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!