Weekly Words of Wisdom....

This weeks words of wisdom is a quote from Sam Leveson, and it has to be my all time favourite!

I hope you enjoy xox

An Act of Kindness

This morning I was having a bad start to the day, everything that could go wrong was. I was feeling down and out and it wasn’t even 8:00am! It was one of those days where you can either chose to laugh or cry.

While contemplating whether to laugh or cry, a friend I work with came into my office to say good morning, with a big (hairy) smile on his face. He had come bearing gifts! In the form of homemade walnut, apple & rhubarb muffins, which he brought to work to share with me. It was the most simple and thoughtful of gestures, but I was touched by it. Instantly it made me smile and forget all about the bad start to my day.

The added bonus was that the muffins were delicious!

My friend’s gesture challenged me and got me thinking about acts of kindness and how I show them.

It can be such a simple act or gesture which speaks the unspoken words “I care”.

You could be showing it without even realising. It could as simple as smiling and saying hello to a stranger, or opening the door for someone, or letting someone know you are thinking of them.

An article on WikiHow states the following:

Being kind is a way of living that keeps giving long after the kind thoughts, words, and actions have taken place. Kindness is a force without force, and it goes well beyond manners to the very heart of how people respect and treat one another.

Being kind is a vital way of making our own lives, and the lives of others, meaningful. Being kind allows us to communicate better with others, to be more self-compassionate, and to be a positive force in other people's lives. Kindness has its true source deep within you, and while some people are innately kind, it's something that everyone can cultivate by choice.

Remember kindness is free! So share it with everyone.  Think, speak and act with kindness every day.

As Princess Diana had once said “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

I encourage you to show an act of kindness today, you never know who may be in need of it or the effect it will have.

Till next time,

Sarah xox

The Smaller Things in Life

Life these days is busy!

Part of the reason I created my Blog was to help me process everything going on in my head. Some days it’s so full I think it will burst.

The last few months have been hectic for me, at work, socially and at home. It’s easy when things are so busy, to lose sight of the bigger picture and to get stuck in a rut. I was at the point where every time my phone, the computer or tv made a noise I wanted to throw them out the window. I was craving peace and a new perspective.

A few weeks ago at work, I was talking to a friend while waiting in line at the canteen. We were both talking (complaining) about how busy and stressed we were. We both agreed that life is hectic these days and we lack the time to think straight.

Another female employee had overheard our conversation, so she approached us to say “what are you girls complaining about! You don’t have kids, so obviously you don’t know the meaning of busy or stress!”

Wow! How is that for an honest opinion I thought to myself. Thanks for your piece of advice lady, but had I wanted your opinion a) I would have been talking to you directly, instead of you eavesdropping on our conversation; and b) I would have asked for it!

Just because I don’t have kids yet, doesn’t mean I don’t know what being busy or stressed is. Trust me, I know! It's just I don't have kids factored into my definition of busy yet. But I guess being busy/stressed/tired is all relevant to your situation isn’t it? Everyone is in different situations and has different degrees of busy and stress in their lives.

After I got over the initial sting of her comment, I thought you know what, maybe that was the perspective I needed? The kick in the backside to make me get over it and to remind me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Yes life is busy, but so what? If that is my only drama then I am doing ok. My vision had been clouded; the overwhelming feeling of how tired, busy and stressed I was had been consuming me. But thanks to a rather abrupt fellow employee, it became clearer. 

I took the step back I needed to put things back into perspective and to find some balance. Trying to find that balance is hard, and it is something we all have to work at. It is a constant juggling act – insert mental image here: a picture of a circus monkey juggling batons.

So now, every day I make sure I slow down and take the time to appreciate the smaller things in life. We can often get caught up in life and its dramas that we forget to appreciate those smaller things. For me, its simple things like the beauty of a sunrise, a warm embrace from my husband, or even the simplicity of making a cup of tea.

Now my favourite part of the day, is the drive to work (well, other than the coming home part). I drive through the most beautiful country side, usually as the sun rising. I now take the time to appreciate the beauty in it and gain a clear perspective each day.

I encourage you to take some time out of your day, to appreciate the smaller things in life and gain some perspective. It will help you remember the bigger picture when the everyday dramas of life weigh you down.

It’s the small things that make life beautiful & fill us with joy.

I would love to hear your thoughts, feel free to comment.

Till next time,

Sarah xox

Weekly Words of Wisdom....

Hey guys & girls,

I will be posting weekly quotes / pictures / music / words that inspire me, I hope you enjoy.
For the first week I thought why not start with the actual word Inspire........

What inspires you?

For me, it's stillness and clarity.

Till next time,
Sarah xox

Change....Embrace it!

To say I love music is an understatement. Whether it’s listening to music, or playing my piano, I can lose myself in it.  Music is a part of me.

I love how you can hear a song and it evokes certain emotions in you or the fact it can instantly transport you back to a certain time and place in your past.

On my way home from work today, while my iPod was on shuffle, an old favourite came on. “Landslide” performed by the Dixie Chicks.

The chorus in particular struck a chord with me: “Oh mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life……”

It got me thinking about change and how life is a constant changing thing. 

There are so many “changing ocean tides” and “seasons” in your life. It is filled with highs and lows, which build charter and we gain wisdom and grow from each experience.

Seasons may vary from marriages to babies, to love or loss, to joy or disappointment, to success or failure. This list goes on.

I know personally in my short 26 years there have been many seasons already, with many more to come I am sure. But these changes, or seasons, are the obstacles and challenges that have shaped my life.

Some would say, I am a creature of habit and like to be in control (just ask my husband), so change for me personally is a scary thing.  However, I am learning to embrace change! Little by little. Because I believe without change we don’t grow.

I believe the key to change is letting go of the fear of it and of the unknown, but most importantly remaining true to yourself. 

Change is what you make it! You can either embrace it or fight it, either way it will happen, change is inevitable.

If we want to improve ourselves and our lives, we need to embrace it.

So go on and embrace it!

Till next time,
Sarah xox