Monday, July 23, 2012

Thoughts for a new week :: we are shaped by our thoughts


Welcome to Monday lovelies! 

I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject of happiness lately: how to create it and how to live it as part of your daily life, rather than it being this elusive fleeting moment you find yourself constantly chasing after.

Then I came across this quote, suggesting that creating joy is simply a by-product of our thoughts and by filling our minds with only good and uplifting thoughts can change your whole perspective, leading to that wonderful state of happy.

So this week I'm on a mission to follow the wisdom that Buddha speaks and only fill my mind with positive and happy thoughts and see where it leads me. It will require some steely determination on my part and I'm guessing, continual introspection, but I'm going to try + report back on how it went in next week's post. 

Anyone else keen to give it a go?

On a side note, my weekend was filled with all kinds of happy. I've been planning my trip (who knew there was so much to organise before going away for 5 weeks?!) and loving the whole process of reading and researching the parts of Europe I'm travelling to. 

I hope you have a wonderful start to the week!

Rachel xo

P.S tomorrow marks the start of an excting new mini series on the blog, so make sure you stop by!

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16 comments:

  1. Great quote to start the week!

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  2. This post was EXACTLY what I needed recently. I've been such a Debbie Downer lately about everything. I'm totally going to give it a go with you!

    xx
    Carissa

    www.mean-maharani.com

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    1. Carissa, I'm excited that you are giving this a go too! I would love to know how you are progressing with it throughout the week :) I've had to pull myself up a few times today, but so far so good!

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  3. Sounds like a good way to spend the week Rachel! I hope it's off to a great start :)

    Abbey x

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  4. I'm going to follow your advice. :) Have fun planning your trip! It must be so exciting. :)
    Ada

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  5. I love planning trips! I really liked Buddha's quote and I'm curious to find out what you have in store for us =)
    My Own Project

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  6. Hi Rachel, in your reading about happiness, have you come across the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin? I loved her practical approach. She has a blog too with lots of great content. Agree that after a lot of reading though, its sometimes best to strip back to one principle to focus on, like you have. Good luck!

    http://blog.cultiver.com/

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    1. Nic, yes I have read The Happiness Project and love Gretchen's practical/no nonsense approach! I've also been reading Sarah Wilson's blog lately and one of her recent posts about 'meaning over happiness' really struck a chord as its true that happiness is often treated as a pinnacle moment, but it's all a matter of perception really, hence this post :)

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  7. A great quote - I will try to follow this as well. So excited for you re: Europe! :)

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  8. This is one of my favorite quotes, what a great way to start the week! I think we all need a little reminder to keep our thoughts positive sometimes. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Love this! I was just thinking today about my goals for the rest of the year for me- tiny steps and achievements to reach the big. This goes fittingly! Happy Monday, indeed.

    Cheers, Elizabeth of The Corner Apartment

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  10. SO jealous Rachel! I just returned from 4 weeks in Europe and am dying to go back. Love the quote too. Enjoy the trip planning process- it's so exciting! xoxo

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  11. I could not agree with you more on this. It's kind of uncanny to read your thoughts on the subject, actually, because I have recently begun to think/realize/read about these things myself. I think I've said it in previous comments here, but the older I get, the more I begin to believe that your state of mind is purely up to you, that it doesn't really depend at all on outward circumstances but on inner thoughts. Have a wonderful week!

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  12. Love these words, and they are so so true. Happy travel planning, is fun right? We've been planning our trip to NZ and I can't wait! I hope is not too cold though.
    Excited for the series ;)

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  13. I'll join you on that one - it's so easy to start being negative and ungrateful, it's awesome to be reminded that you should make an effort to improve your thoughts.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  14. They are very true Rachel, great quote. Ah Europe...so exciting! That reminds me, I have to start planning ours! :)

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