Peace and Happiness

Happiness is a product of several things in our life. Our relationships. Our financial stability. Our overall growth. And a lot more. There’s no single standard rule to achieving it, no one defined way toward happiness. There are only different bridges that may help us reach it. One of these bridges is peace.

Peace with the past

Any excess baggage we carry from the past is a hindrance to our happiness. It could be an unsettled disagreement with a former friend, anger toward an ex-spouse, or a hidden grudge against a member of our family.

So let’s forgive, let go, and move on.

As has always been said, past is past, and we can do nothing about it.

The best move? Let’s not allow it to affect our present and our future. Let’s not let our past be a hindrance to our happiness.

Peace with the world

The world is always imperfect; it’s never been a paradise, and never will be. There will always be problems, there will always be dissensions, there will always be injustice.

There will always be traffics and rush hours. There will always be bitter people who will curse at others when they don’t get what they want. There will always be huge taxes, soaring commodity prices, rainy days, but so what? That’s the world. That’s life.

If something can be done, let’s do it. If not, so be it. Let’s not let daily hassles ruin what could otherwise be a happy day. As they say, we should all learn to accept what we cannot change.

Peace with ourselves

Our own worst critic is often ourselves. And as the world is never perfect, so is every person. Everyday, we will find flaws in ourselves. In the way we dress, in the way we deal with others, or in the way we perform our work. There will always be low days when we wouldn’t feel good about ourselves. But that’s just it. No one is perfect. Otherwise, life will lose its meaning.

So let’s accept our imperfections. Let’s forgive ourselves when we commit mistakes. Let’s understand that there’s always a great room for improvement in our life. Let’s recognize our abilities and success. Let us all love ourselves.

Happiness is not found in perfection. It can be found even in the imperfections in our past, in the world around us, and in ourselves, if we learn to come to terms with them… To not always be on the lookout for somebody to blame for them and to realize that some imperfections are doors leading to opportunities that will further improve our life.

[Also posted in my Facebook page]

When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple – Jenny Joseph

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLE
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Just sharing! Love the message!

[Found this here.]

Let’s All Sing!

Do you sing? I’m not asking whether you’re a singer, or whether you have a good voice – I simply want to know if you sing. You know, the kind of singing that you do when you’re inside the bathroom, or while you’re accomplishing your household chores, or those times when you simply hum a tune in your head while you’re doing something else.

People who sing are generally happier about life.

There are many individuals who attest to the fact that singing is a therapy. And why not, singing helps a person let go of his inhibitions. It makes a person accept things more easily (it takes courage and confidence to sing even though you know you don’t have a good voice, mind you). And it makes a person appreciate beauty even more.

Remember the “last song syndrome”? You hear a song in the morning and it’s got so retained in your head that you find yourself singing that song the whole day – until all your friends tell you to shut up! Or, remember the term “song stealer”? You hear someone singing a song, then you find yourself singing that song, too. Good thing there’s no law against singing a song that’s not originally ours, or many of us will go to jail. :p

We sing because we find a song beautiful, and maybe subconsciously we want to preserve that beauty, so we sing the song over and over and over and over again.

People who sing are generally happier about life.

There’s something in a song that is charming, something that’s divine, something that touches and reaches the soul. In fact, a song can make anything beautiful – even sadness, even pain, even suffering.

And to sing with all of one’s heart (even without the good voice) gets a person in touch with the deeper part of his soul and see everything there – the positive and the negative – in their rawest form. And acknowledge that even the ugliest things about us and about our life, need to happen for a reason – and that they are needed to make the beauty that is us.

So let’s all sing together – with or without the voice – and enjoy life!

Let Us Give People The Benefit Of The Doubt.

Because we'll be happier that way. 

Suspicions are feelings that we cannot control, but we can always choose to suspend our judgment until we have the proof that we need. 

Because sometimes, our suspicions can destroy the happiness of a moment.

Discipline Is Most Needed When You Are Happy.

Because happiness can easily make you forget - about your responsibilities, about other important stuff, and about reality in general.

Well, yes, forget everything for a moment, drown yourself in happiness, but soon you must rouse and face the real world.

There's Joy In Sharing.

Nobody Said It's Gonna Be Easy.

But it doesn't matter.

Happiness doesn't depend on whether life is easy or not anyway.

The Ingredients Of Happiness.

Important moments become extra special when shared...
With the people we care about and the people who matter to us.

Because in life, we have limited control of the experiences that we encounter and the people we share them with. What little control we have, we better put to great use. 

I think that's what happiness is all about - knowing that we have little control of all the things around us, yet exercising what little control we have to pick the right moments and experiences and to choose the people we share them with.

These moments, made up by the right experiences and the right people combined, are so rare; let's make them extra special.

Unexpected Blessings Bring The Most Happiness.

Today I have been blessed, and blessed abundantly. 

During the meeting at the office earlier this morning, our team was awarded the Team of the Month for February. I really didn't expect that coming, first because not all of us in the team aimed for extra productivity, and second because I have colleagues who went way beyond the incentive mark and produced a great number of output last month.

But, with some stroke of luck, we made it! I was really surprised when our name and photo appeared and we were called in front. And an added bonus - one of my teammates was awarded the Copywriter of the Month (and she's been receiving the award for three consecutive months now). Awesome!

Thank you!

In Our Pursuit Of Happiness, There Are People That We Need To Let Go.

These are people who block the path to our happiness, those that keep us from enjoying the person that we truly are. 

They don't necessarily have to be bad people; sometimes these are people who care about us and people who mean well but are only programmed negatively such that they tend to drag us down with them. Sometimes they're family members, sometimes friends, at other times even our partner in life. 

Yes, I believe we should try our best to change them so that they, too, can be truly happy. But, if doing that is beyond our capacity or if we feel the matter is hopeless, the best thing to do is let go, move on, and soar to where we can find the happiness that we've been pursuing. 

It's Easy To Forget Everything When One Is Happy.

It's easy to do away with all the planning and just take life as it comes (which can be a good thing, in certain instances).

When one is happy...

It's easy to be complacent. It's easy to forget one's responsibilities. It's easy to ignore everything else.

If there's one moment when a person needs discipline the most, that is when he is happy.

At One Point In Our Life Or Another, We Choose Happiness Over The Good.

I guess this is a weakness, but isn't it that a great part of life revolves around the pursuit of happiness?

What's the good thing about doing the right thing if one is miserable?
If one feels shackled?
If one lives with regrets?

Remove All Sources Of Unnecessary Stress In Your Life.

Not happy with your job? Resign!

Stressed about your mounting debt? Throw away your credit card!

In a toxic relationship? Run away!

In the company of unhealthy people? Leave!

Stuck in a situation that's pulling you down? Let go!

Life should be as simple as that. 

Eliminate the unnecessary stuff. Say goodbye to stress. Be happy. And live longer!

To Be The Reason Behind Someone's Happiness - Now That Is Priceless.

It is probably this that makes every parent endure all the hardships of parenthood. It is probably this that drives every man to work hard for his family. And it is probably this that makes every woman smile despite being so tired taking care of her baby.

This warm feeling that envelopes you when you know someone is happy because of you. This feeling is priceless. It's one of the best feelings in the world.

The Feeling Of Excitement Is One Of The Best Things In The World.

It's been a long time since I last felt this kind of feeling - that feeling of restlessness, of butterflies in the stomach, of desiring something so strongly that it's almost painful... 

That moment when you can't think of anything else except that one thing that makes you feel all anxious, nervous, and excited all at the same time... 

That moment when you want something so bad yet you're so scared to grab it, but then deep within your heart and soul you have already claimed it to be yours...

That moment when you can't sleep and all you do is toss and turn in bed thinking about that one thing that you desire, until you feel all bursting with energy...

This feeling is so rare and precious. And, it's during moments like this when I feel most alive, burning with passion and consumed by a fire so real I almost feel scorched.

This kind of excitement - it's one of the best things about being human and about being alive.

Wherever You Find Happiness, Seize It!

Explore it. Feel it. Enjoy it. And try to make it last.

In our present world, true happiness has already become somewhat more elusive.

I've met people who are so focused on the end, on the future, that they fail to appreciate and enjoy the present. Many often get caught up in their daily schedules that they lose the fun in doing the things that they do. A lot of us follow routinary activities, aim for efficiency, and then fail to understand the meaning behind all those that we aim for. Happiness, indeed, has seemed to escape many because of the fast pace of the life that we live.

It is therefore more important these days for our senses to become more open to happiness, and to instances that bring them.

Imagine riding a jeepney and enjoying the scenery around. You don't care about the time, or being late for work - you don't even look at your watch. You don't care that the jeepney takes a stop every few minutes to pick up additional passengers, or that the driver is driving too slow. You don't think of the chores that you left behind, or the tasks that await you when you arrive at the office. You just savor that moment as you look at the places that you pass by. 

You don't know whether it would be the same the next time you pass by that place while riding a jeepney, and you don't care. You just love what you're seeing and what you're feeling at the moment. And that's what's important - that you're having a great time and you're feeling pretty good about yourself and about the world. 

You don't want the ride to end. No, not just yet. If you could, you'd prolong the ride, tell the driver to keep on driving. But alas, it has to. You've reached your destination and you need to alight and get to work. 

And as you walk towards the elevator, you have that big smile plastered on your face as you remember all that you've seen. You know you'll probably forget all about what you saw once you face the mountain of paperworks waiting for you, but for the moment you just want to savor the feeling. And you greet everybody good morning when you arrive, starting the day with a smile.

Happiness may have become elusive, but not because it has totally disappeared. It's still all around us, only our senses are not always attuned to it - so many things preoccupy us these days. So when a moment like the one I mentioned above comes...

We must seize it, explore it, feel it, enjoy it, try to make it last, and then share the happiness to others if we can.

PRAYER: Lord let me recognize happiness when I see it, and may I not be too preoccupied to savor it.