ENDURANCE AND PERSEVERANCE

Sometimes it comes as a surprise to me,  as to why it has taken so long to make me realise something , however it is better late than never to figure out things in our lives and progress because of that. A life lesson that I’ve learnt recently was something I definitely needed to wake up from the current episode I am dealing with and the final hurdle to help with moving forward.
I’ve learnt that there’s a difference between endurance and perseverance. Endurance is waiting around for the problems to blow over, waiting out the pain and the issues to pass by without doing anything about it.
Perseverance is that you keep trying no matter how much you get knocked back. You push forward despite the issues.
As a student, it’s very easy to just endure everything that comes your way,  to just get on with it, and not allow your abilities to become more than what you are learning, however if you persevere , you can see a bigger story to your future, and practice what you aspire to be. I’ve never thought I would get this far in terms of University, and there are times I wish I could give up especially the past couple of months but the end is near and it’s time for me to wake up and keep going.

Focus.

– Sarah Tsang

THE ABILITY TO NOT GIVE UP

For the past four months, it has been a huge struggle for me, that it has got to the point of not being mentally and emotionally capable with a constant lack of energy.  A lot has happened in between those four months and learning to get out of this rut is hard when there are no answers despite how pro-active I’ve been. A lot of people say “everyone goes through things” but a lot of people don’t realise that we all deal with things our own way, emotionally and mentally. Everyone goes through life in their own pace, we are all different.
A promise that I’ve always made for myself, especially the past 7 years, is to not give up no matter how much it feels like that nothing good will come along. This promise has made life a lot more challenging but learning that everything is temporary, your situation is temporary and there are always two ways life can go. It can take a long time for things to figure itself out but no matter how tempting it is  to give up, there is always the nagging question of “what if things do get better?”  Life is for the taking , and things may not be working out right now , however , life can send you on different paths and maybe one day, you’ll be glad that you’re not at that place anymore. Moving on and letting go doesn’t mean you are giving up because both of those things teaches you that there are better things to progress to and that is growing up.

So whatever happens in our lives,  there is always different chapters to wander in to.

Here is a song called Staring at the sun by The Offspring that I’ve been relating to in my life the past 4 months.

“There’s more to living than only surviving. Maybe I’m not there, but I’m still trying”

– Sarah Tsang

PROJECT HAPPY POP UP EVENT 2015

On 1st February, we decided to have our main event as a  pop up event in Stratford, East London.  We walked around with our Hug me sign, and little positive cards while wearing out Project Happy t-shirts.
There were a lot of reactions, such as we would overhear people telling eachother that they wanted to hug us but they were already too far away to catch up with them, others looked at our sign with curiosity and people that hugged us with glee and a smile on their faces.
The result of this event was positive and if we were to try again next time, we would have more confidence to talk to people as it was clear that people were constantly curious about us.
Afterwards, we decided to have a little talk about what makes us happy and what is happiness to us.

You can see the pop up event and talk in the video below

 

– Sarah Tsang

What makes you happy?

Seeing that we are called Project Happy, it is only obvious to ask you all one question.  What makes you happy? It is a question that sometimes takes a while to figure out. It doesn’t have to be something complex, the simple things can make you happy, even the small things. Over the years, I’ve learnt that happiness isn’t a competition, it is state of mind. The longer you pursue it , the more confused and unsatisfied you can become, because you are always wanting more than what you have now. A lot of people talk about searching for happiness but it can take a lifetime to find it.  Don’t worry about that sort of thing, enjoy what you have now, and live life day by day and just consistently find new ways of improving on yourself. There’s nothing wrong with having emotions whether they are negative or positive, you are only human afterall, however  there should be a healthy balance of both so you can build yourself up. So what makes you happy? Is it the sunshine, or your friends?  Whatever it is, keep a hold of that, and know that these are reasons on why it is your time to feel alive.
What makes me happy? Travelling and Concerts puts a smile on my face. Travelling because I get to leave my city of which I’m used to , to a place unknown, with different accents, exploring that place and discovering hidden secrets. Every place that I go to, gives me some kind of inspiration, and lessons that I learn that I can work on when I get home. It is the stress free feeling that brings new motivation and refreshes my mind when I need a break.
Concerts because of the adrenaline feeling that I get from seeing my favourite bands, singing along lyrics with like minded people that love the band as much as I do. It is the interaction with the band members and the crowd that makes it fun. There have been times that in the middle of concerts where I have cried or even have an epiphany on life because I am in the moment and it is overwhelming.
Both of these things are the reasons why they give me that extra kick to keep going in life.
So whatever makes you happy, I hope that it gives you a sense of belonging.

Here’s a song that I feel is appropriate for this blog post and over the years has helped me.

“Spread love like violence”

– Sarah Tsang

Count your blessings

In 4 days time, it will be the end of 2014 and 2015 will make way for a new year.  Every year, people tend to make New Years resolutions, and sometimes these resolutions end up failing a month in to the new year. The thing is , if you really want to make a change for yourself, you can make that change now, you don’t have to wait for 2015 to come along and become “the new you”. All you need is motivation and a long time goal to push yourself towards. Resolutions are rules and rules most of the time get broken, so learn to keep going in terms of what you have now.  I stopped making resolutions when I realised I can  just take each day as it goes, and find new ways to live life a better way.
For some reason, I am always surprised that a lot can happen in a year,but I can say for certain , I am not the same person that I was back in January. In fact, December 2014 me, would have punched January 2014 me for being such a naive person.
Look back from the beginning of 2014 to now and notice every little aspect that led you to this point of your journey. Appreciate everything and count your blessings because the fact that you are still alive is a still an achievement. Wherever your year has been good or your year had major struggles and was bad , notice what you have now, and through that you can take hold of that and make your goals tenfold for the new year. Success is learning from the past and bringing in to the present and future. This way, you will know that opportunity will come along.  A new year is always going to be scary and with every step you’ll be taking , you will be walking blindfolded , there will be road blocks ahead but take baby steps and life will slowly bloom.
At the beginning of the year, my motto in life was “Just go for it” and it worked. Despite how scary things looked and my lack of confidence , I took those words and held them tightly. I took every opportunity and chance to where it led me to now.
And now at the end of 2014? I’ve learnt that I’m not second best and never will be.
So keep living with hope and adventure. You can achieve more than you can because 2014 will be gone, and there will always be new chances every day.

Happy New Year.

Taken from a shop window somewhere between Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

– Sarah Tsang