10 happy things (June 2023)
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Photo by Tye Doring on Unsplash
Hello! In this blog post, I’ll share 10 things that have made me happy recently and have had me living and loving my best life.
10 happy things (June 2023)
Photo by Maurits Bausenhart on Unsplash
Personal time off
I’ve had a lot of time off recently. I like where I work (which is refreshing because I spent a lot of my career working in toxic workplace environments) and I absolutely love my job (I work as a content manager).
However, my job keeps me very busy and comes with a lot of expectations and responsibilities, so it’s important for me to maintain a work-life balance and enjoy some time off from time to time, and that’s been lovely and relaxing.
Reading
I’m slowly (but surely) getting back into the good habit of reading! Instead of wasting my precious time mindlessly scrolling through my phone, I’ve been dedicating some of my time reading interesting books.
I recently read:
Why You’ll Never Find The One: And Why It Doesn’t Matter by my friend Sarah Akinterinwa - an interesting guide to finding love.
Just Be You: Inspirational Quotes and Awesome Affirmations for Staying True to Yourself - empowering words to help you be your best, authentic self.
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - a powerful and important read taken from Chimamanda's TED talk championing for gender equality and a fairer world.
Pocket Maya Angelou Wisdom: Inspirational Quotes and Wise Words From a Legendary Icon - the best and empowering quotes on love, culture and life from an inspirational icon.
Ten: The Decade That Changed My Future by Rylan Clark - a funny and interesting read by the TV presenter, who talks about his life over the last decade in the entertainment industry.
Currently, I’m reading How To Save It: Fix Your Finances by Bola Sol, a guide to help you achieve financial wellness.
Family
I recently spent some time with my family and had some amazing moments. It just goes to show that in spite of life’s challenges, the most important thing is to spend time with the ones you love and care about.
Affordable Art Fair
This probably doesn’t count because I went to the Affordable Art Fair in Hampstead Heath last month, but I’ll include it anyway. I love looking at art and I try to go to art fairs and exhibitions whenever and wherever I can. If you’re passionate about art and are able to get to London (or a big city near you) I would recommend attending art events and immersing yourself in immense creativity and skill.
Sleeping in
I have never understood people who judge others for sleeping in, but at my age, I just don’t care. On the days I’m not working or going in, I sleep in and relax in my super cosy bed - and I refuse to feel ashamed of this.
Sunny strolls
Summer is here and I’m loving the warm weather, so I’ve been strolling around my suburban neighbourhood in the sun and it makes me feel so good.
Crazy Golf
I went into central London to play Crazy Golf with a new friend I connected with. It was so good to finally meet her in person (I met her over an app in lockdown when I was living far away in London) and she’s lovely. Our meetup was well overdue, so it was great to see each other face-to-face, get to know each other properly and play some golf. She’s good at it and I was rubbish at it even though I live in a county full of golf courses, so she won! Overall, we had a fun day.
3 for 2 nail polishes at KIKO Milano
Over time, I’ve gradually cut down on my spending because I want to focus on saving money for the future, but I like to treat myself from time to time. I took advantage of KIKO Milano’s ‘3 for 2’ nail polish offer when I went to Oxford Street at the start of this month. I bought the Smart Fast Dry Nail Lacquer in the shades:
Metallic Imperial Violent (24)
Pearly Rust (68)
Pearly Dark Vermillion (70).
Each nail lacquer costs £3.99.
YouTube channels talking about ease
Over the last year or so, I’ve decided to opt into a life full of ease, joy, abundance and inner peace and I’ve opted out of a life full of misery, needless struggle and stress, unnecessary struggle and strife. That doesn’t mean that my life is perfect - I still have challenges like everyone else. However, the difference between my life in the present and my past life is that my life is much more blissful and I have a better quality of living because I no longer tolerate toxicity, narcissism and nonsense from other people.
Two YouTubers that discuss choosing a life of ease are Stephanie Perry and Alecia Renece The Artist. Their content inspires and motivates me to live my best life and tune into my authentic self. Most importantly, their content clearly demonstrates that living my dream life is not impossible and out of reach. If anything, I deserve a good life that brings me ultimate happiness!
Playing games on my smartphone
Whenever I’m trying to unwind in my spare time, I like to play games on my smartphone. It’s a great way for me to chill out. I love playing Temple Run, Temple Run 2, Subway Surf, Wordsearch, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, PAC-MAN256 and Beach Buggy Racing.
Playing games on my phone is a regular occurrence for me. Recently, I discovered a website where I can play money games for free. I like games that are heavily focused on finance and entrepreneurship and this website offers simulation games that are fun to play.
I’ve tried and tested out some of the games on the site, but my favourite, and the one that I keep going back to, is the Cash Simulator game, where I operate the cash register at a grocery store, scan customers’ items through the till, add up the total cost and collect payments. If you’re successful, you can achieve stars at each stage of the game. As strange as it sounds, this game is very satisfying and I think that’s because I work a day job that requires a lot of brain power and energy, so it’s pretty cool to play a game that’s simple and stimulating. Also, I like the fact that there’s not too much pressure in this game and it’s an easy game that anyone can play and win.
