At this point you might well be asking ‘what is normal?’  It’s true that normality is different for each one of us.  We all have our own set of rules we abide by, our own set of ideas about what is ok and what is normal.  And in reality there are no hard anf ast rules about what ‘normal’ is. In fact if you look at the diversity of people it really is hard to create any kind of definition for the word that fits us all.

And of course there will be a time for all of us when things most certainly are not what we consider to be normal.  Uninvited events can verge on the bizarre and take us from our comfortable normality into some weird world that we neither recognise nor want to be in.

How we respond to these situations can make the difference between them dissipating quite quickly, or morphing into something even worse.  We often respond very emotionally in the first instance and can create a drama when there need not be one.  It’s important to step back when we find ourselves in these situations, and take a good look around.

As Whoopi Goldberg says, ‘normal is nothing more than a cycle on the washing machine’.

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It can be hard to get motivated sometimes.  We all know the little triggers that help us to be motivated but sometimes it’s easier to sit back and refuse to use them.  For me it’s fresh air, but sometimes I don’t feel like a walk, can’t always be bothered to get in the car and drive to the beach, especially if it’s raining.  But it always works.  I can sit and do nothing knowing that if I just get up and go outside I will feel better, I will be able to find that something that motivates me.  It doesn’t ahppen often, thank goodness but every once in a while.

‘When people say to me:  “How do you do so many things?”  I often answer them, without meaning to be cruel:  “How do you do so little?”  It seems to me that people have vast potential.  Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks.  Yet most people don’t.  They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever’.  ~Philip Adams

Motivate yourself and do extraordinary things.

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“I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it — I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know — but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me. I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.”

Virginia Satir, American psychologist and educator, 1916 – 1988

Love isn’t just about loving someone else, it is about loving yourself too.

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And also for jocular, jocund, jovial – all having a similar meaning.  J is also for joy.  And J is for jelly…I like J words.

Charles Dickens once wrote ‘there might be some credit in being jolly’. ( The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, chapter 5).  How right he was.

Having a jolly disposition changes the way we see life.  It changes the way we respond to the things around us, both good and bad.  We have a choice about whether we approach things with a jolly attitude or not.  Choosing to be jolly is good for your soul, and things won’t drag you down so much.  Limitations only live in our mind, we are strong enough to choose our attitude towards everything.  We receive back what we put out.

If we only realised how powerful our thoughts and attitude are we would never be negative, never have a negative thought, we would control those times when we just don’t feel like being jolly.

Keep your feet on the ground, your thoughts at lofty heights, and always be jolly.

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‘Inspiration comes to us quietly and slowly; prime it with a little solitude’.  Brenda Ueland.

When do you get your inspiration?  Is it in those moments of quiet solitude, or are you inspired in other ways?  Do you act on your inspiration or do you just dream and never take action?

Until you spread your wings you will have no idea how far you can fly.  You are the creator of your own destiny.

The literal meaning of the word ‘inspiration’ is ‘breathed upon’.  Wherever your inspiration comes from grab it, hold onto it, let it breathe upon you and fill your sails.  Know that it is a gift to be treasured and let it motivate you and move you forwards.

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Is it not reasonable that we should all expect to have happiness in our lives?  If you are not happy what can you do about it?

A good way to start is to make a list of all the things that make you happy.  Even the smallest of things.  How can you implement these into your life more regularly?  What do you need to change to bring more happy things and less of the things that do not make you happy?

Maybe it is unrealistic to expect complete happiness all the time, but often a change makes all the difference between feeling happy and content and the opposite feelings.

Happiness doesn’t always mean that everything is perfect, but it does mean that you have decided to look beyond those imperfections and get the best that you can out of your life.  Happiness doesn’t come from without, it comes from within.

‘The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grow it under their feet’.

James Oppenheim – American poet, novelist and editor, 1882-1932

Enjoy the journey.

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What most unsuccessful people do not realise is that in order to receive you have to give.  Instead of having a ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude you must give freely, not expecting anything in return.  It is only then that you will reap the rewards of your generosity.

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

John Wesley 1703-1791 English Evangelist and Founder of Methodism.

Enjoy the journey.

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Do you believe that faith is about religion and believing in God, or do you believe it is just about believing?

Faith is a constant and unshakeable trust in something, especially when there is no evidence.  Understandable why it is often attached to God then, isn’t it.

‘Keep your dreams alive. Understand that to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.’

Enjoy the journey.

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Sometimes, when we’re busy or stressed, it is easy to let our standards drop.  We often don’t see it coming, don’t realise at the time that it’s happening.  We feel we are doing our best when in fact there is so much more we could give.

Excellence can be obtained if you:
…care more than others think is wise;
…risk more than others think is safe;
…dream more than others think is practical;
…expect more than others think is possible.

Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude.  If you want to achieve excellence in the big things you need to first develop the habit in the little things.  We are what we repeatedly do.  Do everything to the best of your ability.

‘If you’ll not settle for anything than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives’.

Vince Lombardi, 1913 – 1970 – American Football Coach

Enjoy the journey.

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