I chose Dare to be Happier because I want to encourage people to move from sadness to happiness. Depression often happens because there are things in our lives we believe we are stuck with and cannot accept, and that conflict makes us unhappy in ourselves. The reality is that only rarely are there things we cannot change; we nearly always have choices, but too often we don’t make them because we feel we “must” do something, “need to do something” or are limited by our beliefs about a situation. Daring to be positive isn’t just about positive psychology though; it’s about the choices we make, even after our life turns upside down with significant life changes such as the loss of a loved one, the loss of our job, or the diagnosis of a life shortening or chronic illness, for instance. Victor Frankl inspired me that even with such events in our lives, we can choose to be happier. It’s now how I now live my life

I invite fear to inspire me to create, connect and to motivate me to stretch! We forget that all we have to do is keep stretching our comfort zones and soon they will be naturally bigger and we will forget that initial fear, and find a new comfort zone. I made a conscious decision to stay positive, and focus on kindness where I could do so – it meant that not everyone who was in my life at that time was happy with my choice, though some changed to grow with me. But I’ve found that when I removed the negative people, or cut down on the time I spent with them then it left room for positive people to come into my life, so that I’m now blessed with a group of dear soul friends – anam caras, as they are called in Ireland, where I grew up.

Because it works! An Introduction to the Magic of Journaling shares some of the scientific evidence behind this - but it's changed my life and the lives of those I work with. We don't allow ourselves to listen to our hearts and this is such an easy way to do that, to slow our lives down, to reshape memories so we don't hold on to pain, to focus on what really matters to us, to allow us to follow our dreams. There are so many reasons to journal..

The fact that I see life as an adventure.

Running workshops, spending time with family and friends, twitter and of course, reading

I've read thousands of books so have several! Depends on the genre, but LM Montgomery, the Brontes, Jane Austen and Dickens are there with Thoreau, George Orwell, Harper Lee, Harlan Coben, and Robert Harris. So are Cheryl Richardson, Wayne Dyer, Dr David Hamilton, Susan Jeffers, Jack Canfield - these writers have changed my life. Then there are poets like Mary Oliver, Rainer Maria Rilke, Robert Frost, Thoreau, Maya Angelou, Rumi, Yeats, Whitman...

Sometimes by search on themes or key words, often by recommendation.

Any decision where we choose to follow our heart will inspire heart song. Our hearts are always singing to us; we just drown them out with noise, busyness and other people’s voices. When you have a choice to do something, sit quietly and ask yourself, “which choice makes my heart sing?” Which choice sits with my own values and beliefs? What do I need to do here that means I am living authentically, that will bring me or others joy?