The Grey

I recently saw the film ‘The Grey’ where a group of men find themselves lost in the wilderness after their plane crashed. The film effectively portrays the feeling of being isolated with just your own wits to survive, while also displaying the emotions that arise when faced with such an experience.

 It made me think how, being stripped of everything that represents security to us must be a frightening feeling, perhaps it’s a feeling that also resonates with people when they are first faced with a life threatening disease. However, if we can take something from these scenarios without having the misfortune of actually going through them ourselves, the key learning point is that the biggest single thing we have are the people in our lives. It is when these people are brought to the forefront of our minds in a situation described above that literally all else pales into insignificance, and it is in those people we have strongest feeling for where we find our deepest source of comfort.

 So my question to you is this…. If you were lost and alone in the wilderness, miles away from anyone, unsure when you might see anyone again, with nothing but a pen and paper; what would you write and who would you write it to?

 Whatever your message, I have no doubt that somewhere in there would be the 3 simple words ‘I Love You’. Whoever those people are, why not write them the note now?

A gift to say 'I Love You....with all my heart and soul'

 

What you say matters!

So often we let things pass us by without saying what we think. We may see something or hear something and it triggers a thought but how many times do we say what we're thinking?


While thinking of someone can generate warm feelings, it can make a huge difference if, just now and again, you let another person know that they came into your thoughts at that moment on that day, because, in so doing, you make them feel good too! Be it a text message, a card, an email, a phone call or a small gift, choose your method of communication but make the effort, because it takes something very little to mean something very big to the recipient.

...And while I'm on the subject of letting people know what you think, I ask that you spend a minute or two letting us know what you think of Bags of Goodness! While we happily keep going, it would be really useful if you gave us your honest feeedback about you like or what's missing at Bags of Goodness.

We know that what you say is important, not just to those you know and love but what you say to us matters too, so please, take a moment and look again at our website and tell us what we could do to make it even better! Consider our products, our prices and the website itself, including the concept of what Bags of Goodness is all about.

P.S. Please don't just tell us what you think we want to hear, compliments are always welcome but feedback of any kind works for us! Just be honest! Thanks!

Do it ...just because!

Regrets of the Dying

Don't be put off by the title of this post! .....Instead follow this link to the blog post with the same title, that was written by Bronnie Ware. A modern day philanthropist, Bronnie Ware has, through her life experience of working with patients in palliative care, written a summary of 5 key regrets which perfectly describe how we should all focus a little more on the way we spend our lives day to day.

As I read it I thought about the aspects of my own life that I should change, and it was after a recent discussion with a friend about that very word - 'should' - that I realised that change won't happen unless I change my own language, the way I talk to myself and thus change my approach to life. The 5 Regrets of the Dying start each sentence with the words 'I wish..' because it's really too late for them to re-live their life. Their regrets have nothing to do with money, career or material wealth, which should be obvious to us all really, because when we leave, the only thing that matters about what we leave behind are the memories. There are no amount of material possessions that can replace the feeling of having people in your life.

If you're fortunate enough to have good health, read and take note of what it means to be alive and well by the people who are not as fortunate as you are. I hope that reading The Regrets of the Dying blog will stop you in your tracks if only for a moment and get you to think - it certainly stopped me! Whatever our regrets of our past are, let's not make them regrets in our future.

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!

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.

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!

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!