10 Thursday Aug 2017
Posted in Quotes
Tags
Today’s Quote:
“The quest for God is the quest for true happiness.” – Harold Klemp – The Language of Soul
Yeah, I don’t have anything to add to this one. This is what we are here to do.
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…
28 Friday Jul 2017
Posted in Quotes
Tags
Anger, Choices, Contentment, Gratitude, Happiness, Quotes, Sydney Harris, Ungrateful, Unhappiness
Today’s Quote:
“When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?'” – Sydney Harris
Boy, what a great quote!
This quote really alerts us to our own attitudes. I post and discuss happiness and gratitude quite a bit because these states of mind are nothing more than an attitude. If you are happy, you are grateful for all that is going on. If you are not happy or require a certain fictional condition to be happy, then you will chase that for the rest of your life. I can almost guarantee if you are not happy–you are also not grateful.
Folks that are unhappy are that way because they choose to be. For some, being unhappy is their “happy” state. It’s weird to think of it this way, but it’s true. People choose to be or feel the way they do. It is not an involuntary act. If you are sad, you choose to be. If you are angry, you choose to be. If you are unhappy, you choose to be. The same goes for happiness, contented, and grateful. They are literally nothing more than a conscious choice.
Some folks are unconscious about their attitude, mood, or general outlook on life. This is also a choice. They choose to be unaware. They are an automaton simply moving through life like an unconscious machine. This state is a hell all by itself.
Be cognizant of your attitude. If you are unhappy, it is nothing more than taking a few moments and realizing how great life is to turn that unhappiness into happiness. Everything in life involves choosing something. Choose happiness, contentment, and gratefulness. It is a great way to live a life.
Until next time…
Dave
30 Tuesday May 2017
Posted in Quotes
“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” – Rabbi Harold Kushner
Gratitude, like happiness, is all about realizing that we are grateful and happy right now. Like anything in life, if you are chasing after something, you will continue to chase it for all of your life. You chase something because you believe you lack what you are seeking—get it?
If one is grateful for the home they have, the bed they have, the food they have, the health they have, the talents they have, and all the rest, life, for some reason continues to give you reasons to be grateful and happy.
How do we develop a habit of gratitude? It’s actually easier than you might think. You merely begin each day thinking about 1, 2, or 3 things that you are sincerely grateful for. Take a few moments and think. What are you grateful for right now? Is it your health? Is it your family? Is it a pet? Is it a book you are reading? You can be grateful for anything in your life, regardless of how rich or poor you are. There is always something in our lives we can truly be grateful and happy for having.
I have mentioned in other posts about my gratitude journal. You can either buy yourself a journal or you can use an electronic version. The one I use is electronic and is called the Five Minute Journal (easy to find in the Apple App store). It costs about $5.00 US, but it does not require an annual fee or anything once you’ve downloaded it. It’s a terrific app.
If you need some help finding something to be grateful for in your life, feel free to reach out. You can also respond here with any tools you use to capture gratitude in your life.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day!
See you tomorrow!
30 Sunday Apr 2017
Posted in Quotes
“Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness.” – Zhuangzi
“The wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain stream than to be emperor of the whole world.” ― Zhuangzi
“A path is made by walking on it.” ― Zhuangzi
Hello, all!
I was feeling a little philosophical today, so I went out and dug up some quotes from Zhuangzi. I really enjoy some of the Chinese philosophers (Zhuangzi, Lao Tzu, Confucious). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
The first is about having a “state of being”. You are either happy or you are not. If you are trying to be happy you will be trying forever.
The second quote has a few meanings for me. I think the most relevant is the importance of love and beauty over power.
The last makes me think about all of the trailblazers throughout our history, like Lewis and Clark, Emilia Earhart, or Marco Polo. The paths these people created, did not exist until they created them.
Have a great rest of your Sunday!!
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…
