happiness

Thinking Out Loud ~ Be Yourself

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You are a Living Miracle

In his work, Self Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, “These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God to-day. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in the full-blown flower there is no more; in the leafless root there is no less. Its nature is satisfied, and it satisfies nature, in all moments alike.” P. 132

NOTE: Be yourself. You can be no other if you are living authentically. Live in the present and allow yourself to grow into something more miraculous each day. You are a beautiful living miracle.

Feel Good Tip ~ Smile, You’ll Be Happier

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There is a Link Between Smiling and Happiness

“It may seem obvious that smiling, the outward expression of happiness, makes us feel happy but what does the science say? The definitive answer came in in 2019 when researchers from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville decided to look back at 138 studies carried out around the world involving more than 11,000 volunteers and covering a period of 50 years.They concluded that our facial expressions do indeed impact our mood and our emotions: frowning makes us feel sadder, scowling makes us feel angrier and smiling makes us happier. As the researchers pointed out this doesn’t mean we can literally smile our way to happiness, but it is evidence that our minds and bodies are intimately linked when we experience emotions. ” Source

NOTE: I don’t see many happy people. I go to the supermarket, few people smile. I sit in a coffee shop and see young people smiling much more than older people. I go to the gym, same thing. When I see someone smiling, it makes me smile. I also notice that when I smile at another, I usually get a smile in return. Smile and remind folks that smiling makes us feel better. You’ll be doing them a favor.

Feeling Good Tip ~ Is Your Work Contributing to Your Happiness?

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Is Your Work Contributing to Your Happiness or Your Stress

According to an online article in Time Magazine, “Karl Pillemer of Cornell University interviewed nearly 1500 people age 70 to 100+ for his book “30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans.” What piece of advice were they more adamant about than any other? More adamant about than lessons regarding marriage, children and happiness? Don’t stay in a job you dislike.

NOTE: There are aspects of every job that are unpleasant. There are aspects of every job that are enjoyable. When the negative aspects outweigh the positive aspects you’ll never be happy in that job. If the positive aspects outweigh the negative aspects you’re in a good place. When I was in academia I found the most posiitive parts of my work were teaching, meeting with students, and the creative aspects of my work (writing, lunches with like minded colleagues, etc.). These positive aspects far outweighed the negative aspects of academic life (endless meetings, colleagues who enjoyed arguing as much as breathing). Take stock of your work. Which aspect of your work has the greater weight: the positive or the negative.

Feeling Good Tip ~ A Simple Way to be Happier

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Being Happy – It’s Really Simple

In a Time Magazine article, “6 Secrets You Can Learn from the Happiest People on Earth” the authors cite a 70 year longitudinal study of Harvard University men. The study which followed men all their adult lives is known as the Grant Study or Harvard study. It found that “the capacity to love and be loved was the single strength most clearly associated with subjective well-being at age eighty.”

NOTE: It’s easy to confuse texting, emailing, or Zoom with close contact, especially with those we love. While those digital methods keep us in touch in our mobile society, they can’t replace the importance of connecting at a person to person level. A welcoming hug or kiss can’t be replaced by an emoji. Love transcends all. Love is the single most important healing agent we all have. The deepest wounds give way to love’s healing touch. Love Always.

Feeling Good Tip of the Day

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What is Happiness?

According to an article on Science of People, “Happiness is a harmonious state of being, according to the Journal of Happiness Studies, where researchers investigated happiness culturally and historically.”

The article suggests that we discover happiness under four conditions:

  1. When we feel content or satisfied.
  2. When we are the  agent of our own happiness.
  3. When we focus on inner enrichment over material satisfaction.
  4. When we maintain a positive outlook on the future.

It seems to me that we have a high degree of control over whether or not we experience happiness. Is it time to do a personal review of your lifestyle and see what adjustments you can make to increase your degree of happiness?

Thinking Out Loud

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Choose to be Happy

In her work, Optimism, Helen Keller writes, ““If I regarded my life from the point of view of the pessimist, I should be undone. I should seek in vain for the light that does not visit my eyes and the music that does not ring in my ears. I should beg night and day and never be satisfied. I should sit apart in awful solitude, a prey to fear and despair. But since I consider it a duty to myself and to others to be happy, I escape a misery worse than any physical deprivation.” P. 29

NOTE: Each day when we wake we are faced with a choice: Do I choose to believe the best about people and life; or, do I choose to believe the worst about people and life. For me, it’s been a no-brainer. Each morning I wake and announce out loud, ‘I am going to have a great day.’ Then I set myself off to prove I am right. I have many more wins in my column than losses. What we’re searching for, we usually find. Why not search for what is good? Why not believe it is out there waiting for you to pick it up? It is.

Photo for Today

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Feel Good Tip of the Day

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A Feel Good Happening

On my way out of the gym, I stopped to talk to a friend. He was in between sets working on his biceps, He was beaming about his son. His son just received a big promotion. My friend was exercising his bragging rights. He felt good. I wasn’t about to steal his thunder. The moment was his. He was basking in his son’s success. He went on to tell me that he was proud of his son’s success and even prouder of the man his son had become. I like hearing feel good stories. The world needs more of them.

Thinking Out Loud

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Today’s Challenges Will Vanish

In her work, Optimism, Helen Keller writes, “If we compare our own time with the past, we find in modern statistics a solid foundation for a confident and buoyant world-optimism. Beneath the doubt, the unrest, the materialism, which surround us still glows and burns at the world’s best life a steadfast faith. To hear the pessimist, one would think civilization had bivouacked in the Middle Ages, and had not had marching orders since. He does not realize that the progress of evolution is not an uninterrupted march.”. P. 27

NOTE: Helen Keller’s essay, Optimism, was written in 1903 and published in 1904, well over a hundred years ago. Yet, in reading this passage it feels as if it is describing our current circumstances. The passage should give one hope that the  struggles of today will be conquered. We will grow stronger to face a new set of challenges in the future. Yet, we should have no doubt that the human spirit will survive and thrive and that good will ultimately prevail.

Photo of the Day

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