I admit I have been intensely drawn to anyone, or any ‘thing’ I considered fun or exciting since I was a little girl and have been relying on these ‘things’ to make me happy ever since.

I can recall from around the age of 8, I just knew I loved to cook and would beg mum to let me crumb the schnitzel or rudely go ahead and mash her potatoes without asking. Later in my high school years I forcefully cooked pasta for my girlfriends after school, instinctively making up weird and wonderful sauces (whether they were hungry or not).

I was intensely attracted to fashion in the same way, drawing up outfit ideas, cutting out pictures from magazines and playing dress ups in my room for hours and hours (I admit I  still do this today!).

I guess from quite a young age you have a sense of what makes you ‘happy’ and the ‘things’ you feel passionate about, and if given the opportunity you take to them fearlessly and they start to become your identity, and you begin to rely on them to make you who you are or direct how people see you and think of you.

In retrospect, this got me thinking, what happens if you put all your eggs in the happiness basket of ‘things’ only an external world can provide? Surely how we feel about ourselves on the inside needs to be organically set, and not reliant on materials things or a superior skill-set.

This made me want to dig a little deeper, in search of how my sense of self might extend further than just a passion for things, people or activities I enjoy. What qualities that exist only on the inside could I focus on to make me feel good?

Putting it out there, I am going to start with my sincere compassion for others, friendly nature and ability to put my heart on the line from day dot.

So if you haven’t recently, take a minute to think about all the wonderful things you have on your inside and focus in a little harder – or at least as hard as you focus on all the wonderful things sought on the outside.