Look up to leave your worries behind

Have you ever noticed how much time you normally spend looking at the floor? If you had to map your walk from your house to the nearest shop, how much details of your surroundings can you really remember? Just as an experiment, try to look up right now and think about a sad, negative experience or something that worries you. How long did it take before you instinctively looked down? Look up and start noticing the world around you.

People watching is one of my favourite activities. Up in my tower at work, I attentively watch passers-by, cyclists and drivers. You will be surprised at the number of people who still use their phones whilst driving, or the number of cyclists who genuinely believe that the highway code do not apply to them. One thing for sure is that the majority of people I see during my coffee breaks walk around with their head down. Interestingly, the same phenomenon can be witnessed in gardens and parks. With such beautiful surroundings, why on earth are people choosing to look at the grass?

As humans we spend too much time in our heads. Our thoughts drive us throughout the day and dictate the mood that we are in. If you pay attention to your physiognomy when you are sad, upset, overwhelmed, crying, deep into your thoughts and your problems, you will notice that you are looking down. This is an instinctive reaction. We tend to look down when we access deep routed feelings, mostly negative ones. The simplest way to get out of this state, to break this pattern, is to look up.

What is happiness?

Did you know that the word “happy” is one of the top 1000 frequently used words? Many people spend their lives in the pursuit of happiness. Some believe that happiness is linked to social status, money, belongings and/or achieving a certain goal. For instance, I will be happy when I’ve got a decent job. I will be happy when I meet someone in my life. I will be happy once I’ve resolved my current situation.

There are many self help books out there telling you what to do to be happy. Have you ever wondered what happiness really is?

Please feel free to disagree with me, but I genuinely believe that happiness is not “real”. Happiness is a state of mind that should be maintained through commitment and simple practices in our daily lives.

Rediscover Your Inner Child

Not many people remember this but there was a time in our lives where everything was fascinating, amazing and colourful. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could live our lives with those same qualities? Children are the best teachers. I believe that emulating their behaviours will lead us to a happier and better life. So what can we learn from them?

Children are the most resourceful human beings on the planet. No, they cannot wipe their bottom or tie their shoe laces. However, they are full of creativity, love and forgiveness. Above all, they are resilient, willing to learn and have no fear. In fact, as R. Buckminster Fuller said “All children are born geniuses, and we spend the first six years of their lives degeniusing them.”