Simple Ways to Live Happier

Once you start living in the concrete jungle, hustling everyday to make a living and make a life for yourself you get to a point where you ask yourself if it is all worth it and suddenly you realise that life might be passing you by. As you grow older you realise that happiness in your everyday life becomes more important than most things.

When you reach that point you need to make a conscious decision to be happy, you don't need to do a complete 360 and overhaul your life however you can do small things everyday to change your whole outlook on life. So here you go, simple ways to make yourself happier everyday:

• Get out of the house get some sunshine, breathe in the fresh air outside, that is the first step to happiness
• Exercise is a great way to look great and feel awesome, exercises releases those feel good hormones that make us feel oh so good
• Be optimistic try to stay in an upbeat and positive mood, don't feed your sadness. It's ok to be sad but don't feed it or wallow in it
• Enjoy the little moments in life so stop, smell the roses, smile and enjoy the little things and live in the moment
• Meditation helps calm you on the inside and outside giving you a clearer outlook on life to make you happier
• Sleep earlier the key to starting a new happy day is to get a  good nights sleep, you feel more rested and then you are less likely to let in any negative energy that can impact on your happiness
• Spend more time with loved ones, spending time with people who uplift your spirits can make you happier and keep you smiling
• Be grateful, wake up with a smile on your face and gratitude for each day and each blessing that you have in your life
• Keep smiling, even if you don't feel like it. Studies have shown  that faking a smile can actually force you to become cheerful and actually smile
• Treat your body like it deserves to be treated, being good to your body, helps make you feel more positive about everything else because when you look good, you feel good
• Plan a trip this gets you excited and happy, so even if you don't go on the trip, the process of planning the trip and researching all the activities that you want to do is enough to make you happy and giddy with excitement
• Follow your heart and be happy, no matter what you do when you follow your heart you allow yourself to be happy and also enjoy life more
•  You can't change your past, no matter what you can't change your past, but you can learn lessons from it and let it go.

Remember everyday is a blessing and an opportunity to be happy. So make yourself happy, everyday and until next time

Peace, Love and Happiness

Ellie

Ramblings of a twisted mind

I try not to regret things I've done because I feel that they have led me towards "the bigger picture" lately however I've been filled with some sort of longing or emptiness, some unfulfilled purpose or dream. Its a terrible feeling that really gets you emotionally disorientated, I don't know whether I'm coming or going, So much so that I'm starting to withdraw again.

Well Ive been trying to keep myself busy by focusing on something else entirely, looking for distractions, but then the problem is that when the sun sets and the stars come out at night its just me and my thoughts.
Anyhoo I babble on, I guess I just needed to type this out as a release of some sort. Oh well!

Peace, Love and Happiness
Ellie

How do you know you've found the one

Hahaha, I know my title sounds like a hundred thousand articles you have already read. Actually I got inspired to write this post because lately those are the posts I see on every social page or magazine article. Anyway everyone is giving their opinion of what they think makes a perfect mate, or rather let me say partner, mate sounds so procreationary :)

Anyway this blog post doesn't reflect anyone else's but my own opinion, feel free to dispute it though, share your thoughts or suggestions.
Well let's get on with it then, so relationships are work, very hard work well because it consists of two imperfectly flawed beings trying accept and cohabit with each other regardless of the flaws. Its two people saying "hey I hate the fact that you're messy and it irks me but I'm willing to deal with it and be with you". It is such a beautiful thing though, because through the irksomeness you find yourself in a place where you can be as comfortable with someone and bare your soul without worry. Ah the wonder and utterly baffling thing we call love. Anyway I digress....

How do you know you have found the one? Well too many times we think we have found the one and it turns out to be another frog in the great pond of life that you had to kiss and learn lessons from. I believe in soul mates, its a weird sentiment I know, but I do. I believe though that your soulmate is the person that you meet in life and brings you so much wonder and makes you see the a whole new side of the world. The mere thought is unfathomable. But the fact is that it happens. So back to the actual point of this post, how do you know you've found the one? Well the butterflies fade eventually but if you still have that weird thing we call chemistry that's awesome, because when the butterflies do fade the chemistry that you shared will light the spark between you and your mate to bring the butterflies a-fluttering back. Respect and communication, a partner who respects you for everything you are. Communication is essential, its right up there next to friendship because real friendship grows based on mutual interests (or dislikes) a true friendship will stand the test of time, I suppose that's why people always say that friends make the best lovers. Anyhoo my next essential point is trust, a relationship without trust is sadly doomed to fail, the insecurities and the hollowness that you feel if you're in a place where there is no trust is just a waste of time and energy, its like trying to grow something beautiful on a rocky, weed infested patch of land.

Chemistry, trust, respect, communication, friendship and of course love. When you are loved unconditionally, honestly and wholeheartedly with no holding back then you know you have found the one. We are a generation of fickle-minded people always looking for the next best thing, never satisfied and not willing to take the time to nurture something special and true. There is always love lurking around, there is always your "one" out there.

Until next time I shall leave you with

Peace, Love and Happiness
Ellie

First post for 2015

Wow, first post of the year.... I know I know its February already but I guess it's better late than never.

So any new resolutions? Well this year I dont really have all that many resolutions, unlike the long unrealistic list I had last year (which didn't work out quite so well). Anyway my resolution this year is to be a better person, follow my instincts and be more assertive in life. That's the only way one can make their dreams come true I think.
Well heres to the new year, new me type of thing.

Oh, also its the month of lurvee Oooh lala. The hinting and the expectations begin, the biggest bunch of roses, biggest box of chocolates and the biggest bear, the shiny thing in the store. But why must we wait for valentines day for the extravagance of romantic getaways, dinners, picnics and gifts? What happens the rest of the year? Don't get me wrong; I'm not a hater of valentines day I really just prefer to show my significant other love all the time, spontaneously with little gestures throughout the year. In the end valentines day is valentines day after all so one is allowed to also get swept away in the spirit of the day.

Its is important though to remember that it's not just about the gifts, its not just about receiving, its about giving, sharing and remembering the love that you and your significant other share for each other, rekindling those fires and just making your love stronger.

Love each other all day, everyday...

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

The commute......

So today is another day on the bus home, wish this week would hurry up and end. Feeling so exhausted for some odd reason. The commute home is always interesting, I get to watch people's interactions or lack thereof with each other.
People who know each other are talking in animated voices and laughing out loud, while strangers sit awkwardly next to each other without saying a word and looking anywhere but at the person opposite them-i guess nobody wants to be creepy.

People outside are going about their daily lives, the joggers, the hawkers, the people walking to the bus or the taxi or even walking home. I wonder what they are all thinking about? Money? Family? Chores? Supper? Everyone is absorbed in their own thoughts, dealing with the things in their life, carrying some kind of responsibility.

When did it become a bad thing to have a conversation with the stranger sitting next to you? I guess one gets so absorbed in their own world that it because impossible to see anything else. I said hi to the person who sat next to me and got a muffled half reply and then they looked away. Well I guess it shouldn't matter but it got me thinking about how preoccupied we have become, we are so preoccupied that we don't even say hello or stop to enjoy these little moments that flutter into our lives.

Well whatever the case, I'm on a mission to say hi and smile to everyone who crosses my path on a day to day basis. They might say hi back or they might not, but this is what I'm doing and I'm sure it's going to be fun.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

Blessings

How time flies, seems like just yesterday when I was making new years resolutions ( which I haven't really been able to stick to,  just by the way) and now I'm on the threshold of a new year and a new chapter in my life.

It's my birthday month (whoop! whoop!). All year I've been wrestling with this getting a year older thing, it has been quite depressing, mostly because I thought I would have it all by this age. I thought I would have the life every young person dreams of having with the fancy car, the awesome house with the cool gadgets, surrounded by the movers and shakers of my time.
Well unfortunately, I still don't have that car or the house nor am I surrounded by movers and shakers, I'm simply just reminded that I am a year older without any of these things ("thats so great!" she added sarcastically).

But all is not lost there is a light at the end of my tunnel,  I have only just found my calling in life, I've gotten a whole lot closer to my parents, I have a son who thinks I'm the coolest thing to walk the earth (so awesome by the way) and close friends who get me through the tough times and the good times and a young man who is just too awesome (giggling and blushing like a schoolgirl). So I've come to realise that even though I'm not where I naively wanted to be all those years ago, all that has happened to me has led me to this exact point in my life. And I'm actually loving every moment of it.

So hello birthday month, I'm ready to embrace another year with open arms.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

The Thing I have to do

So it's been ages since my last post, been trying to get my hustle going and find where I belong. I must say it has been tough going with frustrations galore, tears and laughter and heartwarming moments as i try to find my way through the maze that is my life (sigh).I find it really difficult just trying to hold on to that I used to be and sink my hands into the person that I am now and hope to soon be. I feel so helpless at times well i guess it's more self pity than anything else, feels like the darkness in my life just hangs over me like my sun will never shine, but enough about that.

I've decided to start a novel (yay!!!) anyway it's pretty exciting I must say, I cant wait to start I have so many ideas floating around in my head but penning it all down in a constructive way is a whole different ball game. Who would have thought that writing would be so complicated. maybe I am just too ambitious, but anyway if i can put down 5000 words by the end of November then I will consider myself something of a writer.

Anyway thats my to-do thing these next two months.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

The Nightmare

I had a dream, a nightmare to be exact. At the time it seemed so real, and yet somehow seemed like something out of a supernatural episode. Maybe it was, whatever.
It scared me, the creature from my nightmare. It was dark and foreboding and it seemed to want to find a pathway to my soul. A place to hide, a place to own. There I was unable to awaken, unable to move, it looked into my eyes as it tried to take a piece of my soul.

Somehow I'm finally able to move and just like that I'm wide awake, jolted upright. My heart tries to leap out of my chest, I can hear the blood pumping in my ears, I'm drenched in a cold sweat. I look around cautiously, afraid of what I might see. I see something in the corner of my eye, I turn my head slowly and see a jacket hanging on the knob of my cupboard.
A sigh of relief escapes my lips as I wipe the sweat from my face. Suddenly my fridge starts to hum and I almost scream out in fright, outside somewhere a police car whizzes by, a drunk guy sings out loud and stumbles over some rubble. All these sounds, so confusing, so scary.

My fear is real and I wonder if I will sleep again tonight.......

You

You bring me joy, you bring me sadness
In the deepest parts of my soul I find myself longing for you
Heart hidden, mind open, cautiously navigating through this dense thicket of feelings
I run and hide, afraid to face the facts
I need you, I want you.
Your smile, your laughter, the twinkle in your eye and is all I can think of
I wake up wrapped in a blanket of thoughts, thoughts of only you fill my head night and day
In your voice I find comfort, in your arms I find solitude and in you I find more of myself

Letters to myself

Dear me,

Its funny how life turned out, how everything changes.
Don't be afraid to be you, don't be afraid to be wrong and don't be afraid to fail. Failure is inevitable at one point or another, the trick is to find a way to rise from the ashes and start afresh. Fear will always hold you back, its crazy how life took a dramatic turn.
You can still be happy, don't be afraid to love because you feel like you always get left. One day things will change.

Stand strong in your beliefs, don't chicken out because you don't want to hurt people.
Be happy with who you have become, stop nitpicking at everything that has gone wrong so far-its all part of growing up, it's made you who you are.
Don't be afraid of heartbreak, it happens and it hurts but you get over it.
Do what you love, others might not approve or understand but do it anyway because you love it.

Life is hard, embrace it, keep the hope alive, walk in faith.
Be silly, who says just because you have grown you have to stop being silly.
Enjoy the little things because pretty soon they will be gone.
Love unconditionally and without fear. Love with a passion borne of a pure heart, love like you have never been hurt before, love fiercely and truly.
Love yourself, find yourself. Your scars don't define you but rather show courage and fierceness.

Don't belittle yourself. Just because people take you for granted doesn't mean you are undeserving.
Speak out, don't be afraid to go after what you want..
Always remember that mistakes are a part of life.
Be kind to yourself, you're still learning and evolving.

Keep surviving
Ellie

Like a tattoo

He told me sweet lies of sweet love
Heavy with the burden of the truth
And he spoke of his dreams
Broken by the burden
Broken by the burden of his youth
Fourteen years he said
I couldn't look into the sun
She saw him laying at the end of my gun
Hungry for life
And thirsty for the distant river
I remember his hands
And the way the mountains looked
The light shot diamonds from his eyes
Hungry for life
And thirsty for the distant river
Like the scar of age
Written all over my face
The war is still raging inside of me
I still feel the chill
As i reveal my shame to you
I wear it like a tattoo

This Sade jam has been finding it's way into my list of most played songs lately.
Carrying in its simple lyrics the deepest of emotions and passions. We all carry our hurt around like tattoos on our bodies. Hidden in places that cannot be seen are the scars of our past. The pains we cannot bear to show the world, the secrets we carry deep inside and the echoes of memories past.
Our "tattoos" can either hold us back or liberate us, the point is not to look back in shame at what has been but rather learn the lessons from the past
Granted this song has a different meaning, it is just a simple story in black and white but for me this song is always a reminder to focus on the now and leave the scars of yesterday behind.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

How To Be Happy

Everyone has a definition of what happiness is, and what makes one happy and how one can lead a happy life. I got into a discussion recently about what happiness really is, so my little curious mind set to work asking questions and yes, googling what happiness is and what makes one happy. Well i can successfully report that there are more than a hundred thousand definitions and tips on how to be happy. That should mean a whole lot of happy people right? Maybe...

However it would seem happiness is a very elusive concept that has us all searching for something meaningful, some happiness-inducing tonic that will make us happy and allow us to stay that way.
I have asked myself over the years what it is to be happy? After many sleepless nights spent debating this question I finally came up with an answer:
Happiness is a personal journey unique to each person, I suppose the secret would be to be truly honest with oneself and find out what really makes one deliriously happy. Honestly we can only do so much googling before we realise that's not where we will find our answers.
My happiness lies in the simple things like walking barefoot in the rain or listening to music or just being around the people I love.

I think it's time we all took that leap of faith and find our happiness

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

The Journey

As I meander through this maze that is aptly called life I sometimes wonder where all this is going to end. Plagued by all the things I haven't done, all the things I wish I could do, all the places I want to go and all the love I want to share. I am sure that I am not the only one that has entertained thoughts of how or where this journey will lead to, everyone of us has at some point or other entertained the thoughts of the envisioned goals. Will I be happy? Will all these sacrifices pay off? What is my fate? What am I doing with my life? All these questions lead to nothing but more questions which lead to frustration and the inevitable conclusion that life is unpredictable.

Anyway in my musings I have discovered that the whole philosophy about it not being about the destination but the journey actually makes a lot of sense. I find that in taking each day as an adventure and learning to embrace each day as it comes with all the good and the not so good helps one to focus less on the destination and whatever joys or incredible horrors it may bring and focus more on the present and living in it.

Enjoying each day is a fundamental thing we forget and more often than not push aside, with all the rushing and hustling and bustling we do to reach our desired goals, working ourselves to the bone to reach that place where we all want to be. We forget to stop, breathe and be thankful to feel the sun on our faces or admire the beauty of nature and the amazing and sometimes horrifying creatures that dwell within  and most importantly, we forget to live. Taking each day as it comes is the best way to have enjoyed the journey to the envisioned goal.

Peace, Love and Happiness'
Ellie

I miss you

As I sit here watching the day fade into night, as the shadows swallow the remnants of the day I miss you. Its so strange to find that as the night wears on I miss you more. I'm engulfed by an overwhelming sense of unease, restlessness takes over forcing me to sit by my window and gaze out into the night. I miss you, plain and simple. Like a haunting melody stuck in my head on repeat, I miss you.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

Getting It Done

One of my resolutions was to get healthier and exercise, it has been so hard to get the exercise part done. Doing sit-ups and squats when I remember that I need to exercise does not count much for fitness. Procrastination is such a terrible thing, I spend my days procrastinating about something or other and when the day is over I sit there feeling sorry for myself and telling myself that it will be better tomorrow only to procrastinate again the next day :)

Well no more, I have started taking walks in the evening, granted it's not all that exercisey but it's a step in the right direction. Well concerning this fitness thing that I have decided to take seriously now, it  might take a while but I believe I will be out jogging in  little while.

Fitness and good health is a lifestyle. It's not just about losing weight or getting fit, it encompasses the body, the mind and the soul. The harmony of these three elements is what will determine the end point. Visualise the goal, keep going and live it! Granted some of us were initially allergic to fitness but as time goes on it's all about maintaining the body, having a sound mind and happiness. So here's to eating healthy, drinking lots of water and fitness.

Peace, Love and Happiness
Ellie

Wonderful Yumminess

With all the valentines day fever, my sweet tooth is calling out to me. I think this is my dream birthday cake. Would like to make it myself too (ambition). Its so gorgeous

Pretty Treats

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Staying True

Life is a continuous cycle of self discovery. Constantly pushing you forward and urging you to discover your true self. Obstacles in the way nudging you on to meet them head on. All through life we find ourselves trying to make sense of it all, to find a way past the madness and insanity.
Life forces you to find your strengths and make decisions about who you are and who you want to be. It is in these moments that we discover who we are, in these moments that we come to realize our strengths and our worth. These times allow us to build more layers onto our character and make us who we are.
When times come which test our resolve it helps us to stay true to who we are.
Staying true to ourselves is what will help us through any situation.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

Falling into the Darkness

In the past week things seem to have taken a turn for the worst, throwing me head first into a pit of  comfortable misery. As I come face to face with the reality of how far I have let myself fall,
It hit me just how easy it is to slide into a hole of self-pity and self-judgement and general madness. It is a place i don't want to go again. For some reason the downward spiral towards sadness and depression is quick to come, forcing you into this dark cocoon where you feel like thats where you belong and where you want to stay.
Often it is so much easier to wallow win this darkness than to face the reality that life does go on, the world doesn't stop turning and neither do you stop growing. After coming to this realisation I slept better than I have in the past few weeks. I know it wont be easy but I'm willing to do it and succeed. My happiness lies in my own hands so I'm going to make it happen.

Don't let your stresses get you down, your worries be a shovel that you use to dig yourself into a pit. Always remember to pray and keep the faith. The light at the end of the tunnel is there for those who want to see it.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everybody. I'm sure everyone has made their resolutions and gone through that "new year, new me" phase. Anyway the previous year had been a tough one but I guess all that I can hope for is a breakthrough this new year. One can never turn away blessings and prosperity and success and all the good stuff.
One of my resolutions is to stress less and be a better, happier human being (it counts as one), anyway I have always been a person who worries a lot and stresses about things I really have no control over. It is so hard for me to let go and allow God to take control and steer my path. This year that is one of the things I would like to improve on, just stress less and actually just enjoy the present as it is, bringing happiness to all that I come across. Wishful thinking for the most part but I'm sure it can be done.
So with great uncertainty I face this year trying not to worry and trying not to stress, holding thumbs, crossing finger and toes, praying earnestly and keeping the faith that it will be an epic year full of happy memories, lessons learnt and all good things and the strength to conquer all the bad that may come along with all the good things but above all else I wish for a year of happiness.

Peace, love and happiness for 2014
Ellie

Believing

Believing is accepting something as true or real. I often find myself longing for my childhood where my child like innocent allowed me to believe in anything. Sadly, as we grow older we shed the innocence as we get engulfed by the worldly influences, we stop believing in magic and wonder and people and even ourselves. We forget who we are in the midst of the chaos and the continuous hustle, striving to reach unattainable standards slowly drowning our own potential in a pool of self-doubt. Consumed  by the set standard we start to feel we aren't good enough and generally just not enough to be the people we are meant to be.
Believing in ourselves is the first step to getting anything, knowing you are capable of copious amount of greatness, believing with all your heart and soul and never giving up on yourself.

Everyday we turn ourselves into shadows of our greater selves, mere slaves to the lie that we can't be better or do better. On days were it would seem like things are at their worst and that the pit you have dug yourself into is so deep and theres no way you can dig yourself out... believe. Believe in you, believe in whats in you believe without a doubt that things will get better and believe in your world. Its not easy to throw years of submission to the voice inside that was always telling you that you aren't good enough, but fight and believe.

Believe in others, believe in life, believe in love, believe in truth, believe in happiness, believe in your dreams and believe in yourself.

Peace, love and happiness
Ellie