29 Tuesday May 2018
Tags
Coursera, Dan Gilbert, Happiness, Surprising Science of Happiness, Ted Talk, Wellness Course, Yale
Do you want to learn a little more about happiness? If so, be prepared to be startled by the findings of Dan Gilbert. His Ted Talk is funny and informative. I was prompted to use this one this week because it was recommended by the Wellness course I am taking at Yale via Coursera.
Enjoy!
Until next time…
Dave
05 Friday Jan 2018
Tags
“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” – Henry Ward Beecher
Happiness is an attitude, folks. It isn’t about who is in your life, what you own, the places you visit, or the money in your bank account. It is about being in a state of happiness. I talk to a lot of people about this topic, including some of my family members, and it is surprising how many people “chase” happiness. In my humble opinion, you are either happy or you are not. There is no in between.
If it takes outside circumstances, things, or people to make you happy, I’m afraid you’ll be chasing happiness the rest of your life.
Happiness is developed with a sense of gratitude. Happiness is derived from simple things. For me, this life is a treasure–something to be grateful for. I am happy to be alive. I am happy to have had the experiences I have had. I am just happy. Happiness is derived from being thankful for whatever your present circumstances are and is unshakeable, even in the darkest hours.
Sure, we all experience loss. We lose friends. We lose loved ones. We break up and get divorced. These things are unhappy events in our lives, but should not gauge the happiness you feel inside. This reality involves loss. We will all die. Our friends will all die. Our husbands, wives, sons, and daughters will die. There is no escaping this inevitability.
When you think about the finite existence we experience in this life, why be anything but happy. If you believe in reincarnation like I do, what is there to worry about. The real “YOU” never ends–ever. You will be coming back for a do-over, again and again. You will meet friends and family over and over again as each of us returns to this place for more lessons and experience.
Soul is who you are. Soul is infinite. Soul never forgets. Soul is always learning and improving. Experience this life without regret, knowing you are gaining experience and moving forward one step at a time. You have all of the time in the world to experience everything there is. Some of these experiences will be chalked up as bad, while others are good. It takes this opposite nature of our experiences to truly relish what we learn, feel, experience, and gain wisdom from. Without the good or bad, there would be zero difference in our experiences. Be grateful for the bad, the good, and indifferent. They all contribute to you as Soul.
Happiness is an attitude. Actively look for things to be grateful for daily. Actively look for things to experience. Enjoy yourself, regardless of your current situation. Things will get better or worse, but these can’t affect your happiness. Over the long-term, you will get better, the bad and good will fade away into the tapestry of this lifetime.
So, love. Love others. Love yourself. Love the things you do. Love actively. Love. The only thing you will leave this place with is the love in your heart, nothing else. You won’t keep your money, you won’t keep your cars, your home, or even your loved ones. You will pass away and prepare for the next life, forgetting all that happened in this life when you returned, but…
Soul remembers. Love is all there is folks. Love others, contribute, love what you do, and love the life you are living, regardless of how hard or easy it is. There’s always something to be thankful for.
That’s it for today folks.
Until next time…
Dave
02 Wednesday Aug 2017
Tags
Today’s Quote:
“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” – Gerard Way
Happiness is a choice.
When we place a condition on our happiness, like: if I had this job, if I had this mate, if I had this much money, if I lived here…ad infinitum…
We will always be unhappy. We will be unhappy because as soon as we’ve satisfied a pre-condition of our happiness, we discover we are still not happy and need to add another criterion.
Being happy is easy. It is simply waking up and being grateful for what you have. Personally, waking up every day is a miracle. How could you be unhappy when you have another day to gain experience, feel love, give love, and learn?
Choose happiness.
It really is that simple.
Until next time…
05 Friday May 2017
Posted in Happiness
Tags
Endorphins, Energy Boost, Enjoyment, Free time, Fun, Games, Party, Weekends
It’s Friday and the weekend is ahead. Even though I am recently retired, I still have great feelings on Friday, thinking about all of the things I will do this weekend for fun. My weekends are normally comprised of some reading, watching a show, playing a few games online, doing my laundry, organizing my room, and preparing for the upcoming week, not necessarily in that order. The biggest thing for me is the lack of structure during the weekend. It balances out my strict schedule during the week.
As I write this posting it is still raining outside. In Michigan, like most of the Midwest, we are getting rained on daily, with more coming tomorrow and tomorrow night. It is really a huge change of pace compared to my living in Arizona, where rain is sparse, but high temperatures are frequent (my brother said they hit 100 this last week). That is one thing I will not miss about AZ—the high temperatures of summer.
Anyways, as I stare out the window and notice the squirrels dancing about in the trees in our front yard, I enjoy the release of the weekend and the sudden boost of energy we feel when we know we are going to have fun. Isn’t that the weirdest thing? When we’re at work, we tend to feel tired and lethargic toward the end of a long week. As soon as we exit the workplace, get in our car, and pull out of the parking garage, we get hit with a huge amount of energy. Where does this come from?
Some of it I think is just the mental dump that occurs when we realize we don’t have to think about work until Monday. Some of it may even be a little bit of a psychological boost from endorphins from the expectation of our upcoming free time. Whatever it is, Friday afternoons are still great, even as a retired guy.
I hope each of my readers has a terrific weekend! I’ll continue to post my quotes and any workouts I get in over the weekend, but hope all of you have a terrific time with your loved ones, significant others, and friends and have a great adventure this weekend. I plan on hitting one of my favorite coffee joints for a nice cup and hitting the library for a few hours. I may go to the gym if I feel like it, but Saturday and Sunday are off days on my current workout routine. Who knows? That’s the beauty of the weekend.
Until next time…
13 Thursday Apr 2017
“No problem is given man which is greater than himself. Each being is tested according to his capacity; none are tested beyond it. Each problem which man encounters has a spiritual solution, and each person has his troubles at the point where he is most negative and vulnerable.” – Paul Twitchell – The Shariyat Ki Sugmad
Two Critical Points
This is a quote a came across a few years ago. This quote has two critical points that have proven themselves to be true more often than I can recall. The first is that we are never given a problem that is beyond our capability to solve. The second is that we will always be tested where we are weakest.
This is comforting, isn’t it? If we are never going to be hit with a problem we cannot solve, we have nothing to fear, because regardless of the problem, we will overcome it. Some problems may be overcome in the short-term, while others may take years to get through. The point is that if a problem is no larger than our capacity to solve it, there’s nothing to worry about.
Let’s examine the next point. If we are self-realized, meaning we know ourselves well, then we should be able to predict where that next test or problem is coming right? Well, yes and no. The human mind cannot grasp an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient being. Subsequently, God knows you better than you ever will and IT knows exactly where you are your weakest. So, prediction of your next challenge may not be so easy to see.
When are we really learning? Are we driven to God and improvement when things are going our way and easy, or are we driven to God and improvement when things are tough? You guessed it. The learning and growth opportunities are typically brought about when we are presented with a problem and things are tough.
The Good times – The Bad times
This is human nature. We relax and enjoy the times when there are no problems. We get into gear when the problems arise. These periods of rest and challenge fluctuate throughout our lives. God knows when you need a break, God knows when it’s time to test you again, and God knows exactly where you need to be tested.
Why do the tests exist at all? The tests are designed to teach us to be more focused on others than ourselves. They are designed to teach us about divine love. They are designed to teach us how to solve the problems we have so that when others run into those same problems we can help them (We’ve already been there and done that.)
Problems are Blessings
When you really look at it, the rest periods we receive are a blessing, but so too are the rough spots. It really depends on how you look at the situation. The rough spots are stepping stones. These stepping stones are for learning to be greater than we were yesterday. So, enjoy the good times, but also be thankful for the tough times. Without these tough times, we wouldn’t have anything to compare to them and we will miss out on enjoying the really good times that always come.
When we can truly feel blessed when trouble comes we will have finally understood that there are no troubles or rest periods. The life we have been given is a blessing because we have been held in the arms of God the entire time.
Until next time…
02 Thursday Feb 2017
Posted in Happiness
Are you happy? If you do a Google Search, you’ll see thousands of articles, websites, research studies on this thing called happiness. What makes us happy? To some, it is a new car, a new gadget, or a larger home. To others, happiness is the feeling of achievement one attains when they accomplish one of their goals. How do you define happiness and when will you be happy?
I would argue that happiness is not a destination but an attitude. I would argue that all of us are happy right now, but don’t recognize that those folks that are striving for happiness, wealth, or success, will always be doing one thing – striving. Happiness is derived from being grateful. Grateful for the life we’ve been given. Grateful for the people who have graced us with their presence. Grateful for our very existence and the ability to experience life in the moment.
Have you ever been around someone who is never happy? They complain, grumble, argue, and are never satisfied. Happiness seems to be just out of their reach. If only I had, If only I were, If only I did, if only, if only, if only. Why not be happy with what you have right now? If you are reading this you are alive. That very fact is a miracle. That very fact is something to be grateful for.
What did you eat today? I had a bowl of oatmeal. A very simple bowl of oatmeal. When you take the time to just eat and not think of anything else, the experience of eating that bowl of oatmeal takes on a whole new meaning. When I write, that’s all I do. I have my pad of paper and begin writing. I enjoy the act of creating pictures in my reader’s mind, making an argument, or inspiring my readers to perhaps re-think their lives.
When I listen to music, I close my eyes and let the music go through me, enjoying the images and feelings that come into my mind that the music brings. When I read, I enjoy the process of visualizing what another author has painstakingly created for my enjoyment. The ability to travel to another universe or places, imagining the smells, the temperature, the feelings, and all of the other intangibles a good author makes you feel when you read their works.
I’m looking out the window of my home office. The sky is blue, the temperature is a cool 24 degrees in Michigan, and there is a family of squirrels who frolic in the trees in our front yard, enjoying the corn we put out for them all winter. Sometimes I just observe these squirrels running about. They are so funny to watch and they are real acrobats. The trees we have in our front yard are a collection of Pine, Elm, and Oak. Their branches intertwine toward the top and provide a network of trails for these squirrels to navigate back and forth. Watching them jump from tree to tree, or stabilize themselves on a limb, while they chew on the food we provide is a real treat.
I am happy. I am contented. I am grateful for my life and the time I have had to experience all of the things I’ve experienced, the women I’ve loved, the folks I have called friends, my family, my collection of pets over the years, the food I eat, the books I’ve read, and all the rest. Each day I wake up is a great day, filled with the unknown adventures yet to come.
I challenge each of you to take a look at your definition of happiness. Happiness is here, now. All you have to do is recognize that you have all you need right now to be happy. It’s been here waiting for you all along.
Until next time…
