Have you ever enjoyed a day when everything is wonderful? You wake before the alarm to a glorious sky. The children are sunny and delightful. Your breakfast tastes just that little bit extra-especially delicious. As you go about your day, you feel as if the world is smiling at you. It’s important to bottle moments like that so you can save them for a rainy day. What you put into your bottle will vary from one person to another. When you open your bottle and draw out the contents, that will require you to be selective too.
Here’s some ideas to get you started:
Anticipation
Whether it be the anticipation of tomorrow’s sunrise when all you can hear is rain or the promise of Spring daffodils as you shiver in the wind, thinking about the warmest, prettiest, happiest (add your own superlative 
) time to come can be just enough to lift your spirit. You don’t want to live your life in the future but a drawing a little anticipation from your bottle is a wonderful tonic when all around you seems dull and grey.
Loving the little things
Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow’s still a mystery.
Today is a gift,
That’s why they call it the present.
Using your pre-bottled source of the things that make you smile, take a good look around you. Look at the furry caterpillar scurrying across the path. See how his tiny little body wiggles and squirms. Did you notice how your colleague’s hair just did a little dance as the fan tickled it? Start appreciating the little things in your day that draw your attention.
Smile
You can find something to smile about. If this genuinely is a struggle, force your face into a smile. Practice a little eye smiling, that alone can warm your heart. Start smiling at people you pass in the street. There is not enough smiling in the world, top it up a little. The much quoted adage that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile might not be true in the strickest possible sense but the message goes as read and understood. Besides, it can’t all be down to quantity of muscles involved in an action. The gluteus maximus is just one muscle but to get that moving can be a real struggle in the morning
Love
Love doesn’t make the world go round
Love is what makes the ride worthwhile – Franklin P Jones
Our hearts and souls were made to love. It doesn’t matter how powerful, rich, successful or famous you become, you will always feel empty without love. That’s because deep inside every heart is a hole, a space, that craves to be filled beyond measure with wonderful, perfect, unconditional love. It’s said that the best way to be loved is to love. If that’s the case, start loving others as you’d like them to love you. You’ll be amazed at the impact your love will have.
The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. – Allan K Chalmers
Over to you. What makes your soul sing?
Please add a comment and retweet.
It’s just another one of the ways you can Give A Brick and then tell your friends
photo credit: 1Happysnapper(photography)
Give A Brick works to support children, young people, the elderly and those experiencing financial hardship. If you enjoyed this post, please Give A Brick (just £1 ) then ask your friends to do the same.
Give A Brick is a UK registered charity #1121744
The first project Give A Brick is supporting is the building work at 
What should Give A Brick support next? If you have an exciting community project that, 
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: donpower
January 21, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Hey Eleanor!
I’m very receptive to messages about happiness and positivity these days so thanks for keeping the momentum going.
Been running into a lot of pings about the law of attraction too (start with @loatutor and @henrijuntilla on Twitter). You into that sort of thing?
- Don
Don Power´s last blog ..Askimet, I am very love you FREE
Twitter: GiveABrick
January 21, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Hi Don,
Welcome to the site and thanks for dropping by
I had to Google ‘laws of attraction’ because all I could think of was the film by the same name and I was pretty sure you didn’t mean that
My sister-in-law is very keen on ‘The Secret’ (have you read that?) which seems to sum up how these ideas work. It sounds a lot like praying to me, but without the relationship bit
Personally, I believe that when folks are thinking these things that they’d like to happen, God (because He’s God) can hear this. Who’s to say that the things don’t happen because God hears and wants to make people happy? Or even so that you and I would be having a conversation like this? I get the impression that God’s not keen on using a mega-phone to interrupt conversations so maybe ideas like ‘The Secret’ are used by Him to show people in a subtle, gentle way, that He is there looking out for them?
I’m just speculating really. If I were God I’d be pretty cross that folks were leaving me out of the conversation and wouldn’t want to do anything lovely for them but then He’s a lot more gracious and nice than me
What do you think?
Eleanor´s last blog ..How A Pot Of Dead Basil Made Me Smile Today
Aww… That brought a smile to my face
(<– proof)
Although, all I could see with that quote under 'Loving the little things' was the turtle from Kung Fu Panda (he used it, and my brother was briefly addicted to that film lol. Good though)…
Twitter: bigredtomato
January 21, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Hi Eleanor,
Some great pointers to live life by. Especially when interacting with others.
Smiling is underestimated, but a very powerful trait and tool.
Matthew
Matthew Needham´s last blog ..10 Blogs to watch in 2010
Twitter: GiveABrick
January 21, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Hi Heather,
Thanks for stopping by again. You’re right, it was the turtle, I love that quote. But I really should find out where it originates from. Glad it made you smile too, it is one of my big aims with this blog so you’ve made my day
Awww…! And there was me hoping you knew where it came from lol. Been trying to find out myself
Glad it cheered you
Twitter: GiveABrick
January 21, 2010 at 10:15 pm
I agree Matthew, there’s not enough smiling in this world. I love to make people smile. I also love it when a little smile gets infectious and turns into giggles
Makes it sound like a rash though doesn’t it 
Hope your day has been full of smiles,
Eleanor
Twitter: GiveABrick
January 21, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Heather,
Enjoy the rest of your evening,
Be sure to let me know if you find out. I suspect I’ll quote it again one day
Eleanor
Will do Eleanor – you too!
*runs off to mess about with blog some more*
Twitter: donpower
January 22, 2010 at 6:50 am
Hey Eleanor!
RE: God – hahah well this is a can of worms, isn’t it.
I actually believe in God (I think). I used to have a better concept of what I thought God was but as I get older and with more experience I’m less sure !
That being said, I have no problem with the concept of God running the show – so to speak. I actually do believe in some form of this – though it is a lot more complex a concept than the standard Judeo Christian concept of God (I was born and raised Catholic and went to Catholic school right up till graduation at Grade 12 so I am very familiar with the God of Catholic flavored Christianity – See my commentluv link below for an example).
Nowadays I prefer to refer to myself as spiritually conscious as opposed to religious and to me there is a HUGE difference.
But the punchline to me is that I believe there is a top level creative and driving force and that we can tap into it through prayrer, or mediatation or personal intospection, or the Secret or the Law of Attraction or whatever – just don’t go down the path of religion (I think that gets us much further away from the Truth).
Tap into the basil leaves, the bugs crawling across your arm on a summer day – whatever helps you become aware that the whole is WAY bigger than the sum of the parts.
Cal it God, or Quantum mechanics, Yahweh, Buddha, Allah…you say to-MAH-TO I say Toe-MAY-toe but we needn’t call the whole thing off!
Cheers!
- Don
Don Power´s last blog ..Keep X in Christmas
Twitter: GiveABrick
January 22, 2010 at 10:06 am
Hi Don
I don’t think God was ever meant to be the can of worms having a conversation about Him can be. Because I agree with you, organised religion has done much to hurt people’s thoughts about spiritual things. And I also agree, I don’t think of myself as religious either.
When you say ‘religion’ I think of rules and condemnation and men in long frocks. I don’t believe that’s what Jesus ever meant for the church at all. Church was meant to be about relationships, with Him and with each other. Lots of love and supporting each other rather than scaring people into doing stuff.
Have you read ‘The Shack’? Awesome book. Challenged my preconceptions about God and church. Made me cry too
Definitely worth a read I suggest.
Thanks for the continued conversation, it’s good to talk
Off to read your blog post now. Catch up with you later,
El
Eleanor´s last blog ..How A Pot Of Dead Basil Made Me Smile Today
Twitter: donpower
January 22, 2010 at 11:01 am
Hey Eleanor – I agree on all your points too – thank God !
I have not heard of The Shack but I’m going to go look it up. Thanks for the heads up!
BTW – I replied to your comment on my blog too – and as you could tell I appreciated the comments from Chuck and Robert too. Quite a compliement to get so many valuable comments – including yours!
Thanks!
- Don
Don Power´s last blog ..Keep X in Christmas
Twitter: GiveABrick
January 22, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Hi Don,
Let me know what you think of The Shack too. I’m reading it for the second time and would love to compare notes.
That’s good to hear
I’m going to have to catch up with the comments on your blog tomorrow as family commitments are calling. Looking forward to continued conversation.
Eleanor
Eleanor´s last blog ..1 Minute Motivator: Count Your Blessings
{ 3 trackbacks }