As I’ve mentioned lately life has been a bit challenging. Today I’ve woken up feeling inspired to turn my mood around, lighten things up a bit and remember what’s important in life. Sometimes it can be hard to keep focussed on your priorities and passions. So I work from three basic life philosophies, I keep a note of them on my phone (because I’m both uptight and forgetful), and remind myself whenever I lose focus.

Do what makes me happy;

It’s really straightforward. I aim to fill my time with the things and people which make me happy. If I spend time with someone and mostly come away feeling positive then that’s the friend for me. If I do something and it inspires excitement, peace and joy then I should do it more. Obviously there are some things that simply need doing, and I don’t think anybody loves emptying the bin (or worse the icky, smelly, brown, food waste bin) but outside of those must do things I aim for ‘doing what makes me happy’.

Listen and be kind;

This one is trickier. Because I often screw up, and will openly admit that I don’t always listen and I’m not always kind. But I aspire to be, and in time I hope to do better. I think listening to people is a great gift to give, everyone needs to feel heard and cared about. By listen I mean really listen, not thinking about what you’re going to say next. Nor bringing your own agenda to the subject, as in “oh yes I did that, or I have a friend who did that” type anecdotes. Really listen.

To me being kind means not being judgemental, being understanding, and generally giving out good, loving energy to those around you.

Find joy in the small things;

When I was younger I was all about ambition. Goals. Achievements. Lately I’ve been feeling that perhaps life is too small too define joyfulness by these things. In fact the small things, those things that happen in our day to day, are what make up a lifetime. So I aim to find joy in my morning cup of tea, a sunny day, or my children’s cuddles.

These are my life philosophies. They came about because I really needed a reminder of what’s important. Previous life experiences have left me angry, scarred and a little broken. I find myself getting irritated by life, and it’s all harder than it should be. From here on in I’m making a change, slowly. Inspiration from my life philosophies will help. Who’s with me?