Ms Moem | Poems. Life. Etc. | Page 48 of 80

Happiness Zappers

Happiness zappers! There are lots of little ways we can each sabotage our own happiness. So, surely if we can identify those, and work on getting rid of them, we should be happier all round?

The following are a selection of happiness zappers. Perhaps you might identify with a few of them.

Not doing things that you enjoy.

It stands to reason that if the things you are doing are not enjoyable, that you won’t be happy. Even if you can only find 5 mins or half an hour a day, fill that time doing stuff that genuinely makes you feel happier. Whether it is listening to music or singing, or crafting, or watching your favourite youtubers, indulge yourself! Call it your golden time!

Comparing yourself to others.

You should never compare yourself to others. It is a sure fire way to lower your vibration. You are your own unique person on your own unique path. Even if you did what A.N.Other was doing to the letter, you would not get that result because you are not that person. That is not a bad thing. Follow your own dreams and don’t resent anyone else theirs!

Staying in toxic relationships.

We’ve all been there. There are people that boost you and people that drain you. Sometimes we are stuck in these situations for longer than we should be. However, even if the severing of the ties will hurt, the after effect could be a breath of fresh air; freeing you and letting you be happy!

Not changing scenery.

It is quite possible to go stir-crazy being trapped in the same place all the time, looking at the same surroundings. That is no good for feeling happy! It has often been said that a change is as good as a rest, and I believe that is true. Try a quick walk, explore somewhere new, drive down a road you’ve never been down. All of these are great ways to boost your feelings of happy!

Over analysing.

Worrying about a problem never made it better. Going over and over the same things in your mind is a real zapper of happiness. If you can’t do anything about it, whether you worry or don’t worry, the outcome will be the same. If you can resolve it, then there is no need to worry. So ditch the worry and feel the happiness bloom.

Always assuming the worst.

Why expect the worst? You don’t know what could happen. If you constantly assume the worst, odds are you will have a tendency to shut down opportunities out of fear or worry that the worst will happen.

Over expectation.

Manage your expectations. If you expect things from other people and they don’t deliver, you will always feel let down. That is not a good place for the feelings of happiness to grow. Stop expecting things from people and then they never can let you down.

I’d be interested to hear what zaps your happiness, and what you do to boost your happiness levels!

This is post 25 of 100 blogs in 100 days.

66 6 word story starters

Getting started is the most important part of writing. For your inspiration, here are 66 6 word story starters and prompts. They can be used as the opening lines of your story, or you could use them to build a scene, which you’d later incorporate into a longer story. However you like to use writing prompts, enjoy!

I didn’t mean to do it.
This was risky. Getting involved with…
“Turn round” he said “and walk….”
Her heart was well and truly…
Rage bubbled daily. It burned like….
The day he didn’t come home…

She’d always liked diamonds but this…
The greatest love story ever told
A piercing scream and then silence
Waiting for the bus, she looked like…
I’m (*name). This is my story.
It was done, and he was….

Today is the day that I
Ring Ring. “Hello, is he there?
Once upon a time, down by….
Twice she knocked on the door
It was a beautiful little trinket
The sun rose over the village

The door slammed shut behind her…
“What do you mean by that?”
It was not really a shock.
He said he hated wearing ties
The explosion boomed across the valley
She’d regret drinking that second cocktail

There was nothing but silence. Nothing
(*Insert Name) was not to be messed with
The advert was placed in the……
Midnight. What happened next would be……
It was a totally normal day
She always said she would meet……

Four hooded figures slipped across the….
Any second now, life would change..
It was now or never. Nervously she…
He’d escaped. He breathed in deeply.
Flashbacks. The never-ending circle of….
Turns out the car wasn’t stolen

I never knew what it felt…..
The garden was beautiful at night.
Choices aren’t always easy. This was…
You’d be surprised if I said…
We woke up with only one….
“This better be good” she sighed.

It was the night before the….
She thought she was invincible
The letter arrived on the Monday…
Certainty would have been a bonus.
At least he was still alive
Hurtling towards earth, he had a

Wedding bells chimed. People threw confetti.
Looking back, it was never likely…
“Were you followed?” he asked menacingly.
It was a chance meeting online…
He had promised to find her
I got all the winning numbers!

The aeroplane was delayed. Great start!
One word. Just one single word.
Hurting him was not an option
A great friend is a blessing
“So, what’s it to be sunshine?”
Being woken up by shouting was

This is post 24 of 100 blogs in 100 days.

If You Know Where You’re Going, Use A Map

If you know where you are going, plot your course on a map. It makes sense. It gives you the precise instructions you need to get to your destination. Deciding where you want to go in life is much the same. If you know who you want to be or what you want to do, there will be certain steps you can identify and action to set you on the right course.

But what if you don’t know what you want to do? What then?

It can be very easy to sit around waiting for inspiration or looking for ideas, and getting so caught up in it all that you never end up taking any action at all. Years pass by and suddenly all you have is ‘if only I had…..’ or ‘what if….’.

So many people say this, but it is true; just do it! Get cracking and do something. Anything. It’s got to be easier to get to an unknown destination if you at least set off. It’s not the most direct route but who knows what you might discover on your journey.

This whole blogging every day for 100 days is a bit like the second scenario. I’m 23 days into the challenge now and whilst I am enjoying creating different content and blog posts, I am still not sure where it is all going. I didn’t set off with an action plan because it was an impulsive challenge take-up. Being nearly a quarter of the way through, I am starting to feel like I am getting into my stride. Even if I only post a micro blog, it feels great to not break the chain.

This is post 23 of 100 blogs in 100 days.

Do What You Love

do what you love micro poem

Time never drags when you do what you love! What do you love doing?

This is post 22 of 100 blogs in 100 days.

Why The Numbers Don’t Matter

When you are blogging, there are numbers for everything: Numbers of blog visitors, numbers of page views, time spent on pages, percentage of click throughs, numbers from this country, numbers from that referral source, numbers of comments, numbers of likes & shares, and so it goes on.

I don’t know if you are anything like me, but I don’t know hundreds of people in real life. I can’t visualise thousands of pairs of eyes all looking at the same thing. So when the numbers say XXXX people saw this post, my eyes glaze over.

The numbers don’t matter.

When I write a blog post, I am sitting alone, one on one with my computer. I can picture one person reading it (*even if it is only me) and so with that perspective, any number greater than one is irrelevant.

It is not a number reading the blog, it is a person.

Numbers don’t matter, but people do.

This is blog post 21 of 100 blogs in 100 days.

International Mother’s Day

The 2nd Sunday in May is Mother’s Day internationally. Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday, is celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent, which is in March.

So, Mother’s Day is celebrated on this day in the following countries:

Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Bonaire
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Canada
Cambodia
Chile
People’s Republic of China†
Colombia
Cuba
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Ecuador
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guyana
Honduras
Hong Kong
Iceland
India
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Kurdistan
Latvia
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Macau
Malaysia
Malta
Netherlands
New Zealand
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Singapore
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United States
Uruguay
Vietnam
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Happy Mother’s Day to all the international mums, all around the world!

This poem I wrote is suitable to share with your Mummy on Mother’s Day – it is called Hold My Hand Mummy and it is read here by my little girl. All rights reserved! ©

© Hold My Hand Mummy is copyright of Ms Moem – not for commercial use!

You can read the full text of my mother’s day poem here: Mother’s Day Poem

This is post 20 of 100 blogs in 100 days.

Eurovision 2014

It’s a night for the family
To gather around the television.
As 26 nations present their songs,
Hoping to win the eurovision.

Some of the acts are zany,
Some a little less weird.
Though the talking point of 2014
Has been a lady with a beard.

There were plunging necklines from Poland
Performing as provocative washerwomen.
They were certainly playing to win it
But not really with their singing.

Then there was a chap who whistled;
It was upbeat and rather jolly.
25 acts warmed-up the crowd
For the UK contestant, Molly.

She rounded off the competition
With no realistic hope of winning.
When you’re up against Conchita
You’re on the back-foot from the beginning.

But when you’re watching Eurovision
The online commentary never stops.
Everyone is a comedian
Against a backdrop of europop!

The production is all fantastic.
The staging and lighting were great.
It’s just a shame our entry can never win
As each country just votes for their mates.

Still, it’s the taking part that’s important
And that’s a valuable lesson to learn.
The winners will host it next year
So that means, Austria, it’s your turn!

A poem about the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

This is post 19 0f 100 blogs in 100 days.

#SnowProject | Say Something Nice Online

Growing up, I was always taught that if you have nothing nice to say, it is better to say nothing at all. That doesn’t seem to be such a rule to live by anymore.
If you ask most people their opinions on the sort of things said on the internet, you can guarantee it wouldn’t be long before the murky subject of nastiness and unpleasantness, anonymous or otherwise, was raised.

It is something definitely tied to internet culture. Perhaps people feel detached because they are behind a screen, but some of the things that are said online would never be said face-to-face in real life. Take twitter for example, people go out of their way to tag celebrities that they supposedly don’t like, saying truly vile things. I don’t know if they forget that there is a real live normal person on the receiving end of said tweets(who just happens to have a cool job), or that they genuinely get-off on upsetting people, but why do it?

I think we should all make a concerted effort to say nice things online instead. Hence the #SnowProject.

According to statistics, we are more likely to share a complaint than something positive. So if we are ticked off with a company, we’re more likely to tell 9 friends about it, whereas if we are happy with something, we only tell 4 people or even less.
We should strive to alter that balance I think. It makes no sense to promote the things you are not happy with, whilst staying quiet about the things that make you happy!

So, let the snow fall. If someone posts a nice picture or blog, tell them you like it. If someone says something that makes you smile, tell them it did and that you appreciate it.

If you get good service from a company, go out of your way to thank them and shout about them. It can make the world of difference to a small business if you publicly tell other people that you are happy with their services and products. I know I am always super pleased to receive unexpected testimonials and kind words for my personalised poetry service!

Perhaps the snow could fall further than just online. Be nicer on and offline. Pay a friend a compliment. Tell a shop assistance you’ve been happy with his or her help, or even seek out their manager and tell them! Do a stranger a favour; give them a smile and say hello!
I love the SNOW acronym: Speak Nicely. Online Warrior. or perhaps ‘speak nicely only & wow!’
Snow, when it falls, covers the world like a blanket of pretty. Beyonce recently asked what is pretty? I think showers of niceness, gratitude and appreciation would be very pretty indeed!

There is no harm in being extra nice. In fact it can be contagious in a good way. Let’s see how far the niceness can spread! Whether just a light sprinkling of snow or a full on snowstorm, I’d love to see more nice things being said online and offline. Join in if you are on twitter, facebook, and youtube, and use the hashtag #SnowProject when you actively say something nice! Why not get started right away. Who could you say something nice to or about?

This is post 18 of 100 blogs in 100 days.

Deep In Conversation

deep in conversation | a poem

Deep In Conversation

I love conversation. Don’t get me wrong. The
dialogue; tongues curling around animated
expressions of self. Arms collaborating
and eyes reading reaction whilst also in
cahoots with the ears who plot tone and intent.

Message sent. Engage in construction of a
response. Lips directed to show either eager
or reluctant continuation: agree
or disagree, accept or reject, secrets
or lies. It just happens without too much thought.

Loose lips cost lives. Cold, dead eyes conceal
their truth. Elusive gaze gives away idle
distraction. Perhaps thoughts of being somewhere
else entirely; of little interest, not
the right moment, or maybe lack of empathy.

What about the impulsive touch which backs up
sincerity; a solid connection, just
for a fleeting moment, but just long enough
to say “Everything really will be okay.
You are not alone. I’m listening. Don’t fret.”

What speaks loudly is silence. What I really
like are the gaps in between the words, the space
where understanding stands, not demanding it
be seen. It’s comfortable just being felt.
Arguably, it holds more power than words.

Deep In Conversation is a poem written by Ms Moem.

This is post 17 of 100 blogs in 100 days.