Good advice

Because I am in a good mood, I shall dispense some advice for people who are struggling in their work, relationships, self identity, whatever.

1. You will always have problems.
Whose goal in life is to be happy? Well, mine is! But striving for happiness does not mean we do not have problems - in fact choosing to ignore them is worse if you might agree. There are problems in every area of life be it finances, work, study, family, relationships. And once one problem is solved, another one inevitably pops up. What's one to do? Some say focus on the solution , not the problem... But sometimes the solution takes long in coming. Meanwhile, know that life is a learning curve and we do have to improve ourselves. =)

2. Lower your expectations and float in hope.
We are disappointed at times because face it, we put too much pressure and high expectations on ourselves. Living here is definitely stressful and sometimes we have the same demands and expectations of everyone and everything. Why are we making ourselves miserable... come to think of it, we are doing this to ourselves. Can anyone stop complaining for a moment? We complain the bus is too slow, the weather is too warm/cold, our friends are too irritating, our family is not understanding, and so on. Make one day a no complaint day and just smile. Smiling at others is good for your heart! I'm not saying you can be incompetent because incompetent people really should be shot, but just look on the bright side for once - or count your blessings. If the situation is really really hopelessly bad, and if you personally cannot do anything about it, then you can only leave it to God. Stop worrying when you do that, it shows a lack of trusting Him. I've seen many people complain about their jobs. Sure work is stressful and no one likes 100% of everything they do. Even though mine is, I don't complain, because I choose not to. Maybe I feel so blessed that I'm given the opportunity of lifetime to work here. I mean, the 'worst-case' senario is that if you are really unhappy, just quit. You will only lose your job and don't sacrifice other things in life which are more important.

3. Pamper yourselves!
I believe in pampering yourself - with small rewards! It's so relaxing to go for a massage or a manicure after some stressful activities, or just chill out with lots of cake and nice drinks. Retail therapy is also good. Just buying some small toys or trinkets to make yourself happy. Doesn't need to be very expensive. I sometimes treat myself to bubble tea - don't know why but feel luxurious after drinking it! Also, love manicures now that they are sooooo affordable. For guys I think sometimes they too need to take time off, play games, do some fun activities. Life is meant to be enjoyed and at times, we just need to relax and waste time. Put on a face mask, relax at home. I find exfoliating the body really relaxing. Using my own method of homemade spa. It's simple. Just find salt at home, put in some olive oil, half half, plus a few drops of essential oils like lavender to soothe. Can even use camomile. Mix it up and rub it on your skin when you bathe, from the limbs upwards. The salt circulates your body, the oil moisturises and warms up your skin and u will have a good night's rest! I also like to go to this toy shop and buy myself minatures or kitchy items that makes me laugh. Daydream. It helps. When I am on long bus or bike journeys I always think of how I can maximise my money to buy the things I really want to improve myself. Choices are getting hard now - even if you want to buy skin care, you have too too many places to choose from - even muji now has a skincare range. It's so tempting to just give in and get the simplest one or be indecisive. I can spend hours at Watson's looking at the range of products! So constructive daydreaming helps me to plan out what is the best for me. Say, I want to buy a nice dress for a wedding function and I have a certain budget - while daydreaming I will plan out which shops I will go to and on what days, in search for the perfect dress for me! Also, I will search though my mind which kind of cutting is flattering for me, what materials and fabrics I like, and what length. =) It often works out well. Daydreaming helps us to know what we want and not be swayed by the huge array of choices placed in front of us.