No more excuses.

Have you got something on your 'to do' list that you keep putting off for another day? Or something you talk about doing, but actually never get round to doing?  If you have, examine why you keep doing this. Do you really want to do this? Are you truly motivated and committed to doing it? Is this something you feel you should want to do? Is this something that you wanted to do once upon a time but that no longer suits you? Face it, it can't be THAT urgent or you would have already made a start on it. Your life is ticking along without you making a start on this. Your life still functions without this happening. Are you really sure its still a valid goal?

If you're sure that at some point you do want to go ahead and do this thing, what is stopping you from doing it now? Is it lack of resources? Time perhaps? or Money? (both?) Is it too big a task to complete? Do you need to do something else first in order to have the resources you need? (like get a relevant qualification in order to start up a business, some research for your book, to complete a current project before starting on a new one?) Can you break up your goal into smaller steps and simply make a start on one tiny step? Are you  overwhelmed by the time scale involved in your new project? Could you break this down into modules, smaller chunks, tiny baby steps rather than thinking you're having to undertake say a whole  three or four year degree or writing a whole book right now. See it as doing a term, and then another until finally its complete. Or writing a page, or a chapter, or an outline. If you're wanting to completely renovate your home, concentrate on one thing, in one room, and then the next and the next until its all complete.  

It's really easy to keep putting things off, using excuse after excuse, but it doesn't achieve anything. It's merely a waste of time, or breath (or both) Instead of feeling guilty for not making a start, or thinking up ever more imaginative excuses for not making a start, use a little time to decide whether you really want to do this. If you do, great. If not, cross it off your to do list and do something you do want to do!!!! 

Watch out for energy vampires

Energy Vampires 'suck' away your energy

Energy vampires literally suck away your energy, you want to sink further into the couch just thinking about them. If you can identify those energy vampires in your life you are half way to eradicating them forever. 

Energy vampires can include:

•  things that we feel we 'should' do, which we actually don't want to do, those things on the to do list that have been sat there for months, years even, never getting started. 
• People who we see but who we would rather not see.
•  Boring meetings which ramble on for hours without actually achieving anything.
•  Looking for items that have no proper home. 
• Worrying about health/weight/money/future. 
• Clutter that no longer reflects who you are or what you want.
• Gifts that you don't find particularly attractive but which you feel you should keep because it was a gift.
• Boredom. 
• Fear. 
• Feeling guilty.
• Worrying about the small stuff.
• Doing what other people think we should do. 
• Trying to be perfect. 
• Trying to be someone you're not. 

 Sometimes we simply have to cross things off the to do list. We have to say no to boring meetings. Be suddenly busy if an energy vampire friend suggests lunch. Give away the clutter, do only what makes us feel good. Start being true to yourself, filling your days doing things you love doing. Spend time with those who inspire you, who uplift you or who you admire. Surround yourself with items that make your heart sing.  Life is what you make it, so make it good!

Be mindful of the company you keep

Be mindful of the company you keep. Limited thinking people hold you back. Find those people with a positive,  forward thinking approach. You will become more like those people who influence you, so find positive, nourishing influences. Remain upbeat to attract good things to you.

When taking advice..

Listen to other people's advice, but only extract pertinent points from it. What works for them might not work for you (and vice versa)

Taking back control.

Take back control. This means finding out the truth of the situation. If you owe money - how much and to who? If you're over or underweight, by how much, what is your target weight? What areas of your life are you happy with? What do you need to change?
Just like being lost in an unfamiliar place, you first need to find out where you are and where you want to go next.

Once you've established where you are and where you're heading, you can start to formulate a plan. This should be kept simple and specific. Break the plan down into smaller chunks. So if you want to save x amount by y date, divide the amount by the time allowed to give you a set amount to save each month. Then set up a direct debit or standing order, and forget about it. 

If you want to run two miles, come up with a routine that is easy to follow and that will effortlessly combine into your daily routine. Getting up at 5am may not work, whereas fitting in time for a run before or after work with a friend or loved one might. Having a buddy can help you keep motivated. It helps if you have similar goals to your buddy.

 If you're wanting to lose weight, find someone who also wants to loose weight, not someone who's idea of a fun morning is having a huge cooked breakfast followed by a snooze!  Don't give up at the first hurdle. it can be hard to face the rain, on a cold wet day.  Or to keep saving when that must-have handbag hits the shelves, or to resist having a big bacon butty with lashings of ketchup. If you do end up succumbing to temptation, fear not, simply start back where you left off the next day and keep going!

A course for life...

See courses as personal development. Don't only do course that will enhance your career. Do what you love, what you're passionate about. Every course you do will make you a more rounded person and will provide you with something that is transferable to the workplace. Employers are looking for multidimensional people,so having a range of skills and interest is a bonus.
Having multiple strings to your bow opens up multiple revenue streams. The more things you can do, the more money you can earn. Learning should be a lifelong activity. Learning new things keeps the brain active and the spirits up. 

What becomes of the broken hearted?

My heart is broken, shattered into a million tiny shards. Nothing will ever fix it, no amount of araldite can ever make it whole again. Even an entire studio of sticky back plastic and toilet roll tubes wont be enough to mend it. Ever again.

I feel cold and empty inside, in a dark, dark place where the sun doesn’t shine.

Where it will be winter for the whole of eternity, where ice covers my soul and a gasp of emptiness is in the space that my heart once occupied. Tears trickle down my cheek, salty and sweet. I watch the rain pour down the window pane and my tears fall at a similar pace. I start to howl, taking big long gasping sobs, the dog looks up at me and wonders what on earth can be wrong with me, for normally I am the calm and quiet one not the one who howls in the afternoon for no reason.

The grief is so intense that I feel shots of pain coursing through my abdomen. The soft warm spot I have under my rib cage seems void of all sensation, apart from intense loneliness and longing for what was, what could have been…

I roll over onto my side, and snuggle down deep under the covers, trying to get back into the foetal position in order to gain some much needed comfort. It’s no good, my adult body finds it hard to curl up so small, and I start crying again, softer now. I bury my face in the pillow, gently inhaling the smell of the washing powder of the clean sheets and I start to feel calm once more.  My hot cheek touches the coolness of the pillowslip and I slowly close my eyes. I sink my head into the pillow and attempt to ease myself into a deep slumber. I must doze off because when I awake, it is dark outside, the street lamp has come on emitting an eerie glow into the dark night. Steam is rising from the street below, where the heat of the day meets the cold of the night. I shiver and pull the covers higher, until they are tucked right up under my chin. I realise that one day I am going to have to face the world and put on a brave façade. But not today, today I am going to wallow in self pity and make the most of feeling sad. I don’t often allow myself to succumb to raw emotion, normally I am clinically efficient and hardened to emotional outbursts. All that changed when I met my lover. He showed me how to love properly and how to open my heart to the world. And now, what? Nothing, game over. No chance of ever completing the rest of the time we should have had together. I am grieving not only for the love that I have lost but the chances we would have had together had only time been on our side. But no, our love was curtailed, cut short, we fell at the final hurdle.

Time out theory

How any therapy ‘works’ is still a mystery. There is no tangible way of proving beyond reasonable doubt how the healing takes place. Theories have suggested that it could be the placebo effect - that if you think your treatment, be it a medicine from a bottle, a spiritual healing, a complimentary therapy or a homeopathic remedy is going to ‘cure’ you then ‘cured’ you will be!  If that was true, then it would be possible to ‘heal yourself’ by simply thinking ‘I am healed’.

Complimentary therapies stimulate both sides of the brain, allowing the emotional side of the brain to be able to work in conjunction with the more rational side. They also allow the recipient to put a space between themselves and the problems they face, effectively allowing them to take a ‘time out’ to look at the problem more objectively.

This ‘time out’ theory works in a similar way to people taking a short vacation. Often whilst on vacation, people decide that actually they’re sick of the jobs, no longer want to be in the situation they are in. So they do something about it, something positive that makes a difference to them. Taking a time out from your problems, be it through taking a walk in the countryside, a complimentary therapy, applying yourself vigorously to a hobby or interest, meditating, etc even reading a book, can allow you to see things in proper perspective and allow the healing process to begin.

Remembering things....

Is it the feeling you can remember or the actual memory? Feelings can get stored away, to be rekindled by certain stimuli. This is why a sight or a sound, or smell can produce a whoosh of memory. However, often the memories we hold are often not that accurate. We remember things that haven't happened, we remember things we've been told about but that we wouldn't be able to truly remember because we were too little at the time. Ask any family member to recall an incident, or to state where we bought an item, and discrepancies often occur. Time fades memories, especially if they don't have a strong emotion attached to them. If you were around on the day that Princess Diana died in 1997, or the day that the Twin Towers were brought down, chances are you will have a strong memory of what you were doing on that day. Even though much time has passed. Can you remember what you were doing the following week? or the day before the event. Chances are you probably can't. That's due to the lack of emotion. On an ordinary day, where you're simply milling about minding your own daily business, you're not likely to store the memory, because other wise you would fill your brains available RAM with useless rubbish. But when emotions get involved, it adds a depth, that make it more likely for you to remember.  

It is also likely that you remember things from a biased point of view. Often its easier to remember what the other person did to you, without remembering any of your own contribution to the issue. This is partly because you like to paint yourself into a role of the 'good' person, that perhaps bad things have happened to, no one wants to admit that actually they too are partly to blame. Therefore we often end up with an unbalanced view with us firmly placed in the role of the victim, but is this really the case? 

Keep your power.

Keep your power.
Don't give away your power. Make decisions early, don't wait for someone else to make them for you. This could be changing jobs, or flats, or leaving a dead relationship whilst you still can with your dignity intact. 


It could also mean turning a deaf ear to those who have negative philosophies as they're not always right. 


At the end of the day you have to lead an authentic life and this is sipping a soft drink, listening to classical music and reading a book, so be it.


Your views, feelings and opinions are important and should be followed. However if you are in a situation that is clearly not working effectively, have the guts to change it. This is like when restaurants who stick to unrealistic menus serving shoddy food, wondering why they're on the brink of bankruptcy, because they're not finding out what the customer actually want and offering them that. They have the power to change, to do things differently. So do you!

How to change the world

You can't change anyone but yourself. Changing yourself leads the other person to change their attitude towards you. By changing the way you react you can change the world bit by bit.

Meeting your shadow side..

Have you noticed that some people cause a really strong positive reaction within you when you meet them for the first time? Whereas other people cause a really strong negative reaction. Those in the former group really resonate with you, they seem to be on your wavelength, totally getting you right from the start. 

Whilst those belonging to the second group you can't get away from quickly enough. You might want to run away, but wait. What are the people from the second group showing you? How can they help you grow and develop? Could they be showing you parts of yourself that you would rather not see? Could this be what some people term your 'shadow side'

Everyone has a shadow side, some people manage to hide theirs better than others. We all have parts of us that we'd like to change, alter, or ignore. Why is that? We are brought up to believe that we have to be perfect most of the time, and acknowledging that we have a shadow side makes us seem imperfect.  If you allow yourself to explore a little of your shadow side ,you can learn more about yourself. You need to be able to love yourself, warts and all. 

Embrace your shadow side. Give it a little squeeze. What does that feel like? What are you so scared of? Do you believe that if you let your shadow side escape from its gloomy box, that you'll not be able to control it. Or do you think that having a shadow side makes you unlovable? Sometimes our greatest challenges provide the greatest rewards. We may need to make friends with our shadow sides in order to reach our full potential. Seeing the shadow side in other people can offer a reflection of ourselves. What are they showing you? Could you shake things up just a little bit, embracing a little of what they're showing you, to enhance your own life? Or is it easier, and safer to stay in our comfort zone, doing what we've always done? 

Saying that, its worth proceeding with some caution. If you get with someone who is showing you too much of their shadow side, an imbalance can occur. In some cases, however, meeting someone who has values opposite to yours can lead to balance being achieved. Think of big spenders forming a relationship with someone who is more frugal, or a very bubbly person marrying a quiet person. Sometimes you need the opposite to you to balance you out. 

Why 'contrast' can be a good thing..

Sometimes we need contrast to illustrate strongly what you do and don't want. It can also be useful to see what other people do and what they end up with. Like people who spend too much and end up vastly in debt, those who never clean and end up living in a big mess etc. 

At the  height of summer we feel too hot , yet in the middle of winter we complain because we are too cold. We need contrast to help us to realize that what we actually want is something in the middle, neither too hot, nor too cold. 

In life we need a certain amount of stress to keep us motivated. Too much stress and we get ill, too little stress, and we get bored and fed up. 

Having too much or too little of something shows us that what we actually want is balance,  a happy medium which is comfortable, with just a tiny edge to keep us on our toes. 

When we experience contrast it can help clarify exactly what we do want. It is important to recognize that everyone goes through a period of contrast at some point in their lives, it is how they deal with the contrast that defines them.

Break those chains and start again..

Patterns set in childhood can be hard to break. Children absorb (or get taught) attitudes and a system of beliefs from their parents, grandparents, and peers which they then take on board for themselves. It is no wonder that illnesses get 'passed on' from generation to generation. If they are created by attitudes and thinking patterns, obviously the  'health problems' we experience will continue on down the generations.

 Who says there is a 'medical' cause for illnesses? What if it is actually a state of mind, an attitude, that causes the patterns of one generation to occur in the next, producing identical symptoms? What if it would be possible to rewrite the script, and stop these conditions being passed down the generations? 

You can change  future  outcomes if you change  what you think and what you feel at the bottom of your heart. You are free to choose different patterns but you will need to be strong, you will need to refuse to give up and not sit back down at the first sign of trouble, or at 'failure'.
 Imagine if we had done that when we first learned to walk! We would still be sitting down, shuffling along on our bottoms.

 Changing takes practice, change doesn't just happen overnight. You might slip back into old ways and if you do, just start again. Do NOT give up, instead, love the mistakes you make, learn from them, love the choices both good and bad. Observe mistakes, but don't judge yourself for it. Take the lessons and move on. 

What is the 'pay off' for the patterns that you repeat? Is what you're doing (or not doing) keeping you 'safe'? Do you hide behind your weight? Your status?  Your job? Do you keep walking down the same life path so you don't have to face the 'danger' of doing something different? If you see the world as a dangerous place, full of people out to get you, or of experiences waiting to trip you up, then you will keep yourself in a place that is safe, where you don't have to face those things you perceive to be dangerous. It can mean that you stay in a blocked position unable to move forward. It also limits growth as you are not free to choose the more interesting options available to you. 

Poverty and illness can keep you 'safe' from having to do things you might not want to do. It gives you an excuse not to have to go out or do things you might not want you to do, it gives you a role to play. Having lots of pets and therefore being tied to them, can also keep you 'safe'. You can't go out for a day with your grandchildren because you have to get back for the dogs etc.


Sometimes a pattern is repeated due to it feeling familiar. It can be an unconscious decision and it's not always a good thing. It explains why people seem to instinctively choose another dominating or abusive partner, even when common sense would dictate they should make a sharp exit. The patterns are familiar the roles are roles we've played  before, the subdued housewife, the dominant party, the helpless one, the one who always knows what she's doing. Its only when we break through these patterns that progress can be made. It's easier to do what we've always done because doing something different would mean getting different results. This would lead to us having to perform different roles. If we always turn left at the end of the road, we will always end up going the same way. Sometimes  its hard but refreshing to do things differently. It can positively waken up new neural pathways doing this. 

Sometimes you have to take the plunge and give new things a go, no matter how scary they seem.

In every challenge, there is a gift

In every challenge there is a gift, an opportunity for growth but you have to look for it. It could be the gift of self-reliance, of patience or gratitude. It could be heavily disguised or plain to see. 

Everything that happens does so for a reason, and every path will become clear when the time is right . Sometimes we need to achieve other things before the path is shown to us.

Life can be like a platform game, we sometimes need to unlock the lessons of life to get to the next level. or we need to find a way to the next level via an alternative route. Sometimes we need to wait a while until our life store has been replenished enough to move on.

We cannot move forward without any idea of where we're heading so setting some goals is key. It doesn't matter if, part way through the journey, we decide to change destination, or take a little detour. All that matters is setting off with enough supplies and an idea of where we're heading...

Finding Inspiration...it's here, somewhere....

We all know that unfortunately its not yet possible to go to our local supermarket and buy a packet of bright ideas, one day maybe we will. So until then we have to find our own creative inspiration. Often finding that inspiration is the hardest part.  Once we get going there’s no stopping us, but getting started can be so hard. 
 
How do I find inspiration?Look around you. You might have an ornament on your dresser that you love (or hate for that matter) , a ring in a jewelry box perhaps, a pebble from the beach. A postcard or painting. Newspapers, Magazines, even the Yellow Pages can provide a spark for the creative flow. Its just a matter of daring to think outside the box. Think not only of objects but also sounds, smells, tastes, the wind rushing through your hair,(if you’re lucky enough to have some) or textures. A shiny button or a piece of silk in a vibrant shade might be the starting point for a photo shoot, a picture, a story, a poem. Who knows? 

Listen to people’s conversations, on the train, the bus, in a coffee shop or restaurant. Watch people closely as they visit the supermarket. Take note how they interact with one another. Who might they be? Are they friends, relatives, lovers? Have they been together forever or is it their first date? How did they meet? 

Feel what they feel. What emotions are they experiencing. Are they happy, sad? Do they look angry, inspired, despondent, depressed, upbeat.. Take note of what they are wearing. See what clues you can take from their appearance. What kind of person is this? Imagine what they might be called, what they might do, what their hobbies or interests are . What might their favorite food be? More importantly what do they NOT like? What are the kinds of things they would never do. The more you can deduce from your observations the more accurate your painting or writing or scultping or whatever will be.

Do it differentlyMake things slightly different. Add a twist, add more information, or make the information others offer more accessible and easier to understand.
Cook a meal but make it tastier or less calorific, or add a different ingredient that adds an edge to the dish. Cook it in a different way. 

Use paints but use a different technique or use a sponge to apply paint rather than a brush. Use your fingers or toes. 

Selling your work
If you are looking to sell your work, rather than simply enjoy the process of writing/painting/sculpting/dancing etc it is important to find out what your target audience actually want  to see or read.
It also helps to know what else is out there which is similar. Think about what you would like to read or watch or see, think about what other people do and don’t do. Do some research.
Keep topics seasonal but not so seasonal that they have a sell-by date, unless you’ve specifically been asked for a holiday related piece..

Ensure you’re clear about what you are and aren’t offering to sell them. Check your rights and make sure you read any formal agreement through carefully before signing anything. If you are not sure consult a solicitor or other experienced person.

What if my work isn’t good enough? Don’t think there’s any point sending it in. Who would want to read it/ see it?
You will never know whether it is good enough until you do pluck up the courage to send it in. Rejections don’t always mean that your work is rubbish. Even the most experienced and prolific writers have received rejection letters. Don’t take it to heart.

Sometimes a company doesn’t want a particular piece of work right now because they have recently run a similar article, or that your short story is similar to the one they published in last months magazine, or they are looking for something a little more edgy or more conformist (depending who you send it to!) So it helps to do your market research to save yourself time sending in work that just isn’t going to be accepted because its simply not the right time. Magazines plan their content months in advance so it would be pointless sending in an article about Easter Eggs at the end of March, as they will have already filled that slot in the magazine months earlier .Thinking ahead is essential.

Send things off to publishers if this is sensible to do, obviously no one is going to publish a 10ft tall paper maiche purple cow sculpture, so sending that to a publisher is more than likely a waste of time, although a photograph of it may be favorably received.. Articles, readers letters, poems ,fillers,  drawings, illustrations, photographs, video clips etc may indeed be used by others for profit. 

Make sure you have given them your up to date contact details ready for when that well earned payment flops onto your door mat. (If you have a dog that eats the post, buy a letterbox for the back of the door that is dog proof. Our dog once got his teeth into a cheque which could have been easily avoided)

Keep on writing/ dancing/painting/ sculpting. Keep on thinking positive about the outcomes.Even if your early work isn’t of a marketable standard (it might be,who knows?) keep at it. Believe in it, feel proud of it. Accept constructive critiscm.
Don’t listen to anyone who offers negative niggles based purely on their own issues. Some people like to tell you that your work is rubbish because they are jealous that they couldnt do anything of a similar standard, or because they don’t have the courage to try, or they haven’t organised their time sufficiently well in order to be able to give themselves the opportunity to try anything creative or they might even be spending so much time ironing their knickers that creativity isn’t able to feature in their lives.

What about that negative little voice that twitters at me telling me I am rubbish?
Simple - buy ear muffs. This way the little voice can twitter away to its hearts content and you hopefully won’t be able to hear it. If you still can hear the twittering then you will have to learn to zone out to it. Or imagine you have a very loving and kind voice telling you completely the opposite. Just make sure that you imagine the loving kind voice to be a louder more persistent voice than the negative one. 

Surround yourself with other creative types.
It helps if other people you know are also creative types. They will understand that you need to get your creative juices flowing and will know the importance of constructive but kind criticism.
 If you can get a group of creative types together so much the better. It doesn’t matter if you are not all following the same creative branch. Sometimes trying new ways of being creative can start your creative juices flowing with abundance. 

Curing Writers Block / Restoring Artists FlowIf you have reached a tricky patch in whatever you’re doing don’t panic, try something else. Go do the washing up. Clean a window. Have a hot drink. Have a snack. Take a walk. Watch that episode of your favorite programme that you’ve been meaning to watch on Sky+ since Sunday. Put your favorite upbeat tune on the stereo and dance for 10 mins. Whatever you do, don’t keep staring at the blank screen or empty canvas. I enjoy playing various musical instruments and have often bump started the creative process by playing my violin for ten minutes until my writers block has been driven away. (Along with the neighbours)

If you are leaving a piece of writing of any length don’t finish the sentence you’re on. Stop. This way you have more chance of continuing the writing when you get back as its far easier to finish off a sentence than to start a completely new one.

Positive Living. Live the life YOU want to lead...

Living positively is all about finding the good in things, living well but living within your means, taking small steps each day towards a better standard of living. It’s not about spending more money, or spending more time. It may mean spending a little time at first to get reorganised but in the long term it means living a full, enjoyable life full of colour and vibrancy no matter what your budget.
Declutter!
This may mean de-cluttering old, tired or unloved possessions, finding a way to include more fun into your life, making a change to your routines so that you have less stress and more time to relax and enjoy life. Don’t be afraid to throw anything away that you don’t like, don’t want or need.
Charity shops often send out collection bags and like good quality clothing, some also accept bric-a-brac. Look in the Yellow pages for charity shops. Some even take unwanted furniture.
If you look at an object and it doesn’t bring you joy or have a practical purpose any more, get rid of it. This way you will have less things to dust, more chance of finding things, place for everything to have its own home and a tidier home.
Ditch Christmas presents from that elderly Aunt who always buys you something hideous. Just because someone has bought you some thing doesn’t mean you should hang on to it if you don’t like it.
Borrow
Get used to using your local library - borrow books rather than buy them. If a book is any good and you feel you might find it useful to have a copy THEN buy it. If you have friends who have similar tastes in books as you, arrange to swap, this gives you a vast array of interesting material to read and ensures that you don’t end up with lots of books that you’re not planning on reading again cluttering up your home!
Donate! If you have any spare books don’t be afraid to give them either to your local charity shop, or to your local library, both are usually very grateful to have books in good condition. Alternatively sell spare books on either Amazon or eBay.
Reorganise
Try living more seasonally, enjoying colourful, crunchy salads in the summer, and warming soups and hearty stews in the winter months. This way you can either make use of anything you might have grown in your garden or buy things cheaply at a farmers market. There is nothing nicer than settling down in front of a warm fire with a bowl of soup on a winters day.
  It might mean getting up a little earlier to make use of the extra daylight during the summer months and enjoying more early nights and longer lie in’s during the darker winter months. When the days are lighter more can be done during daylight hours, this time of year is great for gardening, sipping wine on the patio, going for walks and picnics and sitting on the beach.  During the shorter, darker days time could be made for reading, warming up after a crisp walk with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, planning future projects and reflection. Sometimes it is good to stay still for a while and take stock and make plans for the future.
Revitalise!
You could try introducing a new more interesting way to exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to mean tramping away on the treadmill, it could mean digging an elderly neighbours garden, walking the dog, putting on a Street Dance Dvd, even doing housework quickly counts (although I do agree it may not be ‘fun’ as such). If you like more of a buzz from your exercise get your bike out and get riding. If horses were your thing look up your local stables and book some sessions. Another fabulous craze is Zumba, which makes exercise fun. Any dance class will get your heart pumping.
Save time - reuse!
A lot of time and energy is spent going shopping for food. When writing your shopping list and planning the meals you are going to create, see if there are any recipes that can be adapted to give you another meal.
For example the Sunday roast can be used on Monday to make another dish by cooling, slicing up, covering with gravy, tin foil over the top and baked in a medium oven until its hot.
Left over vegetables can be turned into soup, a chicken carcass for stocks and soups, leftover sausages can be used cold in sandwiches with some pickle, chicken can be added to salads or turned into curry.
Any left over boiled potato can be fried the next day to give sautee potatoes, or sliced fairly thinly and covered in cream, cheese and garlic to make dauphinoise potatoes.
Mince beef can be savory mince one day, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a few herbs added the next day to make a tasty ragu sauce for pasta, or used as the filling for lasagne. Stale(ish) bread can be made into croutons or breadcrumbs.
If there is only a little bit of something left over bag it up and pop it in the freezer, it may come in handy for  lunch one day.
Find your passion Everyone has something that makes them  feel truly alive. Try to incorporate what you love into your life whenever possible. This is what makes life worth living and makes you interesting. If you’re not sure what makes you feel happy try new things until you find what fits. It may be something simple like walking down a beach or painting a picture or eating homemade cookies and drinking a cup of proper coffee. It always astonishes me when people say I love doing X... but I don’t get time to do it very often. Well make time. Stop ironing your knickers and do something you love instead. (apologies if ironing your knickers is what you love doing)
Do whatever it is that makes you happy and puts a little colour in your cheeks.