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7 Rules For a Happy Life

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(Hope all the videos will play in whatever country you are in.)

7 Rules For a Happy Life

Rule No.1

Don’t Ever Leave the Cake Out In The Rain

Why? Because it took so long to bake it and you’ll never have that recipe again.

Right? 

Think about it. Is your cake outside right now? Are there clouds overhead? Do you care about your metaphorical cake?

Then protect it. Nurture it. Mend broken bridges. Make the first move. Say sorry and get that person or those people back in your life today.

https://youtu.be/hDD7t2Mj_aQ

Rule No.2

Don’t embark on your 19th Nervous Breakdown without questioning why you’ve already had 18.

Really shoulda been asking by the third one at most!

As your 19th Nervous Breakdown approaches:

Take it as a warning that you are the problem in your life.

What do you need to change?

People who keep on doing the same thing in the same way while expecting different results are, if you’ll forgive my bluntness, just plain stupid.

Don’t be that. Just don’t.

If your 19th Nervous Breakdown is coming at you like a speeding train – Jump. Off. The. Track. Now!

Take control of your mind, go somewhere different with it.

Changing your thinking will change your life.

No more blue pills. Ok?

https://youtu.be/FoNSFFhyEi8

Rule No.3

 Are You Lonesome Tonight? Don’t be.

Maybe it’s because you left the cake out in the rain at some point.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and go take a look outside at the cake.

Has it completely collapsed? Are there rivulets of sweet green icing flowing down the drain like sugary neon tears?

Then scrape that mess up, put it in the garbage can and move on.

Do it now before the world loses patience with you.

If you’re sitting there thinking, Only The Lonely Know The Way I feel Tonight (yes, this rule merits TWO song mentions), then get out and find some happy people. 

https://youtu.be/HsaFnfCISQg

https://youtu.be/UTR2IlAJEyQ

Rule No.4

Don’t ever worry about not being a Cornflake Girl

(Or guy – just to keep this politically correct 🙄)

Raisin girls/guys are sweeter, more unique and stand out against the cornflakes by a million miles.

I know Tori Amos’s inspiration for her song had its roots in a whole other, darker area of female betrayal but the lyrics also helped me to process the betrayals that go on in day to day life.

Cornflake girls  stick together and raisin girls get stuck in their sludge – if they aren’t careful.

When you find yourself, metaphorically, in a box of cornflakes, don’t waste time wailing because the cornflakes don’t like you or exclude you from their cliques.

Instead, put your energy into finding the other raisins and enjoy their loyalty, openness, acceptance and authenticity – those traits are pure gold – they are not the dull yellow colour of cornflakes.

And remember this, when someone stamps on a cornflake, it disintegrates into flaky dust. But when someone stamps on a raisin, it goes flat but, it stays whole. A brief spell in warm water brings flattened raisins back into shape. 

Be thankful if you are a raisin. Rock it.

https://youtu.be/w_HA5Czhtx4

Rule No.5

Don’t worry about not being flower – Take a lesson from the weeds or Wildflowers

Why? Because they grow very easily despite limiting conditions.

Don’t believe me?

We put down a membrane against weeds before we put laid our patio, which, rarely gets sun.

But the weeds are constantly pushing up through membrane and grouting, fighting for their right to flourish. 

Be a weed. Flowers are pretty but they depend on nurture and the right conditions to grow. I mean who in the hell gets that in this life?

And what is the definition of a weed? It’s a plant that grows where it is not wanted. And in human terms, that’s quite often amongst the Cornflake Girls (I know! I know! And guys, FFS!)

Weeds and wildflowers are tenacious, self-nurturing, determined plants that do not rely on the approval of others to flourish.

Be a Wildflower and love yourself even when the neat and tidy flower beds of life shun you.

https://youtu.be/snwdgEJSf_Q

Rule No.6

Are you a Poor Poor Pitiful Me?Well stop it.

Woe is me will never cut it.

https://youtu.be/Ow0lr63y4Mw

It’s true what they say: Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you piss everyone off.

Attention seekers love an audience for their control dramas.

They will bang on for hours about every shitty thing that’s ever happened to them since first grade.

Survivors, on the other hand, use each shitty thing like the fertiliser of life – they grow from adversity and move forward.

Poor Poor Pitiful People stay stuck where they are, droning on and on about how unfair life is.

It’s boring. Get over yourself. STOP! IT!

https://youtu.be/lmlQUc9hQLI

Rule No.7

Don’t soak up Dirty Laundry – Quit reading ‘newspapers’ and watching the ‘news’. 

The daily ‘news’, however it is delivered, causes Cancer of the soul and it will destroy yours in the end if you don’t watch what you soak up.

The daily ‘news’ is designed to control, manipulate, and frighten us into submission. It makes us into compliant Sheeple.

Fight back by refusing to watch, read or listen to the ‘news’. Don’t let its darkness destroy the light in your soul.

Remember, for every story about death, destruction, misery, murder, crime and corruption there are a billion more that would inspire  love, laughter, happiness, hope, truth and trust in this life.

But we only get to hear the bad stuff.  

The ‘news’ is the place where you will find every bad thing that happened in the world each day,  all concentrated in one ghastly, ugly lump. 

It distorts reality in the minds of the masses who lap it up.

It is a deliberate betrayal all the good things that are happening in this world.

Frightened people are easier to control. Don’t play the game. Switch it off. Be happy.

https://youtu.be/0AhZ5lmLacI

I know I said 7 Rules For a Happy Life but here is a bonus one for getting this far.

Rule No.8

Be Yourself

Because, as the song says, being yourself ‘is all that you can do’.

So do it well.

And if you are a raisin girl (or guy 🙄), don’t EVER let the actions or attitudes of Cornflakes Girls stop your from being yourself.

Cornflake girls form cliques, they gossip about others and complain when others gossip about them, they tell tales when it suits them, they ostracise, ignore and dislike raisins.

Some cornflakes get along with raisins when there are no other cornflakes around but will quickly conform to type when more crispy little flakes show up.

But no matter. Revel in your sweet, strong raisin-ness and Be Yourself – always.

And forever sing this song. This has been my power song in life for years. 

Like most other fans, I was knocked sideways when Chris Cornell died and I couldn’t listen to this for awhile but, despite his apparent suicide – his message lives on in this song and remains sound advice.

The problem for many people comes when they don’t believe being themselves is good enough.

But it is. It always is. We are all born good people and that’s who we have to get back to be happy.

We have to shake off the layers of crap heaped on us from our upbringing, conditioning and education to find our own true selves.

https://youtu.be/WC5FdFlUcl0

So that’s my 7 Rules For a Happy Life (well ok – eight).

If you wrote down 7 rules for a happy life, what would your number one rule be – my number eight here is actually my real number one – Be Yourself – now off you go and be happy!

16 thoughts on “7 Rules For a Happy Life”

  1. Gilly,

    I came over last night to begin reading your post but had to abandon it until this morning. I love this post! You share a lot of truths on what it takes to be happy which ultimately begins with oneself. I’m definitely a weed or wildflower. I flourish with or without the approval of others and I really don’t care how anyone sees me. Oh sure it’s nice but my world isn’t going to stop spinning because I’m not on the right side of someone or that I’m waiting for another to spread sunlight into my day. I make my own sunny days. I love how you backed each answer through mewsic making the post even more delightful. I’d love it if you’d join me on the Monday’s Mewsic Moves Me dance floor anytime! 😉 Have a furtastic weekend, my dear!

  2. Gilly, I love these rules!! And Dirty Laundry, too!!
    After my 4th or 5th nervous breakdown, I promised myself NO mental ward EVER again, no matter what!!
    And I’ve kept that promise to myself!

    1. Hi Melinda! Thank you – really pleased to hear you gave up the breakdowns at 4 or 5. All that angst is so debilitating. Lovely to see you

      1. Hi Cathy – thanks for coming over and reading – it is pretty long, so thanks for sticking with it! This is what I love about getting older (there are benefits!) ALL the things you just said. My only regret is that I wasted so much of my life ignoring myself while trying to please others. I think most of us doing what we do are wildflowers who have grown despite the stony ground of ‘civilised’ society. I will check out your Mewsic Moves – I’m intigued

  3. Fantastic, Gilly! The videos are the perfect accompaniment to your excellent advice. Loved the Bob Newhart sketch! 😀 Drama queens (and kings, to be PC) need to get a grip.

    I was still mourning the death of Tom Petty when the Chris Cornell tragedy happened. 🙁 There have been far too many profound losses in the music world these past few years.

    We do read the papers and watch the nightly news since we like to keep apprised of what is going on in the world. Thankfully, they generally temper the horrid stuff with some uplifting, positive stories as well.

    Number one for me is also BE YOURSELF along with TAKE NO SHIT. 🙂

    Have a good week!

    1. Thanks Debbie – I have to say you inspired me to use music as a backdrop for this post. I sometimes get held up by creating the images I want to use in my posts, but, you made me realise that using video saves a lot of time and it provides the visual interest. Whoops yes – Kings too! I’ll be introuble with the PC police. Yes too many losses in music but if there is a heaven, it surely rocks right now! You have a good week too Debbie and many thanks for coming over to my corner of the ether.

  4. Great blog Great songs music really is the great healer.You are so right Gilly whatever situation you find yourself in music is a great way to navigate your way through life’s difficulties

    1. Thank you Mr T! Lovely to see you here. Glad you like the blog and the song choices. Yes, music is a lifesaver!

  5. GREAT post! Great songs but you know you had me at Donna Summer. Man, what a voice. I always forget that she died. And Tom Petty… Happy Monday Gilly and thank you for this post. Great start to the week.

    1. Thanks Karen! I had intended to use the original Richard Harris version but after listening to most of the people who ever recorded this song, I decided on Donna Summer because she hit the notes the best out of all of them. Andy Williams didn’t even try the highest notes – he went down instead of up on the version I heard! What a cop out. Happy Monday to you too! Looking forward to a great week.

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