Lucky, Lucky, Lucky me

“I work 8 hours, and sleep 8 hours, that leaves 8 hours for fun”

Lucky, Lucky, Lucky me – Evelyn Knight

I keep hearing this song recently as it’s being used for a new car advert and can’t help but smile every time I hear it. It’s amazing how song can sometime just perfectly sum up how you feel. I am lucky and I think it’s important to recognise this and to say thank you for what I have.

Term recently restarted and on an INSET day we have someone come in a talk to us about growth mindset and it really spoke to me. One of the key things that really got to me was the importance of recognise and appreciating the things we have. In todays world we spend so much time worrying about what we’re aiming for, what other people have etc. With social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram, we’re constantly shown what other people have and what we should want and aspire to be. I know I’m guilty for joining in.

It’s hard not to compare yourself to other people especially now when it’s so easy to see what everyone else is up to. I can look up old school friends, people I no longer see or really care about but yet I can see how “great” their life is; who’s getting married, had a baby, new job, amazing holiday etc. And it definitely makes you worry about your own life. You ask questions:

• Why aren’t I visiting the world?
• Why haven’t I finished doing up our house?
• Why don’t I exercise more? Do more for charity? Put better make up on?
• Why aren’t we married yet?
• When are we going to have children?

The thing I realised recently is that these questions mean nothing. What’s important is:

Am I happy?

What makes me happy?

What can I do to stay/find/keep being happy?

Don’t get me wrong this isn’t easy. Some times I forget that I am lucky, that if I really look at my life I am happy but what I’ve started to do is to try and remind myself as often as I can. One step to do this is using the “10 things I’m grateful for” concept. It’s not rocket science, it’s exactly what it sounds like, and lots of blogs on positivisty and well-being will use it. It was one of thing suggested on our INSET to help build children’s self-confidence and boost their well-being. So I’m going to finish off with 10 things I’m grateful for today:

1. Music – particularly songs that lift you up and make you feel better
2. My fiance – he cares for me, even when I’m not at my best
3. My job – I’m so lucky to do a job I love at a school I love with people who are great
4. My family – I’m lucky to have 3 sisters who are great, even if they do wind me up!
5. My dog – Kira, the reason I started blogging in the first place but also happiest person in my life!
6. My wedding – I’m getting married in 196 days! The fact that we weren’t married has been something that really got me down in the last few years but it’s like a massive weight has been lifted, not because I didn’t know that he loved me but because being about to say that we chose each other not just for now but for life is something that is really important to me.
7. My health – Don’t get me wrong I haven’t ever been really unwell but I’ve been hospitalised a few times and in the last couple of years nausea has been something that has been a regular nuisance. So I’m so grateful for every day, week, month etc that I feel healthy enough to get on with my life.
8. My house – not only am I grateful for having one but for the fact that I can afford to own and it’s somewhere I love.
9. My friends – they make me laugh and it’s great to have some really good friends I know I trust.
10. Food – I had to think a bit more about this one and that’s the great thing about doing this exercise sometimes it’s remembering that not everyone has something that we take for granted. Food is definitely one of those things.

What 10 things are you grateful for? What makes you think “lucky, lucky, lucky me?“