The Pursuit of Happiness
Recently I have came across many (and I do mean many) articles surrounding that age old quest for happiness, how do we find it, where, how, hygge...so on and so on.
It's something I know in my twenties I put a lot (sometimes too much) of thought into, what makes me happy or should I say what WOULD make me happy. Sometimes I felt I was continually striving towards the next factor of happiness when really, I was missing those small but all important joys and happiness right in front of me. Happiness should not be something we continually strive towards, in my opinion. Something I've learned is, that happiness is found in the simple pleasure of adventures, being comfortable in your own skin, your loved ones,the every day and all those small moments in-between.
I know now in my 30s I'm the happiest I've ever been, I kinda think I've got myself worked out and what brings me joy and what I do and don't like. But trust me, it took a while to get there!
So below I've included some things which I would determine, bring me those moments of happiness. Get out your notebook and think about yours today, as it's probably all there in your life already!
Family & Friends
Okay, so this one is pretty much a given but stay with me. Family and friends are the ones that really contribute to our moments of happiness. I know for me, earlier this year when I needed them, every single one of them where there for me without hesitation, making me laugh and picking me up in the moments I needed it. And it doesn't matter if it's a coffee catchup with my mum, a pint with my dad, my sisters tagging me in a funny meme, dates night with the boy, ending up in The Shed (yes that Shed) on a night out with mates dancing like there's no cares in the world or spending a weekend in a pod in Rothesay eating cheesestring after cheesestring (yip, I'm seriously obsessed with cheese)......That's happiness.
Challenge Yourself
We only get to do this once. Life doesn't come around again whether or not we'd like it to. So with the short time we have on this planet, instead of sitting watching life pass us by, get out there and just do it! Whether that's learning a new skill, travelling solo, writing that book idea you've always had or hiking up your first munro (Ben Lomond) like me above, just get out there and do it! For me, the Ben Lomond hike was probably one of my biggest challenges. Near enough from the beginning my knees were causing me problems and I came close to stopping so many times on the way up but I kept going, challenging myself to a new 'peak' stop as I knew I wasn't going to make it to the top. I may not have made it the very top of that mountain but goddamn could I not be prouder (and happier) of reaching that summit edge!
Passion
Throughout life our passions will chop and change. I know my
passions nowadays are completely different from those at 10, 20...At 30, I've
found it's exploring, being in nature/outdoors, photography and writing. So no
matter what job you do, what hours you have free in the day, whatever your
passion is...make time for it. The picture above is a beautiful misty sunset I
captured on my way to work. Your passion can really be found anywhere.
Body Confidence
I don’t think body confidence will ever come to us naturally,
especially women. With so many filters,
body shaming magazine articles and ideal Instagram lives to match up to, is it
any wonder?
For me personally, I grew up tall, slightly on the lanky side with
knock knees. So yeah, I had a few issues or two growing up with my body. I
would say this lasted until about two years ago when I had a ‘fuck this’ moment
and realised that actually, do you know what, I quite like my body, knocks and
all. Recently I’ve felt at my fittest
and healthiest, I’m happy mentally so, for me...that’s body confidence. So much so I was rocking that bad boy bikini
in Croatia with sheer attitude this summer.
And I’m posting here. It’s time
for us all to be a little easier on ourselves and truly be happy with what we
have because you know what...what you have is just bloody well amazing. You may have those up and down days with it
but it’s time to be a little kinder to ourselves.
Bring out the Kid in Yourself
Every once in a while, bring out that kid in yourself. Whether that’s jumping on a set of swings at
the park (try not to throw little kids out the way though), playing a board
game, or like me above, enjoying a silent disco with the YMCA blasting through
my ears while I busted some moves. Just
let the little kid loose every now and again.
Food
Seriously something that can bring me a lot of
happiness...food. Even thinking about it
just now...happiness. I have a 60/40
rule. Monday-Thursday behave and eat and
drink well. Friday and Saturday are my
days to eat whatever I want. It’s about
the balance. There’s no way I want to
deny myself an amazing Mac n Cheese at the weekend . It’s just about sticking
to the healthy balance of good and bad.
And if you do end up having a cheat day during the week, then that’s OK
too!
Explore
There’s always been something so fulfilling to me about being out
in nature exploring. Whether that’s up a
hill, in the wild, at an abandoned castle ruin, walking along a beach, cycling
round an island...Whatever sets your soul on fire, do it! And you don’t have to
travel far. I’ve experienced so many
great adventures in Scotland over the last year, everything from a roadtrip
around Skye, cycling round Rothesay to crawling up a hill to a watch tower at
the top of Inverary.
Men
Don’t feel down if you’re single: get out, let your hair down and
enjoy yourself.
Don’t settle for someone just because you’re not sure there’s
someone better for you out there: there is. And you deserve better. The BEST actually.
DO: just be yourself. Enjoy
your life, don’t overthink dating, have fun and you never know, the right guy
might come along at the right time. It happened to me.
And finally...just be in the moment. And enjoy it all!
Leanne x