What is the key to being happy?

This Friday, 20th March, is the third International Day of Happiness! The International Day of Happiness was originally created by the United Nations, with the intention of recognising the relevance of happiness and wellbeing as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world, and highlighting their importance within public policy objectives. I truly love that happiness and wellbeing is being recognised so broadly, and that how we feel is being taken into account, alongside what we do and have. 

To celebrate this week in the run up to the International day of Happiness, I created a free 5 Day Happiness Plan which we have been sharing through optimallyou. Today is Day 2, and we are focusing on move! I suggested that everybody take just ten minutes out of their day today to get moving, and to share with us what they had been getting up to. I wanted to share my move with you too! 

This morning I went to boxing, which I am absolutely loving. This is one of my new years resolutions - to learn a new skill - and it is still going strong! I am loving seeing myself make progress and have really noticed how much my reactions have improved across the past few months. My technique is much better now and it is such a good workout! Boxing is really different from my usual workouts and I definitely notice the difference in mentality compared with my running. When I run my mind is open and I my thoughts can run wild - I have some of my best ideas when running and sometimes have to stop to make a note of them in my phone. There is no way that would happen when I'm boxing! Boxing requires so much focus and concentration. Focus but not thinking at the same time. As soon as my mind wanders I get knocked out. Not really, but the potential is there! 

I ran tonight too, so it was interesting to notice the comparisons in the same day. I ran with Tyne Bridge Harriers and one of my personal training clients, Sophie, and we did a pyramid training system which involved a mile of jogging to warm up, followed by 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1 minutes of running, each with half the time ran as recovery, and then a mile of jogging to cool down. This was so much fun! I have ran for a lot of years and have never ran like this. I really enjoyed it, and it was great to run in a group. 

Everyone at Tyne Bridge is lovely, and there were a few familiar faces from parkrun. I think it is always nice to get out and train with other people, as it helps to motivate you, and you experience so much positivity from the social interaction as well. This is an actual fact, and when I researched running as a positive intervention, it was the combination of the physical activity and social interaction that created such a powerful impact on wellbeing and flourishing. Working out makes you happy! 

I hope that you can all incorporate some move into this week and that you enjoy getting on board with the positive focus on leading a happy life that the International Day of Happiness has helped to create. I will be offering more happiness tips in Day 3 of your happiness plan, and the optimallyou vlog tomorrow. 

If you would like a copy of your 5 Day Happiness Plan then just get in touch, or leave your email on our website at www.optimallyou.com

Have a fab week! 

With Gratitude, 

Niyc xx

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What makes us keep on going when we face big challenges?

Today, between 3-4pm local time, the world will have the opportunity to participate in the hour of Sisu. In this hour, you are encouraged to do one thing that you know will benefit you but that you have been putting off - something that might seem a little scary to you, but that will help you to push out of your comfort zone in a really empowering way. 

Sisu is a concept that originates from Finland, used to describe the power that enables individuals to push through unbearable challenges. It is also a new term in the field of Positive Psychology which is being researched and applied to contribute to understanding other areas of the science, such as resilience, and post-traumatic growth. 

This whole year of 2015 is dedicated as the Year of Sisu, to spread the message that we as humans are stronger than the adversities we encounter and we can take action to move past these experiences, and break through to positive and empowered futures. 

From Sisu researcher Emilia Lahti:

"Sisu denotes extraordinary determination, courage, and resoluteness in the face of extreme adversity. It relates to an action mindset that enables individuals to take action against very slim odds and reach beyond the observed limitations of their present moment. Sisu begins where grit and perseverance end. As a construct, it is an integral part of the Finnish culture but it is also a universal capacity of humans all across the world." 

I wrote last week about defying your own limitations, and this fits so well with the concept of Sisu, as a means for breaking through barriers and tackling things head on. We all have so much potential inside of us, and so much strength and courage when it comes to the things that really test us. Sisu allows us to celebrate this and honour it. 

There is so much change that occurs in our lives, and if you were to look back on some of the things that you have experienced, you will probably notice that you have changed too. 

It is often the times that try us, that end up being the times that make us. 

How can you push out of your comfort zone today and participate in the hour of Sisu? 

Between 3-4pm in your local time, do something that pushes your boundaries - something that you know will benefit you but that you have been putting off. 

In preparation for our next Thrive Live event, I am going to dedicate my hour of Sisu to making my own vision board. This is something that I have done in the past and is something that I am ready to do again. We will be making vision boards at our Thrive Live event next week and I want to be able to share with everybody in the class to give an idea of what is possible, and heighten the co-creation in the group. 

Creative pursuits are often something that we know will benefit us but that we put off because we feel that allowing ourselves to be creative is something that is on the edge of our comfort zone. 

I challenge you to discover what it is that resides on the edge of your comfort zone, and choose to do that. 

With Gratitude, 

Niyc xx

P.S. I will be vlogging about creativity this week too, and so don't forget to check out the optimallyou YouTube channel to catch up with that tomorrow. 

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Just Show Up

For some reason I have never liked having my photo taken. I feel completely uncomfortable in front of a camera, and have the most awkward smile and stance of anyone I have seen......

Or so I thought until I changed my own mind last week. 

I have needed to get some new photographs for a while, to represent myself and optimallyou as we have evolved over the last few years. I never seemed to have quite the right photo to use within my bio's or within my blog, and I needed some new shots for the new optimallyou website. I knew that I needed to arrange a photoshoot in a studio to get the professional shots, and I think I was putting it off because I was nervous about doing something that I hadn't done before, and because I thought I would feel awkward, and the photos would turn out badly. 

How's that for a positive mental attitude! 

I chatted with a few people and mentioned that I was nervous to do the shoot, and people didn't really understand why. I am so happy standing up and speaking at an event in front of hundreds of people, so what is it about being in front of a camera that brings up this fear? I guess it was potentially the chance of the photographs turning out badly, and the chance of me feeling stupid and uncomfortable, awkward in my own body. It was about how I felt, and what I thought, rather than what was actually happening. Before I had even reached the day of the photo shoot I was expecting for it to be a painful experience, and that just didn't make much sense. 

Why was I worrying about something that hadn't happened yet?

What could I possibly do other than do my best, and enjoy it? 

Thats exactly what I decided to do. I decided to enjoy the process of the shoot, the choosing outfits with the girls the week before, getting my hair done as a tester to see how it would look, and on the day, showing up and having fun with four of my super talented best friends.

In Positive Psychology we talk about having one of two mindsets - fixed or growth. A fixed mindset is focused on the outcome, avoids challenges, and gives up easily, and this was the mindset that I had been stuck in! A growth mindset embraces challenge, and looks for the lessons within difficult situations, choosing to persevere, and focus on and enjoy the journey along the way. This was my new chosen mindset, and the one that meant that the shoot was a completely fab experience that we all really enjoyed. 

I had arranged the shoot to take place with my friends Hannah McGuire on styling, Charlotte Condliffe make up, Jade Watson for hair, and Charlotte Swann for the photographs, and had booked the studio for Saturday. I made sure that I fitted in my morning run so that I felt energised and alive, and then started to get everything sorted ready for the shoot - this meant driving to the gym first with wet hair in a towel turban, grabbing an exercise ball, and wedging it into the passenger seat of my car, and then heading to Jades house to get my hair set into rollers, followed by pick ups, packing, and a team Starbucks run - all with rollers in my hair and wearing prescription raybans because I had left my glasses at home! What a sight! 

We arrived at the studio and unpacked all of the clothes and Charlotte got to work on my make up - this being the first time I had had professional make up done before. Charlotte is fab and has worked for brands such as The Times newspaper, Fred Perry, and The Daily Mail, and being my friend I trusted her completely. The same goes for Jade and Hannah with my hair and styling - it was so good to be around friends and feel like a girl! 

I had decided to show up, work it, love it, and do my best. 

Sometimes showing up in life is the hardest part, and it isn't actually so bad when you get there.

Charlotte was amazing with the camera and has shot for huge sportswear brands in the past, as well as shooting over 50 weddings, as well as studio work - so she knows what she is doing. It really helped that she was bossing me about - though she swears that she wasn't half as bossy as normal on a shoot! 

We shot nine different looks, and had such a laugh doing it.  Imagine if I had have showed up nervous, with that fixed mindset, how different the process would have been. I grabbed the girls for a team photo at the end of the shoot, and then we headed out to lunch. 

We got the shots and the pictures are looking fab! I can't wait to see them up on the site when it goes live in a few weeks time. In the meantime, keep an eye on the optimallyou instagram, twitter, and Facebook pages, and look out for the new Flourish vlog out tomorrow on our youtube channel. 

Thank you to the girls for supporting my vision, and for showing up to make it happen. Love you all.


With Gratitude, 


Niyc xx



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Charlotte Swann Photography on Instagram @charlotteswannphotography
Hannah McGuire styling on Instagram @hmpersonalstyling
Charlotte Condliffe Make up on Facebook "CJC Make up Artist" and Instagram @charlottecond
Jade Watson Hair on Instagram @jadeywig