Tag Archives: happy

Entitlement

I’ve always had this idea in my head, that if you do something nice for another person, the good karma could be reciprocated in some other form. For example, I was at the shops one day; buying some chocolate to eat on the way back to school. My card got declined, and I was panicking because there was a queue that was beginning to form. Unexpectedly, the man behind me decided he was going to pay for my stuff as well as his. I was shocked, I had never experienced this level of generosity in my life with the general public. This man didn’t know me, but he still decided to help me.

Once I had thanked the man, I left and composed myself outside. The man walked up to me and said “Just one thing mate, pass it on”. That was the moment I realised his message; do nice things without expecting a result.

These days, it can feel as though the whole world is incredibly selfish. If you ask how many donate to charity, the numbers are far lower than expected. So when I witness this man being astonishingly nice, I want to pay it forward.

That’s what I did, paying for somebody else’s shopping and donating to charity. Though this was a big deal for me, I do not see this as an achievement. We should all be giving to one another. It seems as though the concept of “one world” to share has been lost. Let’s try to fix that.

Today, I would like each of you to do one good thing for somebody else. It can be small or big, but you mustn’t expect a reward from doing it. Just being kind out of the kindness in your heart should be enough.

Take care 🙂

Maybe cut down on your screen time

With the whole world being stuck at home once again, it may seem natural to spend every waking moment online, to pass the time away that you would usually be doing with others.

Now don’t get me wrong, like the average Joe, I love using my phone and the internet. It is a brilliant source of entertainment, communication and pleasure. However, for every positive there has to be a negative. With the internet, it is the biggest form of distraction there is.

It has been said many times before me. Websites have been designed to be engaging and addictive. The reason tiktok is so popular is because of its endless scrolling feature. It is impossible to reach the end of it, there is no end. Facebook and YouTube are the same, you could spend hours watching videos and browsing, without realising it is night and you haven’t eaten all day. That anecdote may seem farfetched, but it does happen; to me as well.

You may be wondering “Get off my phone? That is so easy anyone can do it!”. To those who make that statement, I ask you whether you have tried a detox from it? To an outsider, anything seems possible. Once you have committed to staying off it for a while, it will become how apparent the difficulties it entails.

Books are still a thing, and probably hold more knowledge than any single video does. Perhaps you could try it instead of indulging in a Minecraft video. I should state, I am being hypocritical on purpose. I believe throughout all our lives, we should take responsibility and be accountable for our own actions; myself included.

So, let us try to get our screen time down by 10%.

Cry.

Hey reader! Hope you’re doing well.

I wanted to remind you that it is okay to express your emotions. There has been times in my life, where I have been unaware of my true feelings. They had been suppressed, covered up by my subconscious. But there is a way to unlock these every once in a while.

This is to cry.

Well it can be, but it is any way for any person to release their emotions in a safe way. Crying is something many people find effective, and something I had forgotten about.

It may just be me, but there is conditioned response to stop myself from crying. I’ve never really done it as I was embarrassed to, I was quite the cryer when I was younger due to some personal issues.

So I was embarrassed? Who cares? The important thing is I’ve recognised this, understanding my mentality. I don’t have to act so manly or grown up. Even adults cry.

It’s good, even if you’re not crying about the issue, it exposes your subconscious. Maybe you’ll find out something important about yourself through it.

So please, don’t hide your emotions, they are apart of you.

Dating

I wanted to stress some thing , which is very easy to overlook.

Dating is great. You get to meet cool people, get to know them even better, and have a wonderful time with them. Not to mention, the other things.

But there seems to be this trend, especially with people my age, where you always have to be dating. This isn’t true, for some reason it’s becoming the norm.

I’m no dating expert myself, but from what I do know is there is no rush to find the perfect person. With apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge, they want you to find a date. Sometimes, you are not ready to be dating someone, maybe you need to give yourself time to grow.

I started noticing this about a year ago l, when I’d be taking to a girl, and then would evaluate what I was saying; I wasn’t a man, I was a boy, with a feeble understanding of the real world. With that mindset, no girl is going to change your mind.

There’s always this rush to be in things. The rush to be in a relationship, the rush to hold someone before anybody else. If there is someone out there for you, let them know, but remember to check if you’re okay too. Life is too short to not go for chances, but it’s also too short if you mess them all up.

Go with your gut. But when you’re dating, check that you’re in the right place to date.

Time

Time, it is moving so fast isn’t it?

Well, technically it is moving at the same rate it has done for all of time. The length of a second is the same as it was at the beginning of time. But, it feels as though it is getting faster and faster.

When the first lockdown came into phase last year, it felt like time had stopped. There were no cars, no people, nothing. We felt like it would never end. Now, being back almost a year later, this feeling has gone.

We blink and 5 days have gone. We sleep and a month is gone. Time is moving very fast, which makes all previous moments and days fizzle together.

This is what this post is about, remembering the importance of each moment.

You cannot decide your future, you cannot change your past. The only action you have control of is the present moment. By doing so, you can influence future outcomes, but not change them.

I myself have found it difficult to focus on the present moment. With so much going on in my life, and around the world, it feels as though moments do not matter. If we get to this date, everything will be normal and then the present becomes important, but what about now?

Time is ticking, the world keeps on going. Ferris Bueller said it best “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stay and look around in a while, you might miss it”.

Cherish every moment you have, live in the NOW.

Lockdown 3.0

With the UK having another lockdown announced to protect there NHS, I wanted to touch on some of the benefits and my thoughts on the decision.

Obviously, it sucks. It’s annoying for those who need to go to work, the concept of freedom gets swayed, as people are not allowed to go anywhere.

But, there are some positives. You can still go out for exercise, such as a run, walk, cycle, etc. Just like in the first lockdown, this time is the best time to start something new, learn a new skill, or practice what you already know. Better get that guitar out of the cupboard.

If you are going to spend this Lockdown alone, don’t suffer in silence. There are many people, friends, family, and phone services that can help. Being on your own can be lonely, but you don’t have to be alone.

On the other hand, being alone might be great. You finally have your freedom to do what you want to do, but not everyone will feel that luxurious. Remember to look out for one another, because we are all in this together.

Please, don’t break the rules. You know it’s wrong, so why do it?

Finally, take some time to yourself. You don’t have to be working 24 hours a day. There is more than enough time in a day for you to relax. I ask you take up that opportunity, and remember to be present in that moment.

Take care!

Instead of being who you were how about becoming who you want to be?

This is something I thought about on my run this morning. We get so comfortable with how we live, day by day, that when change comes about, it is scary and unwanted.

Take starting a new habit, or quitting something you used to do ( such as smoking). Instead of sticking with this new change, humans find it very easy to slip back into our old ways. We crave the easy-life , and linearity in our daily routine.

It is so hard to change, is usually the mentality that people have when they are trying to change something about themselves. But, maybe it isn’t so difficult. If you say something will be difficult, it is likely it will appear to be more difficult. Optimism and mindset can change the play of the game.

We revert back to our old ways because that is who we used to be, and we recognise how easy it is to be that person. With the action of smoking, you may be quitting due to health risks. It is easy enough to forget, or stop trying to smoke because it is just too hard. This isn’t the case. Every single day, people change, little by little. Nobody is the same person as they were 24 hours before. Taking the leap to commit a change, is one of the strongest attributes a human can have. The best part about it? It is free and anybody can do it.

It must come from within. When you want to do something differently (especially with resolutions) it is key to remember why you are doing it, and how it will change your life, for the bettter.

So instead of living who you were before, how about living the life you want to be. If you identify as a non-smoker, then stop smoking. If you are an athlete, better start working out. Keep these ideals in realistic terms, nobody out there wants to be a unicorn.

Start living your ideal life, it all starts with a change of mindset.

Keep Going Pt 2

The world is constantly changing around us. Throughout this past year, multiple things have changed , such as the way we contact people, to the way we complete our work. If you had told yourself a year ago that any of this was going to happen, it would be difficult to convince them.

However, this is the world we live in. Not everybody has been so lucky this year, and it is important to realise that. Which is why this phrase comes in handy. “Keep going” isn’t just a phrase to me, it’s a mantra. We can complain about the world, Brexit and Covid all we want, but at the end of the day, we just have to deal with it. There is only so much we can change in our world, the rest we have to deal with and keep going.

This may not be surprising to many, but it is important to remember. I still think people care too much about what is unimportant in life. Things such as new variants or drops in stock markets are tough to deal with, but there isn’t much you can do about it. I understand that people can get upset and angry, but it isn’t going to change something, it’s just wasting time where you could be figuring out what you should do next.

Overall, it sounds quite cynical, but try not to care too much on what is out of your control. Complain all you want about what you can control, but realise this is something you have to deal with and solve. But always remember, though it may be tough, to keep going.

Birds and nature

Today, i was going to blog simply about getting outside in the morning to get some healthy vitamin d to start the day off right, but then something caught my eye. On the top of my window frame, a coal tit landed on the top, and began to sit there and eat. I thought it was astonishing, how this little creature has the capactity to fly at tenacious speeds, and then sit on top of my window like it was nothing. It was amazing!

I have never really studied birds. It was my uncle who first introduced the passionate admiration for these creatures. When we ( my sister and i) were younger, we would go on trips to go see different, rare species of birds. I did not appreciate it then, but i do now. Birds are awesome, and i am going to spend time learning all about them.

Moreover on the subject of nature, it is a breathtaking thing. When the sun rises and brightens anything and everything in its path, that is pure beauty and serenity. However, we take it all for granted now our lives are based indoors. Going out for a walk nad embracing the warm summers and cold winters is a luxury. We do not understand as a collective, that it can be taken away from us.

We know we are going to die someday, but we live like we are not. I am not going to tell you to abandon your office job, but i do suggest we change the way we work. Get outside, appreciate the fresh air and life. We do not have it forever.

Have an amazing day 🙂

Phones

This is a distinct predicament that i have had throughout the past few years of my life. Once i began to have my own income, through my job, i began to frivolously spend money on objects i don’t need. This hit its peak towards the end of 2019, where i had the ingenius idea to have a no spend year. So, i thought it would be a good idea to spend all my money on what i needed, or wanted to have for the year. Obviously, this did not go according to plan, and i still spend money throughout this year; not as much, but i still do .

My phone contract was going to end in late 2020, and i thought i should buy my new phone outright before it ends. Then, i could get a cheap sim card to save money.

But that is when the issue started, i bought 3 new phones.

WHY DID I DO THIS?!

Not only did i have less money than beforehand due to this, i also disliked all that i had bought. I began to view the phones as a failure to self control. I hated myself for my mistakes.

But, after this, i had an amazing idea. Instead of holding onto the phones that held no value in my life, i decided to give to those who needed it. My friend didn’t have a phone because he couldn’t afford it, so i gave one to him. I gave another to someone else, whose mother couldn’t afford to have a phone due to spending all her money on her family. Obviously, this is not a scenario i find myself in, i am in a better situation, and i am grateful for it.

The final phone, i returned back to the supplier for a refund. Although, this may seem selfish, it gave me permission to reflect on all that i had done, and i learned something from it.

Items do not cause happiness. They can help, they can cause preliminary happiness, but not continuous. Giving and helping others does cause true happiness.
Who could you help today?