100 days of Happiness

What does happiness mean to you?

It should not be complicated and often we make happiness complicated. We take drastic steps towards this state of being that can  be achieved by just being kind to a stranger or giving a friend a hand.

Just wanted to share this project with you, which a friend and her team are spearheading - to make Trinidad and Tobago smile, and I am extending it to everyone else because happiness is contagious and the world needs more of it.

Click on the link below to sign up and to join me on this adventure. Check out the video to learn more from my girl, Michelle, on the genesis of this project. And have a happy weekend!!

The 100 days of happiness adventure

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Q2 Outlook: Anticipated Growth in Happiness

Memory Jar for all your 2013 memories

Can you believe we have almost come to the end of the first quarter of the year? It seemed like just yesterday we entered 2013 and now we are in the middle of March.

How has the year been for you so far? Have you done anything you had planned to achieve at this point? Is your life showing signs of growth? Recession? Stagnation?

It has been slow slow going here. The start of the year was not great and I am disappointed with myself for how I allowed things to get the better of my fancy-free spirit. It's just been a lot of work, and work, and work. And sleep. And holding on to bad memories from the end of 2012. But there is hope...there is ALWAYS hope.

I saw this really great idea at the end of last year and had planned to do it this year. The memory jar. You get an empty jar, box, or whatever, some slips of paper, and everytime something good happens to you, you take a note of it, and stick it in the jar so come December 31, you can go back and look at how good the year was for you. We often dwell on the bad things or the non-starting aspects, but never fully celebrate or appreciate the little things which make us smile or grateful. I saw a quote somewhere that went like, "The worst memories stick with us; the nice ones always seem to slip through our fingers". Hold on to the great moments. I try to do it every day, but I think memorialising it can help put it in perspective at the end of the year. I also think putting it down on paper forces you to be more proactive about creating those great memories - get out of stagnation. So there you go.

I have my empty Prego jar, my paper, so will start afresh in Q2 to make 2013 a good one.

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"Me" is not a dirty word

Love your aloneness

Do you have a problem dining alone?

Today, on my day off, I decided to have lunch at a new restaurant I had not yet tried. The original plan was to meet the girls later this evening, but one by one, they bailed on the plan. I could have just rescheduled and met up with them to try this place out next week or whenever, or I could have gotten out of bed and trussed up for a lunch for one. I ended up choosing the latter, which is my usual course of action when I really want to do something. And with it being International Women's Day, I was even more empowered, especially with the lure of complimentary wine in honour of the occasion. So I got dressed, got myself cutesified, grabbed my Kindle and had a very lovely lunch on my day off.

But this is something I do regularly, and not just with lunch, but with life. If I were to wait for others to step in before I decided to do anything, I would be stuck at home, on this island, for all eternity.

But it is more than being brave enough to "be alone" in a grouped up, coupled up world.

I sent my girlfriend a text to tell her I liked the place in general (the staff were very surly but my waitress saved the entire experience), and her response was "Well, I need to get someone to take me there".

My response was "Take yourself".

It's about just doing things for yourself sometimes. Sure we are programmed for social connections, and I am not this man-hater. Hardly. But at the same time, why can't we enjoy who we are sometimes, without the extra trappings? Why does a man have to take you somewhere in order for you to go? Can't you just "take yourself"?  Can't you set aside a monthly "me" allowance to just do something? Whether you're single or in a relationship, I think everyone needs some "me" time every once in a while. And there's nothing wrong with that. Why do we sometimes make "me" a dirty word?

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