Habits

Habits, habits, habits 

Now, in the time of making resolutions and promises left and rights, let's spend a couple of moments thinking about habits. Good habits. When making a promise to myself, I usually approach the issue from a negative point of view: I need to let something go. An example of this is losing weight or getting rid of sugar. Even though the aim is a good one, the promise itself rests on the notion of deprivation. No more good food, no more sweets.This view (I think) is based on a very negative view of the self: I need to let go of things in order to be good enough. Now, this is a very ridiculous way to view oneself. So, instead. This year, I will add positive things to my life because I'm worth it. Yeah, yeah. It's a cliché, but if I don't think so, then who will?  Adding healthy food and exercise is a good thing because healthy, natural food tastes better and because working out makes me feel better. Really, the harder it gets, the better it feels.

So, what is it then that I want to add, apart from tasty food and great workouts? Here's a short list:

• More quality time with friends and family
• More adventures in the form of travelling and excursions
• More time for things that I enjoy (learning languages, writing, photography, cooking, translation)
• Adding mindful rest to my life
• Being more thankful and grateful
• Last but not least - I will be good to myself, not everything needs to be perfect all the time

How about you, what are your New Year's Resolutions? 

A Small Reminder

After a somewhat tough week where I have been very much too sensitive to the ways of others, I need to remind myself to...



It is not my problem if someone else is annoyed or grumpy. Or angry or frustrated.
All I can do is to stay positive and friendly,
and hope that the joy is contagious. 

If not - then, it is not my problem. I can only appreciate others, their knowledge and their points of view. I cannot make them act in any other way. 

The photo I have borrowed 

Last Day Of May

Sorry friends (the real life ones) for having been so absent lately. The last few days have been tough. Bad news, worries and physical tiredness have all played their part. I'm feeling down right now, but I will rise again soon - just need to get some time to lick my wounds for a while.
And as always, when things don't go quite the way you had imagined, there are lessons to be learnt.
First of all, never take anything for granted until it has happened. Do not start planning your life around maybes.
Second, nothing you do is in vain. This is an important one. Even though you feel defeated, you have learnt things along the way.
Third, keep on walking. As Lao Tzu said: The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. 

Hálás [Hun: thankful]

Sometimes it strikes me: the clarity that there is no other place in life where I’d rather be than right here and right now. I’ve been blessed with a slightly crazy, but absolutely adorable family. I’ve lived in different places, met fascinating, gorgeous people. Our paths might never cross again, but they will always be in my heart. Then there are those people who will always be in my life, even if they live far away. It’s such a relief to you know that even after not seeing each other for months or years, you can just walk into a coffee shop, order a latte or whatever and talk like you’ve never been apart. And then there are other things too: love, the possibility to go on a quest to fulfil goals and dreams. I come down with a flu about every three years, there’s the chance to study as much as my head can take. 

Having goals and aspirations is good, but it is equally important to take a good look around and appreciate all the fantastic people, opportunities and experiences that you have been given,

Feeling Good!

Whenever I need some cheering up, I listen to this song. It´s about doing what you love when and if things get tough. It´s such an incredibly positive song. Today, for the first time ever, I also saw the music video, and it cheered me up even more. What´s not to love about these guys?

Nordic Girls Stick Together

I know I complain a lot about in this blog, but the the truth is that I’ve been blessed with some extraordinary people in my life. This weekend I had the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with awesome, inspirational people, and it feels like my energy is back on top again.

One thing that I find quite funny is that the two friends I see the most are both from cold countries: one is Canadian and the other one is from Sweden. Not only do we have a lot in common, but it seems to me that we share a very similar outlook on life. Finding people like that can be difficult, and it’s even harder when you live abroad (yeah, I think our cultural and social backgrounds might have something to do with this), so I’m definitely grateful for having found these people.

Yes, we can.

Face your fears. Do things you never though you’d be capable of. Open your mind. Decide to like something you’ve always disliked. Take a new route to work. Visit a distant country. Start studying mathematics. Jump higher than you’ve ever jumped before. Challenge yourself.

Only by challenging ourselves – our minds, brains and bodies – can we achieve our goals and dreams, that’s the only way we will find new paths and fight those boundaries that we have set for ourselves, or that have been imposed on us by the people around us. At the end of the day, there is so much we can do if we set our minds to it. Life isn’t supposed to be easy, and it should most certainly not be comfortable or a constant party. Our experiences, good and bad, make our lives fascinating!

10 things...

... to feel happy and grateful about right now. In no specific order.

• I have a job that I like.
• Soon I will be seeing my family, friends and Tomi the cat again.
• Now that we have moved to another flat, one of my best friends here in Valencia lives only a ten-minute-walk away.
• There’s some freezing diet coke waiting for me in the freezer. And anchovies in vinegar, which is pretty much the tastiest thing right now.
• Another good friend will be coming back from Canada soon which means that I will have my training buddy back.
• Some unread books are waiting for me in the shelves.
• Tonight I will do some exercise no matter how I feel, I just want to.
• In a few minutes I can hug and kiss someone.
• Cold showers make this list just because they exist.
• I have the freedom to do almost anything I want.

When your life seems dull...

... enjoy the little things!

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

- Winnie the Pooh

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside"

Mark Twain

And what are you good at?

A lot of people seem to concentrate on the things they are bad at, instead of focusing on the things they do well and taking advantage of those. If you know what you are good at, life will be a lot easier. Not only will it boost your self-esteem, but combined with the things you love doing, it could also be essential for finding a job that you love. There’s quite a lot of material on this topic out there, so I’m not going to write a long post on it (if you’re interested you could visit this site for instance), and I’m most definitely not going to play career advisor. So, let’s just try to feel good about ourselves today. Tell me, what five things are you very good at? (the comment box is all yours). Go on, brag!! 

My list would probably look like this:

1. languages. Languages are just a lot of fun really, but the reason I learn them well is because I put great expectations on myself: nothing but perfection will do. Learning a language is a very rewarding process, because very little is required to measure the progress.
2. learning. Being a curious person by nature, I learn a lot of things which can be useful. However, more than the result, I enjoy the process of learning. Finding imformation, analysing it and using various strategies to learn it.
3. "reading" people: understanding their behaviour and motives. Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is not always easy, because you really feel what they are going through, but it is a rewarding experience in the end. 
4. adapting to new situations and people: life is a good teacher. Funny, strange, scary and sad experiences all give you the ability to cope with almost any kind of situation. Furthermore, I’m quite an easygoing person, who doesn’t require a lot to be satisfied. Sleeping under a tree in Poland (in the rain) was more like a funny adventure than a nightmare...
5. looking at things from the bright side. Why not laugh and have a good time if you can? Sometimes life will treat you badly, but the only way to get out of those situations is to work hard, look for solutions, learn from your mistakes and concentrate on the good aspects of life. Self-pity will not take you anywhere.

Mind mapping

The last few years have been strange to say the least: I have studied, travelled, lived and worked abroad, even enjoyed myself most of the time. But somehow I managed to get myself lost somewhere on the way. So, for the past few months I have been busy trying to re-discover myself. It has been the beginning of a long journey, and this far I have only been trying to put together ideas, attempting to get a structure for this project. It feels like I’m at point zero, I know where I want to go but I have to find the right tools to get there.

Mind mapping should be known to everyone: it’s an efficient tool for organizing, classifying and solving problems of different kinds. I have created one to get my dreams and priorities in order. Next up is a mind map for goals.

Has any of you ever tried this?

Postive Thinking in Russian

Love, night and rain - life is good

Now there is a reason why I like Myslovitz so much, it’s because they are so darn optimistic. If you want to sing along to the below song, you can find it on youtube.

 

Acidland (by Myslovitz from the album Korova Milky Bar, available in both Polish and English)

No, don't give up and take life as it is
Think there's no chance
That you would live again

Why so much stress?
Don't you have gains to get?
We all do, even you!
And the more you seek
The more you find, then
Love, night and rain - life is good
So try to luck and kill the pain
Tell me, do you always think you have no worth?
Find it in yourself!

No, don't give up and take life as it is
Think there's no chance
That you would live again

This world's like a psychodelic trip
You can't change anything
Go and make use of it
Your life belongs to you, yourself
Make more mistakes now and make up for them
And when you're down you will rebound
Bravely use your time
Or you may miss your only chance

No, don't give up and take life as it is
Think there's no chance
That you would live again

So take a breath and think again
Life can make sense
Just take it all the way it is

So push and change and try again
Go forward safe
And take life all the way it is
Do change your life, stand up and fight
Go forward safe

Don't forget to smile :)

Photo from here

“The basis of optimism is sheer terror.” (Oscar Wilde)

A bit of positive thinking on a cloudy day... and sometimes others have said it better: 

 

 

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” (Herm Albright)

“That's my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck's back. If it's not positive, I didn't hear it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy.” (George Foreman)

Mörbultad men glad [sore but happy]

That's it: every inch of me is in pain but I'm still laughing. What else could one possibly do?

“For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else” (Winston Churchill)

Snoopy on the run

Yesterday I found a very nice little book about happiness that really cheers one up in moments of distress. You see, at the end it is always important to remember that we are not happy because of all the big things that happen to us, but it is rather the little pleasures of life that bring us joy.

La felicidad es despertarse, mirar el reloj y ver que todavía te quedan dos horas para levantarte.

Happiness is waking up, checking the time and seeing that you still have two hours before you have to get up.  

Päivän positiiviset

Tiedän ettei ketään oikeasti kiinnosta minun pääni toiminta (ajatukset siis) mutta ajattelin kuitenkin tarjota päivän positiiviset-listan. Miksi? No ihan sen takia että nukkuu paljon paremmin kun on hyvällä ja iloisella päällä. Suosittelen kaikille samantyyppistä listaa ennen nukkumaanmenoa.

Tässä siis eilisen "päivän positiiviset".

1. seuraava ruoka on tosi hyvää: uunissa paistetut jauhelihapihvit (jossa paljon sipulia ja valkosipulia), sekä tomaatti-sipuli-feta salaatti. Päälle iso klikki itse tehtyä tzatzikia.
2. töihin on ihan mukava mennä
3. lomaviikolla sain ihmeen paljon aikaiseksi.
4. inspiraatiota löytyy joka puolelta.
5. uusi viikko-uudet kujeet