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Tag Archives: Happiness

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Jane Marczewski

22 Tuesday Feb 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Ted Talk

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

America's Got Talent, Cancer, Happiness, Jane Marczewski, Joy, Living Life, Stephen Guise, YouTube

I am subscribed to Stephen Guise’ Blog. He is the author of “Mini Habits”, which had a huge impact on my life. His email today introduced Jane Marczewski. Here’s a link to Stephen’s article: https://stephenguise.com/blog/

She won the Golden Buzzer award on America’s Got Talent, and sadly passed away from Cancer three days ago. I had to share this story, particularly the quote, which she gives in the video.

The quote:

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore, before you decide to be happy.”

~ Jane Marczewski

Rest in peace, Jane “Nightbird” Marczewksi.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Thomas Merton

05 Wednesday Jan 2022

Posted by Dave Gardner in Wisdom Wednesday

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Ambition, Experience, Happiness, Love, scholars, Soul, Thomas Merton, Wisdom Wednesday

Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.

Thomas Merton

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.

Thomas Merton

When ambition ends, happiness begins.

Thomas Merton

We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others.

Thomas Merton

Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.

Thomas Merton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton

The above link will take you to Thomas Merton’s Wikipedia page. Wow, what a life! I encourage each of you to take a few minutes, and share a cup of coffee or tea with Thomas as you explore his life. It was truly an inspiring one. This is the first of my Wisdom Wednesday posts in 2022, and this was an awesome find. I continue to wish all of you health, prosperity, love, and high adventure in 2022.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Black Friday

30 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Ted Talk

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Black Friday, family, Happiness, Holidays, Love, Origin, Sales, Shopping, Ted Talk, TedEd, Tuesday

Here is one person’s take on Black Friday. A day that marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in America. I do not go out on Black Friday, because it is so insane, but many people, like my stepdaughters, live for this day. They get up before dawn and head to their favorite stores.

In this short 3-minute (+) video, Black Friday’s origin is explained. You’ll be interested who came up with the idea. I hope you are as excited about the holiday season as I am. It’s a great time of year. In fact it is my favorite time of year. I get in a lot of reading, writing, and of course, video game playing in, during the winter months, because in Michigan, there is nothing else to do, simply because it is snowing outside and cold, and all the rest. Yes, there are many who ski, hunt, and do a lot of outdoor things. For me, my 20 years of service gave me all the outdoor living I’ll ever need to experience. Now it’s a cup of hot coffee, a good book, and looking at the snow, thanking God I do not have to live in that anymore.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope all of you have a great Tuesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Life

04 Thursday Nov 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thankful Thursdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Adventure, Dark Night of Soul, enduring, Happiness, Humility, Life, Love, Overcoming, Tragedy

I’m sitting here in my living room, with laptop up, and our little dog Bella resting in her doggy bed. Mom and Dad are out running errands, and I am just relaxing while I knock out my daily tasks.

Today, I am grateful for this life. I have experienced so many things, and sometimes I reminisce and am blown away by all the things I have done, all the people I’ve come to know, and all the adventures that await. It has been one terrific ride.

Now that I am retired, the adventure continues. I have more time to read, write, learn, and pursue all kinds of things. It is terrific to have so many choices and so many opportunities.

Has life been easy. Far from it. But, every experience is a treasure. The hard times made me stronger, more grateful, and more humble. The good times created good memories I can revisit over and over again, when I think about life, like I am today.

Each one of you has experienced trauma, loved ones passing, sickness, and all kinds of tragedies, too many to mention here. You survived, and even though the troubled times may have lingered, things always got better, right?

When I am ever in the “dark night of Soul”, I remind myself that “this too shall pass”. And you know what? It does.

So here’s to the many shades and colors of life. May all of our lives be filled with adventure, love, laughs, tears, and all the rest. Life is truly worth living and one hell of a rollercoaster ride!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Brother

24 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by Dave Gardner in Thankful Thursdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Companionship, Dad, family, Grateful, Hanging out, Happiness, Joy, Thankful

Today, I am grateful for my brother. He just visited recently, and it was a terrific time to reconnect and give him time to spend with Mom and Dad. When family visits, I tend to stay away a bit, so they can get the most out of their visit with the folks. That being said, we got in plenty of gaming.

We also ordered out for some food a few days and enjoyed it tremendously. There’s a local restaurant here called Cracker Barrel. They have the best fried chicken. Boy oh Boy!

He’ll be coming back again sometime this year. He and my sister are visiting more, because Dad is deteriorating. He does not eat that much, sleeps most of the day, and when he does get up from his rocking chair, he is really unsure of himself on his feet. It is hard for him to stand up on his own, and when he walks he takes small “baby” steps because he is afraid of falling down.

My brother noticed a huge difference from the last time he visited. Dad slept through most of my brother’s visit. I think they exchanged a few words, and that was it. Anyway, we had a great time with him while he was here. Here’s to his next visit!

Have a great Thursday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – William Feather

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by Dave Gardner in Wisdom Wednesday

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

American, Author, cheerfulness, Happiness, Lies, Quotes, Success, William Feather, wisdom

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

William Feather

Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious.

William Feather

The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages is preserved into perpetuity by a nation’s proverbs, fables, folk sayings and quotations.

William Feather

Some of us might find happiness if we quit struggling so desperately for it.

William Feather

Women lie about their age; men lie about their income.

William Feather

I hope you enjoyed these quotes by American author William Feather. I tried to pick a few with some wit, and others that are more solemn.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Happiness

26 Saturday Sep 2020

Posted by Dave Gardner in Spiritual Saturday

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Control, Happiness, Internal, Spiritual, spirituality, stoic, stoicism

Each of us fluctuates from being happy or sad or find ourselves in between these two opposites. I became interested in this a few years ago. I began a study of what made me happy and what made me sad. This led me to a philosophy called stoicism. A few of the famous stoics were Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. The core philosophy of stoicism is only worrying about what you control and let go of the rest. When you pursue this line of thought further, you realize that the only thing you have control over is your attitude about the circumstances or happenings in your life.

If someone does you wrong, a natural reaction is to get angry about it. This is one reaction. Another reaction could be gratitude. You could be grateful for learning about another person’s character. This knowledge can be used to avoid that person in the future, or at least to avoid expecting this person to do anything requiring trust.

There are many things outside of us that could affect our mood. The weather, what a government official says, what a person does or doesn’t do, and the list goes on and on. When you think about all the things that impact your mood, there are many. So what are you supposed to do?

The key to living a happy life is understanding that only you can decide to be happy. Happiness is within you. Happiness is an attitude that springs from your core. This doesn’t mean that you are happy all the time; it means that you are happy most of the time, with intermittent points of disappointment, anger, sadness, and all the other emotions. This requires you to look for the good in every situation. It requires that you look for the lessons that are there, just for you.

It is easy to react. Someone does something that upsets us–we get pissed off. You read a news article about some politician doing this or that, and we get pissed off. You lay some plan for an outing and it blows up and you again get pissed off or disappointed or a combination of the two.

Our emotions all spur from something outside of us in most cases. We are unhappy with our jobs, our partners, our friends, the weather, you name it. When you truly aspire to be happy, regardless of your circumstances, your life will change for the better. You learn that you are in control of your emotions, not the other way around. You are in control of how you react to outside circumstances. When you realize how much control you have, life gets a little easier.

Have a great Saturday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – What Makes a Good Life?

14 Tuesday Apr 2020

Posted by Dave Gardner in Ted Talk

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Good life, Happiness, Happy, Longest Study, Robert Waldinger, Ted Talk, Tuesday

I’m mixing it up this week and providing a TED talk from Robert Waldinger, who talks about insights he learned from the longest study on happiness ever conducted. The results are both simple and surprising simultaneously. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. I hope all of you are having a great Tuesday!

Until next time…

Dave

43.011277
-82.496717

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Happiness is Within

26 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by Dave Gardner in Happiness, Thankful Thursdays

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

God's Love, Grateful, Happiness, Happy, Inner Calm, Inner Peace, Thankful

Image by Ruslan Gilmanshin from Pixabay

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

Have you ever taken the time to listen to one of your friends who likes to complain? Their relationships suck. Their jobs suck. Their lives suck. Every time you talk with them they complain about this or that. Have you ever wondered why people seem to enjoy wallowing in their own pity party?

 

Life is short. Why do people complain about everything and continue to do so? It’s like they are on a revolving record that never ends. Woe is me. Why can’t I get a break? Perhaps they fail to realize that happiness is cultivated within.

Life is a blessing. Life is an adventure. You are alive. You are gaining experience. God loves you. What else do you need?

I used to be on the “woe is me” roller coaster. I didn’t like my job, my marriage was falling apart, and everything I tried to do, failed. One morning I woke up and asked why do I lose when others win? I began looking inward.

What I began to realize is what today’s quote states. The answer that came through to me was this: Be happy with what you have.

I’m not advocating that you should settle. If you want something better, strive for that. While you are striving to improve your current conditions, you can still be grateful for what you have.

When gratitude took hold, I naturally became happier. I began to realize that I had enough. I had all I needed. I had a great life.

I didn’t need a new toy to be happy. I didn’t require my wife to be something she wasn’t. My happiness was no longer cultivated by things outside of me. My happiness blossomed because I made a choice—to be happy. When you realize that nothing outside of you should impact your happiness, your life will transform.

Being happy is a great way to live. Everything is brighter. Everything is joyful. Everything takes on a new light. Sure there is still room for disappointment. Sure, life will still hand you a few surprises. Be happy regardless.

If you are having difficulty with cultivating happiness, there are many books you can read on the topic. You can also take courses on happiness. They are available everywhere. I have taken a few. These courses didn’t teach me anything new, but confirmed that I was doing the right things.

 

Happiness is a mindset. You either choose to be happy or you choose to be something else. I choose to be happy, because it is so much better than being pissed off all the time. Your life changes when your attitude changes.

It starts with brutal honesty. There are a lot of folks out there that “pose” happiness. They walk around with smiles on their faces in public, they whistle or sing beyond what is normal. They carry around a facade of happiness, but anyone who pays attention can “feel” the anger, resentment, and sorrow. You can lie to yourself all you want, but you cheat yourself out of a fulfilling and happy life when you fake happiness. Be honest with yourself. Are you happy? If not, learn what happiness is. Learn how to cultivate it. Take little steps to make changes in your attitude and outlook.

When you arrive at that place where nothing can affect your happy outlook, you’ll know the feeling I am advocating. Happiness cultivated within, cannot be thwarted by other people, outside circumstances, or the weather. You carry your happiness with you. 

I wish all of you a terrific Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

42.997350
-82.507366

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Happiness

03 Saturday Aug 2019

Posted by Dave Gardner in Spiritual Saturday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

God's gift, Gratitude, Happiness, Life, Needs, Unhappiness, Wants

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” – Earl Nightingale

Quote Credit: BrainyQuotes

I use quotes to spur my writing. They are terrific writing prompts because they require us to think about what they are saying. I like writing about happiness because so many people are unhappy. Why? Part of the reason is people associate happiness with something outside themselves.

Their whole life is based on things, people, and events outside of themselves. Why let anything outside of you drive your happiness, when all you have to do is decide to be happy. Yeah, life happens. We get sick. We lose our job. We lose a loved one. We lose a pet. Anyone would be bummed out if these things happen, but you can still maintain your happiness in and around these events. All of these events are normal and inevitable.

How do I maintain my happiness? I cultivate it within. I maintain a sincere gratitude for life. I no longer focus on what I want, but what I need. We all need food, water, air, a place to sleep and have shelter. We need something to wear, to keep our bodies covered. Besides these things what else do we really need?

Some of the happiest people live in absolute poverty. Some of the richest people in the world are unhappy. Think about that for a moment. How does this even make sense? It makes sense because a person’s happiness has nothing to do with wealth. It is internal. Happiness is a choice.

I thank God every day for this life. It is a blessing to be alive. I am grateful for a great many things, but my gratitude for life is my source of happiness. Think about the grand adventure you’ve been on since you were born. Think about the richness of your experiences.

 

Life is God’s greatest gift.

Until next time…

Dave

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