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Motivation Mondays: BEING HAPPY
“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” Henry Ward Beecher
Motivation Mondays: BEING HAPPY
Want to be happy? Be grateful | David Steindl-Rast
The Ways – Khalid & Swae Lee ( Black Panther)
Lyrics
You can have flaws, be anxious, and ever angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you.
Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.
To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity. Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. Being Happy: Author Anon/Attributed to Pope Francis
What does Being Happy mean to you? Recently, one of my best friends sent me a speech that was purported to have come from Pope Francis. It was beautifully written and touched on all the key elements we need to remember about why being happy is a CHOICE we get to make daily. I was thrilled yet, the researcher in me wanted to make sure it came from the beloved Pope before I could use it. When I couldn’t find it on the Vatican website, I turned to Google, and it became crystal clear that it wasn’t from the Pope; even the poet/author, Fernando Pessoa, some believed had the original attribution fell short. In moments like this, serendipity kicks in… Why did this piece suddenly show up? It was sent to me because I was meant to read it, consider its place in my life and then share it with others. I have done so throughout this post. (see above and below) Give. Give. Give. Why wait for your life to be perfect before you enjoy sunrise and sunset? Our lives are perfectly flawed and that is what keeps us motivated to get up and start our day with hope, joy and promise. Like the water lily, we can be radiant in the midst of dirty pool water… life must go on
My personal journey to being happy has often included unpleasant events, health, personal and other challenges. Yet, every single harsh event has had its silver lining; a reminder to look around and find someone in greater need to help. Sometimes, I could decipher the grace in the grind and at other times, it took friends, family and the occasional stranger to point me in the direction of the good ahead of me. So, I wake up thankful for the gift of life, shelter, family, friendship and the grace that shows up in many other ways. It is easy to look around us and compare our lives to others and bemoan our lack of XYZ. But, what we tend to forget is that everyone has a destiny carved out for them and each of us face our own battles in small and large ways.
Even people we see as perennially happy have their demons they battle quietly. For some, it could be a feeling of insecurity and a need to be loved. For others, it could even be a fear of being found out to be a “fraud.” Until we walk in another person’s boots, we can’t claim to know what makes them tick… The goal then is to focus on our own lives, make peace with our regrets and fears, and choose to find even one person to help and one thing every day to be happy and thankful for.
READ: Happiness Haiku: What Does Happiness Mean To You?
Happiness: A to Z Ways & Words To Express It …
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” Barbara De Angelis
Motivation Mondays: BEING HAPPY
Pharrell Williams – Happy (Video)
To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny’s author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.
Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It’s to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a “no”. It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us. To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple.
It is to have maturity to be able to say, “I made mistakes.” It is to have the courage to say, “I am sorry.” It is to have the sensitivity to say, “I need you.” It is to have the ability to say, “I love you.” Being Happy: Author Anon/Attributed to Pope Francis
How do you fuel your Happiness Quotient? Unequivocally, being present in the life we have, being grateful, and helping others add to our happiness quotient on a daily basis. Instead of feeling side-lined by our desires, worries and wishes, when we focus on the grace in our present moment, we can make choices that enable us to move forward and not stay stagnant. Being present helps us get in touch with our inner voice and feelings and helps us connect with others in an honest way. When we are present in our interactions with others, we not only see them, we hear them and we connect to the emotion behind the words shared. I think we don’t spend enough time being present because it not only takes practice, it requires intention and a level of trust that our inner guide will lift us up and open a pathway to clarity. That level of clarity adds fuel to our happiness quotient because we feel satisfied on a deep level.
Think about it. How often do we say: I will stay open to the possibilities in my life today? Staying open to the possibilities doesn’t mean abandoning our daily schedule. It means becoming acutely aware of our exchanges, effort and our thought patterns. Instead of judging everyone and everything that crosses our path, try honoring them. Send a kind thought, a healing word, a friendly smile, a helping hand and watch the outcome without expectation of how/what/when. Give it a chance and the results might surprise you.
For instance, yesterday, as I drove to work related appointments, I had two separate experiences of other drivers making rather sudden and dangerous moves in front of my car. One driver pulled out from a side street without stopping at the red sign. Both times I was grateful that an accident was averted and that I was present, attentive and not distracted or impatient. In both incidents, I felt a burst of gratitude and joy that all turned out well. The same approach applies to other areas of our lives. When we turn our attention to a chore, a conversation, or an assignment, we perform better when we are present and our whole being feels the happy charge that comes from doing our best work. Even if the final outcome doesn’t bring a certain result, we know we gave it our best shot and being happy/grateful resides in that effort.
READ: Motivation Mondays: HAPPINESS
Happiness: The Candle Never Decreases By Being Shared…
Musings: Waiting To Be Happy…?
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for MAR 2018/APR 2018 are:
03/04 – Women’s History Month, National Nutrition Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, American Red Cross Month, 08 International Women’s Day, World Kidney Day, 04 Academy Awards
03/11 – 11 Daylight Savings, 14 Pi Day, 15 World Consumer Rights Day, 17 St Patrick’s Day
03/18 – 19 St Joseph, 20 International Day of Happiness, 21 World poetry Day, 22 World Water day, 24 Earth Hour
03/25 – Palm Sunday, 29 Holy Thursday, 30 Good Friday, 31 Passover
04/01 – 01, April Fool’s Day, 02, Autism Awareness, 06, International Day Sport Development Peace, 07, World Health Day,
04/08 – 10, National Siblings Day, 10, Equal Pay Day, 12, Holocaust Remembrance Day
04/15 – 17 Tax Day
04/22 – 22, Earth Day, 23, World Book Day, 27, Arbor Day
01/29 – 29, International Jazz Day
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
Photo Challenge: RISE & SET
“If you are in a beautiful place where you can enjoy sunrise and sunset, then you are living like a lord.” Nathan Phillips
Photo Challenge: RISE & SET
Photo Challenge: RISE & SET
Swae Lee – Hurt To Look (Audio) ft. Rae Sremmurd
For this week’s photo challenge, called RISE/SET, we turn to the rising and setting sun. We could choose to present one or try what I did… you can choose to show both. I hope you like them. The setting sun is below and on the left, and the rising sun is above and all on the right side of the frame… What are your favorite times of the day? I love both but I think sunset shows better…
“What breaks in daybreak? Is it the night? Is it the sun, cracked in two by the horizon like an egg, spilling out light?” Margaret Atwood
Photo Challenge: Sunrise – RISE & SET
Photo Challenge: Sunset – RISE & SET
Photo Challenge: RISE & SET
Drake – God’s Plan
HEARTWORK BY Suzy Kassem
Each day is born with a sunrise
and ends in a sunset, the same way we
open our eyes to see the light,
and close them to hear the dark.
You have no control over
how your story begins or ends.
But by now, you should know that
all things have an ending.
Every spark returns to darkness.
Every sound returns to silence.
And every flower returns to sleep
with the earth.
The journey of the sun
and moon is predictable.
But yours,
is your ultimate
ART.
More Below! Read more…
Motivation Mondays: REBIRTH
“Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.” Dalai Lama
Motivation Mondays: REBIRTH
Jhené Aiko – Sativa ft. Rae Sremmurd
Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals. Charles M. Crowe
We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining – they just shine. Dwight L. Moody
REBIRTH TIME – HAPPY SPRING! HAPPY PASSOVER! HAPPY EASTER!: What do you love about this time of the year? Spring, Passover and Easter are times of rebirth/renewal, liberation and resurrection. With Spring, we watch as the earth quietly returns to life with shoots, buds and foliage reawaken after a seemingly long, cold and, in some parts, harsh winter. We spring clean to dust off the ghost of the last season and we open our hearts and mind with a sense of expectancy for what lies ahead. For Easter, we celebrate the resurrection/rise of the Christ into the heavens and by doing so, we are reminded of the liberation and freeing of souls that, like the freeing of buds and plants at the beginning of spring, means a great growth takes place. Christians around the world start the preparations and celebrations days ahead with Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and finally Easter day which falls on April 1st this year. With Passover, we see this major 7-8 day celebration as a commemoration of the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery and their opportunity to create a nation under the leadership of Moses. So, when we take all three into consideration, the motivation for us is to seize this opportunity as a time for our own rebirth/renewal and a time to let go of qualities that limit us… why complicate things? Enjoy the music!
“We all hope for breakthrough rebirth moments.” Dane Cook
Motivation Mondays: REBIRTH
Motivation Mondays: REBIRTH
Do You Celebrate any/all of these Special Rebirth Events in your Household? We celebrate all three in mine and it is a every special time to gather with family and give thanks for the unity, harmony and freedoms we enjoy. It is also a time to give back to others in our community and beyond. Life is full of surprises and it is easy to have our best plans derailed by unforeseen circumstances. The last five years have been very challenging for me but they have also offered some of the best experiences and memories that reaffirm the power and importance of family, grace, and hope in my life. So, if you’ve experienced any challenging events, this year, take a moment to give thanks for the good that has flourished in the face of your hardships. We often forget to give thanks for the sliver of light that comes our way in times of darkness. If we pay attention, the sliver grows into a big bright light that will motivate us to continue on our path and not despair. If we stop to remember that there is a season for everyone and that the planting season is followed by a harvest and then a fallow… Everything that lives and breathes needs a period of hibernation, rest and rebirth. See your time in the trenches as a period of learning and that the new will reappear in time. Don’t give up and remember that you are not alone. Take the edge off by recommitting your self to overcome any stumbling blocks. Breathe new life into your goals. You can do it!
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for FEB 2018/MAR 2018 are:
01/01 – 01/01 New Year’s Day, 01/04 World Braille Day, 01/07 Orthodox Christmas, Golden Globes Award
01/08 – 01/11 Human Trafficking Awareness, 01/14 Orthodox New Year,
01/15 – 01/15 Martin Luther King Day, 01/21 World Religion Day,
01/22 – 01/26 International Customs Day, 01/27 International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
01/28 – 01/28 Grammy Awards,
03/04 – Women’s History Month, National Nutrition Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, American Red Cross Month, 08 International Women’s Day, World Kidney Day, 04 Academy Awards
03/11 – 11 Daylight Savings, 14 Pi Day, 15 World Consumer Rights Day, 17 St Patrick’s Day
03/18 – 19 St Joseph, 20 International Day of Happiness, 21 World poetry Day, 22 World Water day, 24 Earth Hour
03/25 – Palm Sunday, 29 Holy Thursday, 30 Good Friday, 31 Passover
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
MORE BELOW! Read more…
