Your Happiness Factor

Looks can be deceiving: learning has no expiration date  Here is another inspirational post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Steph's videos on YouTube at  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoz1yev_apPjE8XcVrjyjA/videos Everyone makes mistakes. If there's someone who performs 'perfectly' and does everything flawlessly as far as you see, believe me, they make mistakes behind the scenes. Or have made a mistake in the past that has thrust them to where they are now. No one is faultless. It's great when someone seems 'perfect' but underneath they might be a mess. Looks can be deceiving. Never has a phrase been so true and applicable in every situation. You can never tell how someone is feeling. My 'beautiful strangers' belief strikes again. We can never tell how something that we do will affect someone else

Making the tea. When you feel the fear! Here is another post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video on  YouTube    You are arrested by your own fears.  You are the only one stopping you. "Because I might get laughed at!" "Because I might get it wrong!" Sound familiar?  If you never try, you’ll never know. You could be the best.  But a reluctance to face what you could be great at is, of course, a holdback.  If you’re strong enough to not want regrets, you need to let go of your fears. Though people may laugh at the start, when it becomes your norm, people who appreciate you will laugh at them!  Just because someone doesn’t believe in something, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong for you.  My parents are very protective of me and won’t even let me make a cup of tea! Crazy I know: they are on

Don't regret Here is another post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video on  YouTube    'I don’t regret anything I have done or anyone I met. There was a reason for every one – either they’re long lasting friends or they’re to teach me about distance or to show me that holding onto something isn’t worth it. I only regret the time I wasted not making the most of every moment – when, at uni, I used to stay in every night – not making anything happen when I could have. You never know what could happen. Don’t waste it. You only get one chance. So go be free. No one has the right to tell you how to live. I know the future may appear dismal right now, but I promise somewhere there is a star waiting to shine above you. In life, there are 3 things you need: A wishbone; A backbone; A funny

e-happiness: everything happens for a reason Here is another post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video When you move house you adapt it to suit your needs . Situations/catastrophes happen in your life so you can do the same. And although you may not think it at the time, these things occur to make you stronger. And nothing ever happens in the same way again. The changes may be subtle, or it becomes a choice.  Everything has an underlying reason behind it, though it’s not always clear why certain things happen. It may be a small reason, but it all adds up. And you will become a stronger person because of them.  Mark my words!  There is nothing you can do in certain situations and you just have to endure them. It is hard. For instance, when my grandfather died I kept thinking ‘maybe if I had done this di

You Are Unique - It Is Time To Be Proud! Here is another post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video on  YouTube    I was told once that I was really strong because I just don’t care do I?  I do care if you’re important to me. But if it’s a once in a lifetime experience or if I’ll never see the people from a certain situation again I don’t.  Life is too short to worry about what people think of you.  It doesn’t matter what people think of you, as long as you’re happy. When your happiness shines through they can grimace all they like, but they won’t be able to take away your experience. And that’s what life’s all about, experiencing things.  Although it may be a risk, you’ve got to try it else you never know if it’ll work out. And this involves making mistakes too. Lots of them. Everybody makes them.  At

Creating Rainbows Here is another post from contributor, Stephanie Carfrae. She is a Creative Writing Graduate; you can find her own blog  at   www.stephcarfrae.blogspot.co.uk   and I think you will be inspired by Stephanie's  first video on  YouTube    My theory on life – It has to rain a lot in a life before the sun pokes its head through the clouds. There’s no saying how long the rain could last for or how many clouds will gather above you. Life is unpredictable But please remember, beautiful things blossom from the rain and they take time to do this, so don’t think you’re losing time. You are right where you need to be at this moment in time. The rain might last for a day, a week, a month, a few months, a year or a few (etc.) but the sun will rise again, and you’ll realise that everything that has happened to you in your life has been leading up to this moment. So learn to dance in the rain. It’s the best thing about the rain. And learning to hurdle over thin

   For me the perfect recipe is simple, colourful and delicious.  Here is all I need for a perfect evening at home.  Really, it is a very easy recipe.  All you need to add is some lovely, chunky, fresh bread. Ingredients ·          4 tbsp  olive oil ·          2 medium onions, quartered ·          2 cloves of garlic, crushed ·          1 red pepper, sliced ·          1 yellow pepper, sliced ·          2 large aubergines, halved horizontally then sliced into 3cm pieces ·          3 medium courgettes, sliced into 3cm pieces ·          400 g canned chopped tomatoes ·          small bunch of basil, leaves torn ·          2-3 sprigs of thyme ·          Red wine or vinegar and sugar – added for a more intense taste but optional Method   1.      Heat oil in a large casserole dish and sweat the onions and garlic for 10 minutes on a low heat with the lid on.  2.      Add the peppers, aubergines and courgettes and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, stir and cook for a further 20 minutes wit