Tag Archives: Joy

The Speed of Life

Click to share this post

At what speed do you live your life?

We can probably generalise and say we live a slow paced, easy going life or we live a fast paced, hectic life.

We may be somewhere in between.

A better question to ask would be,

At what speed do you want to live your life?

Here’s some astrophysics that explains how fast we are all travelling,

1.The earth rotates on its own axis making one complete rotation every 24 hours which gives us night and day.

This happens at about 1,037 miles per hour. 

2.The earth revolves around the Sun making one complete rotation every 365 days which is one year. 

This happens at about 67,000 miles per hour.

3.The Sun, Earth, and our entire Solar System are orbiting the centre of our Milky Way.

This happens at about 500,000 miles per hour

4.Our Galaxy, the Milky Way moves in space relative to other galaxies

This happens at about 1.3 million miles per hour. 

That’s enough speed to make us very dizzy! 

I’m no astrophysicist and so I don’t know if you add up or multiply all of the above to get our exact speed but we are moving VERY VERY FAST! Here’s a really good article that explains this speed much better than I can – How fast is earth moving?

For me this is plenty speed – I don’t want to live my life any faster than this.

In the last 3 decades of my life I lived my life at a fast paced and hectic speed.

A few years ago this speed started to become less enjoyable.

It felt too fast.

It felt like I was speeding my way through life and not taking enough notice of the preciousness and awe of life.

Then I slowed down.

I left my job without another, I streamlined my responsibilities & commitments, I removed myself from everything that no longer interested me – I just slowed down.

This slower speed,

  • felt better
  • felt right
  • brought more joy
  • brought more enjoyment
  • brought more happiness
  • brought more peace

Part of my goals for this year and beyond is to continue living life at this slow paced, joyful, happy and peaceful speed.

  • What speed do you live your life at?
  • Do you want to live your life at a slower or faster speed?

Want to join my weekly newsletter?

If so download my free ebook ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

x x

Click to share this post

The JOY of solitude

Click to share this post

Have you done Mel Robbins exercise yet?

Basically it’s an exercise to see where you can bring more HAPPINESS & JOY into your life. if you missed my blog post you can read the blog post here ‘What brings you JOY and what fills YOUR days’.

What’s your relationship with solitude?

Do you like spending time alone?

There will no doubt be two camps who answer this question very differently.

The introverts will say YES.

The extroverts will say? I don’t know what the extroverts will say, maybe you can tell me?

I know introverts will say YES as I am an introvert and one of my favourite things to do is spend time alone, solitude brings me much JOY.

Why does solitude bring me JOY?

Firstly, being an introvert solitude is how I recharge my batteries. Solitude is how I gain enough energy to be able to function when in other people’s company. Time in solitude for introverts is just as important as oxygen is!

Solitude gives me time to think. I have a very active mind (doesn’t everyone 🤔) and I need time alone to process things and clear my head.

I don’t know what the extroverts will say – that’s why I’m asking the question?

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, do you like spending time in solitude?

Do you find JOY in solitude?

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, much can be learned about yourself or the introverts in your life from Susan Cain’s brilliant book ‘Quiet’.

I’d love to know your thoughts.

Would you like to join my weekly newsletter?

If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

Thanks for reading 🙏

Siobhain

x x

Click to share this post

The JOY of reading 📚

Click to share this post

In my blog post What brings you JOY and what fills YOUR days’ I wrote about the 2 lists that Mel Robbins suggests we create and whether those 2 lists align.​

Basically it’s an exercise to see where you can bring more HAPPINESS & JOY into your life.

I have much to be HAPPY & JOYFUL about but my days are filled with an overarching sense of sadness and loss.

There are glimpses of HAPPINESS & JOY but always tinged with sadness and loss.

That’s just my life at the moment and I’ll work through it. Some days it’s so hard but my Dad’s memory and the life he lived and gave to our family deserves to be honoured.

One of the JOYFUL activities in my life is reading.

The only thing I love more than reading is writing.

​The thing with reading (especially physical books) is that you need lots of time.​

Listening to audiobooks also takes time but you can listen to them while doing something else – driving, walking etc.

Getting the time to read physical books is a work in progress.

I don’t like reading a few pages at a time, I much prefer immersing myself in a physical book for hours at a time.

This makes creating the required time for reading difficult.

That said, it is totally worth it.

When I do dedicate the required time to reading I feel so JOYFUL & HAPPY and that JOY & HAPPINESS lasts well beyond when my reading finishes 📚

Over the past few years for many reasons, I haven’t been able to dedicate as much time to reading physical books as I would have liked.

I’m prioritising reading from now on – I want to be more JOYFUL and reading is an endless source of joy for me.

What could you prioritise that brings you HAPPINESS & JOY?

Does reading bring you JOY?

I have always wanted to create a blog post to share with you the books I have read and love. This will take me a while and isn’t something I can commit to this year but here is a list of some of my favourite books that I have previously shared with you.

Every single book on this list has changed my life for the better and can do the same for you.

​BOOKS & MENTORS.pdf ❤️

Would you like to join my weekly newsletter?

If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

Thanks for reading 🙏

Siobhain

x x

Click to share this post

The JOY of Netflix ❤️

Click to share this post

What do you do to relax?

​​From the list of what brings me JOY one if the things I do to relax is watch Netflix.​

I arrived at the Netflix party late. Friends at work had been taking about Netflix for ages and as I didn’t have it I could only imagine the JOY they all shared from it.

When I left work in late 2021, I needed a break from all things work and so I looked for something to do that wasn’t work!

This was difficult for me.

Writing had become work, social media had become work, reading and listening to podcasts had become work as all I read and listened to was business books & podcasts.

My entire existence and everything I did had become work!

What could I focus on that wasn’t any of the above?

The answer was Netflix ❤️

The productivity & hustle culture are not fans of Netflix as they think watching Netflix isn’t time well spent.

I totally disagree with this.

I think watching Netflix is absolutely TIME SPENT VERY WELL!

Here are the many benefits of Netflix and why I think it’s a great way to spend your time and relax,

• Netflix is relaxing – you need to rest, recover and relax to function optimally

• Netflix is educational – there are some incredible documentaries on Netflix – some of the best I’ve seen are Downfall, Dope, Seaspiracy.

• Netflix is inspiring – there are some brilliant inspirational biography documentaries on Netflix which I love. Stultz is my favourite- if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

• Netflix combines genius writing with genius acting and genius cinematography. My favourite series include Breaking Bad (the best TV i have ever watched!), Ozark, Narcos, Narcos Mexico & The Queen’s Gambit.

• It’s mobile – you can watch Netflix anywhere at any time on your mobile phone – efficiency at it’s best

• Netflix is very affordable – Netflix is relatively cheap, the biggest cost is your time!

The documentary that inspired this email is ‘Human – the world within’.

​If you watch one thing on Netflix, let it be this! ‘Human – the world within’ is a most fascinating documentary series on the complexity, vastness and powerful machine we all inhabit – THE HUMAN BODY.

What do you do to relax that brings you JOY?

Have you found the JOY of Netflix?

Do you have any Netflix recommendations? I’m always looking for new things to watch!

Would you like to join my weekly newsletter?

If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

Thanks for reading 🙏

Siobhain

x x

Click to share this post

What brings YOU joy and what fills YOUR days?

Click to share this post

I recently heard Mel Robbins talk about how to find the happiness you once had. 

Mel suggests you make two lists.

  • The first list is what brings you joy or what were you doing at a happier time in your life?
  • The second list is how do you currently spend your days?

You then compare the lists to see if your days are filled with what makes you happy and joyful or not!

If these lists align then great – you already have happy & joyful days.

If these lists don’t align you need to align them to bring more happiness & joy into your life.

Sounds simple right?

I followed Mel’s advice and made 2 lists.

What makes me happy & joyful or what was I doing at a happier time in my life?

That’s an easy list to make – time with loved ones, time alone, reading, writing, creating, learning, travelling, photography, exercise & relaxing.

Are my days filled with these activities?

The honest answer is not as much as I would like.

If I could spend my time doing all of the above my life would not just be joyful, it would be blissful! 

This tells me it’s time to make changes.

Ironically what used to bring me immense joy and made up most of my time before was work.

Work no longer brings me the joy it used to which highlights where we find joy can change as we grow and evolve.

I do want to work again in the future but it will be very different to how I worked before. 

  • What brings you happiness & joy or what were you doing at a happier time in your life?
  • How do you currently spend your days?
  • Are your lists aligned?

Would you like to join my weekly newsletter?

If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 

Thanks for reading, 

Siobhain

x x

Click to share this post