Friday, November 2, 2012

'be happy' friday!

hello pals! how did your week go? 
my week has been jam-packed with fun appointments and goodies!


 i recently received an email from a reader who's going through a rough patch. she asked me how is it that my life seems like a never-ending party. i did confess that my blog is a heavily edited version of real life (like the fun 10% only!) and im mildly amused that im giving life advice but i asked if i could share it on the blog and perhaps get you guys to share your ideas too!

there is no magic to it really. but as a rule of thumb, i try to surround myself with as much goodness in life. i curate my friends, the food we eat, the activities we spend time on, the space we live in, the literature we read... very carefully. i welcome positivity and inspiration but out with the yucky stuff!! 
i find that it really makes a difference to my life.

so throwing a question out there..
how do you make your life happy?

p.s. have a lovely weekend! :)

xx 

16 comments:

  1. That is interesting because I started to curate my friends, look more into doing things I enjoy and pretty much surrounding myself with things I like in the last couple of years and that's when I found myself to be much happier.

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    1. i found curating friends the most difficult thing to do, isn't it? i still struggle with the guilt all the time! *sigh*

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  2. You are part of the happy part in my life :)

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  3. I guess I've always been the glass half full kinda person and I like to do what I like (and not care about what people think)!! :) but most of all I do accept both the good and not so awesome things about life. :) life is too short to be unhappy!

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    1. i need to work more on not caring about what people think! it puts a lot of pressure on me to please all! :) but true that! life's indeed too short to be unhappy! xx

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  4. When I first moved to Angola, life sucked big time. I had no occupation, no sense of direction, lots of negative stereotype, no "real" friends whom I could really connect. Everyone was on the wrong time zone and at least a day every single week, we ran out of water and/or oil for the generator (Africa runs on generator 70% of the time). Every day was about counting how many more days till the next holiday out of the country.

    2 years and counting, I think my life has changed immensely. For one, I'm no longer obsessed about my weight, my look, my appearance or wearing the latest trend or brand. I feel free for the first time. Life is also a lot simpler. It's about having roof that doesn't leak, having water and electricity and having food on the table without breaking the bank. When you have all that, you just automatically count your blessings. I kid you not when I said there were days I was so grateful that the AC was leaking because it meant I had water to flush the toilet!

    Life here is also very transient, people come and go. And I learn that it's okay not to connect with every single person. After all, you don't always share the same principles in life. In fact, the more careful I choose whom to hang out with, the happier I become. We human always compare ourselves to one another, but you want to compare in the right direction or in a meaningful and enriching way.

    As a trailing, non working spouse, I also volunteer in an orphanage (cause there's only so many lunches/ coffee that you can do in life) and my own husband notes that I complain less and talk less about buying and shopping. Seeing the kids abandoned or accused of witchcraft by their own mothers really help put things into perspective.

    There's always reason for life to suck a little less or to improve a little or a lot. If we focus on that part most of the time, we'll always feel incomplete & unhappy a lot of time. I think a good start to be happy and feel good about yourself is to know what you want in life, what makes you smile and feel happy and loved. And find ways to make you feel that way more often.

    Lots of love from Angola, xxx

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    1. thanks for sharing!! sometimes you really do need to realize how blessed we are to make a conscious decision to be happy. and seek out ways to feel that way...

      its amazing to hear such heartfelt experiences from this blog. thanks for the inspiration! xx

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  5. Kudos to you! It is very important to surround ourselves with as much goodness in life. What I find really helpful is to practice gratitude, to choose to see the good in life. No matter how bad the situation is, there are still things to be grateful for. Truly it boils down to our perspective and reactions to the circumstances that determine our feelings/emotions/thoughts.

    I read a good and pragmatic book recently entitled The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky. The suggestions there are research-based so their effectiveness have been proven. For those who are looking to increase happiness in their lives, it's a great book to start.



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    1. hi love! hope you've been well! :)

      thanks for the recommendation and for the reminder of gratitude! i have a good friend who has that etched in a tatt as a constant reminder. im not that brave but definitely a good thing to keep in mind, huh?

      *hugs*

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  6. i would say, go for the friends who truly care for you! i mean, they are the ones who really want you to be happy :)

    i used to struggle with the guilt in the past, but after a while, i realized how toxic some friends could be, and i had to purge them out of my life, literally.

    i love to wake up feeling thankful and happy for the little things in my life. guess it makes me a less greedy person on the whole and i whine less.

    lastly, stand in front of the mirror and say out loud "i am awesome like that!" ha! just kidding :P

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    1. OMG!! how funny is that!! :) maybe it would really perk one up to say "i am awesome like that!" lol! :)

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  7. I haven't been all happy that much this year, but I'm definitely going to try what you do! :)

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    1. Oh oh dear.. I'm so sorry to hear!! Hugs!! Hope it makes a difference and things turn around for you really soon!!

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    2. I'm fine, just missed my old job/people/fun! but trying to make time for everyone!

      tough though, having a bun in the oven too, but have been pretty low profile on it online. keeping spirits up is a must! :)

      it's lovely seeing your latest posts, always makes me smile and I can't wait for next year. thanks for the kind words and hug, it does make a difference! :)

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    3. oh i definitely know what you mean!! :) i kept my pregnancy pretty quiet (relatively! cos i blog/fb almost everything else!!) throughout too!

      sending happy vibes to you and your bubsie! can't wait for next year too!!

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