Happiness is a skill. We often hear people debating about whether happiness is a choice or not and the conclusion that I have come to for myself is that happiness is a skill. So essentially, yes I do believe that happiness is a choice, but I appreciate how difficult that choice is. Somedays I still find it impossible to choose happiness myself. But we can do things like exercise and yoga to limit how often we find ourselves spiraling and we can learn coping techniques to pull ourselves out of the spiral when it feel it tightening around us.
The key to happiness is minimalism. The key to happiness is being content with what we have. We do that by switching off from advertisements and stop constantly buying new things. Minimalism can also make us happier by removing the clutter from our lives that is stressing us out and by reducing our decision fatigue.
Love is a verb. It requires you to actually put in the time and effort to maintain healthy and strong relationships. It is therefore also a choice. However, it also a skill as it gets easier with practice.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Theodore Roosevelt The worst thing that you can do for your self esteem is to compare yourself to other people. We are all on different journeys with different goals and different timelines.
Therapy is never a waste of money. I have spent a serious amount of money on therapy this year but I am confident that I will never regret it. I recognize just how privelleged I am to be able to spend so much money on therapy and it breaks my heart knowing that the average person wouldn't be able to afford it.
Clubbing is actually good fun when you are with friends. When I came to university I was really apprehensive about going clubbing. It terrified me. What I have learn though is that I really enjoy it under the right circumstances, which mostly just means with the right people. This has been a lesson in the fact that things don't always have to be entirely one way or the other. You can say yes to clubbing sometimes and no other times. You can also yes without wanting to go absolutely crazy. You can stay with your friends and leave after 1 hour and there's nothing wrong with that.
"The thing about courage is it's something that we have to learn and relearn our whole lives. It's not just in you, it's in every choice we make every day."- Nim's Island If you know me, you will know that I really love the word courage. I am scared of basically everything, but courage has taught me that just because something scares me, it doesn't mean that I can't, or shouldn't, do it. However, what has maybe been an even more important lesson, is that courage isn't something you learn once and then have forever. You have to keep making the choice to be courageous at every turn in the road. Although it does get easier when you build some momentum.
Only 9% of the plastic that has ever been produced has been recycled. A lot of people now associate me with caring about sustainability. But that is strange to me because growing up I had no particular interest in the environment. When I was 18 I learnt that Only 9% of the plastic that has ever been produced has been recycled, and another 12% has been incinerated. The other 79% still exists on the planet today (source). Learning this fact was the domino effect that made me start caring about the environment. And it has been a rollercoaster ride ever since.
Veganism is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental footprint. Another one of the biggest bombshells that I learnt regarding the environment is that veganism is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental footprint. I watched the cowspiracy documentary in about September of 2019 that was the final straw for me. I have eaten a predominantly plant based diet since.
"You have no obligation to your former self. They are dumber than you, and they don't exist." - Hank Green Don't do things just because you once wanted them years ago. Make sure you are constantly accessing your goals to ensure that they still align with your current beliefs and values.
It is okay if all you get out of your exercise routine is happiness. PE is awful, because it can often teach people to hate exercise. But outside of school I have learnt to love exercise. And the reason I am motivation to do it, is because I genuinely enjoy it. I have found types of exercise that I enjoy and my main goal is never to gain loads of muscles, it is always just to walk away from a session feeling uplifted and positive.
Discrimination still exists. In my experience, school tried to teach me that racism, sexism and homophobia used to exist and that it was awful but that it no longer exists anymore. However, ignoring a problem's existence, does not help us to solve us. It was reading Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates that finally made me feel strong about being a feminist. However, just because discrimination exists, that does not mean that it is undefeatable. And it does not mean that the world is full of bad people.
There are 5 secrets to productivity: Discipline, Active Recall, Spaced Repetition, Flow and Hygge. I am going to make a whole blog post/ YouTube video just about this don't worry.
You cannot read too many books. Read more books. Especially non fiction books. Books help us to understand different perspectives and they open our brains to new ways of thinking. You will struggle to get too much of that.
Take more notes. Take notes on the books that you read and the documentaries that you watch. My brain is like a sieve but that is okay. I don't need to improve my memory. I just need to write more things down.
Store everything digitally. Storing everything digitally means that you will never loose it and if you organise it well, it means that you will have access to it anytime and anywhere.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. - Chinese Proverb Start that youtube channel. Write that book. The timing will never be perfect. You have to make the time. If you are waiting to feel ready, you most likely never will. The only way you get better is by actually doing it so just start and don't worry if it isn't perfect at first. You will soon get the hang of it.
You have more friends than you know. Never feel like you are all alone in this life. You would be surprised just how many people will be delighted to hear from you when you reach out. And it times of need, I promise you that there is always someone willing to listen, even if they don't quite know how to help.
The best way to love someone is to admire them. When choosing a partner you should focus less on what you can get out of the relationship and focus more on the privilege of getting to love and spend time with someone who you admire and respect. Relationships are a lot more like friendships that we often think. We don't expect a lot from our friends, we just enjoy seeing them, so why do we expect more than that from our relationships?
Journalling is always a good idea. I never regret journalling and I always wish I had journalled more. It can help us to work through whatever we are going through at the moment and it forces us to pause and reflect. It is also very fun to read back.
Time is valuable. It is cliché but it really is true. We only live once. If you want something, you have to put the time in or go out there and get. Take more risks. Say yes to more things. Spend more time with your loved ones. But equally, value your alone time. Protect it. Turn down opportunities that stop you from doing the things you love.
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