It's Spring already! Even though here in London we still have winter temperatures (around 7 degrees Celsius), it's very nice to see the sun out more often.

Sun or no sun though, I have been consistently going to the park for my lunch break, and have been enjoying feeding the squirrels and taking photographs of the animals and the flowers. It's just so nice to be able to connect with Nature in the middle of the day, every day :-)

Reconnecting with Nature in this way helps me to keep grounded, specially because in the past month, as you know, I've been busy with the launch of my handbook 'From Conflict To Calm'.

The launch was very successful, and even though there are still some bits and pieces to do around the post-launch, the project is more or less complete for the moment (until I bring out a new version).

Quite interestingly, launching 'From Conflict To Calm' has almost coincided with the fifth anniversary of The Benefits Of Positive Thinking, which I only remembered a few days ago. On April 27 it makes exactly five years that I uploaded the home page of my web site.

Since then, The Benefits Of Positive Thinking has grown to contain more than 300 pages of content, dowloadable free ebooks, book reviews, the Empowered Experience coaching, a space in Facebook, different partnerships, and now my handbook on dealing with conflict at work.

I would like to do something special for the April newsletter - maybe organize a contest with a nice prize or something on the line. I will give it a thought and will let you know in the next issue.

In the meantime, keep well, and wherever you are, make the most of your experience of being alive!

I have lately noticed in myself and in other people that we seem to be experiencing life in two very different ways: either as a wonderful paradise, where everything is going our way and we are showered with good luck, or as a kind of living hell where nothing seems to be working for us. There don't seem to be a lot of in-between scenarios.

I have also noticed that the flip between those two distinct ways of experiencing life seems to happen quite quickly, and it comes down to the point of view that we hold about life at every moment.

The image came to me that it feels as if there were two houses: the house of the darkness, and the house of the light, and we're moving from the house of the darkness to the house of the light progressively.

The house of the darkness contains those points of view and thoughts which make us feel unpleasant emotions: sadness, anger, frustration, irritation... The house of the light contains those points of view and thoughts which make us feel pleasant emotions: happiness, love, joy, eagerness, passion...

Now, initially there's no problem with living in whichever house you want to live – that's the whole of life, anyway. Myself though, I prefer to live life from the house of the light as much as possible – because only by living in the house of the light can I get to experience myself fully and reach my full potential to give back to the world. Besides, whenever I find myself in the house of the darkness I notice that it takes some time and energy to move back in to the house of the light, and this process is somehow tiring.

But rather than being concerned with the possibility of flipping on to the house of the darkness, I find that the point is to spend as much time as possible in the house of the light. When we do that, the balance tends to fall on to the house of the light naturally, and there's no 'negative' force that one should fight. In other words, the happier you are, the happier you are ;-)

So how do you spend more time in the house of the light? Here are a few ways...

...Through music: by singing, dancing, listening to music, or playing music.

...By connecting with Nature – I like having my lunch in the park every day, as it feels soothing.

...By doing some creative activity of your choice: painting, drawing, writing, taking photographs, making a home movie, baking, cooking...

...By reading uplifting texts and watching uplifting videos. I have a few favourite authors: for instance, any book from Abraham-Hicks or Louise Hay will always uplift me; any talk from Mike Dooley will have me floating in joy.

...By actively choosing to relax into the present moment, accepting whatever it is that is happening or not, and whatever it is you're feeling or not.

...Through humour: watching some good comedy over the internet (my favourite stand-up comedian has to be Eddie Izzard).

I just would like to remind you that if you find yourself spending more time in the house of the darkness than you would like, then take a deep breath, and remember that what matters is not the state that you're in, but the direction in which you're going. Then make a choice to move on to the house of the light, and follow your internal guidance, which will walk you effortlessly towards joy.

Every month I receive emails from readers - some of them contain questions or comments, and some of them are contributions, such as a positive story, an article or a tip.

This month a few readers of the site contributed with beautiful pieces - in fact, there were so many good contributions that I've chosen two of them to share with you.

Rather than posting them here, just so that this newsletter is not too long, I will give you the links: they are 'Thankful for the sun and the moon', by Bishan in Australia, and 'I am thankful for life', by Sandra in the US.

Do make your way to each of these pieces of gratitude - they are both jewels.

Thanks, Bishan and Sandra! :-)

I recently watched this interesting documentary, 'The laughing club of India'. This documentary explores the power of laughter through the laughing clubs, a movement which started in India in 1995 with just five people, and which now has over 6000 clubs in 60 countries.

How would it sound to you that you meet up with other people once a week to laugh? More than just a way of feeling good, the laughing clubs help people cope with difficult circumstances through laughing.

You can watch 'The laughing club of India' by following the link.

I believe that being grateful for something is one of the most powerful tools to feel better immediately. Here are the two thanking bits of the month:

Thankful for... the sun. The days become longer, spring starts to show up in the flowers, and the sun comes through more often now, here in London. It is grand to be able to sit in the park and just feel the sun on my skin - love it!

Thankful for... fizzy bath balls. I love having a bath and using a fizzy bath ball - the sweet smell, the foam it creates, the "fzzzzzzzzzzz" sound... Fizzy bath balls make a fun and relaxing bath :-)

What are you thankful for? Share your gratitude on this page and read what others are thankful for!

Care to send me your thoughts about this issue's topics? Email me and let me know!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please pass it along to your friends, family and colleagues, or send them to the Dare To Play It Big sign up page. I thank you in advance.

Stay well,

Cristina