Tag Archives: new year

A new year kind of attitude

19 Friday Jan 2018

Posted by in Attitude, Change, Life journey, Moods, Positivity, Success

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I’ve spoken to so many people who have started the year with a negative attitude
With the feeling that the new year will be exactly the same as the old one because – really? What would change from the 31st of December 2017 to the 1st of January 2018?
Well truthfully nothing!
Which, depressing as it sounds, is why I don’t wait up for new year to celebrate with fireworks and loud music. I wake up on January the first and carry on with my life just the same as I had done the day before.
Because life is what you make of it.
No change in year is going to miraculously change your fortune.
You want 2018 to be great?
Make it great!
The week is dragging… Do something to make it more exciting!
Your job is terrible? Look for a new one or enjoy moments in your job – like packing up at the end of the day and going home or having coffee with your colleagues.

We cannot control what happens to us but we can absolutely control how we react to it and what we do about it. That is why you will find people in really trying circumstances who are really positive and people who seem to have it all that never stop complaining (shame).
Attitude is everything.
So I won’t wish you a happy new year or a successful new year, I wish you continued wisdom, bravery, courage, commitment and self belief.
I wish you confidence, a sense of humour in the hard times and new journeys starting today!
I look forward to continuing to share my journey with you.

My end of year message to you:

23 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Advice, Anxiety, Attitude, Being brave, Depression, Gratitude, Stress, trauma

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This is my final post for the year so I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to every single one of you wonderful people who are reading this.
Some of you have contributed, some have given me ideas, some people have written comments and given feedback and some people just quietly read what I have to say every week.
It doesn’t matter how much you give, the important thing is that every one of you matters to me – you are the reason that this blog keeps going and you are definitely the motivation that I need when when my screen stares back blankly at me.
I am constantly inspired by the survivors in this world – the people who stand up no matter how many times life beats them down and if you are reading this, the only reason you hang out here is that you are a survivor too.  You are part of a great community of survivors who battle depression, stress, low self esteem, anxiety and all the stigma that comes with it.  And you battle it with dignity and grace.

My wish to you all is that no matter what your religion is, that you have a good festive season.  Use the time to really notice what is important to you, to celebrate the little things and to take your own health and happiness more seriously.

When I saw this quote about Morgan Freeman narrating your story, I smiled – mainly because I always fancy Morgan Freeman narrating my day to day routine.
(“Andi gets into her car and grimaces at the thought of another morning of fighting rude taxi drivers on the road, yet she turns the ignition and goes on anyway”)
I also fancy that even if I’m not doing anything awesome, it is still worth having a narrator.  Not all stories are going to be happy ever after love stories are they? (Although we may wish them to be so)
Your current story may be an action adventure (read: traumatic and stressful time) or a horror (read: traumatic and stressful time) but whatever it is, it is going to leave you with a legacy that I hope you will end up not regretting.

morgan freeman

Keep moving forward, keep learning and keep growing – I know that you are awesome!

Thoughts on the new year

09 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Advice, Bucket List, Positivity

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What can I say on the last week of the year?
The Jewish new year starts on Sunday night and as usual, it is a time for reflection and contemplating the year ahead and looking back (as well as probably over analysing) the year that we left behind.
I really don’t know what happened to the past year because it just seems to have disappeared so quickly – my younger son says that it has something to do with old age but I’ll skip that idea!

This I do know:
If you are not  ‘present’ then time seems to fly by without feeling like you’ve achieved anything.  It is easy to just fall into ‘robot’ mode and get everything done that has to be done but without much enjoyment.
I’m on a mission to enjoy life more – to work harder at ticking off more of my bucket list and to find new adventures along the way.  Yes, I have to work and parent and be responsible but that is not the only thing that we are put on earth to do.
This time next year, I have to have walked with elephants, swum with dolphins or be a llama farmer (mainly because I just like the sound of that and it is probably not very likely)

I also know this:
A lot of people ask me how I cope with my job and the answer is quite simple.  I cope because I am constantly inspired by all of the people that I work with.
I am not inspired by celebrities and the rich and famous but by people who are constantly striving to better themselves and also by those that take time to make other people’s lives a little bit (or a lot) better.
Thank you for being an inspiration to me.  Everyone of you are responsible for me getting out of bed every morning and pitching up to help others.
You are all responsible for this blog being what it is because you are this blog! Thank you for that!

One of my biggest missions in my life is to stop complaining about always giving and embrace that it is my purpose in life to give.

Mother Teresa said:
“Spread love everywhere you go.
Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier”

We should all be inspired to make even just one person a little happier by being motivating, thankful and happier people – remember that hugs are free!

I wish you all peace, happiness and much health.

05 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by in Advice, Attitude, Life journey, Quiet and slow

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Happy new year!
I hope that you all had a really good festive season and that you are ready to start the new year with a brand new attitude.
(Don’t worry – I am here to hold your hand through it)
New year, new resolutions!
Right?
Wrong!
This year, forget about the resolutions.  Don’t make promises that you are not going to keep.  Don’t put pressure on yourself unnecessarily.

What I would like you to do is to make more of an effort to be kind and gentle to yourself.  You are not always going to be happy.  You are not always going to be stress free and things are definitely not always going to go your way.
You are going to be sad this year, you are going to be angry.  You are also going to be excited and you are going to feel carefree (you will!).
Through the bad times, and the good times – just be gentle on yourself and allow yourself to just be.
Learn to notice the small things that are good while you are feeling bad.  Notice the tiny little miracles around you that are happening while you are focused on yourself and your problems.

While I was away on holiday, I was staying in the mountains where I had no internet connection and very little cellphone coverage (horror!).  Initially I was not happy but I can tell you that a few days without outside interference was not a bad thing.
Then added to that, it was constantly raining and quite cold for this time of year.  During a gap in the rain, I went for a walk and instead of focusing on the endless grey skies, I chose to look for small beautiful things. I noticed the little toadstool filled with rain and I marvelled at the way the light caught the water droplets on the pine needles.

toadstool

It was then, that I decided that this year I am not going to get bogged down by the big stuff – but rather be gentle and focus on the little things that are so often overlooked and are far nicer than the big things.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you and also to hearing about your stories too!
Let 2015 be wonderful, beautiful and may it give us abundant opportunities to learn.

water droplets

The late, late new year blog

29 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Advice, Quiet and slow, Self growth

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My humblest apologies for the very late blog.
I was offline last week for the Jewish New Year – Rosh Hashana.
While writing this blog on a Monday, I was thinking that maybe it is better for people  to read about being more positive and dealing with stress on a Monday, when most people really need it, rather than on a Friday when most people are probably winding down for the week and feeling less stressed than they were on Monday.
So, I’m going to try to send this out on a Monday in future and see how that works out.

My new year was great!
Our new year is not the same as the secular one which is about one big party and celebration.  It is much more solemn and somber than that.  It is a time of reflection, contemplation and prayer.
In other words, you get to spend a lot of time with yourself, thinking about life and your actions.  If ever there is a time to truly make resolutions, it is probably now.
One of the things that really only struck me after it was over and I had spent 3 full days with no access to my phone or computer, was that I really didn’t miss it.
In fact, I found it really intrusive to turn my phone on and be bombarded with messages and notifications.  Not one of which were that important that waiting 3 days to see to them caused the world to shift off its axis.
And I really didn’t miss hearing about people’s pets or their pet peeves either.
I resolved not to get so caught up in social media and the constant need to be connected.  There are really more important things to deal with and to make time for.
I challenge anyone reading this to check their phone a few times less than what you think is necessary and see if it makes a difference to you.

The other thing that I reflected on was how much I give and how little I often receive in return.
My choice is to either feel sorry for myself because “nobody gives as much as me” and stop giving all together or to continue to give but to give freely knowing that I am doing it because I choose to do it and not worrying about what anyone else does or says.
When I mentioned thisin my group session this morning, there was a consensus that most people who end up being overwhelmed by stress just give too much.
And then they get more stressed by choosing to focus on why nobody else gives as much as they do.
Make your choice.
If you are a “giver” – choose to give with no expectations of others.  Choose to give because you are a nice, kind person.  Acknowledge what you get from giving and if it still makes you happy, then keep doing it.
If it makes you bitter and resentful then stop doing it right now.

My mission in giving is to give more compliments.
And I’ll start with you:
Thank you for being so awesome.
Thanks for reading my blog and for using it to make yourself a better person.
Thank you for being a unique and special person – for being you!

Start off positively

17 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Attitude, Creativity, Gratitude, Mindfulness, Positivity

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The thing about new year is that it isn’t really that different from the old year.
Is there really a huge difference from the 31st of December to the 1st of January?  It is just the next day…
What it can do though is give us the opportunity to have a definable date for changing our attitudes and for correcting mistakes that we made in the past.
My mission for this year is to try to find something positive about every single day. No matter how challenging or miserable that day is.

I have signed up to the 100 Happy days challenge.
The challenge is to take a photograph of what makes you happy every day for 100 days!
The thing that I like about the challenge is that it not only makes you look for positive things but forces you to slow down to appreciate it when you have to stop to take a photo.  I know that I often admire something or notice something but I just hurry on by without stopping to just breathe in the moment.
If you want to join me, that would be great! You can even share your happy moments here.  I commit to sharing more happy moments with you too.
You can sign up at : http://100happydays.com/

If you are not into photography and want to try something different, here’s another idea: A friend of mine bought a nice glass jar and she is writing positive messages every morning and putting them into the jar.
Somebody else bought a diary that was way too pretty to use for work and she committed to writing a positive entry in every lunch time.
Although I don’t think that there is such a thing a too pretty for work – we all need a pretty moment at work too.
My husband has taken to singing Monty Python songs to voice his appreciation.
Whatever you decide to do, do it! Choose something conventional or something unique that is going to make you appreciate what you have more and be more happy!

Let me know what you are going to do to be happier. I look forward to sharing your ideas!

New year wishes

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in Attitude, Change, Life journey, Self growth

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2012 has not been the best year ever for me.   And personally, I am really glad to see the back of it.  I have had to deal emotional and physical rollercoasters, career challenges and family crises; crushed dreams and relationships that have fallen apart and friendships that could not be reconciled.  My heart has been broken a few times and I’ve cried a few tears.

But, I’m still here, and you’re still here on the last day of 2012 to tell our stories.  What a group of amazing survivors we are!

A lot of people have a crazy notion of waiting for the 1st of January to make changes – over the top, often unreachable new years resolutions that are most likely not going to happen.

Maybe we should choose to make our resolution that 2013 will be the year where we are kinder to ourselves.  That we are more open to change and less serious about life – because whether we stress about it or not, whether we try to control it or not, life is still going to happen!

The other evening, we were driving and my kids were singing This is war by 30 seconds to Mars and they were trying to see who could shout the loudest during the chorus –

“To the right, To the left
We will fight to the death!
To the edge of the earth
It’s a brave new world
It’s a brave new world!”

And I really listened to the lyrics and thought about them.  I’m not sure that we should fight to the death, but we should fight for our own freedom, we should fight for our choices and we should definitely fight for a better, happier and healthier life.  Sometimes that fight is only with yourself so when you choose to respect yourself and listen to yourself, things will get better!

You don’t need to wait for the 1st of January to decide to make that change.  Every single day of your life is an opportunity to start again, to stop being afraid, to move forward, to believe in yourself, to trust yourself.

I wish you all a wonderful, happy, healthy and successful new year – may it be everything that you want it to be.  Thank you to every one of you for continuing to read and support my blog – it is because of you that it continues every week!