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If you find yourself constantly comparing your wealth to others or constantly being dissatisfied with what you have, this post is for you.      Why do we chase money? Really think about this for a moment. We often dream of owning larger houses or accessing exclusive opportunities. However, that is just a comparison between us and somebody else. We only want these things because others tell us that we want them. If you imagined that every opportunity in life had equal value, you would see how there are so many different paths in life that are successful rather than the single narrow ideal that society paints. For example, you feel jealous because you cannot go on a trip abroad like all of your friends do. But surely there are fun things you can do even if you don’t travel? What about going on days out with friends? Reading? Starting that business? Playing a sport? If you understand that everything we do as humans is just to feel an emotion, to experience something new, there are so many ways to do that, there is no point in getting hung up on a single opportunity you missed out on.       Also, there is no point in comparing yourself to and being jealous of others that seem to have more money, experiences and a better life. Every life has its ups and downs and every person has something that another does not have. Perhaps you were born with loving parents, but you have little education. Perhaps you are blessed with a good education, but you have little money. Perhaps you have material wealth, but you do not have a passion in life and are feeling lost. Since every life is an experience  and a feeling  of happiness, fulfilment, success, sadness, loneliness or regret, what matters is not what you miss out on, but what you make of what you do have. For everyone who lives their life to the full, who makes friends and loves their family, who strives for their goals each day and is satisfied with themselves has the capacity to feel  and experience  the life of a great person, whether rich or poor, and whatever happens in their life. So don't spend your life chasing money. Money itself is empty. Don't worry about what you have in comparison to others. Remember the things that really matter and make time for those things. Then you will live a richer life without having to earn a single extra penny.

Are rich people happier than the poor?       Assuming that both the rich and the poor in this hypothetical scenario have enough for basic necessities such as food, clean water and shelter (because we really should not be living in a world where there are people who are worried about surviving) then the answer would be maybe, maybe not. Why? Because what you have does not affect how happy you feel. Think about it. If you were to be given double your salary today, would you feel happy? Most likely for a while. You will be able to buy more things, or go on more holidays. Even just the feeling of the accomplishment that enabled you to earn double your salary would make you happy. However, that is exactly the point. What makes you happy is not the money, or how much you own, but what you do with it. It is the memories you make with people on holiday that make you happy, or the beauty of what you own, or the progress you have made as a person. Also, after a while, if you are not already satisfied with what you have, you will want even more. You will get bored of the new things you have, or the new experiences you have enjoyed as they become normal to you.       Think about all the people who have less than you. Would they be happy if they were in your shoes? Or do you think they are happy just the way they are? Think about those who have more than you. Don’t they also have people who have more than them? And if you think of the world’s wealthiest person, are there not also other people who have what they don’t have, who experience things they don’t experience? Therefore, if you are wise, you will understand that the experience of life is the same for everyone, whatever they own. Of course, wealthier people will have access to more opportunities and resources, but their happiness is no greater and no less than anybody else’s. Mindset challenges Imagine you lived the life of someone you find yourself coveting because they are wealthier than you. Would you really truly be happy then, or will you just find even richer people to compare yourself with? If the answer is that you would still be comparing, then your problem is not that you don't have money, but that you are not grateful for what you have. Therefore, it would be beneficial for you to start seeing how much you already have, and to be grateful for it. You could even start sharing what you have with others, because sharing automatically tells your brain that you have enough plus more to spare, which makes you feel like a rich person. Imagine what someone poorer than you thinks of you. Do you think that they are coveting what you already have? Before you keep on comparing yourself with others who have more, don't forget that there are also plenty of people who have less than you as well. Just because you have more than them doesn't make you happier, so it is ridiculous to think that if only you were as rich as so and so would make you happier. What is money?       Money is something we use to gain new experiences. It is worthless on its own and valuable in context. People often try to get more money, but what they really want is more, or different, experiences. Can money buy opportunities? Of course. But are there also opportunities for those with no money? Of course. Is it bad to want a lot of money and many experiences? No. Is it bad to want little money and live a simple life? No. Money is not good or bad in itself. It does not bring you happiness in itself. It does not bring you friends or success or anything else. Sometimes it helps, making it one part of achieving a goal, but ultimately money is money and it is separate from other things we often like to associate with money. Only when we let our happiness, opportunities and life get tangled up in money do we start to think it is necessary to live a fulfilled life. Mindset challenges What is your relationship with money like? Would you be ok if you had less money than you currently do? Alternatively would your life change drastically if you had more money, or are you happy with your life right now? How does money affect you emotionally? Are you scared of it? Are you desperate for it? Does money control you, or do you control money? Where did these habits and beliefs come from? Are they yours, or did you accept the beliefs someone else taught you?

Defining your mindset and goals is the first step towards effective learning and great achievements! Motivation Motivation is key. You need to know why you are doing what you are doing so that you can stay on track even when things get tough. The best form of motivation is something internal. For example, you want to get a good grade because you want to make yourself proud, or because you love what you are studying and want to get better at it. However, in the case that you have to study something you do not like so much, it may help to have an external form of motivation, such as making your parents proud or competing with a friend to help you stay accountable to your task when you really don't feel like studying. Never underestimate the power of having someone hold you accountable for yourself. We are inherently social beings, and we like to care about what others think of us. Although too much external pressure is not good for us, a little bit of external pressure is beneficial as it is amazing how many things we are willing to do for others that we would never do for ourselves! Goals Once you know what motivates you, you can then define your motivation by writing a specific goal. Having a large final goal that is then broken down into smaller monthly, weekly and daily goals can help you organise your time so that you do not waste a single moment! When writing goals, it is key to ensure that they are achievable as goals that seem too hard to achieve lead to procrastination and nothing being done. I would go so far as to say it is better to make goals so ridiculously small and easy to achieve rather than large and ambitious because not only are you more likely to start in that case, but you will also finish what you intended to do. This builds confidence in yourself, and it makes you know that you are the kind of person who achieves the goals they set themself rather than someone who does not achieve their goals. Identity is another important aspect when it comes to studying, because the mindset you have about what kind of person you are when it comes to studying dictates the actions you take when you get tired or things get hard. Although large and ambitious goals seem impressive, if they are not serving their purpose, it is much better to set many small goals you can work through and achieve to get to where you want to be rather than incapacitate yourself with too daunting a task. Small goals also means you have more wins along the way, and these wins will lead to good feelings that will keep on motivating yourself - a positive feedback loop! Now that you have the right mindset and goals, here is the next article to read about how to actually learn! 6 Tips for effective study

Recipe Makes: For 4 people Ingredients: 2 blocks firm tofu (approx. 800g total) 2 1/2 Tbsp soya sauce 1 Tbsp olive oil 2-3cm piece ginger 1tsp onion granules  1/4tsp garlic granules Method: 1. Put tofu in a tofu press and squeeze for about 30 minutes. (If you don't have a tofu press, place the tofu in a large tray and put a chopping board with a weight on top of it.) 2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 356 degrees Fahrenheit 3. Grate the ginger 4. Cut the tofu into bite sized pieces and place in a oven tray. 5. Add the oil, soya sauce, ginger, onion granules and garlic granules. Give it a good stir. 6. Put the tofu in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring two or three times throughout to ensure all sides of the tofu become golden. 7. Serve and enjoy!

Learning      Here are some practical tips you can use when actually learning  new content. Remember, everyone learns differently, so not all of these suggestions will apply to you, but it is worth trying them out because I found them very useful! Learn in class. Rather than messing around or looking out of the window and wishing you were elsewhere, use the time and teacher's expertise given to you to actually learn. If you are sat in school, you might as well pay attention and learn what you have to now so that you don't have to teach yourself anything in your own free time later. Use different coloured highlighters for different levels of importance. Colour coding information is a quick and easy way to identify key areas you need to remember and review when you revise from your notes later. Using different colours helps you to organise information according to what types of information it is, what you need to do with it and how important it is to know. For example, you could highlight key concepts in red, subpoints in purple, key words in blue and detailed facts in light blue. Utilise numbered bullet points. Using numbers rather than dots can help you recall information because if you remember that you have three bullet points but you can only remember two, you will put in that extra effort to be able to remember the third, rather than simply assuming that there must have only been two points you wanted to make. Another benefit of using numbers is that you can order lists of information in order of importance, with key information being at the top of lists so you are more likely to remember them, or putting information that you keep on forgetting at the top of a list so that you can review them more often to help you remember them more easily. Organise notes/ remember facts as part of a topic (e.g. syllabus section) but understand links between other topics. Organise your notes so that you have all the information you need for one topic in one place. A lot of exams unfortunately are only testing what you recall from their specification, so organising yourself so that you know exactly what the exam is looking for you to write about can help you remember things and get marks more easily. However, although it is useful to remember information in chunks, you should always know how each piece of information links to other information as that also helps with memory and understanding. Understand everything as soon as you learn it. By that, I mean that you should strive to understand everything you have been taught at the time that you have been taught it. If you don't understand something, ask your teacher, a mentor or do your own research. Don't leave it until later, when you 'promise' yourself that you will figure it out, because by then you will be busy with something else. If you understand something at the time you learnt it, it will make it much easier for your own revision later on as you will only have to remind yourself of what you learnt rather than teaching them to yourself from scratch. Do enough practice questions so that you understand, don't do more easy questions than necessary. Practice questions are super useful to help you know how an exam wants you to format an answer. Answering questions not only tests your active recall, but it also helps you to get familiar with exam style questions so that they are less scary in an exam. However, you must be aware of the time-wasting trap of just answering easy questions to make you feel good, as they do not help you do better with your studies. It is important to do just enough questions so that you are fully confident about your abilities in that area and are capable of dealing with all variations of that question, but that you move on to another question or a harder one once you know what you are doing.

Overview To overcome your fears, you must attack them head on. By that, I mean you must identify what you fear, break it down into small steps and do the smallest thing you can. That may start with visualising what you will do to prepare yourself to act, or taking the first tiny step forwards. You work on the thing you fear until you get feedback that enables you to realise that there is actually nothing to fear. There is absolutely no point in ignoring your fears, or thinking about them constantly without doing anything as they will only stay there, or more likely they will get worse. Practice identifying small fears, so you can deal with them quickly before they get larger and larger. Ask for advice, support or help if you need. Systematic desensitisation One common technique used by psychologists to help people overcome their fears and phobias is called systematic desensitisation. Systematic desensitisation was developed by psychiatrist Joseph Wolpe in the 1950s. It is based on the principle that you cannot be anxious and relaxed at the same time. (This is known as reciprocal inhibition). Therefore by teaching people to relax whilst facing their fear stimuli, they will eventually learn not to be afraid when faced with their fears. To start with, a person learns relaxation techniques they can use to control their anxiety. They then create an anxiety hierarchy where they make a list of their least feared scenario to their most feared scenario. They then gradually expose themselves to more and more fearful stimuli using their relaxation techniques to prevent anxiety, and only moving onto the next level once they can cope with a scenario without anxiety. This is repeated until they can tolerate all levels of stimuli with no anxiety. Your Turn! Think about what it is that you fear. It may help to write things down so you can fully explore your problem, the triggers for the fear and what happens to you when you come face to face with your fear. E.g. I fear speaking in front of others in a meeting. I get especially fearful when I am in a meeting with unfamiliar people. I tend to retreat within myself and not say anything even though I have many ideas I would like to contribute. Visualise what you want to be able to do when faced with your fear. Planning in advance how you will respond will take away the decision making process when faced with your fear, giving you a greater chance of responding in the way you want as your actions are more automatic. E.g. In my next meeting, I will make sure to say yes aloud when the meeting leader asks everyone for confirmation over a decision. That way I can practice speaking aloud in a meeting without actually having to speak by myself yet. Now that you have planned what you will do, take the smallest step you feel capable of doing. They key is to follow your visualised plan and not let your past habits and fears emerge. E.g. You went to your meeting and you carried out the action you had visualised. Gradually make the tasks harder and harder until you have overcome your fear. E.g. In my next meeting, I will put up my hand and share one idea that I have.

Tamagoyaki is a popular rolled omelette eaten in Japan. However, you cannot easily buy the rectangular frying pan used to roll the egg in Western countries, so here is a simplified circular omelette version instead! Ingredients 3 eggs 1/2 Tbsp soya sauce 1 tsp sugar Method Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk well. Add the soya sauce and sugar and mix. Heat a medium sized frying pan with a bit of oil. Pour all of the egg mixture in and cook on a medium high heat. Once the egg has nearly cooked all the way through, fold the omelette in half and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove from the pan, cut and enjoy! :)

Do you have a loving family? Or do you think that your family relationships could improve? Here I will explore some of the things that I think makes a beautiful family.       Supporting each other In an ideal world, the family unit is a safe haven for individuals where they can grow, explore and use as a safe base to venture out into the world. It can be hard to leave the house you grew up in and make your own way in the world, so having a family that you can rely upon if something ever went wrong is a real blessing. Not just that, but a family that is supportive of you when the world may tear you down, or a family that encourages you when you have no motivation left is a very precious thing. Having fun together All families have their rules, routines and expectations, but I think that families that intentionally make the time to have fun together and enjoy each other's company are incredible. Although it takes time, effort and organisation from all family members, the memories you can make together can be treasured for a lifetime. Family members should not just be taken for granted, or worse yet ignored as an annoying daily presence but appreciated for who they are and what they do for each other. Loving each other wholeheartedly A great family is one where love is unconditional. You should not have to follow in the footsteps of a family's legacy or achieve a certain grade to be loved. Of course, there may be disappointment and hurt, but ultimately a loving family will still love each other even if other members of the family didn't live to expectations. Loving each other wholeheartedly also means that you are willing to make sacrifices for each other and that you treat those that matter to you with the same respect and love you would treat yourself. Always thinking of making the best decision for each other This idea may not be so popular in our modern day individualistic world, but I think that sometimes the best families are the ones that make a lot of sacrifices for each other. Rather than living independently together -a phrase I like to use to describe how you could all be living under the same roof side by side and yet never actually letting your life pathways cross by doing things together- it is key to think about others when planning your life. This can be achieved by making choices that benefit other members of the family at a personal sacrifice to you, (with other members of the family doing the same thing for you) or by keeping in mind how your decisions will affect the lives of others. The reason why this improves family dynamics is because by putting other family members first, it reinforces to yourself that family is one of your top priorities, so your energy and effort go into the relationship. If you make a decision that may not be in your top interests but that leads to overall happiness in the family, it shows how family is just as important, if not more important, than you living your life independent of everyone else's. Another beneficial result of this dependency is that you feel responsible for others, giving you a strong sense of belonging and connection, something that is lacking in a lot of western relationships. However, this relationship dynamic only works if all members of the family are involved and invested in this kind of relationship. Although it may seem sacrificial at times, it is still a give-and-take relationship that must be reciprocated for it to be healthy rather than exploitative. Being open and non-judgemental In a world that is highly critical, comparative and judgemental, family should be there for guidance and support through the ups and downs of life rather than another source of shame and beratement. Although it is extremely hard to watch a loved one go down a path you would rather them not to, it is important to remember that there are reasons for everything, and rather than judging someone, it is more productive to question things. Sometimes, they may have just made a mistake. Other times, they may have found a different way of life that you never knew of. Everyone is struggling and questioning and testing the boundaries of their lives. Trying to understand the view point of others, rather than trying to force them into seeing things the way you do will lead to much fewer arguments and much greater understanding even if you don't agree with what they say or do. Family members have no fear of talking about deep topics and emotions The depth of a relationship can be measured by how comfortable people feel sharing their most inner thoughts, dreams and fears. You can only share your raw, unfiltered self with those you love and trust completely, and that trust can only be built by slowly and regularly talking about your thoughts and feelings to see if you can really depend upon someone or not. Therefore, to cultivate a loving and supportive family, a family needs regular times to share with each other not just what they did, but what they hope to do, how they feel and what they are struggling with. (Although sometimes it is nice to talk to friends about these things because we don’t choose our family, so they may not always be the best person to speak to. Also, we may not want to disappoint family members, so it is not always advisable to share everything with everyone. Just share what is necessary to build a relationship with the person you are interacting with.) A little quote for the end :) A loving family misses each other when they are apart, and always finds ways to enjoy spending time with each other when they are together.

Here are some quick, easy and healthy yoghurt bowls you can enjoy for breakfast, snack or dessert! Orange, dates, granola and cinnamon Fun facts! Oranges: High in vitamin C, which is good for immune health Dates: High in fibre which helps to promote good digestion. They are also a source of natural sugar, so they can be enjoyed as a sweet treat instead of a dessert made with added sugars. Cinnamon: The cinnamaldehyde found in cinnamon is believed to have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Banana, cranberries, walnuts, blueberries and chia seeds Fun Facts! Banana: High in potassium, which contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure. Cranberries: Known for helping to prevent urinary tract infections. Walnuts: Are high in omega 3 fatty acids. (Specifically alpha-linoleic acid/ APA). This omega 3 fatty acid helps to reduce high cholesterol levels, making it less likely for blood to clot, so the risk of heart disease is lowered. Blueberries: High in antioxidants which help to improve blood flow and reduce inflammation. Chia seeds: A good source of fibre and omega 3 fatty acids. Ground ginger, dates and granola Fun Facts! Ginger: Used as a treatment for nausea, indigestion and bloating. Cacao powder, raspberries, currants and honey Fun Facts! Cacao: Cacao contains the phytochemical phenylethylamine, a compound that acts as a natural neurotransmitter to increase the production of serotonin in the brain. This helps to elevate mood, and it is studied as a compound that may help to alleviate mild depression. Raspberries: Raspberries have a low glycaemic index, meaning they release sugar into the bloodstream slower than many other fruits, so they help to prevent a spike in blood sugar levels. Honey: Honey has many antibacterial and inflammatory compounds which helps prevent illness. Grated apple, almonds, currants and cinnamon Fun Facts! Apple: Apple has both soluble and insoluble fibre, helping to maintain optimal function of the gut. Almonds: Contain high levels of vitamin E, a vitamin that helps to keep the skin healthy by protecting it from oxidative stress.

Many times, we do not take a risk because we are afraid of losing what we have. Perhaps you dream of starting a business, or of quitting the conventional path of studying at university to become a street performer. Maybe you feel trapped in your situation because you have bills to pay, or children to feed. Of course, if you are a parent, you are responsible for your children, and must never put them in harm’s way, but just for this moment, imagine you lost everything. Your job, your house, your possessions. What would you do? What can you do? Would you die straight away? No! Of course not. If you live in a developed country, you are lucky. There are so many charities you could go to to ask for help. Alternatively, maybe you have friends or family that would shelter you and feed you until you get back on your feet again. Maybe people from your community or religion would take you in. And if not, maybe you need to reconsider the priorities in your life. Why do you not have any friends or family that would help you in time of need? Do you not take good enough care of them? Are you too arrogant to ask for help? Too proud of your achievements and of yourself?       Of course losing everything would be a traumatic event, a life changing one, but it would not be the end of your life. There are always options, always ways forward, always people to connect with, always people to cry with. What you need to fear is not losing everything, but of not moving forwards, of being stuck as the same person you are. Every experience will teach you something, every experience has joys and sorrows. It is all the same. Humans are strong and resilient. It is only our worrying minds that make us think otherwise. Just as a note: Although you should not be afraid of losing everything, that does not mean you should be irresponsible and lazy. If you have nothing left, don't make your situation worse by taking out large loans. You have to be willing to adapt and change your lifestyle to match your new situation. You should also recognise that this would only be a temporary state which you will work your way out of, rather than a failure that you will dwell in for years and years because you cannot be strong enough to pick yourself back up again. Your turn! What is something you would like to start, but are too scared of trying? The consequences may not be that you lose all of your possessions, but your reputation or your ego. Instead of worrying and catastrophising and never starting, take a moment to really consider: what is the worst possible thing that could happen to you? Then, imagine that that thing does happen to you. What would you do in that situation? You might be pleasantly surprised to find that you already have a solution for your hypothetical extreme failure scenario! Now that you have a solution for the absolute worst case scenario, what is stopping you from trying!?

When I was younger, I used to think that life was unfair, and that you just had to get used to it. That some people were born with more money, better parents, bigger houses, more opportunities… But now I try to think more about how I can use the resources and opportunities around me to move towards the next step in my own life rather than wishing my circumstances were different. You can only live your own life, so it is important to make the most of the opportunities available to you. Moreover, I believe that more often than not, the willingness to make the most of what one has is extremely powerful, and this effort and perseverance is rewarded. Many, many famous and successful people such as Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs and Celine Dion have come from backgrounds of poverty and struggle. Great success does not come to those that wait around for others to give them opportunities. Great success comes from people who have a vision and go out into the world to make them happen, even when the whole world may be opposing them. It does not matter if your circumstances are not what you want right now. What matters is what you do about your circumstances and whether you still have a dream and continue to fight for them, or whether you give up and accept defeat to the pressures of life. Because if you cannot deal with small challenges along the way, it is likely you will not be able to deal with the challenges, pressures and responsibilities that come with great success. Someone once said to me, 'What you don't change you choose'. This statement hit me very hard because I was struggling with many chronic issues at the time, and I wanted them to change, but I had not made any active choice to do really do anything about it. I was kind of ignoring the problem and finding ways of masking the real issue whilst hoping that the problem would go away eventually. But in that moment, I realised that I actually had to use my time and energy to deal with the problems face-on or else I should not expect any different outcome. After all, if I do nothing new, why should I expect a different outcome? So if you are stuck in a circumstance you do not want, it is your responsibility to do something new to change your situation. You are responsible for your own life. Go out and make for yourself a life you will be proud of!

Makes 12 Time : 20 minutes Ingredients 1 cup oats 1/3 cup desiccated coconut 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter (or nut butter of choice) 1/4 cup honey Generous handful of cranberries 50g dark chocolate cut up into chunks Method Add all ingredients together into a bowl. It is easiest to start with the dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients. Using spatula, give the ingredients a good stir. Then using your hands, take 1/12 of the mixture and roll it into a ball. You will need to squash the mixture together with some force to make sure everything sticks together. It also helps to wear gloves or to wash your hands in a bowl of water every now and then to prevent your hands from getting sticky. Store in the fridge so they harden slightly and enjoy! Note : You can also add other fillings to replace the cranberries and dark chocolate as you wish. (For example, raisin, cinnamon and crystallised ginger, cacao powder and dried apricots, walnuts and dates...) Fun facts! Cranberries: High in antioxidants. Antioxidants helps to neutralise free radicals, preventing damage to cells caused by oxidative stress. Oats: Has high amounts of beta-glucan, a type of fibre that helps to slow the absorption of glucose into the blood. This helps to keep balanced energy levels throughout the day. Honey: Has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can help with fighting illnesses. Dark chocolate: Helps to stimulate the production of serotonin and endorphins, making us feel good and helping to reduce stress.