up earlier to make more time to exercise or do something when the house is quiet before everyone else gets up or even treating ourselves to a make-over or new hairstyle, generally being open to change.

We can’t expect things to change in our lives if we carry on doing the same old things, the same old way because that is always the way we’ve done things.  The universe is in constant motion, nothing stands still and neither should we.

A few weeks later whilst travelling to work I saw the friends again.  The one who had lost the weight and joined the running club was proudly showing off a sparkling diamond ring on her third ring finger.  She looked so radiant and happy.  It was at this point I think the other one realised if she wanted to change her life she needed to do something about it because I heard her say “maybe I should take up a hobby after all” and she actually smiled.

So if there’s something you want to do or something you would like to change, my advice would be just go out there and do it, it doesn’t have to be big but something small, after all, you never know where it might lead but at least you will have tried.

I would love to hear from any of my readers that have made a change that lead to something unexpected or an improvement in their life.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week full of love and happiness.

My regular readers will know that my Blog is about happiness and choosing to be happy.  It is a choice we are faced with daily and I’ve always believed that depending on what choice we make will depend on the kind of day we have.  It’s the attitude we choose to adopt.   I’m not going to write much this week because I think the following demonstrates this beautifully.

Last week the following poem written by a student called Chanie Gorkin (based in Brooklyn) went viral on Twitter.  Chanie wrote it for a school assignment which was how to manage a bad day.   It is very thought provoking.

The poem:

Today was the absolute worst day ever

And don’t try to convince me that

There’s something good in every day

Because, when you take a closer look,

This world is a pretty evil place.

Even if

Some goodness does shine through once in a while

Satisfaction and happiness don’t last.

And it’s not true that

It’s all in the mind and heart

Because

True happiness can be obtained

Only if one’s surroundings are good

It’s not true that good exists

I’m sure you can agree that

The reality

Creates

My attitude

It’s all beyond my control

And you’ll never in a million years hear me say that

Today was a good day

Now read from the bottom to top.

I think this poem is so powerful and really makes us think about our outlook to life.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the poem that went viral last week and how you choose to deal with a bad day.   Should Chanie Gorkin ever read my Blog many congratulations to you for such a beautifully thought out poem and I wish you much success with your future writing.   You are a true inspiration.

So how did you start your day today?

Did it begin with throwing the covers over your head and saying “Noooo It’s Monday” or did you embrace the day like any other day?

I am always amazed at how many people I hear complaining that it’s Monday and they can’t wait until Friday, usually it is from people traveling on the train, people I meet in the lift, even FB posts that I read from certain friends and yes I’m sure you know who you are.

Let’s think about this and let me ask if you are one of the types of people that complain because it’s Monday? If so, does that mean you don’t enjoy the five days from Monday to Friday?   If however you are in the camp that treats Monday like any other day then I would imagine, like me, it doesn’t make a difference what day it is.

The key is to try and enjoy every day, no matter what day it is. Admittedly the days when we can do as we please are undoubtedly the best but I like to look at the days when my life is restricted as the days that allow or enable me to do all the things that I love to do and enjoy. For example, I have to go to work each Monday, it enables me to have the life I desire and to do the things I enjoy.

So when my alarm bell goes off at 6am on a Monday morning, whilst I might not like it, I thank my lucky stars that I actually have a job to go to. I then enter what I like to call the gratitude zone and believe me when we start to be grateful for all we have in our lives the world becomes a much happier and easier place to live in. I choose to be happy on a Monday, in fact I choose to be happy and to like every day of the week.

Monday’s are the beginning of a new week, fresh and shiny, I like to regard them as Magical Mondays. We can start a new week like we do a new year and set ourselves little goals or targets if we so desire. Also if you are lucky enough to have had a weekend off then the chances are you will be feeling refreshed from having had a weekend doing the things that you enjoy with friends and family.

Mondays are also magical because there is the anticipation of the week ahead and the next weekend when we get to do it all over again. I therefore like to treat my Mondays with love and respect.

Also a few weeks ago on my way to work and making my way across London Bridge, imagine my surprise when the pavement had been tiled with rainbow colours with the caption at the end of the rainbow “Love Mondays” which is the photo I have used for this week’s Blog.   Let Monday’s be your rainbow.   If you would like to know more about this project it is called Spark your City and more information can be found at http://www.sparkyourcity.com.  It certainly brightened up my commute.

I would love to hear from my lovely happy readers something that they enjoy or even look forward to on a Monday and I’m sure if you think hard enough you will discover there is quite a lot to love about Mondays.

Wishing all my readers a very Happy Magical Monday and a tremendous week full of opportunity and of course, love and happiness.

I have always loved walking in the rain, especially the warm summer rain we are lucky enough to experience here in the UK and I can often be heard singing renditions of all  songs featuring rain. Luckily not many people venture out in the rain so I’m pleased to say I remain unheard. One of my favourite songs is “Laughter in the rain” by Neil Sedaka, but the list of rain songs in my repertory is endless.

I wonder whether I have always liked rain songs because I recall a very fond childhood memory.   My brother and I were staying in a hotel with my parents, when one morning at breakfast I recall my Mum excitingly telling me she’d just seen Sasha Distel and had got me his autograph. Well I kid you not, I was 13 years old and had absolutely no idea who she was talking about.  She looked at my blank face and said almost jumping up and down “you do know him, you do, he is the one that sings ‘raindrops keep falling on my head’ ” and she burst into song. I still didn’t have a clue. Undeterred, she handed me a scrap of paper. It was addressed to me with his autograph.

I wonder if I had always enjoyed songs about rain and she had genuinely wanted the autograph for me, or, whether she had been too embarrassed to ask for it for herself and had asked him to sign his autograph for her daughter or if it was a way to strike up a conversation with him.  Whatever the reason it always brings a smile to my face when I think back to that day. Sadly I do not know where the autograph is now.

So over the last week in the South East of England we have experienced unsettled weather, sunshine one minute, followed by heavy rain, thunder and hailstones the size of golf balls. This was the topic of many conversations amongst my friends, should one go out in that weather, the fair weather ones chose to stay at home, some are petrified of thunderstorms so quite rightly stay inside wherever possible. I guess this is why the British love to talk about the weather – we never know what it’s going to do next. It is so changeable.

One evening after a day of such stormy weather I took my dog Alfie out in the then very light rain and naturally I sang. It was quieter than usual and there was no sign of anyone else. I reveled in how fresh everything seemed. I love the smell of rain on a summer’s evening, the scent of the apple blossom and rosehips, stronger than usual. The grass soft and springy under foot and I marveled at how fresh everything seemed after the rain. I looked up at the skies as they were clearing. It was like the angry storm clouds were now dispersing making way for clearer more settled skies.

It made me think of how as humans, we sometimes have to go through some storms and turbulence to come out the other side.  I am a great believer that if there is something that bothers us, we should voice our opinion and say what has to be said, deal with the problem, rather than holding onto it and then move on. Clear the air so to speak.

Although we are not all alike and thankfully the world is made up of different types of people, some hold onto things and never say what is on their mind, burying their feelings deeper and deeper while others, like myself, will speak their mind. If I have something I’m not happy with I will voice my concerns, then once it is dealt with, it is like the skies have been cleared and everything is dealt with and forgotten and I move on.

I believe if we ignore things that worry or bother us and bury them deep, they can fester and surely they will find an exit one way or another. Rather like a volcano erupting or violent thunderstorms and these outbursts can be of the worst kind causing much devastation. So if you have something on your mind I think it’s best to speak out. It really does clear the air.

Equally, if we are going through a particularly bad time, we need to hold onto the hope that things will pass just like a storm and try to keep as positive as possible.  There is a very good saying that says “for us to experience a rainbow, we have to first have the rain” and I think this sums up life pretty well.

I would love to hear from you if you have a favourite weather song or how the storms affect you.

Hoping my readers find their rainbows this week.

My name is Tracey Marie and my very simple guilty pleasure is skipping.  Yes that’s right, skipping, not the kind of skipping with a rope, the kind where one bounces along, the type of skipping that we did as children hand in hand with our best friends.  An activity I believe we are supposed to perhaps grow out of but I ask why?

I usually skip when I’m out walking my dog in the middle of nowhere and when there is absolutely no chance of anyone seeing me.  Occasionally when I can’t contain my happiness I might skip in public, and a few of my readers will have even witnessed me doing this.  I have even been known to skip across the floor at work, which just causes people to smile and wonder if I’ve been drinking.

So what makes me want to skip?  It is when I feel free and happy and it also makes me feel light.  I’m also not very good at running and by skipping I can cover more distance than when I’m walking.

I was recently out with a friend and as we crossed the Thames over the Millennium Bridge I started to skip.  My friend laughed and asked what I was doing and I replied “skipping, try it”.  She also joined in.  Not only did we find ourselves laughing and skipping higher but other people started to engage and smile.

Some mornings, particularly sunny ones, when I walk across London Bridge on my way to work I want to skip, mainly because I’m happy and also because it’s a good way of moving faster without actually running and of course great exercise.  However, something stops me, I worry about what people will think of me, will they think I’m mad? Yes probably, but as my friend pointed out people run and jog so why shouldn’t we skip if we want to.  After all, who would have thought that the childhood activity of travelling on a scooter would have become an acceptable mode of transport for adults a few years ago?  In London we now see many commuters using them to get from A to B more quickly.  Could it be we are secretly wishing to engage in some childhood activities?

So, it’s out there in the open now.   I love to skip but as yet I haven’t had the courage to do so on my morning commute still worried by fear of what people may think, but as I grow older or should I say wiser I am beginning to worry less and less what people think.  The key after all is to be happy.  So when you next see someone skipping to work it may well be me.   So please don’t laugh at me just join in, you never know you might also discover the joy of skipping.

I would love to hear from you and what your guilty/simple pleasure is or anything you like to do that makes you happy but don’t have the courage to do so for fear of what people might think of you.

 Wishing all my lovely readers a wonderful week full of love and happiness.