HOW TO BE HAPPY: 50 PIECES OF ADVICE AND THINGS THAT ARE WORTH REMEMBERING

1. Comparison is the thief of joy
2. Offer compliments to people as if they're going out of fashion
3. Social media isn't real life
4. The glass is half full
5. Your worth is not dependent on the number of likes you get
6. Learn to love yourself
7. There is a plan for you
8. Be grateful
9. Be humble
10. Spend time with your family while you can
11. Call instead of text every once in a while
12. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you
13. Your twenties are your selfish years
14. Travel while you are young and able
15. Empower women instead of trying to better them
16. Better to be the one who smiled than the one who didn't smile back
17. You can appreciate another woman's beauty without questioning your own
18. It's nice to be nice
19. Pay it forwards
20. Sacrifice your morning coffee run and give to the homeless every once in a while
21. Don't let jealousy control you
22. Be considerate
23. Understand you are not bulletproof
24. Cry if you need to
25. If you don't ask then the answer will always be no
26. Eat the damn cake
27. Sing, even if people tell you that you can't
28. Give thoughtful gifts instead of lavish ones
29. Calories are not for counting
30. Today's news is tomorrows fish and chips wrapping
31. Pray for others
32. Banish negativity from your life, if this means getting rid of certain people then so be it
33. Snooze the alarm
34. You can't hurry love
35. Find what you are good at
36. Don't self pity
37. Always bring an umbrella
38. Read the penguin joke
39. Pet people's dogs
40. Overthinking is the enemy
41. You are richer than you think you are
42. Enjoy where you are in life right now instead of rushing to be somewhere else
43. Don't wait around for someone else to buy you flowers, take control of your own happiness
44. Read
45. Don't shy away from physical contact
46.The grass is not always greener
47. Don't stress abut things you cannot control
48. Zero-Carb diets suck
49. Alan Rickman started his acting career aged 46, it's never too late
50. An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind; kill them with kindness

- LOVE FROM LORNA, X

FOUR NEW MENTALITIES TO TRY IN THE NEW YEAR

As a nation, we are notoriously rubbish at keeping our New Year's Resolutions and most of us will have probably already broken our resolution(s) by February. This year, I'm not bothering with empty resolutions that I know I'll have no intention of keeping come the next time i'm hungover. Instead, i'm going to adopt four new mentalities in order to better myself, and make me a stronger and happier person. Intrigued? Come and chat with me...

Love Yourself 

Self-love is often considered to be narcissistic, obnoxious and arrogant. If you love yourself then you must be full of yourself right? Wrong! Self-love isn't about thinking you're the prettiest, or the smartest. It's about accepting your flaws and learning to love them too. In my opinion, more women (and men) should try and find a way to love themselves. Self-love and self-appreciation is something I find very hard to do and it stems from my constant need to compare myself to other women. Self-love and body-confidence come hand in hand and unfortunately, as a society we find it a hundred times easier to point out what we hate about ourselves, rather than what we love. At the end of the day your flaws make you who you are and there will only ever be one of you! It's time to embrace it.

Empower Women

Too many women go through life thinking that they're in competition with one and other. Really, we should be supporting women, rather than trying to better them; women face enough oppression in society at it is. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. These are my words to live by. Nothing good will come from insulting others, it only ever brings about negativity. Offer compliments to women as if they're going out of fashion. They take two seconds to give out and can genuinely make somebody's whole day. Don't let jealousy run your mouth or dictate your actions. It's nice to be nice to others. I don't understand women who will happily go through life being a bitch. How much nicer would the world be if all girls were like the ones we meet, drunk, in the toilet of a club? 

Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Women

This is something that i'm always trying to stop doing but living in such a social-media focussed society makes it hard work. I even had to temporarily disable my Instagram for a few weeks after cyber stalking myself into a pit of depression. When i'm scrolling through my feed and come across a gorgeous girly, all I can think about is how my eyes aren't as green as hers, or my lips aren't as big as hers, or how my figure is never going to look like that and it's such an unhealthy way of living! You can admire another woman's beauty without questioning your own. Nobody is perfect and everybody has flaws. Even if you can't see them, know that they're still there. This links back to what I was saying earlier about learning to accept and love who you are and it's super important to do so. Not only that but you should never compare yourself to someone you've only ever seen on an app. Social media offers us a tiny view into each others lives but the window is often rose-tinted and distorted. 

Positivity Only 

Surround yourself with good people and good vibes that radiate warmth and positivity and watch your whole mentality adjust accordingly. Banish all negativity from your life and if this means getting rid of certain people then so be it. Don't underestimate the power of the block button, negative people can have a draining effect on you and after a while it becomes exhausting! It's difficult to be completely positive all the time, we're only human after all and the world is fond of dealing us a bad hand every now and then. The key is that you never stop trying. Sometimes it's easier to hate the world and i'd be lying if I said I wasn't guilty of thinking everything is against me. But the most unhappy people are often the most negative too. 

So there we have it. Four new mentalities to try to employ in the New Year. 

For me, 2017 is going to be the year of doing less. Stressing less, caring about what people think less, eating less, worrying less, crying less... What about you? What are your New Year's Resolutions? Please leave a comment and share them with me, i'd love to know! 

Happy New Year Everyone. 

- LOVE FROM LORNA, X