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In our final chapter on World Happiness day, we conclude with our top listen's that inspire us in our journey to happiness.
Helen
Wow this is a hard one as I have so many ‘happy songs’ that I play either when I’m feeling energised and joyful… or when I’m not and need a shift of energy to refuel and refocus to a more positive state.
I guess my 'go-to' album is Emeli Sandé Live at The Royal Albert Hall. It’s full of amazing songs from her award winning album ‘Our Version of Events” such as Heaven, My Kind of Love, Clown and Wonder. On world happiness day though I think I’ll be listening to Read All About It, Pt.III. The lyrics are a powerful reminder of using your voice, being heard, striving to achieve your full potential and using your ability to positively influence those around you.
“You've got a heart as loud as lions
So why let your voice be tamed?
Maybe we're a little different
There's no need to be ashamed
You've got the light to fight the shadows
So stop hiding it away
Come on, come on.”
Those words really lift me up and remind me to do whatever I can to create happiness.
Andy
Apart from the highly recommended ‘Happy People’ podcast (shameless plug!), as you probably can tell by my ‘do’, I love music! It fill my house with music at every given opportunity. It makes me feel alive (singing at the top of my voice whilst driving is another fave past time!) and definitely is in my top 3 ‘happiness’ enhancers! (And it is another proven way to increase your personal happiness!)
Like most people, my mood will dictate what I listen to, but definitely one of my all-time favourites is Optimistic by The Sounds of Blackness, for a number of reasons…
1. It takes me back to a time and a place when I first heard a Sounds of Blackness song. I was on my backpacking tour around the world, in a bar in New Orleans on my final stretch home. One of their songs came on the sound system and I was instantly hooked. I’ve always loved gospel but this was on another level – dance music and gospel together. Just awesome!
2. It reminds me of so many great times with my beautiful sister, Nicolette, dancing round the coffee table, in the kitchen, in clubs, seeing them in concert… My sister is no longer with us and I miss her dearly, but this song is a great example of how music can take you to a very happy place instantly!
3. The message of the song is one of hope and winning at life. It doesn’t get more uplifting than that.
Can I get an ‘Amen’?
Charlotte
I really struggle to pinpoint one song in particular that creates happiness for me - or even one genre! But after a long day, I usually turn to music that is high energy and tempo to shake off the day, bounce around my living room and recharge. I especially love a bit of funk and soul for getting in the dancing mood and releasing those feel good hormones!
Becca
I've gone a bit off track, but I love a good podcast! Other than our own Happy People podcast (another shameless plug) I also listen to Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, and she's had a whole host of guests take part, all from different walks of life. What I love about the series is the way the guests speak about their lives and careers, and how they've found happiness through their experiences. If you have a chance to listen to the many series of it, a few key episodes that I particularly loved were with Jay Shetty, Davina McCall and Russell Brand. All very different but they were so insightful and I loved hearing their different takes on how they've created happiness through their life experiences..
Dom
I am a huge fan of podcasts (especially our Happy People one!!). My absolute favourite podcast is from Niall Breslin, called ‘Wake Up/Wind Down’. This is a daily mindfulness podcast consisting of two episodes (one in the morning and one in the evening) each of which lasts between three to ten minutes. The wake up allows you to check in with yourself before starting the day and sets you up with a positive frame of mind, whilst the wind down helps you to unwind from the day and really take some time to relax and gather your thoughts before sleeping. We often check in with our friends but how often do we check in with ourselves? This podcast presents us with the opportunity to really engage with how we’re feeling. Since implementing this podcast into my morning and evening routine, I’ve felt a noticeable difference in my happiness. Whilst you may not listen to this exact podcast ultimately, I think the take home message is to set aside some time each day to check in with yourself and how you’re feeling. There’s a lot of happiness to be found in being in touch with our own emotions.
We hope you've enjoyed reading about our top read's, watches, do's and listens in our World Happiness series, if you've not yet read the our other blogs you can find them on our website, or on our Social Media accounts.
Don't look for happiness, create it!
