Blog - November 18, 2017

Day 18 : The November Happiness Challenge

Hello everyone. How did your Saturday go? I bet you thought this was not coming up today. Apologies for the late post, forgive my lateness for Yesterday and today. Blame it on my consistent busy schedule. There is this lady I regularly see online and I sent her an email asking if she would like to write for my blog during this challenge. She responded immediately and said she would, this really warmed my heart because many people who are ‘big’ like her are not exactly that humble. lol. Her name is Elsie  Godwin  and she is a Blogger,Social Media strategist, PR/Radio & TV Host. You now see why I say she is ‘big’?. She blogs here She writes: Decide to be happy Happiness is a decision usually made by those who have realised the purpose of their existence. I have gotten to that point where I can genuinely find happiness somewhere within, even when everything around me suggest otherwise. Believe me when I say this did not happen overnight. This might sound cliché but it took the grace of God, wisdom, understanding and faith in something bigger than my existence. I’ve gone through different stages in my life. There were times where all I could do to keep moving was cry myself to bed daily, it became weekly, then monthly and now I can’t remember the last time I cried just because I wanted to release the tension in my soul. It is not a day journey but I’m glad I made it here and still on the road to a much more better me. Personally, I feel you cannot attain a level of happiness until you understand who you are while taking note of the fact that people around you will not always agree with who you are. Tolerance, contentment and focus are the three attributes you must cultivate to be genuinely happy. Understand that life is a journey and you are not in competition with anybody. If we all set out to visit Abuja from Lagos right now, some will go by road while some by air. It is expected that those with the faster means of transportation gets to the destination on time, however, there will still be difference in the arrival time even in the clique of those with the faster means of transportation, just because, life will happen…you can miss your flight, your own flight may have been delayed, you may not even be able to book a flight at the time due to one issue or the other, etc. oh, also note that somebody going by road can get to Abuja before someone going by air…yea! Very possible.  But one thing remains constant, we will all get to Abuja if we are determined to and focused on getting to Abuja. As someone who is an orphan, who has been homeless, has gone through heartbreaks, rejection, unrequited love, inferiority complex and accepting who I am and who I am becoming, I will simply tell you to Forgive, pray, move on, smile, love, don’t stop working hard, let no one make you feel less, have fun, balance your life, be comfortable in your own space, set rules, break them, set them again, be better than who you were yesterday, ignore what ifs and think more ‘why nots?’, invest in you, stay beautiful, let go and Let God.   And even when you have been able to attain happiness and get that peace of conscience, there will be days when it seems like your happiness level has gone really low; not to worry, you will get through. Lately, here are my happiness/personal space routines: EXERCISE: Recently I registered at a gym and I must say I love the feeling. How I can let go of every worry for an hour or two, a day, focusing on myself and my body with good music. That’s therapeutic and at the end of each session, you love yourself more. READ A BOOK: Oh yea, I don’t claim to have read too many books but I read and it helps me channel my emotions. PS: if you start reading a book and you are not feeling it or it doesn’t speak to you, dumb it and go for another one. You should be getting something from whatever book you choose to read. SOCIALIZE: For me, socializing happens more on the internet. Well, my life and job is connected to the internet, so I basically have fun while working. I can be whoever I want to be at any time, online, because I can PRAY: Pray always. Prayer doesn’t have to be a morning and night routine. Pray when you are cooking, in the toilet, in a meeting, on a date, etc. prayer for me is me having a conversation with my father, so I do this always. MEDITATE: meditate on things that are pure, just, holy and reasonable. Let your mind breathe. Just decide to be happy by putting you first. There, we have it, Elsie has outlined the many things that have helped her to attain happiness and she wants us to imbibe as many as we can but first, we have to put ourselves first! I’ll be back. BOS