What is this happiness malarkey?

 

https://scothappyday.eventbrite.co.uk

Are you feeling a bit fed up with the positive gurus and promises of a perfect life? 

 

 Have you read every self-help book you can get your hands on and still have days where you can’t be bothered to get off your arse?

Is your “Wonderful Life Planner” relegated to the back of the drawer behind the mound of used batteries, old mobile phone chargers, screwdrivers and birthday cake candles?

Does your bank balance bounce into the red, very red and “oh my god” more often than you make hot dinners in spite of your £1 million pound cheque from the universe sitting on your mantelpiece? 

Do you long for more fun quality family time but end up with the screaming tantrums and huffs – and that’s just you! 

Have you have tried being grateful, meditating and visualising your calm place just to get through another crappy day at work but end up crying in the corner with a bottle of wine?

If you can answer YES that’s me to one or more then congratulations you are doing GREAT!!!  WTF???? Great I hear you shout – bloody hell what would it be like if it was AWFUL?  I think that 99% of us have times like this in life.  (And the other 1% is too busy polishing their halos).  Sometimes it feels like all the bad stuff is happening at once and when that happens there is a tendency to focus on the crappy feelings and think that all that positive action and happiness stuff is a waste of time.  Believe me I get it.  I have had my share of tough stuff too but I also know that nothing lasts forever and life is about constant change.  Happiness is a state of mind not a destination.  

Happiness for me is knowing that I can bounce back. Knowing that I can laugh and the situation looks different. Knowing that I can spend time with friends and share how I am feeling.  Happiness is recognising that I may not be reaching for my best thought but that I have a choice to think something else.  It’s about understanding that I have strengths, positive qualities, choices and actions that make life feel better.   For me - it’s about having fun, dancing in the street, singing out of tune, laughing, relaxing and letting go of the things I can’t control and enjoying the ride.  It’s about knowing that I have lots of tools in my bag that can help me feel happier – I just need to use the one that’s most appropriate for that job/day. 

If you want more happiness in your life – don’t give up, don’t sit and watch your life go by feeling helpless.  Come and join me on Sat 1st November inGlasgow for How to have more happiness for you, your family and the world.I have gathered my trusted band of Scotland’s top positive action experts who know that life can be challenging, who don’t expect it to be perfect but who believe completely in their ability to make life happier.   Come and be revitalised, choose the workshops that can make a real difference for you and be inspired by real, authentic people.  Connect with other people who share a desire for more of the good stuff.  Come and have some fun – YOU DESERVE IT.  

With workshops on happiness at work, achieving your dreams, being a joyful money magnet, creating a happier family, connecting with your inner joy, finding meaning in life, mind calm, laughter and gratitude there is something for everyone. 

To increase your happiness and make this the best value event there are some fantastic happiness boosting product giveaways from myself, Alisoun Mackenzie, Leila Khan and a conference exclusive special recording by Scotland’s top mind coach Brian Costello. 

Learning, inspiration and action are all connected throughout the day to make it a fantastic experience. I won’t promise that life will be perfect but I know that spending time in this positive energy and leaving with lots of practical ways make a difference to your life will have an impact on you and those around you.  Places are filling fast so BOOK NOW and get your smile warmed up.

Lots of love

Kim

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Mother’s Day Blues

Mother’s Day – it’s the advertisers dream when we are surrounded by pictures of happy kids bringing their mum breakfast in bed, cards, chocolates, their favourite perfume and flowers.  What a beautiful image as the mum kisses and cuddles her kids, smiles and laughs as she begins her day. 

But what if that’s not you?  What if –like me – you are a bereaved mother or if your own mother is no longer with you.  How do you cope with the happiest day of the year for mothers?

I remember two mothers’ days in my life that were extremely difficult.  The first one was in 1998, four months after my wonderful mother in law had been knocked down and killed as she crossed the road outside her house.   I remember standing in the card shop looking at the mother’s day cards trying to choose one for my own mum.  I was overcome by a black raging cloud that engulfed me – the emotion of the previous months burst like a dam and I recall running from the shop weeping.  It was a real low point for my husband and his siblings, especially my sister in law who had recently become a new mum herself.  

The second mother’s day that was even worse was in 2008, six months after my son Calum had died aged 12 from meningitis.  I recall going to his grave, to give him flowers instead of him bringing me some.  I remember thinking how could I celebrate Mother’s Day again?  I was very grateful to have my daughter Kirsten but the grief and loss of my son exploded in full combat style that day.   It was brutal, real heartache – the pain in my heart was physical. I grieved hard for several days – weeping, cuddling Calum’s clothes, retreating from the world.

It was also the point at which I understood I needed to care for myself, if I didn’t then I would be no use to anyone and my husband Sinclair and daughter Kirsten needed me.  Many of you will know that I am an experienced NLP (neuro linguistic programming) practitioner – I had used many of the techniques on myself already to help me cope with the trauma, to shift the images that were in my head of the tragic events that led to Calum’s death.  But we all need help from others and I turned to my trusted friend and NLP professional Liesha to help me.  Together we let go of guilt and sadness that was overwhelming me and created a gentle route towards a happier time in my life.  I wasn’t over Calum’s death but I had released the really difficult emotions that threatened to keep me stuck in a difficult phase of grief. 

Mother’s days did get easier (like all special events and celebration days) and now as I face the 7^th one without him I am grateful for Calum’s life, for being his mum and I keep both my children connected to me through their love.

I do this by writing to Calum – I started it just after he died and have filled several journals now.  I write about my days, sharing our family life with him and sometimes I “hear” him laugh at the stories and even reply!

I happily talk about my son with family and friends, we share the memories and the good times. I have a memory quilt that celebrates his life and I love to look at this and think about what each panel represents – his interests, his friends, the stories and family traditions that he was part of and the very essence that made him the wonderful son he was.  I continue to raise awareness of meningitis and fundraise for Meningits Now but I focus more on Calum’s life than on what caused his death.  

On Mother’s Day I will bring out one of the cards that he made me and place it proudly beside the one that Kirsten gives me.  I am proud to be the mother of two children – one who is now a beautiful teenager and another who is in spirit. 

We will also remember my wonderful mother in law with a smile and share a story about her.  

If you are dreading Mother’s Day I send my love to you, if you are deep in grief then let it flow you will come out the other side. Acknowledge the loss but also find some time to remember the joy that you had with your child or your mother in your life.  A few minutes of joy can lift your spirits and give you hope. 

If you are looking for more suggestions on coping with loss or grief, you can read more of my journey in my book From Heartbreak toHappiness.  I have had such wonderful letters from people telling me that my book has really given them hope that they too can cope and feel happier. 

To mothers everywhere I wish you peace, good health, love and happiness, so take some time for you and recognise how wonderful you are.

Kim

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Having a bad day? You can stick your Happiness Club ......

We all have bad days - me included. I thought I would share a little about a positivity challenged day for me recently.
 It started with a late  call off by a client, ok nothing major but meant reduced income for the week.  As the sun was shining I decided to head out and enjoy a longer walk with my dog so I came home feeling happier.

Next I had a difficult call from a colleague raising issues that left me feeling angry, upset and confused.  Much harder to shift this stuff - I knew I had to vent the anger so I stomped around, did some EFT then told a trusted friend about it. When her response helped me to laugh I felt much better.

Then came the techie challenges - getting things arranged for Happiness Club sessions I had wanted to share some video footage as part of the training for the evening.  Computer problems, sound issues and my IT guru not home!  OK use the logic and fault find - no change and now time was slipping away arrgghhh!  Hubby arrives home - "I may have to rebuild it "  NO! don't have time for this.   He fabulously sorts an audio version of stuff for me as I scrabble to print off a revised idea.  Guess what?   Printer is  out of ink.  Back to old fashioned paper and pen so the day is saved!

I know that this was not a major event - it was a series of irritating things. The Happiness Club night was all about Positivity - exploring optimism v pessimism and how to focus more on the positive.  But after the day I had boy did I also need it!   The night spent with the group sharing ideas and insights,  talking about how we spend our time, what we give our attention and focus to and how find ways to focus on the good stuff had restored my natural happy balance.  I had used my core strengths of optimism, hope and humour and felt a lot happier. 

Full of good cheer and wanting to share it with the world  - I posted on my Facebook page a thank you to the Happiness Club for returning my good mood.  But the day was not over yet.  Back comes a comment from someone who was clearly having a very bad time - much more serious than my minor grumblings, and she vented her anger telling me where to stick my Happiness Club!!!

Reflections

Life throws lots of stuff at us. Sometimes its little things but when they come together we can feel hard done by and annoyed. Sometimes life gives us huge challenges to face - death, job losses, relationship breakdowns, serious money problems and  illness that can really pull the rug from under our feet. 
Our reactions are not the same, the problems can affect the intesity of our feelings and one solution does not fit all.  I know that finding ways to let go of the bad feelings, the anger, hurt, sadness  and frustration we experience is needed before we can focus on the positive stuff.  I understand why that lady told me to shove my happiness club.  BUT here's the thing I know for sure - directing your anger onto someone else doesn't help.  Recognising that we can take responsibiilty for what we do next - for how we react to the situation is key. 

Do you stay a victim and blame everything and everyone for your difficulties or choose to learn and move on, to do things differently and change patterns.  The lessons shared at this month's Happiness Club from Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, shows we can change, we can learn to be more optimistic, to focus our attentions elsewhere and create more positivity.  

I know this to be completely true, having experienced the loss of my son Calum I chose not to remain bitter and angry at the world. I vented the emotions and then focussed my attention on bringing happiness into my life again. ( You can read more about this  in my book From Heartbreak to Happiness)  I used simple things to begin with and you can do the same.


March to Happiness Challenge.
March 20th is the second UN International day of happiness. Last year I was presented with a Happy Hero medal for my work on spreading happiness - I can't believe it's a year already! My medal was passed on to my happy hero who then passed it on to another and so on.

I had been thinking how I could spread happiness further this month and have created a FREE March to Happiness Challenge. I am sharing some easy tips to boost your mood and feel happier each week this month. It's really easy to do and can even boost your business and your health!
Each Monday and Friday in March I have produced a short video sharing easy ways to focus your attention on the positive stuff, to boost your mood and feel better.  You can join in and see how these simple things can make a difference to you.
Here's the first video

Join me on my Facebook Group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/marchtohappiness/ and let me know your thoughts.  There are 2 other videos on there too.

 Are you ready to give it a go? Feeling happier will not magically change your circumstances but I know that it can help you look at those circumstances from a new perspective. You may even find answers to things that you thought were impossible. You may find that your bad days may not be so bad anymore.  

How do you keep taking action towards happiness ...

Hi friends,
It's February already - I don't know about you but I blinked and January has gone. Must be a sign of how busy I have been last month. I gave a talk in Hamilton recently about bouncing back from difficult times.  I was sharing some of the stories from my book From Heartbreak to Happiness.  I was very touched when several people came and shared their own stories of difficult times and thanked me for my honesty.    Two of my intentions for the year also got closer - opening new happiness clubs - Hamilton is now high on the list and giving more talks about my book.

Did you set yourself great intentions for 2014?  What are they?  Are they about giving something up or starting something new?  Is it to give up smoking, lose weight, get fitter, get rid of your debt?  Or how about - be more sociable, learn something new, feel less stressed, enjoy life more, write a book, make new friends, worry less or even be happier?  If you did set goals, new year resolutions or positive intentions how are they coming along for you?

I know how easy it is to let go of good intentions and fall back into old habits. Habits by their very nature are something that we have been doing for a while without even thinking about them.   And making changes - mean you need to do something different.  Not just think about it but really do it.  How can you make change easier? Here are my 3 tips that even the smartest of people can forget ...

1. Make the reason for change a big one!  What will keep you motivated to achieve a result?  My mum gave up smoking lots of times - until she finally found her BIG REASON. My daughter asked her to give up because she didn't want her grannie to die. As my daughter had recently lost her big brother you can imagine the impact this had on my mum. She now really wanted to stop to help my daughter feel better.  That was six years ago now - well done Mum on taking action we are all very proud of you.
2. Have a vision of what you want to achieve.  I love big goals -  I get motivated by setting myself missions that will make a difference.  Making Scotland happier and creating a self publishing community helping 100s of writers create and sell books are mine. I know what I want to achieve, I think about them, talk about them and get excited about makinga difference. Have you done that?
3. Baby steps all the way.  I know that I can't make Scotland happier tomorrow - I can help you to find the ways that can make your life happier.  I can spread the word about actions that you can take, connect with others who have a shared vision, and send out newsletters like this.  They are baby steps, but all connected towards my vision. Take your own baby steps and connect with others who can support and encourage you, especially if your enthusiasm starts to go.

If like many people,  you may have let your intentions slip are you going to kick yourself for not doing what you planned and give up on those intentions or recognise that there are 11 months left of 2014 so loads of time to do things?  I'd love to hear how you keep focused on your intentions. 

This month the Happiness Club is all about taking action.  We will be exploring the actions that happy people take regularly and creating ways to add more of these into your own lives. Without action things stay the same.  I encourage you all to use a bit of magic to ensure you can create actions for yourself that you will want to continue.

The magic happens when you can see the furture as you want it to be.  Imagine how it will feel, what you will see and who will support you, if you are near Glasgow come and join the Happiness Club - we will happily share the magic with you. If not find some other like minded souls to encourage you. Together we can all make positive changes.

Happiness Club offers great content, good company and a fun night out all for only £10. RSVP your place now.
Glasgow is next Wed 12th Feb at 7.30pm RSVP here.

Top ten tips for coping with grief at Christmas

Christmas is a time for having fun with friends and family, but for some it is a difficult time that highlights the loss of a loved one.  Grief and loss are difficult to deal with at any time but for many the festive season brings more challenges. I understand those challenges only too well but also know that there are things you can do to make it easier for you and your family. I have experienced many deaths and known deep grief especially with the loss of my son Calum in 2007. Those of you who follow my blog or come along to my Happiness Club or workshops will know that I like to focus on happiness and feeling positive.   I know that happiness is possible but I am also very aware that at times it is more about getting through the next minute, hour or day, especially if your loss is a recent one.

Loss seems even more intense at this time of year as the rest of the world seems to be having a wonderful time, with all the TV ads showing the perfect family Christmas, with fabulous dinners, beautiful presents and beautiful people enjoying parties.  I know that their are many people around the country who may be struggling with their feelings of loss so here are my suggestions to make life a little easier. 

1. Don't pretend that you are ok if you are struggling.  Share how you are feeling with someone, a chat with a friend can make all the difference.
2. Write down how you feel, write a letter to your loved one it helps to keep them close.
3. Let go of the emotions - cry, scream, stamp your feet, beat up cushions - please note I said cushions not people ;-)
4. Now give yourself some comfort - wrap yourself in a blanket, have a hot mug of tea and maybe a mince pie as you have a conversation with your loved one - silently or out loud it's up to you.  If you are talking out loud be aware of who is around you I sure got some funny looks at times!
5. Remind yourself that all things change and even feeling overwhelmed, drained, exhausted, hopeless, or utterly bereft will pass.  It is normal to feel this way and among the dark times you will begin to notice small glimmers of light.
6. Ask for help - people want to help but often don't know what to do - let them go shopping and cook food, buy and wrap presents, help out with cleaning, looking after pets, children whatever you are finding too much of an effort.
7. Give yourself at least one task to do each day and reward yourself afterwards - chocolate is good.  Maybe you could even help someone else with something, doing things for others can shift your focus and increase your energy too.
8. Do what you can to get moving each day, look up, smile even if you don't feel like it and walk - outdoors is great but even around the house will help.
9. Talk to your family and friends about what you want to do on Christmas day - imagine what your loved one would say, you may feel like shutting yourself away but having company even for part of the day can make a difference.
10. Watch some funny movies, listen to your favourite tunes and remember the happier times. Know that you will feel better, Christmas is another day and you may find it's not as bad as you feared.

I hope this has given you some inspiration or some ideas of how you could help someone else.  

I have also arranged a special online webinar on Thursday 19th December at 8pm (GMT) where I will be giving more useful suggestions.
 

Online Webinar : How to cope with grief at Christmas

On this call, I will share my practical tips and suggestions on coping with grief during the festive period. The very things that make a difference to me even now.  There will be no sales pitches, this is all about practical help including: 

• What to do if you just can't face the thought of Christmas without your loved one.
• How to manage if your tears never seem to stop.
• Finding some light in the darkest of days.
• How to cope with all those Christmas adverts, songs and smiling faces.
• What to do about cards and presents.
• How to ask others for help.
• Do you need a plan?

With love and kindness,
Kim
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