286 Articles
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I am a lover of life who collects literary quotes and owl ornaments. I like to question things and try to see both sides of the picture. When I am out and about I like to take photos of beautiful, interesting or quirky things I see and particularly love street art.
I don't recall hearing the term 'social distancing'
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One day you are off to work in a busy office as you have been doing for the past five years or lon...
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While researching tips for things that make people happier I came across the claim people who slee...
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If you do a Google search you will find plenty of quotes on the topic of happiness
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Recently I came across **armchairing,** another word that was new to me
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When I come across a word that is new to me I often write it down on a scrap of paper or put it on...
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Where do you want to live? Would you rather live in an upmarket prestigious area or somewhere th...
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There are some interesting You Tube videos where people talk about things they have stopped buying...
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Finding topics you want to develop into an article, blog post, essay, short story, novel or poem c...
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A topic set for homework at the writers’ group I belong to was, ‘Would you like to be famous? ...
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Some of the ideas we read today may seem new because they are different from commonly held beliefs...
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We are aware the world has changed so much in recent times
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According to Wikipedia, **research** is 'creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the ...
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These days there are many ideas and tips about the benefits of owning less stuff
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Do you like to express yourself by writing? What motivates you to write? Do you write for money, f...
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Recently a blog post I read made me think about the phrase 'a waste of time'
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When people hear the word 'amnesia' they worry because they know it means forgetting things and th...
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Whether you are thinking about goals to get things done or making a difference in the world, the l...
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Our senses make us more aware of the world around us, sometimes warning us of danger
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A few months ago I sold my house and moved to a new home
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Life is full of decisions of what to save and what to get rid of (delete)
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These days we are nagged not only by the real life people we interact with but our cars, phones an...
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Okay, so you have had a really bad day or a bad week
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These days we are bombarded with information about all the things we%% should%% be fitting into ou...
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When you read the title you may have thought it crazy to suggest decluttering, which can take lots...
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I love flicking through garden and home style magazines
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If I have to do something I would rather not, I often plan a reward or pleasurable activity to do ...
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We all have to do some shopping for food, basic clothes, household goods or other essentials
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There you are at the supermarket check out and the assistant asks, 'Have you got much planned for ...
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April is Stress Awareness Month in a number of countries, including Australia
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Some people like to live on their own but others enjoy having at least one other person around for...
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Most of us have held onto things because wethink we %%might%% need them one day
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Doing something creative can make a person feel happy and inspired to do other creative things
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What is it that people with anthophobia fear? They have an overwhelming **irrational** fear of flo...
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Many people find they are happier if they %%decide%% they want to feel that way
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So much information, so many opinions, so many variations to consider
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As I write this, 2018 is a few days away
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How do you get the right information? Where do you go to get up to date, accurate information that...
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When I was a child time seemed to pass too slowly in some situations
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As I sit in my comfortable home I think back to my childhood and teenage years
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Sometimes it is a relief to find a new home for something you no longer need
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While looking for something quite unrelated on the internet, I came across words we never hear now...
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The names of some phobias are pretty easy to work out and others aren't
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We've heard of yuppies, they've been around since the 1980s
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Perhaps you like the idea of writing articles for Self Avenue but just can't think what to write a...
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These days many people need to do courses and updates or whole new qualifications throughout their...
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Libraries have changed a great deal over the years and most of these changes have improved them
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About eighteen months ago I decided to see if I could manage without a car
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The world of study has changed a great deal over the past few decades
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**What is a sense of humour?**
The Macmillan English Dictionary simply says a sense of humour is ...
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I read recently of the concern today's youth feel about their ability to deal with stress
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Often when we here the word 'alone' we think of someone who is lonely and has no family or friends...
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I don't live in the UK but I read Saturday March 11th is their second 'Clear Your Clutter Day'
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The word frugal means 'spending very little money and only on things that are really necessary' ac...
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Gelophobia is also called geliophobia or gelotophobia
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Okay, so spiders and scorpions are arachnids
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Having a sense of humour helps you get through some tough times and can make the good times even b...
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The full quote from religious leader, Dieter F Uchtdorf is, 'In **family relationships**, love is ...
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Sometimes we have interactions with someone who seems rude, thoughtless or self-centred
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Have you ever come across someone you know only to find them looking at you blankly as if they hav...
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Decluttering is generally considered a 'good' thing these days
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The decluttering process can take a long time, even years
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These days one often hears or reads advise about aiming high, planning big things and not being co...
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The end of the day is a good time to think about all the good things in one's life
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Some people set themselves high standards and feel they should be achieving more and doing better ...
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**Promotional Materials**
When I sort a drawer to declutter I sometimes come across promotional...
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I have learnt many things from various sources over the years
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The other afternoon I boarded a busy train full of people heading home after work
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Most people are familiar with the saying, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
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It is easy to accumulate many things associated with Christmas that can end up as clutter
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I have read numerous articles about decluttering one's collection of clothes and accessories
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Some people like to have lots of furniture in their house, feeling it adds to a cosy vibe
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It's not surprising to hear working on tricky word or number puzzles is beneficial to the brain
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Many people enjoy looking at the plants in their garden
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Writing has some advantages over many other hobbies
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The beginning of spring is an idyllic time in my part of the world
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It can seem that being a mother isn't valued a great deal by today's society
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This weekend I attended the local writers' festival and have come home inspired
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Some writers use their writing as a tool to deal with personal issues and they have no desire to p...
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Health issues which lead to not being able to continue your job, negative interactions with anothe...
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When someone has an item they no longer need they may wonder if they should try to get a few dolla...
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At first glance one could expect chromophobia to be an irrational fear of objects made of chrome
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Green is the colour of grass, healthy evergreen trees and is associated with Nature
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Sometimes I wonder if books, newspapers and magazines in physical paper form will be around in dec...
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Purple is a colour traditionally associated with royalty and luxury
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You may be passionate about writing but still suffer from writer's block
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These days there are many ways to learn something new or add to your existing knowledge
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It started when I was reading a book about frugality and whether an item is essential or a luxury...
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The other day I read that if a person wears bright yellow underwear they will feel happier
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We often hear people say they will be happy %%when%% or %%if%%
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Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, teacher and politician who lived between 551 and 479BC said, ...
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It has rained off and on all day and although some may have found this depressing, I enjoyed the d...
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The other day when I was in Adelaide I saw the words,'That "Love Thy Neighbour" thing
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I have to admit I am not super quick to accept new technology
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Some aspects of what is considered good manners have changed over the last few decades
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I started thinking about how manners have changed over the course of my lifetime and that led me t...
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I was looking at Pinterest when I came across the following quote which caught my attention, 'Youâ...
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I like to use my own images for the articles I write
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With another long weekend on the horizon I got talking to a young woman about ways to spend the br...
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Today I spent time doing something I rarely do these days
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summarised some of the health issues which can result from a constant stressed feeling brought ab...
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I recently came across the term 'Rushing Woman's Syndrome' in a magazine
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About eighteen months ago I held a garage sale and stated I would %%never%% hold another one becau...
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It can be interesting to have a record of things that happened, sights we saw and how we felt in t...
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If you have to make a decision or work through something that is bothering you, what do you find i...
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I saw some words of wisdom the other day which got me thinking about mistakes
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Verbophobia comes from the Latin word, %%verbo%% meaning words and %%phobia%%, the Greek word for ...
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When I am walking down a street in a shopping area or wandering through a mall I always stop to read...
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Sometimes you feel the need to talk about a matter that is on your mind
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One day I was out exploring when I came across a secondhand shop called %%Some Days Are Diamonds%%...
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I find it ironic that many inventions which are supposed to save us time or make life easier often...
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When I go out for coffee in a cafe on my own I like to read any newspapers or magazines that are a...
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Do you have a phobia? The definition of 'phobia' varies a little depending on the source you consu...
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What is a quick way to lower blood pressure, relieve stress, reduce fatigue and boost your immune...
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Dr Seuss questions, 'How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon
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I believe it is important to do things to start your day in a happy frame of mind to set the tone fo...
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Some people will soon be having a holiday break and are planning to spend time unwinding after Chris...
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Has a stranger ever helped you out or performed an act of kindness that you have never forgotten? ...
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My favourite way of communicating with people is face-to-face
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It is probably easier to start the day in a happy mood if you are a morning person with no children ...
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There are many factors that work together to make each of us the person we are today
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With the start of yet another new year just around the corner, many people are thinking about new ...
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Most people are familiar with the Latin saying 'Carpe Diem' which is often translated to mean 'seize...
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The ‘flight or fight’ reaction is often mentioned when talking about how humans respond to stres...
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There are moods we consider positive and others we look upon as negative
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When I was in Adelaide today I decided to spend some time in the Botanic Garden
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I enjoy cooking and it is fun to try out a new recipe
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I believe I am getting the clutter that tends to build up in my house under control
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When I take photos I usually focus on something positive, something I consider beautiful or inspir...
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In this day and age everyone needs a car, don't they? We all have places to go and people to see
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**Nature relatedness** is the way an individual reacts to and connects on an emotional level with ...
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These days we are often told to look after our own needs first
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It is great to have friends of various ages rather than just those who are around your own age
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What is the definition of ‘friend’? My Heinemann Australian Dictionary says,’ any person who...
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We have probably all come up against problems which revolve around not having enough of something...
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Some people believe they will be happier when they get a new house, new car, promotion or pay rise...
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Today I was thinking about presents I have received over the years that I have particularly apprec...
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Many of the things listed as contributing to making people happy come as no surprise to me as I wr...
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As a writer you choose what you share with others
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Do you wish you were generally more creative? Would you call yourself a creative person but have d...
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I love quotes and have a collection of those that resonate with me
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I like winter, but then it is easy for me to feel happy about this time of the year
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You smile when you feel happy but sometimes you can feel happy when you make a conscious effort to...
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It can be difficult to forgive and forget or ‘let go’ of old hurts
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This morning I was driving home from buying groceries when I decided to list ten things I felt g...
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Sometimes I don’t want to try an activity because it isn’t ‘my thing’
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It is nice when others give us praise, acknowledge our efforts and say we are doing a good job
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It is traditional to reflect on life and make resolutions at the end of a year or the start of the...
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In I wrote about reading, knitting, music and walking a dog as examples of relaxing hobbies
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My Heinemann Australian Dictionary gives the following as the definition for **hobby**, ‘any act...
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One of my all time favourite movies is the Australian movie, ‘The Castle’
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People who are ‘hopeful’ are able to face difficulties in a more positive way because they are...
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Some time ago I wrote an article about wanting to hear and read the good news instead of an endl...
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Sometimes I wonder if I decide to take my little dog for a walk or if he is the one who makes th...
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When you are driving a car you can listen to an inspirational talk, music or the radio
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Sometimes the journey to achieving a goal is a long way
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On a day to day basis many people seem to focus on the negative and their interactions with ot...
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It is easy to take certain things for granted and stop appreciating them
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You are probably asking, ‘What is the fringe car?’ I was walking down our main street this morni...
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Every day we hear about sad and shocking events happening in the world
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I was sitting in a café sipping a cappuccino the other day when I started thinking about all so...
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A mug is just something you drink your hot chocolate, coffee or tea out of, isn’t it? To me a ...
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Sometimes it is great to have a day which I can devote to writing
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I don’t know about you, but when I was younger I %%hated%% making mistakes
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From time to time one becomes drained and no longer feels inspired
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When you have a number of things to do, how do you decide the order to do them in? How do %%you%...
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We often read that comparing ourselves to others isn’t a good thing to do
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I was reading some quotes about clouds the other day and noticed different reactions to the word...
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Recently I read about a movement which was started with the aim of improving the lives of a grou...
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Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching three pre-schoolers happily interacting on the train
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Having plans and setting goals to improve aspects of one’s life can certainly be useful
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When I left secondary school I started university the following year
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I was looking at the community noticeboard today when I saw something different that made me smi...
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What sort of things do you think of when someone mentions taking a risk? The Heinemann Australia...
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I recently read an article where the writer was bemoaning the fact a text message led to a misun...
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Recently I started thinking about travelling down a road you have been on before, both in a lite...
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It can be easy to get used to things and take them for granted
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Some workers are good at brightening the day of those they come in contact with during their wor...
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For many people travelling by public transport is what you do when your car has broken down, is ...
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Jane Austen said, ‘ There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort
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I was on the train the other weekend when I got chatting to the man sitting next to me
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The newspapers, radio, television and internet are full of bad news
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I read a quote the other day which was very descriptive and made me think about the importance...
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With anything you want to do, getting started is often the most difficult part
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These days it is easy to find oneself with a lot of clutter
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Sometimes I read a quote that gets me so interested I get hold of the book it came from
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Most of my written communication these days is by email or quick text messages
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Memories are important to us and are great as long as we don’t get stuck in the past and forge...
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In Part 1 I wrote about the growing awareness that many people need to slow down if they are to ...
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The word ‘slow’ has had some negative connotations as meaning ‘backward’ or lacking in i...
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Whatever one does there can be a reason to feel guilty about it
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Research has shown that happiness is determined by a combination of life circumstances (10%), wh...
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This morning I went to the library to pick up a book I had on hold
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I enjoy feeling happy, I do things to make myself experience happiness and I don’t like to be ...
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It is fun to write poetry and it can also be therapeutic
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In I wrote about what can contribute to self doubt and the effect it can have
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Self doubt is that inner critic who says you aren’t good enough or clever enough to do somethi...
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These days with all its hustle and bustle it can be easy to forget to live in the now, the momen...
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An individual may be breathing, moving, eating, sleeping, talking and doing things, but is he/sh...
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Frank Lloyd Wright’ (American architect, writer and educator) wrote, ‘Study nature, love n...
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People who own pets tend to be healthier and happier than those who don’t
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It is wonderful to think back on good times and positive events of the past
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We can come to a point in our lives where we feel we are dwelling on the past too much and arenâ...
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Working on self improvement is generally considered positive and admirable
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There are books and articles that warn against being a perfectionist and wanting everything and ...
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