As a writer-girl who creates books o’ positivity, I love to hook up with girls who ‘get it’. Girls who know life is substantially sweeter when you stop waiting for the good stuff to happen and embrace the idea of living happily ever after, right now.

Positively Present is a blog written by a self-confessed former Eeyore, who’s now sharing her kick-ass ‘living positively’ adventures with us along the way.

Minxes, this is the good stuff. If you’re currently living under a dark cloud of woe-is-me and in need of insta-fabulization, Positively Present is a butt-kick of summer sunshine, proving that life really is best lived, if it’s lived right now, happily.

Positively Present is a complete treat o’ fabulousness in my Google reader, when and why did you set it up?
‘Treat o’ fabulousness’ most certainly made me smile! Thank you! I started Positively Present on Valentine’s Day of this year (I like to look back and think of it as a loving gift to myself!). Over the past few years, I’d been going through a really rough time and, as a consequence of that, I’d been doing a lot of soul-searching. I’d come across some really great blogs that were working wonders for my personal development (in particular The Happiness Project and Think Simple Now). I thought to myself, ‘Hey! I love to write and I think a blog would be great way to put my thoughts out into the world.’ So, that night in mid-February, I sat down on my bed, my laptop on my lap, and I got to work. I’d been keeping a journal of my self-discovery and I opened that up and searched for inspiration there. You can read more about why I chose the name for the site by checking out my first post here. It started out as a way for me to think about life using a more positive perspective, and now blogging has turned into one of my favorite activities. I really cannot imagine my life without it!

I write books about positivity, but even I, princess o’ pink, get the grumps sometimes, how do you deal with that when you’re writing continually positive content or does it help turn a frown upside down?
For most of my life, I’ve been a pretty negative person. As a child I was even referred to as the Eeyore of the group, always gloomy and ready to see the bad in every situation. So, for me, it’s really easy to slip into a negative mindset. It’s so much easier for me to be unhappy than it is for me to be happy and, actually, writing on Positively Present really helps out with that. When I know I’m going to be writing about positivity every day, I start to look for positive things in the world, things that might make interesting posts for my readers. The blog actually has a HUGE impact on my happiness, almost forcing me to see the good in the world around me (which is definitely a push ‘the old me’ needed!). Certainly I have cranky moments and I get upset just like everyone else, but I try to see the good in everything these days. The other day someone mentioned that PP was cheesy (but endearing). Positivity is often seen as un-cool, cheesy, or annoying. I used to view it that way myself, thinking, ‘There’s no way I can be a serious writer or truly artistic with a happy-go-lucky attitude.’ But that’s not true. Happiness is cool. It’s, in fact, the coolest thing you can do.

What tunes would be on a PP soundtrack?
Wow, this is a really, really tough one. PP loves music. And I mean, LOVES it. I have a page on the blog called Smile-Worthy Songs. I would have to say that list would be my soundtrack, but since there are many, many songs on that list, I’ll pull out some of my favorites (or should I say favourites?) here. I chose twenty of my top tunes and I also included the best lyrics (in my opinion) from each song.

Always Love – Nada Surf – “To make a mountain of your life/Is just a choice/I never learned enough/To listen to the voice that told me/Always love/Hate will get you every time”

Under That Cloud – Adrienne Pierce – “I used to watch all the dark clouds form/I used to be drawn to that storm/Now I am never going back/Never going back under that cloud”

Steer - Missy Higgins – “The search ends clear/Where the night is totally clear/And your heart is fierce/So now you finally know/You can control where you go/You can steer”

Love Love Love – Tristan Prettyman – ”This life is a beautiful one/And though I’ve seen it comin’ undone/I know most definitely/That it all works out the way it’s meant to be”

Goodbye Alice in Wonderland - Jewel – “Truth is stranger than fiction/This is my chance to get it right/Life is so much better without all of those pretty lies”

Sweet Silver Lining – Kate Voegele – “I may be weak/But I’m never defeated/And I’ll keep believing/In clouds with that sweet silver lining”

Let Go – Frou Frou – “Let go, jump in/Whatcha waiting for?/It’s alright ‘cause there’s beauty in the breakdown/So let go, just get in/Oh, it’s so amazing here/It’s alright ‘cause there’s beauty in the breakdown”

Let’s Dance to Joy Division – The Wombats – “Let’s dance to joy division/And celebrate the irony/Everything is going wrong/But we’re so happy”

Pig – Dave Matthews Band – “I’m saying open up/And let the rain come pouring in/ Wash out this tired notion that the best is yet to come/While you’re dancing on the ground don’t think of when you’re gone/Love, love – what more is there?”

Nolita Fairytale – Vanessa Carlton – “I walk the streets with a song in my head/We ebb and we flow so/Got my toes and my pup at the foot of my bead/The heart always seems to know/Take the glitz back/I want the soul instead/’Cause I’ve found some kinda fairytale”

Pony (It’s OK) – Erin McCarley – “You deserve a smile with no regret/Oh, look at you, kicking off your shoes/Dancing for the world to see/You got the power to believe/Open up and sing and go be free and fly away”

The Resolution – Jack’s Mannequin – “There’s a lot that I don’t know/There’s a lot that I’m still learning/But I think I’m letting go/To find my body; it’s still burning”

Silver Lining – Rilo Kiley – “And I was your silver lining/As the story goes/I was your silver lining/But now I’m gold/Hooray, hooray, I’m your silver lining/Hooray, hooray, but now I’m gold”

Snow (Hey Oh) – Red Hot Chili Peppers – “When it’s killing me, what do I really need?/All I need is to look inside/Hey, oh, listen to what I say/Come back and listen to what I say/The more I see, the less I know/The more I like to let it go”

This Is My Now – Jordon Sparks – “I am made of more than my yesterdays/This is my now and I am breathing in the moment/As I look around/I can’t believe the love I see/My fears behind me/Gone are the shadows and doubt/This is my now”

Least Complicated – Indigo Girls – “So what makes me think I could start clean-slated?/The hardest to learn was the least complicated/I’m just a mirror of a mirror of myself/All the things that I do/The next time I fall/I’m gonna have to recall/It isn’t love/It’s only something new”

If There’s Love - Citizen Cope – “You know that you’ve got my tomorrow, baby/Today and yesterday/Believe that you’ve got my tomorrow, baby/I’ll hold you close as far as I can see”

Half-Assed – Ani DiFranco – “Just show me a moment that is mine/It’s beauty blinding and unsurpassed/Make me forget every moment that went by/That left me so half-hearted/Cause I felt it so half-assed”

Dashboard - Modest Mouse – ”Well, it could’ve been, should’ve been, worse than you would ever know/Oh, the dashboard melted but we still have the radio/it could’ve been, should’ve been, worse than it had even gone/Well, the car was on block, but I was already where I want”

Fingerprints -  Katy Perry – “Don’t give up/Don’t give in/Build your house on the rock/Not in the sand, in the sand, in the sand/It’s my life and I’m not sitting on the sidelines watching/It pass me by/Gotta make my mark/Gotta run it hard/I want you to remember me”

What makes you jump-in-the-air happy?
Writing on Positively Present and receiving positive feedback (like being asked to do an interview for an awesome site like this one!) definitely makes me jump for joy. It’s so amazing to open up to the world, put myself out there as I’m really trying to embrace the positive aspects of life, and to be greeted with such support and companionship. I also feel pretty awesome whenever I do something helpful for someone else. Whether it’s editing a school paper, talking to a friend during her tough time, volunteering at a local charity, or bringing my mom a much appreciated cup of coffee, it always makes me really happy to help out someone else. Maybe that’s not the jump-in-the-air kind of happy, but it’s a sort of peaceful, loving happy that makes me feel really great.

What’s your life motto?
I don’t know if I would say this in my life motto because, for the majority of my life, I definitely haven’t embraced this (my motto used to be: “This sucks. Can I leave now?”), but right now (and for the future, I hope!) my motto is: “Live in the moment and love the moment you’re living in.” Being positive in the present moment isn’t always easy, but it’s what I hope for every day when I open my eyes to the world.

Quick fire round: What’s your favourite …
Shop: Any bookstore. And I have a weakness for the trendy, cheap stores like Forever 21 and H&M. I want to hate them, but I just can’t seem to stop appreciating the opportunity to purchase an entire outfit for under $20!
Book: Also a tough one, as I love, love, love books! (You can check all of the books I recommend on my site on the “Brilliant Books” page) As a teenager, I adored The Wind Blows Backward by Mary Downing Hahn. The copy I have is so beaten up because I read it over and over and over again. Right now, I don’t know if I can pick just one book, but I really enjoyed reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and, of course, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is one of my favorite books – and films!
Hang-out: At my parents’ beautiful home with all of my friends, my dog, and a beautiful day. If only they would build a pool, it would be perfect…I also enjoy a good cruise around a local bookstore, though I’ve been buying more and more electronic books ever since I got my Kindle (which I adore!).
City: It’s a tie between Los Angeles and Chicago. Chicago is the most wonderful, amazing city, but I’ve never been in the winter and I’ve heard it’s terrible. (I hate the cold.) I love the weather and vibe in LA, but it can be a little bit too Hollywood for me at times. I used to live in California and I long to go back…someday!
TV prog: I’m not a big TV watcher, but I do have a few guilty pleasures like Gossip Girl and The Office. I’m also pretty happy watching almost anything involving fashion, dogs, or organizing.
Food: Dark chocolate, preferably Godiva! YUM! And candy corns at Halloween time. Man, do I make myself sick on those sometimes! They are so good.

For your daily dose of butt-kick sunshine visit Positively Present now!

To Fabulize Yo’self, inside and out, don’t forget to book your recessionista-friendly priced Sassy Sessions with life coach and Sassy Minx, Lisa Clark – sassification guaranteed!