New Year Resolutions

How to make them. How to Keep them!

We often enter the new year with new resolutions - something we want to change, do differently, a behaviour or a goal we want to attain - be it health, wealth or happiness related. Here a few hints on how to make that happen!

This has been something that has been on my mind for quite some time.

And something I have been trying to get my head around for a while.

I know so much has been written about it and I know that there have been all sorts of ideas and suggestions to 'throw away your day job and travel the world'. And that's all very well and good (if that's what you want to do). But it's not at all possible.

Is it?

It's time, don't you think?

2016 has arrived.

All those things you've always wanted to do. That life you have wanted to live.

Isn't it about time you started to put things in place?

Want to find your soul mate?

Want that job?

Ever get stuck on the word 'should'?

You know - I should do some exercise. I should phone my friend. I should eat some spinach.

And then the word 'must'... I must sort out my filing, I must pay attention. I must pay the bill.

The definition (according to the online dictionary) of the word 'should':

used to indicate duty, propriety, or expediency.

Today I had a Skype call with a few of the participants in the study group of the Science of Happiness course through Edx.

This was my second Skype conference call.

And both times I have come away from these with a profound sense of appreciation.

So for the last few weeks, I've been doing a few courses (all in the name of research of course). Two are on Happiness - (A Life of Happiness and Fulfilment and The Science of Happiness), and the other is on Resilience. (Through Coursera and Edx). All are excellent courses and highly recommended.

In all the courses they talk about how humans are naturally wired to seek the 'bad' or negative in circumstances - it's a life saving strategy (noise in the bush - better think it's a lion rather than a bird, rather being the other way around). However, clearly it doesn't always serve us well in the modern world

Have there been times in your life, when the lack of friend/companion to take part in an activity resulted in you not doing something you really wanted to do? Wanted to got to a concert, movie, walk, hike - but not having anyone to go along with stopped you from going?

As the youngest child in a family of six, I can quite happily say I didn't take much responsibility for much. Why would I when I have a number of older caring people to look after me?? And although this trait has followed my gently into adulthood - I've also