Etikett: personal growth

Kay Pollak blog – a misty morning by the lake with a wooden pier and a floating platform, a moment of reflection and meeting between words and nature.

When Words Find Their Echo – Kay Pollak and My Blog Journey

Sometimes, something small can make the whole day shine.
Yesterday, when I opened LinkedIn, I saw that Kay Pollak had liked my post — the one where I wrote about blog statistics and how numbers really tell stories about meetings between words and people.

Read this post in Swedish. ->När orden får gensvar – om möten, statistik och Kay Pollak

For a moment, I paused.
Not because a “like” is such a big thing, but because it came from someone whose words have followed me for years.
Someone who has reminded me that we choose our own thoughts, our perspectives, and our reactions.
He’s the voice in my head that keeps whispering that my happiness is my own responsibility — and that I create it by choosing thoughts that give me more joy.


When Numbers Become Stories

I’ve watched my blog’s statistics grow week by week. But when I look at the numbers now, I no longer see numbers.
I see encounters — small digital footprints of people who paused for a moment in my everyday life.
Maybe someone smiled. Maybe someone recognized themselves.

That’s what makes writing alive — when words land, awaken something, and become part of someone else’s thoughts.

And yesterday, when Kay Pollak pressed “like,” it became a symbol of exactly that.
A small confirmation that what I write truly reflects his message: that our thoughts create our world.


To Keep Choosing Joy

That small moment reminded me why I write.
Not for numbers, not for statistics — but for the conversation between the lines.
To share something genuine.
To create quiet meetings between people, even in the noise of the digital world.

So thank you, Kay. And thank you to everyone who reads.
You remind me that words have power — and that it’s always worth choosing joy, even in the smallest of ways.


On the Bridge Toward Stillness

I walk out on the wooden bridge toward the calm water — a moment of reflection and the meeting between words and silence.


A wooden pier stretching out into a softly waving sea – a moment of reflection, calm, and the meeting between words and silence.
A wooden pier stretching out into a softly waving sea – a moment of reflection, calm, and the meeting between words and silence.

About Kay Pollak’s Workshop – and My Own Choice

I know that Kay Pollak is currently holding a weekend workshop — one I’ve been thinking for a long time about joining.
It would have been exciting, to meet myself deeply in that space, where both words and silence speak equally strong.

But not this time.
Instead, I chose to invest in my training to become a conversation therapist, a decision I made just a few days ago.
Kay’s workshop was tempting, but it’s an expensive course, and right now my finances don’t allow for another investment.

Or perhaps it’s me who doesn’t allow it — because I’ve already chosen to put my resources into another kind of journey, one that’s also about understanding, meeting, and growing.

It feels a bit double. A part of me would have loved to sit there, in the middle of his workshop, listening and reflecting.
At the same time, I know that the path I’ve chosen now is mine — and that it too leads to a meeting with myself.
Maybe there will be more chances, maybe not. Kay is getting older, and I feel an ambivalence knowing I might miss the opportunity.
But for now, this is how life looks, and I choose to feel gratitude for what I do have the chance to do.
Still, it would have been such a beautiful thing to attend a workshop with Kay Pollak.


Reflection

Sometimes we don’t need grand gestures.
Sometimes, a single little click — a like — is enough to awaken something big inside.
It’s not about validation, but about recognition.
About understanding that what we send out into the world actually lands somewhere.
And it also reminds me that I carry a great responsibility for what I send out.


Question for You

When was the last time you had one of those small moments of joy — one that meant more than you first thought?


AHA – The Insight

It doesn’t take much to create meaning.
A single “like” can become a little lantern in the dark — a reminder that what we share truly reaches someone.
Maybe that’s how life works: we plant tiny seeds of words, thoughts, and warmth — and sometimes, when we least expect it, something blooms.


Between the Lines

Behind numbers, statistics, and blogs, there’s always a person who longs to be understood.
I don’t write to be seen, but to share something true.
And when someone — like Kay Pollak — sees that, it becomes a quiet “I understand.”
Right there, in that moment of recognition, something big happens.


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Closing Words

Morgondopp i sol och rykande sjö

Yesterday has already settled down in history, and tomorrow waits further ahead.
But right now — this is where life happens.
Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Kay Pollak Choose Happiness – Words That Have Become Vital in My Life

Kay Pollak choose happiness – two words that have become important in my life.
Here I share how his ideas on personal responsibility help me in everyday life: from messy breakfast mornings to the deeper pain of distance from my son and grandchildren. It’s a story about pausing, choosing your response, and creating your own joy.

Read this post in Swedish ->Kay Pollak välja lycka – när hans ord flyttar in i mig


At home we have paused our Storytel subscription for a while, which means I now listen to podcasts instead. Podcasts don’t paint long, poetic pictures like a book, but they give me something else – other people’s words and experiences. And sometimes that is exactly what I need.

Yesterday I chose my all-time favorite. I’ll write his name even though my husband might shake his head if he happened to read this: Kay Pollak. His voice has followed me for many years, and my husband has heard plenty of quotes from him.


Who Is Kay Pollak?

For those who don’t know: Kay Pollak is a Swedish author, lecturer and film director.
He is known for his thoughts on self-leadership, joy and inner freedom, expressed in books like Att välja glädje (Choose Joy) and Att växa genom möten (To Grow Through Encounters). He also directed the internationally acclaimed film As It Is in Heaven.

In his talks and books, he returns again and again to the same core insight:

We cannot decide what happens to us – but we can choose how we react.

It sounds simple. But for me, it has been life-changing.


Kay Pollak Choose Happiness in Everyday Life

When I first started listening to Kay Pollak, I learned to pause in the moment.

Sun rays breaking through dark clouds – symbol of Kay Pollak choose happiness and taking responsibility in life’s challenges.

Take a normal morning: I come home from work and find the kitchen counter full of crumbs, a butter pack left out. I used to get furious and take it personally – as if I were just the cleaning lady in my own home.

But when I let Kay Pollak’s words settle in, I could stop and think:
They must have had a stressful morning. How wonderful that the kids still had time for breakfast.
Maybe my husband was simply exhausted last night.

And you know what? It was so much easier to feel happy on the mornings when I thought kinder thoughts.

The same with my daughter on those days when she woke up in a storm and pressed every trigger I had. In the past I would react immediately. But when I saw the tiredness behind her frustration, I could choose another way to respond – exactly what she needed: a mother who looked beyond the behavior.


The Greatest Test – My Son and Grandchildren

This insight reaches far beyond morning routines.
The distance from my adult son hurts. I miss my grandchildren. Sometimes part of me wants to put blame somewhere. But deep down I know I never want to give him guilt. I want to love him – and I do. I wish him every happiness, even if I’m not part of his children’s lives.

I cannot control his choices. I can only choose my own attitude.
Choose to live.
Choose to be happy – even with longing in my heart.


Happiness as an Active Choice

It may sound unusual, but I truly believe I can choose whether to be happy or unhappy. Happiness is not just a feeling that happens to us. It is a choice I make again and again, in big and small things.

I can fill my life with what gives meaning – writing, painting, morning swims, and the community of those who are here.
That is my responsibility.

I cannot take responsibility for other people’s reactions,
but I can take responsibility for how I relate to them.


Questions for You

  • How do you think about choosing happiness in your own life?
  • Have you experienced how a different response completely changed a tough situation?
  • Is there someone whose words have moved into your life the way Kay Pollak’s words have into mine?

Feel free to share in the comments – your words might spark new thoughts for someone else.


Between the Lines – My Voice

Behind these words lies a quiet gratitude. I see how my patterns have been shaped by both inheritance and choice – and how freedom can begin in a single thought.
Taking responsibility for your own life is not about carrying everything alone, but about choosing how to meet what happens.


Reflection

In every choice of thought there is a small freedom. To pause, to breathe before the word or reaction comes, can change an entire day. This is not denying grief but carrying it with gentler hands. Kay Pollak’s words remind me that life can indeed feel lighter when I choose a softer response.


AHA – Between the Lines

Happiness is not something someone else can give. It is my own creation – in dishes left on the counter, in children who sometimes push away, in the deep longing for those I love. I can grieve and still choose joy. In that tension between pain and the will to live, freedom arises.


Höstbild från Kungshamn.

Yesterday has already laid itself to rest in history, and tomorrow waits somewhere ahead. But right now – this is where life happens.
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson


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FAQ – About Kay Pollak and Choosing Happiness

What does Kay Pollak mean by “choose happiness”?
He teaches that while we cannot control what happens, we can choose our response. By pausing and seeing situations differently, we can create more joy.

How have you applied his thoughts?
By pausing in everyday moments – like facing a messy kitchen or a child’s bad morning mood – and choosing a calmer response that leads to peace instead of conflict.

Can you really choose happiness when life hurts?
Yes. It doesn’t mean pain disappears. It means acknowledging grief without getting stuck. I carry the sorrow of distance from my son, but I choose to live and find joy.

Where can I learn more about Kay Pollak?
Check out his books such as Choose Joy (Att välja glädje) and To Grow Through Encounters (Att växa genom möten), available in bookstores, audiobooks and podcasts.
You can also visit Kay Pollak’s official website for more inspiration.

Goodbye Vallersvik – When a Campsite No Longer Feels Like Home

Read this post in English

Foreword

This post is about a technical issue that suddenly got fixed, about the curiosity that drives me – and about camping experiences that have changed.
It’s a story about listening to your gut, claiming your space in your own story, and sometimes simply letting go of what no longer feels right.

Did you read the post I wrote about the KonMari method? I shared it yesterday, but the SSL issue got in the way. Here’s the link to the post.

Me and My Stubbornness – and Maybe a Bit of AI

Yes! It’s working again. The SSL certificate is finally in place, and the site is secure.
Whether it was Loopia who solved it or me – with some early morning energy and the help of AI – I honestly don’t know. I tinkered and tested, curious as I am. And suddenly… it worked.

No one from Loopia has called me back yet, even though they promised.
But that doesn’t matter – now it’s secure, and I’m happy.

The ADHD Gene That Won’t Give Up

I think it was my ADHD gene kicking in. That stubbornness.
I don’t give up when something feels like it should be fixable. And sometimes, yes – it actually is.

Thank you, curiosity. Thank you, restlessness. Thank you, the drive to understand even when I don’t fully know what I’m doing.

One Last Time in Vallersvik?

This morning we woke up at Vallersvik Camping.
We’ve gone there every year, but now… no. I think this was the last time.

It felt like motorhomes are no longer welcome there.
We asked for a spot down by the water – where we usually camp. But apparently, that’s now only for caravans.
We were sent up to the top of the campsite. Tight space, no room, no charm.

The first pitch we got was so small we didn’t even fit. We had to switch, but the new one wasn’t much better.
We barely had room for the awning – and the clouds above were heavy with the promise of rain.

Higher Prices and Less Hospitality

The campsite has raised its prices significantly. But the service hasn’t followed suit.
The toilets and showers are far from high standard, and the staff we met yesterday were not accommodating.
Which one might expect at this price level.

The sea, of course, is still there. But that’s not thanks to the campsite.

Honestly, seasonal campers should be placed higher up – it’s us short-term visitors who pay more.
And we want to feel welcome. That sense of welcome was missing – and we heard the same from other guests.

Goodbye Vallersvik – Hello Trollhättan

We left early this morning. Now we’re at Stenröset Camping in Trollhättan.
There’s plenty of space, a large motorhome pitch, and access to a pool.
The little guy loves pools – so we’ll soon be swimming. I’m about to change and jump in.

Yesterday, though… the sea was magical.
The waves crashed around us, foamy and wild.
No jellyfish, over 20°C – and a feeling of freedom in every breath.

But sometimes, you choose what works best for everyone.
And right now, that’s here – with sunshine, a waiting pool, and enough room to breathe.

Closing Words

Some places change. Others grow.
I’m taking the memory of the waves’ power with me – but I’m leaving Vallersvik behind.
Maybe for good.

AHA

I’m not looking for perfection.
I’m looking for a place to stand still.
And sometimes, that means leaving something behind –
to find your way home somewhere else – in yourself, in the present, in new waters.

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Final Reflection

Maybe it’s exactly when you let go of how things used to be that something new can show up.
Stenröset isn’t new, really – here, you know what you get.
The facilities are clean, the staff is friendly, and the welcome is real – even if you arrive with a motorhome.
Here, everything is just as it should be.

Yesterday has already settled into history. Tomorrow waits further ahead. But right now – this is the moment we live and breathe in.
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson

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#VanlifeSweden #TravelReflections #ADHDDrive #GoodbyeVallersvik #CampingReview

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