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Monday 20 March 2017

International Day of Happiness!

IMG_20170320_174952.jpgToday is International Day of Happiness! It seems like almost every day there is something to celebrate and why not? I think our happiness is certainly important and also deserves a bit of thought and discussion. Mum and I were talking earlier about what happiness means to us.
I think it's hard to imagine being happy 24/7 each and every day. Things happen and as much as I believe that we have the choice in how we react to them I know I'm only human and often it's more about how I pick myself back up.
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But happiness is something I think we all love feeling and all aim for; that feeling of calm and contentment in our lives. It's often so easy to put barriers in the way of our own happiness...we think we'll be happy when we go on holiday or when we have more money or when the work is done. Happiness is our natural state! Just look at children...they are so light and open and bounce back amazingly. They have an inbuilt resilience.
There are so many things I associate with feeling happy; cakes...holidays...sunshine on my face...colours...the sea...sand under my feet...hearing my kids laugh...a fresh bunch of flowers...freshly styled hair...cosy PJs & a blanket...but I want to know I'm still going to feel good without these things too. Every one of these moments is lovely but they pass and then what?
I know more than ever my happiness depends on things like self care...time for me...how I'm looking at the world...how I'm feeling about the things I already have. Gratitude plays such a huge part in how content I feel.
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So I am happy to celebrate that we have a day to remind ourselves of these things and remember that happiness truly is a state of mind.
Gemma xx


Friday 3 March 2017

Friday night connecting!

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Wow what an evening - albeit cut short by my middle and littlest child! Because that's how life goes here at the moment...they seem to need their Mummy. So sometimes work just needs to wait. And wait it does :-)
However I did manage to nip out this evening for a couple of hours with Mum to a networking event. It is a new venture set up here in South Essex called 'Connecting with cocktails'. As the name suggests it wasn't one of those stuffy networking events. It was actually a lovely evening out!
I've been wanting to try something like this for ages but I'll be honest, I'm the type to pull out scared at the last minute! I'm confident enough to chat to people but I love the comfort of being at home...especially on a cold evening! And knowing we'd need to stand up and actually talk about what we do was nerve-wracking in itself! But as always with these things I said yes and thought I'd worry about it after!
I've felt the need to connect with other business owners for a while now...to share experiences and learn from one another. And that we did. Lots of new connections, ideas and inspirations. And I did the best job I could getting up and speaking about what we do...which was pretty terrifying!
We also had to share a top tip so we spoke from the heart and reminded people never to compare yourself to others. What you see on social media platforms isn't someone's whole life. Be confident in who you are and true to what you love. Comparisons - even unconscious ones - have truly been my worst enemy. It's only when you really believe in yourself and what you have to offer that you can truly shine. Which is something I'm working on at the moment.
If you feel drawn to networking I'd really recommend it. I believe collaboration is the way forward; sharing strengths & ideas and being inspired by others. So many opportunities are created when you are least expecting it. I'm so looking forward to what comes moving forward...and in a way it's even nicer not knowing what that might be :-)
Gemma xx