GLOBAL HAPPINESS
We help people attract Happiness into their lives
Want to spice things up a bit?
We all give gifts at birthdays and other holidays, but what about a surprise gift "just because". Wrap it up. Place a bow on it. Surprise! This is ideal for a spouse, an offspring a parent or a friend.
Surprise someone you care about with a gift and see how it makes them feel.
Do you have a funny spot? I do. It's on my head. Sometimes it pops up a week after getting my hair cut. Sometimes two, or even three weeks later. And it seems that each time it pops up a little differently. More than anything, my funny spot dictates when I get my hair cut.
Most of us have funny spots in our personalities, too. Certain things might rub us the wrong way. Or in certain situations we might become suddenly shy or clumsy after a while.
Just as my hair needs maintenance to manage that funny spot, we all need personality maintenance. We need to know what characteristics about ourselves look "funny" or somehow interfere with smooth relationships with others. And we need to take regular measures to manage those elements. Chances are, these are not things we can eliminate (although some might be), but simply to keep a check on them so that they allow us to be pleasant to others and function at our best in our community.
Consider this: you give your car regular maintenance, don't you?
"Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him."
The Greek philosopher Epictetus understood anger quite well, and it is only amazing that after all this time, so many of us still do not. We people who live freedom so much ands who claim to be our own persons, so easily give ourselves up to slavery by allowing the words and actions of others to anger us.
We do not control the words and actions of others, but we absolutely control our reactions to them. When we choose anger, we choose slavery of the worst kind. Negative. Uncontrolled. Destructive.
Free yourself from slavery. Free yourself from anger. Make your choice and stand
"Anyone can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend's success."
-- Oscar Wilde's words can be taken in many fashions, but they make me think about what it really means to be successful. We read every day about how successful people's lives are falling apart. Drugs. Divorce. Beatings. Infidelity. You name it. "Success" in the eyes of others is not necessarily success.
But if someone we know becomes very "successful" - their business takes off, they win a lottery, etc. - we assume he has made it, he is happy, he doesn't need help, etc. We assume that "success" is a good thing, even if it usually means more stress and whatever comes from that. Certainly nobody would think to sympathize with someone for her success. But maybe we should think about it a little more carefully the next time we see a friend becoming more "successful".
We cede control of our being to someone or something else.
Someone cutting in at the checkout lineup.
Somebody not delivering something on time and seeming unconcerned about it.
Somebody saying something that was hardly tactful?
I am sure you have your own flash points, but I am guessing that for most people they are typically similar to these examples. But are these really worth being angry about? People are destroying rainforests. People are committing genocide. People are scamming others out of their life savings. People are beating others up.
How does an insult or a bit of rudeness compare? Is a little bit of rudeness or lack of tact really worth getting angry over?
"As they say in "The Princess Bride" "Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death"
Many people can't seem to understand that - or at least they misinterpret - the idea of "fairness." "Fair" doesn't mean that EVERYONE makes the team or that everyone is good at one certain thing. "Fair" only means that everyone is given a chance - NOT that they will succeed. Fair implies that, while you will not beat someone at one particular thing, you probably will be better than the other person at something altogether different. Fairness does NOT mean that everyone is equal - Fairness just means that there is an opportunity.
Yep, "Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death"
What is the biggest investment most people can make for themselves. Hint, it's not about investing in money. It's not about investing in health. It's not about investing in personality. But all of these are the payback.
It's sleep.
That's right, a well-rested person thinks clearer and reacts calmer. A well-rested person makes much fewer mistakes and is in control of oneself. Money comes easier. Health stays stronger. Personality is more charming. Yet so many people do not give themselves enough sleep. Do what it takes to distress, allocate enough hours and sleep soundly, because your life depends on it in so many ways.
Action speaks louder than words. Simply put, if you say you believe in something and you do something different, your actions reveal the truth. If you say you are sorry, but keeping doing what you were doing, you are not really sorry. If you say you want to change a bad habit, but you don't, your actions reveal your true intent.
People make a lot of excuses in life. We all do. We say we want to change something in our lives, but we don't do what it takes to make the change. In other words, we say we want to make a change, but we don't really want to make the change.at least not as much as we want things to stay the same.
So what are your words saying? And what are your actions saying? And what can you do to align your actions with your words.or your words with your actions?
But we washed the dishes yesterday. Do we really have to wash them again today?
Why is it that all of life's most exciting activities have to be repeated every day? There is not point in complaining. They need to be done. If we did not, life might not be quite as tolerable. We don't do them because they are pleasant to do, but because life would be unpleasant if we did not. There are so many things we do for ourselves, for others, for the community that follow this principle. So what would happen if we put a smile on our faces and actually tried enjoying these activities.
No problem, I'll do the dishes. Just let me bring my laptop and some headphones into the kitchen.
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
This is not the first time I quote Confucius. His wisdom is undeniable. He compels us here to take action, not just to listen or to watch. If you want to learn new information, make changes in your personality or change something in your life, nothing beats action.
So get off that chair.
Life has changed a lot in the past 100 years. People have not.
Consider that once upon a time, change in methods of doing things was unseen, like watching grass grow. One gathered fruits and milk, sewed clothing and kept warm in winter much the same way in the year 500 as one did in the year 1000. Yet our generation has become used to change that comes on a daily basis. In the past 100 years, we have gone from horse and buggy to cars, and anyone driving a 193 model today, would be amazed to test drive a new car with traction control, parking aids and so much more.
But people have not changed all that much. Behind all the technological and sociological changes, we still harbor the same fears. We are still prone to the same weaknesses. We still rise to the same occasions. We still need love. We still give. We still take. We still seek comfort. We are still people.
It is sometimes easy to get lost in the world of technology and forget that we are still all human. Let's not forget.
Having just read an article in Maclean's called "Butchers and Monsters", about how the Chinese government bullies the people in the territory it controls, I am reminded of how lucky I am to live where and when I do. I know most of our readers share that luck, but not all.
It's not just that this is a safe place, but also it is a safe time. Most people throughout history have had to live in the shadows of a bully ruler who could pretty much do whatever he chose with peasants in territory he controlled. Most people throughout history have had to live in fear that a village or kingdom or principality nearby or farther away would invade, loot or otherwise destroy their village.
Those of us with the good fortune to be living in times of peace in the land of people will never be able to truly understand how it is to live looking over your shoulder. But let us be grateful that we will never truly understand.
I love the feedback you send me. Thank you.
"Hello, thanks for sending me a daily dose of happiness...to be frank...after reading this i can find happiness in myself. thank you very much..........please continue sending me....."
My response was: "And that is the only place anyone ever does find it. Everything else are just tools and techniques."
So keep looking for your happiness where you know you will find it.right inside of you.
What a horrible thing you do to yourself when you blame someone else for just about anything. The minute you blame someone else, you take away responsibility from yourself. That might actually sound like a relief, but it is not quite. Responsibility is control. It is the ability to respond. It is your ability to correct whatever went wrong.
When we blame someone else, we give up the ability to correct what went wrong. And we risk having the wrong remain.
Instead of blaming, take responsibility, make changes and get on the right path.
Feeling stressed? Feeling beaten and battered by the trials of daily life or by events that have somehow gotten out of control? You need a desert island you can retreat to for a few days?
Don't have a desert island? Everyone does. Just close your eyes and drift away. The island can be any shape or any color. It can have palm trees, pine trees or no trees at all. It might be covered with sand or with ice, or with shrubs or with bricks. It is safe and non-threatening. It is a place you can let your mind wander far away from your stress and your worries.
It's not fair. Is anything? Of course not. Wealth is not distributed along the lines of fairness. Health is not distributed along the lines of fairness. Goof looks are not distributed along the lines of fairness. Smarts are not distributed along the lines of fairness.
A few things are supposed to be fair. Justice. Love. But even these things are not fair, because they relay on people.and we people are notoriously unfair. Oh, we can be generous. And we can be kind. We can also be cruel. But none of those things imply fairness.
So if you are looking for fairness, perhaps you are looking for the wrong thing. Look for kindness perhaps. Look for happiness. But stop thinking of fairness.
Did you know there are creatures whose entire lives are spent in caves, never to see the sun? Some are blind, because without light there is no point seeing. Some have no pigmentation, because there is no sunlight to give them pigments. Some have been born thousands of generations since their last ancestor saw sunlight. Did you know that all manner of creatures live in the desert? There is even a breed of elephant that has adapted to hot sand. Did you know that there are some creatures that live only in rushing mountain streams? They have adapted to cling to rocks so as not to get washed away.
Yes, there is life everywhere, even in the harshest climates. Boy, I sure am grateful to be a human being living in a more humane climate.
But what happens when you achieve happiness?
More happiness of course. There might be a limit to the amount of silverware you want to collect and the amount of books you can read, but happiness knows no bounds. If you are happy at this moment, the next moment starts a fresh. It could be a happy moment or a not-so-happy moment. Happiness can't be horded. Each moment it starts anew.
So just when you think you could not get any happier.get some more happiness. You'll be glad you did.
"All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears--of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words "Some Assembly Required."
Humorist Dave Barry is right we all have fears.although I suspect most of us don't fear having to assemble lobsters before a Rotary Club. Fortunately, one thing that does help dispel fear is humor. If you can laugh about something, it instinctively becomes less scary. Which is why Dave Barry is actually not all that afraid of being assembled by lobsters.
And if lobsters are something you fear, now would be a good time to laugh.
Sink your toes into those magic slippers. Now click your heals three times and repeat after me: "There's no place like.Tahiti!" or "There's no place like an underground cavern."
Where does your imagination want to take you? Where would you love to be? You don't need a fortune. You don't need special effects. You just need an imagination. Wherever you want to go, it's just as far as your mind can conceive.
And no farther than your magic slippers.
Life is a wonderful road, with twists and turns, obstacles along the way, dangerous cliffs to one side, beautiful scenery to the other. And always there are crossroads, places where you can decide what direction to take. And yes, sometimes we wish we could go back and take a different road. But we can't go back. We might sometimes be able to take another road to the same destination, but we cannot go back.
The quality of your life from this moment on depends entirely on the choices you have not yet made. In most cases, you have all the information you need to make the best choices and build the ideal life. You might choose to ignore that information, but you have it.
Remember the importance of keeping both your body and your mind fit as you grow older.
Learn a new language
Do more puzzles
Join Toastmasters or a debating club
Earn a degree
Wear out your library card
OK all you brains, get down and give me 50!
DIFFERENCES
Is the world more like a fruit salad or a bag of mixed nuts?
Yes. We are like a fruit salad and a bag of mixed nuts. Every one of us does dozens maybe hundreds of things that might seem crazy to someone else. And each of us does a different mix of things in different ways. It's OK to be different, as long as different does not mean being rude of inconsiderate to others.
So stir in whatever extra ingredients you like; no two recipes are the same.
I like this quote by Bishop Phillips Brooks. It gives a great explanation of why one should be good now. Or, for that matter, do anything right from the start, even when it seems unnecessary:
"Some day, in years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long continued process.
Be good.
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the pros and cons of seeing the world through rose colored glasses. Here is some feedback from one of your fellow subscribers.
My vote is "for" the rose colored glasses, also. I was just thinking the other day about being in the restroom of an upscale restaurant and how lovely everything looked in there, including myself. On closer observance, I noticed the light bulbs were of a rose tint. Thus, the illumination casting such a beautiful ambiance.
It's time to build yourself a little cabin. Not a real one like the pioneers made out of wood and Velcro, but an imaginary one you can build out of whatever fears and hopes you might have. This is your confidence room. Or your gratitude room. Or your self-esteem room. Or your self-control room. Or whatever room you most need to have. This is a place you can place yourself when you need to remove yourself from a situation where you lack confidence. Or gratitude. Or whatever you feel you lack.
Now place this room in your pocket. It is important to bring it with you wherever you go, because you never know when you will need to pop in and stock up on confidence or gratitude or self-control. When you have challenges you find difficult to overcome, it helps to use your imagination.
If variety is the spice of life, we live in positively seasoned times. Not only does our ice cream come in dozens of flavours and our cars in a choice of colors, but even our shampoo comes in multiple flavours (watermelon, anyone? Or perhaps bubblegum?). And have there every been so many fruits and vegetables available in one place at the same time since the beginning of the world? We can choose what music our phones will play when they "ring". It won't be long until we choose what color house we want...this week. And what color we want to change it to next week.
If variety is the spice of life, we are living in the tastiest of times!
Who's your role model? You don't need just one, of course. In fact, you don't need any. But a role model or two sure can help.
Find someone who excels at what you are trying to do or who has the character traits you would like to build. A role model can be someone you know someone you see on the news or someone who lived a long time ago. Watch what they do and how they do it. Allow yourself to admire their achievements and to emulate their actions.
No role model is perfect; that's not the point. The point is to have an example to help move you forward. If you are trying to make three or four improvements in your life, you might want to have three or four role models.
You don't have to do it alone. A role model can help.
Here's a cool trick. Every notice how some tunes play over and over in your head until you can't forget the tune, nor the words? Put that powerful technique to work improving your memory.
Sounds like a child's game? It is. Except that for adults it is not necessary to sit in a circle on the floor and sing the song all together. Singing it in your head is plenty good enough - in the shower, on the drive in to work, while fishing.
You can create new lyrics for very familiar tunes or create your own song. If you don't feel creative, enlist the help of someone who does. So sing your way to a new and better you.
Apples are red. No, wait...they are green. Hmmm, come to think of it, they are yellow. Naw...just kidding. They are really white. The red and green and yellow are just camouflage on the outside to hide their true colors.
So what color are you?
Let's talk about community. Community is something we all need. It is the group of people around us who share certain similar circumstances and many variances within. It is a loose connection, and there are some people within the community that are closer to us than others. Not everyone in the community knows each other personally, but community gives us a sense there is more than just us and a few friends.
There is strength in numbers. There are chances to make new friends. There are opportunities to relate to so many more people than we could ever really get to know. The community is an important grounding for every human being.
So say "Hi" to that stranger in line at the grocery store. She is part of the community, too.
Have all your prayers been answered?
Of course they have. OK, so some have not been answered the way you want them to, but they have all been answered. Something has happened.
Some of us expect that when our prayers are answered, that means we get what we want. Hmm. Perhaps my dictionary is broken, but when someone expects their desires to be fulfilled that sounds more like giving an order than saying a prayer. We humans sometimes forget that we are not infallible and that the universe is not supposed to unfold the way we want...we are supposed to unfold the way the universe wants.
So smile...all your prayers have been answered.
Please. It's a special word we teach our kids is the magic key to open so many doors. But as adults, we sometimes forget that it's not just a word to repeat over and over on our deathbeds facing skyward and hoping that God will forget that all these we forgot Him.
Please is a word to use every day. When we ask for help, "please" tells the person that we respect them and that we value the time and effort they will put in to help us. Without the please, we are essentially saying that we want the help but we don't value it...or the person we are asking it of.
And guess what? Without the please we devalue our request and with it ourselves. So please say please.
What is your value? Surprisingly, many of us place a low value on ourselves, and that devalues everything we do. That is called low self-esteem. And when we value ourselves lowly, others will value us lowly too - reinforcing our own low opinion of ourselves.
Make the decision today to place a high value on yourself. Yes you are worth it. When someone asks for help, make sure they appreciate the high value of your help. Don't be obnoxious, of course. Don't refuse to help. Just make sure they know that your help is valuable.
"Of course I will help you. I am busy today, but for you I will make the time." In so doing, they know you are giving them something of high value...and that you also value them to share such a valuable resource as your time and efforts with them.
What's on the TV news today? Is it one of the thousands of people who volunteered today in the city? Or is it one of the few people caught committing a crime. Is it everything that went right, that functioned smoothly and that served its purpose? Or is it the one bank robber caught? Or the one person caught with his hand in the cookie jar?
What makes us so interested in bad news? What makes good news so unappealing?
Just wondering.
Let it ride.
Have you ever had one of those days? I mean one of those weeks, because "one of those days" often come in groups. Actually, I mean one of those months, because let's face it, there are times when it just never seems to stop and you are just waiting for a single "normal" day when you can take a break and put your feet up (or even just have a full night of sleep).
Speaking of one of those years...
There really is not much you can do except just let it ride. Most people will rarely have a "normal" day because just what is a normal day? I think by "normal" we mean a day when we are in control of our agenda and nobody else and no outside force tries to influence it. So you can count on a long string of "normal" days the next time you find a planet that you don't have to share with other people or other forces.
In the meantime, all you can do is relax and let it ride.
Woohoo! Wouldn't life be great if every day was a thrill a minute. If every moment was bursting with joy. If every day we could fall in love all over again.
No.
I know, I know, these are all images of happiness that we cherish and should really want to have as much of as possible. But some things cease to be enjoyable in too great a quantity. Thrills and joy and falling in love are wonderful in part because of the contrast they bring with everyday life. If we were non-stop at such heights, these sensations would feel plain, normal, even boring. What's worse, there would be no moments of unusual elation to look forward to and enjoy.
The happiness goal is important, but we won't achieve it in pushing the bounds of excitement and thrills 24/7. Happiness is achieved in enjoying every moment for what it is, in being at peace with oneself and at harmony with the world around us, and in avoiding excessive anger, frustration, guilt and sadness.
So enjoy whatever thrills and elation comes your way, but find happiness in your everyday life, too.
Be careful not to bounce on the floor, or those piles of delicately balanced "stuff" will come crumbling down on you.
Perhaps this image does not describe your physical environment, but even if it metaphorically describes your schedule, the items you need to remember, your emotions or anything else in your life, you are a stress-victim in waiting.
It's time toi declutter. Get rid of what really is not important or is just sitting there serving no purpose. Yes, it's bonfire time...metaphorically speaking, of course.
Then pick out those things that are most important and do something with them. A place for everything and everything in its place. A purpose for everything and everything according to its purpose. And I don't know of anything whose purpose is to catch dust.
Are you waiting for good things to happen to you? We all want good things to happen. There are some good things that just happen and some bad things that just happen, so it's natural to want the good things to happen.
But most things, good and bad, are in our hands. Waiting for happiness is a very inefficient strategy, because happiness is not something to wait for. It's something to chase after and grab with both hands. It is what we catch when we reach out to other people. It is what we catch when we decide to enjoy our situation, without worry whether it is the exact situation we were hoping ofr. It is what we catch when we stop waiting for good things and start doing good things.
Catch some happiness today.
Do you smile with invisible ink? I mean, do you feel good about things and not share that feeling with others? How will they, too, smile if they don't know you are smiling inside?
One of the best ways to boost our own happiness is to surround ourselves with people who are happy themselves. Happiness is contagious.
And one of the best ways to make people around us happy is to be happy, because happiness is contagious.
So to boost our own happiness, we need to shine happiness on people around us, because -- you guessed it -- happiness is contagious.
Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the "present".
So what are you going to do with your gift today? Will you wrap it up and pass it to somebody else? Of will you revel in it and make the most of the gift you have been given? Will you make the very best of the day, with the biggest smile, the most generous heart, the most open mind and most positive attitude?
Sure, I knew you would.
As people grow older, sometimes they start to fall. It's true, we were not meant to last forever in top form. But there is a lot that can be done to keep one's body in the best possible form. Obviously, eating well is a must. But so is fitness. There are three areas of fitness that are key.
Flexibility. Keep those muscles limber - you will really appreciate it when you are older.
Strength. You can't help but run low on energy as you get older, but if you can keep reasonably strong, you can do a little more with the energy.
Heart. Keep doing aerobic exercises, because the heart will always be your most important muscle.
Is this advice for folks in their 60? Yes...and for folks in their 50s and 40s and even in their 30s. Although it is never too late to start, it is also never too early to start.
I think she is watching too many of her big sister's shows, but Little Sister and been asking us a lot lately "Why do people have to die?" This is not an easy topic to explain to a four-year-old.
The fact is that we were not meant to last forever. We are part of an incredible planned obsolescence program. And like any planned obsolescence program, our passing is necessary to make way for newer units, those being our descendents. Imagine if none of our ancestors had passed on; there would be no room on earth for us or them. Our lives are grace not only to the life they gave us, but to the lives they left behind.
It is worth taking a moment to honor those who passed on their space and their lives to us. And when it comes our turn to pass on this wonderful gift, we can do so with love.
What does it mean to win? We are taught by popular culture, especially the movies and of course all the contest organized from early on in school through lotteries and sporting events, that winning means walking away with the one and only prize, the trophy the top spot.
But people are winning every day in life, all over the place, and thankfully they are not doing it to earn instant fame and trophies.
You win when you give it your all.
You win when you give someone else your all.
You win when you improve.
You win when you make life worth living.
And there can be only one judge in this contest - you.
Set your sites on winning today.
Tips to make today the happiest day ever.
Turn off the TV and the computer.
Find someone to help.
Smile a little wider.
Call someone you miss.
Exercise
Refuse, absolutely refuse to argue.
Take a moment to just be happy in your skin.
I always find it amusing when a publication asks politicians what they are reading these days, and it's almost always a book about politics. The fact is that most politicians don't have time to read, and if they did I wonder whether they might not rather escape into some sci-fi fantasy.
Most of the rest of us would quickly name some work of fiction as the book we are currently reading, although biographies are often popular, too (perhaps because, like fiction, they are stories we can follow. As wonderful as it is to read stories, we should also be reading to learn. For instance, there are so many books on science and on the environment and on how things work and on other cultures and on learning another language and on health and on so many fascinating topics.
Never, ever stop learning.
Things are not going just the way you want? Maybe you are losing patience or feeling anxious or getting frustrated.
Take a break. That probably means leaving the house or the office, and leaving the people who are part of the frustration. I don't mean to leave them forever, just long enough to take a walk.
A short walk around the block once or twice might be all you need to let loose of the negative feelings, to pull yourself together and to decide how you want to react to the situation. Sometimes, you can't pull yourself together while in the situation, and you have to go to remove yourself from the location and the people that are part of it.
It's a good thing somebody invented shoes.
Who's your role model? You don't need just one, of course. In fact, you don't need any. But a role model or two sure can help.
Find someone who excels at what you are trying to do or who has the character traits you would like to build. A role model can be someone you know someone you see on the news or someone who lived a long time ago. Watch what they do and how they do it. Allow yourself to admire their achievements and to emulate their actions.
No role model is perfect; that's not the point. The point is to have an example to help move you forward. If you are trying to make three or four improvements in your life, you might want to have three or four role models.
You don't have to do it alone. A role model can help.
Here's a cool trick. Every notice how some tunes play over and over in your head until you can't forget the tune, nor the words? Put that powerful technique to work improving your memory.
Sounds like a child's game? It is. Except that for adults it is not necessary to sit in a circle on the floor and sing the song all together. Singing it in your head is plenty good enough - in the shower, on the drive in to work, while fishing.
You can create new lyrics for very familiar tunes or create your own song. If you don't feel creative, enlist the help of someone who does. So sing your way to a new and better you.
Rose colored glasses, good or bad?
Well, some say they are good because you see everything as you would like it to be and you are happy about what you see. Others say that it is important to see things as they really are, in order to properly react to them and fix things that are broken.
I vote for rose colored glasses. They just tint things. They don't change what you see, just how you see them. You still see famine and earthquakes and disease. But instead of feeling despair, you see hope. Instead of wailing over the misery of it all, you look for solutions.
So don't be shy to put on those rose colored glasses any time you wish.
That reflection in the mirror is not you. It is just a reflection of you. It shows a part of you, specifically the outside and more specifically the outside part that is facing the mirror. That is part of you, but it is only a small part of you. And even that it shows in reverse.
Your friends reflect you, too. You can tell a person by the company she keeps. Change the company you keep, and you change the person.over time.
Do not confuse your reflections with you, but do make sure to leave the best reflections possible, because those reflections will show important parts of you.
Draw a map. This will be a map of the personal growth journey you want to undertake. Don't worry about what the landscape looks like, you can fill that in. Put an X where you are now. Place an X at the opposite end of the map. Now draw a path between the two. OK, time to mark in some of the scenery. What places do you have to pass to get from where you are now to where you want to go? Just mark them in. You can have fun and make this look like a real map (and if you like reading maps, this might be very motivational for you).
Are you trying to be more positive? More self confident? More grateful? More happy?
One sure-fire way to increase your level of any positive emotion is to surround yourself with people who display exactly that emotion. You see, emotions can be very contagious.
Are you trying to be more negative? More timid? More surly? More rude?
One sure-fire way to increase your level of any negative emotion is to surround yourself with people who display exactly that emotion. You see, emotions can be very contagious.
So, who do you plan to spend time with today?
Have you ever been afraid to copy someone, because you would feel like you were just not being yourself? Of course, you don't want to be a carbon copy of somebody else. You want to be your own person, true to yourself.
But if someone else is doing something g right, if they are achieving goals you also wish to achieve, if they are carrying themselves the way you want to carry yourself, why not copy them? In fact copy a little something from everyone you admire. After all everything you admire in someone else, they copied from another person.
And everything about you has also been copied. What? You say you didn't copy? You learned the things you know? Well, learning involves a lot of copying. So don't be afraid to copy from wherever you can if you think it will make you a better person.
It pays to do your research. Let's face it, we spend a lot of our lives stuffing our bodies full of food. But what food should we put in our bodies? Do you even know?
Of all the machines you will ever operate, there is none more delicate, none more important, and none requiring more careful maintenance than your own body. And that is one machine that, at least for now, you cannot trade in for a newer model if it should happen to fail.
So how much time do you spend reading your body's owners manual? How careful are you to fill it up with the right fuel and keep out contaminants that could make it break down?
Shouldn't we know what we are putting in our bodies and exactly what we should be putting in?
This is about diet. Not about dieting, mind you.just about diet.
Do you eat a well-balanced diet, with plenty of all four major food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat (and salt, for good measure). If so, time for a new diet. There are some key things you need, if you plan to feel happy.
You need vitamins and minerals, and while supplements can help ,it is best to get these nutrients from natural foods.and a good variety of them. Eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables is key
You need energy, which generally means a good quantity of protein from the right sources (nuts and fish, legume-grain combinations and lean meat), and also a reasonable amount of carbs, preferably from whole grain sources.
Children learn by role-playing, and so can adults.
Here is a top-10 list of positive emotions. I don't know where it comes from, but it's a pretty good list.
1. Joy/happiness
2. Confidence/self-esteem
3. Optimism/positive thinking
4. Interest/curiosity
5. Amusement/humor
6. Contentment/serenity/tranquility
7. Love/affection/warmth/caring
8. Respect/positive regard
9. Pride/satisfaction/achievement
10. Gratitude/thankfulness
This poem was sent in by an ambassador. I don't have the attribution, but I am sure you will like it.
Around the corner I have a friend, in this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on, and before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face, for life is a swift and terrible race, he knows
I like him just as well, as in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then, and now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game, tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes, and distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away, "Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
You can save the world.
"The virtues which keep this world sweet and the faithfulness which keeps it steadfast are chiefly those of the average man."
These words by W. Russell Bowie give every one of us hope.
That's a pretty humbling thought, to hold so much power.
What does this say:
Did you read "God is no where"? or did you read "God is now here"?
We don't always see the same thing as other people. It all depends on perspective.
"A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved."
So be loved.
Uh.how exactly does one be loved? Well, it helps to love. In fact, the more we love, the more we are loved. Loving really is an investment, and love is the return on investment. Remember that the best way to have a friend is to be a friend.
Loving means to care about others, to do good for other people rather than judging them.
So perhaps a heart is judged by how much we love, after all.
What a wonderful thing reading is. Not only can it be immensely entertaining, but you can actually learn things from books and articles.
Although you can learn a lot of facts from reading, you can also learn how to succeed at whatever you wish to accomplish. You can read about success stories. You can learn about the obstacles others have faced and you can discover the approaches they tool to overcome those obstacles. Perhaps some of those obstacles are just like the ones you are facing. And perhaps you will be motivated just by reading of others who achieved exactly what you are trying to do.