Simple Self Improvement

                                                                                                     Image:Marie Vonow There are many things I feel gratitude for but recently I have become very aware of how changes in the world around me influences what I feel gratitude for. It's May 2020 and COVID19 has caused many changes in our lives. There are things I now feel gratitude for which three months or more ago I didn't think about. There are other things I will feel gratitude for when life returns to some form of normal. Things I feel gratitude for I walked into my usual supermarket just before ...

There is much to feel gratitude for                         Image by 4653876 from Pixabay Today's happiness tip is feel gratitude for the good in your life. Rather than thinking about what you haven't got, look around and think about what there is to feel gratitude for. Many of these things might be simple and easy to take for granted. You will feel happier if you 'count your blessings'. There is pressure on us to want more stuff and be envious of those who appear to have a better life in some way. Advertising companies certainly encourage us to strive for more rather than be happy with what we have. They don't want us to be content with a roof over our head, modest furniture and the basic necessities of life. Many of the things we may feel gratitude for don't have a monetary value. You can't put a price on - sunshine rain ...

Gum blossom                                  Image:Marie Vonow I love being in a natural environment. It could be my own garden, someone else's garden, a park or the botanic gardens. It could be by a river, in the hills or at the beach. When I am in a natural environment I find it easy to live in the moment and to feel gratitude. Nature is good for the soul, I can feel it doing me good and research shows Nature is beneficial to a person's health. For more info, check out - http://selfavenue.com/why-nature-makes-us-happy/ http://selfavenue.com/nature-relatedness/39201/ Local river in winter       Image:Marie Vonow Elements of Nature such as birds bring joy                     ...

A garden can bring much joy                             Image:Marie Vonow I enjoy spending time in the garden but to be honest I can’t be bothered with any plants that need to be fussed over. There are so many types which are easy to grow that I can’t see the point in actually stressing over plants when I want to enjoy my time in the garden. Some people do enjoy the challenge of getting a delicate or fussy plant to grow but that's not my style, I prefer things that are simple. When it comes to veggies and herbs, I plant easy to grow stuff like loose leaf lettuce, rocket, spring onions, chives, basil, parsley, rosemary, silver beet and tomatoes. I grow some things in containers and others directly in the garden.              Rosemary bush    ...

Image:Marie Vonow People talk about the benefits of feeling gratitude for the good things in life. But there are times one feels there isn’t much to feel gratitude for. This feeling can descend on us when there are lots of stresses or we are weary. Perhaps you often ask yourself what is there to feel gratitude for in my ordinary life? There is another way of looking at life. Can you be grateful for what you don’t have, for the things you have escaped or avoided? Can you see the positive side of what initially appears a negative?

                                                                                                  Image:Marie Vonow What does the word ordinary mean? According to my old Heinemann Australian Dictionary (yes the old one held together with sticky tape), ordinary means normal, usual or average. That doesn’t sound very exciting. It sounds like enjoying the ordinary means accepting things that are pretty boring and dull. Actually, it is the opposite. It means discovering the exciting aspects in everyday th...

Enjoy a savouring walk                                                              Image:Pixabay We have had some beautiful weather lately, great time to enjoy a walk in a natural environment. Autumn has been late arriving this year but now the heat is definitely gone. Yes, sometimes it is cold, but there are times when it is 'Goldilocks weather', not too hot and not too cold but just right. For a moment there I thought I had made up an expression but when I googled it I found this expression has been used by others. Oh well. Recently I came across the term 'Savouring Walk' on the internet. The idea of a savouring walk is to spend twenty minutes taking a walk during which you make a point of using your senses to notice everything around you. Really look at t...

Enjoy that cuppa, enjoy the moment                                  Image:Marie Vonow What could be better? I am sitting at my computer blogging while listening to uplifting music. I am drinking my favourite coffee from a lovely mug. Every now and then I take a nibble of dark chocolate and I don’t have to feel guilty because it’s only a small bar and it’s sugar free. Also, I have read dark chocolate contains anti oxidants and boosts your endorphins. The sun is shining through the crystal I have hanging in the window making rainbows of refracted light appear on the walls of my room. These may be simple pleasures but they make my life good. I feel gratitude for these things and am living in the now, in the present moment. Eileen Caddy, spiritual teacher and New Age author said, ‘Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time.’  It is easy t...