How are you doing? Are you okay? Do you look after yourself? We so often ask these questions and yet, do we really listen to the other person? Probably not!
Even in a year that should have put empathy at the top of our social skills, it doesn’t seem like it. We hear some horrible stories between manager and team members. It’s heart breaking.
We need to do more to look after ourselves and practice self-care!
“I’m going to pick up my will.” Never did I expect this sentence to create such frightened looks. When I told my family and friends about my will, I almost immediately had to explain why. “No, I’m not sick, no, really, I’m good.” But why, why would you create a will?
As New Year’s Eve just passed, I wonder why we don’t do it more often: Celebrate! Life is to precious to only focus on the big celebrations. We should make every day special.
In October, I got a call. “Agni, I need you to sit down!” Our mother had been hospitalised for an emergency
Living in this transient region, it’s just a matter of time until a friend moves away. For us, our beloved friend Miss H is getting ready to leave. Being rather secretive about her departure date, we thought she’d leave without saying the dreaded good-bye. What more of a reason do you need to throw a surprise party? For you to enjoy the priceless expression on your friend’s face, we’ve this checklist to plan a surprise party the easy way.
“When it rains, it pours.” Have you heard this saying? It’s referring how when something bad (or good) happens, it generally happens a couple of times. And guess what! It happened to us recently. A medical bill, a new laptop and a dead car this week. Thank goodness we had an emergency fund! Otherwise these unplanned expenses would have left us with a major bump. We want you to feel financially more secure for this unknowns and here are our tips for you to create an emergency fund.
What’s your favourite month? We love August! It’s the month for sunflowers, going on holidays, relaxing days on the beach, school’s still out, good times. And it’s my birthday! For us, that’s a reason to celebrate.
One of our corporate clients is having a special birthday this month: The big 40! For him, it’s a bit of a bitter sweet birthday, yet, plenty of celebrations! He associates his thirties with fun, adventure and growth. Listening to his fabulous stories over a cup of coffee and it’s like he’s taking you into another world!
This birthday, he’s decided to go all out. He’s invited family and friends to a rented holiday home where he’ll get the caterers to bring out delicious foods. You can probably his excitement about his party. It’s not only a party. It’s spending time with his loved ones and treating them to something special.
Birthdays, or anniversaries for that matter, are a great time to reflect on the last year. If you are like me, life can be busy and we may not always recognise our progress and achievements. Special dates can give us that time to take stock. We can also give ourselves that pad on the back. Whether we’ve finally completed that qualification by long-distance learning, started working again after taking a longer break or jumped on the treadmill for the first time, acknowledge your progress. Maybe you even want to include it into your celebrations?
Here are some questions you can ask yourself:
Just as you look back, you can set your intentions for the next year. Intentions give you more purpose and are thought to be more effective then just goals alone. By giving your year ahead more aim, you can live a (more) fulfilled life.
Here are some questions that can help you prepare for the next year:
As with other celebrations, we seem to get so many presents. A few years ago, we’ve decided in our home to limit the amount spent on Christmas gifts. It’s EUR 30 (USD 35, AED 128). For some, this is a lot while many folks seem to spend more. We choose this to focus more on something meaningful without going into debt.
As for my birthday, there won’t be any gifts. I won’t, however, say no to birthdays. They give you an opportunity to write a personal message and wishes for the birthday kid. When was the last time you actually wrote something with a pen?
Don’t run to the shops and buy a crappy last minute present. You can carefully check with the birthday child if they even want a present. The trend for experiences continues. And if you live in a transient place like we do, you never know when people move. Who wants to relocate all their junk? Nobody we know wants this. Here are some ideas for experiences:
Donations are also high up there. For folks like us who have everything we need, let’s give something back. Whether it’s a donation to the Irish Cancer Society, a feline friends chapter or the local library, there are so many worthy causes out there.
We are getting ready for August and all the celebrations. What are you getting ready for?
Until next time,
Agni
Hello, wedding season! April is generally the start of the wedding season in the Western world and invitations keep flowing in. In fact, this weekend, one of our friends tied the know and she looked stunning. The couple were so looking forward to spending their special day with friends and family. What a beautiful day it had been!
With every wedding invitation also comes a bunch of other questions. What to wear? Will we stay longer and make it a (mini) break? Or what shall we give as a present?
This weekend, my friend and I were talking about graduation. Her son is finishing up the last few days of high school and can’t wait to start his next chapter in life. It was exciting to see him thrilled about his college choice and his mom, my friend from school, prepare for the party. I loved how relaxed both about it, mainly because they are prepared.
To also enjoy a stress-free party, we’re giving you this checklist today:
The month of May is also the beginning of the wedding season for so many couples. We’re excited to attend our first wedding of 2018 soon. It will be a joyful event and we can’t wait to see old friends and family members again.
With weddings costing on average GBP 27,161 in the UK or over USD 30,000 in the US, it’s not a cheap day out for anyone. Plan and budget for attending a wedding to enjoy the day with a beautiful couple to the max!
Earlier this month, a friend finally came to visit. Originally, she was to fly with 2 other friends. Getting 3 friends to book an overseas trip is not that easy. Family commitments, no time off from work, financial constraints, you know how it is. So said to herself: “Why wait?”