You're Right!

'Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right'

A famous quote by Henry Ford.




Choose this gift to help represent the message in this week's quote....

...'believe in yourself and all that you are' is written on the wrapping around this bath melt. Click here to view it on the Bags of Goodness website.

Change Your Life in 7 Days

In case you've been wondering why there has been a lack of posts over these last two weeks I can tell you it's been partly because I've been changing my life in 7 days!

I'm sure you've heard of Paul McKenna but whether you have or not, this book entitled 'Change Your Life in 7 Days' can influence your habitual ways of thinking, using mind reprogramming techniques to help you become more positive and alot calmer in your outlook, while lifting your self esteem. The book gives you one chapter a day to read, along with a CD to relax you which talks you through about 30 minutes of deep meditation and, if nothing else, the CD alone will take you to a peaceful place which leaves you feeling calmer.

For me, if I only had enough time over 7 successive days to read this I'm sure I would have seen the difference in a week. As it was, even while taking some time to read through the book and complete the mental exercises in it, I did listen to the CD daily, and I started to feel the benefit after just afew days into chapter two!

Don't expect miracles but do expect to get something from it, even if it just means you cope better with daily hiccups and stresses that can often flip us from happy to angry in an instant. Don't underestimate how much better your life becomes when you don't sweat the small stuff and, you never know, miracles do happen! Change your thoughts and you can change your life!

Bring alittle peace into your life and use this cute tortoise jingle critter as a touchstone to remind you to keep calm!

Perfect, whole and complete.

"In the infinity of Life where I am,

all is perfect, whole and complete.

I no longer choose to believe in old limitations and lacks.

I now choose to begin to see myself

as the Universe sees me - perfect, whole and complete.

The truth of my being is that I was created

perfect, whole and complete.

I will always be perfect, whole and complete.

I now choose to live my life from this understanding.

I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.

All is well in my world."

Extract from 'You Can Heal Your Life' by Louise Hay. To read my review on her book, please click here.

Place a photo of a happy memory that makes you smile and keeps your spirits up, wherever you are, with this portable photo frame.  'You Are Loved' is written on the outside of it - lest you forget!

Happiness in Hard Times

As a more current version of his "Being Happy" book I covered in a previous post, Andrew Matthews’ "Happiness in Hard Times" gives tips and techniques on how to pick yourself up when you’re struggling.

A lot of the advice he gives is to do with your mental outlook and includes ways to adopt the ‘glass is half full’ attitude but in a less clichéd way! The book doesn’t just consider the times when we wish we had more material possessions or more money, it makes you look at how you think and deal with what life throws at you, so that you can recognise where your way of thinking isn’t helping you. It offers alternative ways of behaviour with tactics on how to overcome the mental anguish you experience when you’re going through a rough patch. And each piece of advice seems to be given with a feeling that he understands what it's like.

Once again he writes each chapter with short, bite-size chunks of easy reading and keeps it light-hearted with his humorous illustrations. It’s a book you can read cover to cover or just open up randomly for a quick piece of advice but either way, it’s a handy pick-me-up to have around when the chips are down!

The simple message I suggest would go with this book is written on our little porcelain heart dish. 'Wishing you happiness' is a great wish for someone when times are tough.

Bill Withers

"Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long, 'til I'm going to need, somebody to lean on."

Sing along to these words from a Bill Withers song and remember someone who needs you.




These words can be found in the 'You've Got A Friend' book full of thoughts for the special people in your life.

Do What You Love, Be With Who You Love!

The quote this week is more of a sit down and listen to the commencement address made by Steve Jobs at Stanford University back in 2005. It is a reminder that we should never give up on pursuing what we love!

Click this link to hear what he has to say.

A simple soap dish with a simple message accompanies this post. 'Believe in yourself and all that you are' is the message on this gift.

Longer than usual, but worth a read!

Sometimes it’s hard to be grateful for what you have in your life when you look at others around you and their life seems so …perfect!

Someone else has everything that you want, in the location you want, with the partner you want and the perfect, high achieving kids you want. And even though you know that what they’ve got isn’t perfect (because there is no such thing as perfect) somehow it doesn’t make you feel better about where you are.

So you try to figure out what the difference is … could it be that they have more money than you? …but then if you had a lot of money what would you swap?

·         Would you swap your children? No!

·         Would you swap your partner? Well maybe, maybe not!

·         Would you swap your job? Perhaps

·         Would you swap your friends? No

·         Would you change some of the habits you currently have? Maybe but only if they’re bad habits

·         Would you swap the house you live in? Possibly

·         Would you change your body? Well you could pay for surgery but not without potential risks!

Looking at the list above, what would you really, honestly change?

Whatever you would change because you think it would make you happier, you will probably find has nothing much to do with money! The things that really make you happy are the things that money might just give you the courage to do, nothing else. Let’s go through each item listed above;

·         Your children – if you are fortunate enough to have them then they are a treasure you would not want to swap for any amount of anything!

·         Your partner – if having money would mean you’d leave your partner then all that money is giving you is the confidence to leave them. If your partner isn’t right for you without money then he isn’t right for you with money either. Don’t think he or she will be different if you were wealthy, the core of a person’s beliefs and principles don’t change when you have money, whoever the person is naturally, deep down, will just become animated.

·         If you love your job then you will continue to fulfil that purpose in some way, so money does not determine the job that you do and if it does then you’re in the wrong the job!

·         Your friends have been found based on basic values that match your own. Your true friends will know you and you will know them based on their actions not on their words. You always know who your true friends are!

·         If you have any habits that don’t serve you in a positive, healthy way then they are not generally good for you. You always know what’s right and what’s wrong and having money will never change that choice.

·         Living in a bigger house might give you space but it will also feel less cosy! The place you call home is the place you feel relaxed, the place you feel warmth and comfort in and actually, the larger the room, the easier it is to feel lost in the space rather than warm and snug.

·         Your body is there to do a function. Any alteration you make does no more than allow you to join the competition to become a more potentially admired person ....temporarily! Anything you do surgically to alter your appearance will carry a risk but the results will always be no more than skin deep.

When we envy the life of others it usually is because they have something we feel we don’t have. Yet if we were to analyse what it is that they have that we don’t, it generally is something superficial. Their house is bigger or neater than ours; their partner is better than ours; their job is better than ours; dare I say their children are better behaved or achieve at a higher level than ours and even more these days, their body is in better shape than ours or they look younger than we do.

Well stop!

If you saw the picture recently of Mr Apple himself – Steve Jobs - then you would see that, despite his millions, many of us are far, far richer than he is right now. Why? Because those of us who are fortunate to have our health are rich beyond our wildest dreams. What’s sad is that we do not know it.

It is with great sadness that we dare to mistake the good fortune of being alive, being capable to love and be loved by another human being, as a less functional quality than looking good, than being famous, than living in a big house or driving an expensive car. And as we look with envy at the good fortune of others, do not forget that the biggest fortune of all lies in the blood that runs through your veins and the health that you are in. The richest person in the world will always be the one in the best of health.

For those who have the misfortune of not having perfect health, understand that there are get well wishes being sent to you by those you love and there will always be a never ending hope that your life will blessed with the joy and love of having the most important people around you.

May good health make you rich and if you have good health, then you already are!

'Wishing you good health' is our message on this small heart dish gift today. It's the richest wish you can make!

Look Towards the Sun...

"Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen.
 Keep always in the sunlight."  

This quote by Benjamin Franklin reminds us to keep sight of the good things we have in our lives and not to focus on what's wrong.

This gift makes a perfect partner to this quote. The ceramic pot, filled with a scented candle inside, comes in a small box stating 'Look towards the sun and the shadows will fall behind you'

 

You Can Heal Yourself by Seka Nicolic

You may have never heard of Seka Nicolic but if you're looking for a little healing then this is one place to look!

If you don't believe in ‘hands on’ healing or you don't think that complimentary therapies do any good then I’m hoping that this might the book that helps convince you it works! Seka Nicolic is different. Scientists at the Milan Institute for Bio-Energy have carried out tests on her hands and found that the heat she gave off was due to healing energy and not because of changes in her body or the ambient temperature. As she states in her book, they found she had an unprecedented level of conductivity, which means she can feed very powerful energy into her patients at consistently high levels.

The book, You Can Heal Your Life, is an explanation of Bio-Energy along with her own life story. It contains stories from people she's treated as well as some guidance on how we can heal ourselves.

If you're looking for some healing, either for yourself or for someone you love, this book may help convince you that we each have the capacity to heal ourselves, or at the very least, take more control of the pain we feel. After all, what have you got to lose by trying?

To accompany this book I recommend this English Lavender Cream. Handmade in the UK with pure essential oils, it's an all round moisturising cream that may help heal common skin complaints.

Marianne Williamson

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves: who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us: it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others"

This inspirational quote has been taken from the Marianne Williamson book; A Return To Love.

I have added this scented candle, ready to light up the darkest room in its own ceramic pot. On the box it comes in, it states 'Our brightest blazes are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks'. Perfect to light the spark in you!

A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson

Each time I pick up this book I never fail to be comforted by its words. A Return To Love offers deep and meaningful guidance on how to live a life fuelled by love. As an interpretation from the Principles of A Course in Miracles, it teaches you how to generate all your thoughts, actions and behaviour from a source of love.

For me it is a bible of how to achieve ultimate peace and happiness and I now surprise myself at how much calmer I am when faced with relative adversity. It gives guidance on how to heal past failings in ourselves and in our world along with the importance of thinking of others. 

No matter what sort of journey you've had in your life so far, you can make it different now. There no barriers to this, no excuses, you're not too old, it's never too late and things and people can always change. If you're ready for it, this book can be an education on how to live differently. How to feel differently about situations, how to react differently, how to make different decisions and how to let go of whatever it is or of whatever excuses are holding you back from being all you can be.

I don't want to sound too Utopian here but I do share Marianne Williamson's belief that we all have 'unlimited capacity to express brilliantly' (page 276) ...'We are an adult generation. We have adult bodies, adult responsibilities, and adult careers. What many of us lack is an adult context for our lives, one in which we give ourselves permission to shine, to blossom fully, to show up powerfully in the present without fearing that we're not good enough. Waiting for a powerful future is a way of making sure it never gets here....An adult takes joy in today.' (page 278).

If you want your life to return to love, pick up this Marianne Williamson book today!


I've picked out this little porcelain dish with a heart shaped bath melt in it, wrapped up with the words 'believe in yourself and all that you are' as a gift to remind you to do just that!

Giving

After chatting with friends recently about birthday gifts and what to buy people, it got me thinking about what's really important to give.

Out of all the presents that are given on a birthday, very few are actually needed. The gift of a birthday should be a celebration of another year of life, it could be used as a time to reflect on what you did right over the last year and unite with all the very special people in your life that you spent it with. By focussing more on what you can give over the coming year ahead until your next birthday you could get more out of the anniversary of your 'birth-day' than most gifts could give you.

Don't misunderstand me here, gifts and the act of giving is in no way being underestimated. The joy of an unexpected gift being delivered for no apparent reason can lift the darkest moods as it carries far more meaning. A surprise gift is sent out of genuine thought for the recipient rather than out of duty just because it's their birthday. We should never be afraid of being impulsive and letting someone know we're thinking of them.

My point is that birthdays should be about celebrating you, praising your achievements and looking forward to how you want to live over the coming 12 months. By spending the day focussing your efforts more on yourself and what you can give, you will be more inclined to do good, feel good and expect less. Then giving won't be just because it's someone's birthday, it will be because you care.

As we say at Bags of Goodness, 'give a little ...it means a lot'.


To reflect what has been said in this post I recommend the Pocket Charms gift bag of Rules. It contains 5 rules on how to live a better life. Take a look, I hope you'll like it.

Take Time to Plan

"How are you going to use your supply of tomorrows?"

By Kobl Yamada


This quote has been taken from our 'Take Time' Gift Book

Make Everything OK

If only it was this simple…

Are you having a bad day? Are you worried about something?

Then click this link, go to http://make-everything-ok.com and push the magic button to make everything OK. The funny thing is, I did it and the result was that I put everything into perspective and ended up actually feeling better!

The fact is, most of what we worry about doesn’t actually happen so we waste valuable time focusing on non-existent outcomes. Even if the worst does happen there is always something we can take from it and no matter how bad it may seem, there is always something good for us in a bad situation.

Take a simple example – rain! We readily complain about the rain but imagine a life with no water. At least we are fortunate enough to be able to predict if rain is likely on any given day so we can prepare for it.

Ultimately we can, at times, allow the worst possible outcome to any problem we are facing take over our thoughts and make us pre-occupied, taking us away from the important things that are happening around us. By putting things into perspective we get a better view of what matters most and life can look brighter, even when it’s raining!

I like the simple message this wooden sign carries to go with this post; 'Live well, Laugh often, Love much' If you like it too take a closer look...

Happiness is...

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions".

Our quote this week comes from the Dalai Lama as seen on the Action for Happiness website.

Action for Happiness

Action for Happiness is a charity with a simple ambition…it’s aim is to bring together like minded people from all walks of life to create a movement of people committed to building a happier society. Research has shown that despite spending the last 50 years aiming for higher incomes, we are no happier now than we were 50 years ago but have seen a rise in anxiety and worry in younger people. All it asks is that we move from being a culture who's values are based on self obsessed materialism to a more loving, positive and collaborative one.

And it seems to be working.

At the time of writing 14,632 people from 115 countries had joined the movement, not bad considering that, although it was founded in 2010, it only just had its launch week on 11^th-17^th April this year!

The Action for Happiness website is a minefield of information, resources and advice on how to be happier. It uses the acronym ‘GREAT DREAM’ to give ten keys to happier ways of living. It has practical tips on what you can do on a daily basis to make your life happier including its free Happiness Action Pack and with each tool it provides simple advice on how you can achieve happiness in your daily life.  

The charity founders, Lord Richard Layard, Geoff Muligan and Dr Anthony Seldon are expert leaders in their relative fields and are passionate about making people in our society, and in our world, happier.

If you want to be part of this movement and lead a happier life then start now by joining Action for Happiness, take a simple pledge and be a force for good!

My recommended gift to go with this post is the porcelain heart with Wishing You Happiness written on it. A simple gift with a simple wish! 

You Reap What You Think

'Your mind is a magnet. Continue to dwell on what you want and you will achieve it.
Think of your thoughts as invisible clouds which go out and gather up results for you. By disciplining your thoughts, you determine what you reap.'

Extract on page 70 of the 'Being Happy!' book by Andrew Matthews.

Being Happy!

‘Being Happy!’ by Andrew Matthews is a book I came across some 18 years ago that does exactly what it says on the front …it gives you the range of possibilities as to why you’re not, with solutions to show how you can be happy!

It is easy, light reading which can lift your mood as it highlights our habitual tendencies with a splash of humour. It has a light hearted but honest approach on getting you to look at;

• Patterns of behaviour that recur in your life and what you think of yourself;
• How you behave day to day;
• What you think about the most and therefore what you attract in your life;
• Your Goals;
• How you can learn from nature;
• Getting going!

The author, Andrew Matthews provides entertainment throughout the book with the animated illustrations he has created. With them he brings an element of humour that encourages us to laugh at ourselves and that helps us recognise that we’re not the only ones who think in a certain way.

In a nutshell (a familiar term that is used to refer to short summaries throughout each chapter in the book), this is a happy book in more ways than one that, no matter how you feel when you pick it up, has the capacity to make you smile before you put it down.

I’ve chosen our Jingle Critter Pig with ‘Be Happy’ written across his back as a touchstone to help remind you to be happy and stay happy! Click here to buy him!

Time For Love

‘Getting things accomplished isn’t nearly as important as taking time for love.’

-Janette Oke



Our love quote this week can be found in one of our 'Love' Message Cards, a box of 30 cards, with each card opening up to reveal a message of Love inside.

 

You Can Heal Your Life

My first review is the first book I started my own personal journey with some 20 years ago. ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ by Louise Hay is a book of positive thinking patterns that help you feel better about yourself and help you cope with whatever’s causing you emotional and physical pain.

Chapter by chapter, it guides you through advice and exercises that help set you up on your journey to change your life. First the book takes you through a session with Louise as if you were one of her clients,  then she shows you how to put what you’ve discovered to good effect in your work, your relationships, for your own success and prosperity and in your body. With the reassuring words ‘All is well in my world’ that are found repeatedly throughout the book, You Can Heal Your Life is a dependable resource that includes loving affirmations that can start your transformation from being self-critical to feeling self-loved.

Louise Hay has a way of writing that takes you by the hand and leads you to a comforting place, she has a unique way of understanding what you’re going through and helps you feel better about yourself. This is a timeless book that I have come back to over and over again!

Being such a great teacher and a shining example of what she teaches, I will return to Louise’s other work in due course. Meantime, if you would like to learn more about her now, click here.

To support this book I have chosen this porcelain heart gift to hang in your home as a permanent reminder to Laugh Often, Love Much, Live Well. I hope you like it!