Where in the world is your happiness?

Are we living in summer madness or summer gladness?

Remember those days when you were young and you got out of school for the summer?  Everything was geared toward getting to that magical last day of school and the relief that came for the break you had been waiting for for so long. 

Little did we all know that once we were all grow-d up, there was no automatic “break” from the monotony?  As gown ups, we get stuck in the process of life and the time just seems to slip away without warning.  Instead of living for the summer break, we start living for the weekend.  Those precious, little breaks from the norm we all look forward to.

We can all do ourselves a favor by being glad for what we have and enjoy life.  We can look forward to the parts of our life in the middle, not just the fringe little breaks. 

I read a survey recently on the happiest nations on the planet.  The question seemed simple enough, “"Taking all things together, would you say you are: very happy, quite happy, not very happy, or not at all happy?"  the United States ranked 13th on the list.  Of course, we all ask, where in the world could be mo happier than the good ole US of A, right?  It seems the survey found people in Iceland consider themselves the most happy, followed by Sweden and Denmark.

I would argue that the degree of happiness is more a product of where we are mentally as opposed to where we receive our mail and call our home.  As I always do, I encourage us all to enjoy the journey, be glad, grateful and full of as much joy as you can muster.   

Enjoy the Journey!

As a family, we recently reached a milestone.  My son just graduated from high school.  It is an interesting time and I can’t help thinking about the journey to this point and the bigger journey that lies ahead.

We all come to pivotal moments in our lives when we think about the past, the future and the journey.  What we do during those moments is key to our frame of mind.

When we think about our past or the past of someone in our lives, how do we view it?  Do we focus on the minute details of the journey or the milestone reached?  To put things in true proper perspective, we need to embrace both.  I am very proud of my son for reaching this milestone and for the journey along the way, especially after overcoming some challenges along the way.  But, hallelujah, he made it!

Everyone has journey stories, contributions made by us and through us.

Lao Tzu once wrote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Another quote comes from Robert R. Updegraff - “Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.

In an earlier blog (How do you Spend Your Dash?) I mentioned reflected on maximizing our entire life and enjoying the journey.  It is a revelation most of us never quite embrace in totality.  Let’s not get stuck along the way or settle for reaching the milestone, keep moving, realize where you came from and where you are going.

Enjoy the journey!

A legend for what we do or who we are?

Beloved, cherished, loved and admired.

When we use words to try to describe someone that is truly special or has had a phenomenal impact on our lives, sometimes words just don’t cut it.

Is a legend a legend only because of what they do or because of who they are at their core?

This week, a man I would consider a legend in the truest sense of the word passed away after a long battle with cancer.  Ernie Harwell was known best for his work as an announcer for the Detroit Tigers baseball team and his boundless energy.  But, the one trait for me that takes him to an even higher status is that he was a man of faith that, by all appearances, was not only a Christian in name only, but in practice as well.

Your life with momentum: Look maw, no hands!

Do you remember rolling down a hill as a kid?  First, you pushed off and then all of the sudden, you were rolling like a ball. There was a part of that that felt great.  Out of control, dizzy, unsure, but moving nonetheless.  It’s the snowball effect…all you need is a little push, and you will become an unstoppable force.  This book is that push, that starting point toward the unstoppable.  Begin now to think about that person you want to become – point your thoughts and prayers in that direction, then the primed pump will kick in and start to flow.

In all the world, there is no greater feeling than that of knowing your purpose here on the earth.  Knowing one’s place is a great thing.  Many a man and woman have lived and died, never tapping into what they were put on earth to do.  Don’t be that person…become the champion – become who you were intended to be.

Plastic Surgery: Who is that in the mirror and in my skin?

Many people are never satisfied with themselves or their lives - their past or where they are headed in the future.  And, the way they feel about how they look…forget about it.  There is an entire discipline in the medical field designed to help people feel better about who they are (at least how they look).  A little more of this, a little less of that, a nip here, a tuck there - where does it all end?  Are we all placing too much value on appearance and not enough on true substance?

I posted a survey here last month asking people their opinions on plastic surgery and the idea of getting “work” done.  People ran across the entire range, there was not clear consensus.  As a thoroughly unscientific analysis, it seemed people at least consider doing something about how they look and would change something if they could afford it and didn’t feel like they wouldn’t end up looking odd.

Research by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery shows that in 2006, nearly 11.5 million Americans had some sort of surgical or nonsurgical “adjustments” made to their appearance. To show how drastically this trend has grown, since 1997, there has been a 446-percent increase in the number of cosmetic procedures performed.  Maybe you’re one of those 11.5 million people.  If you are, don’t beat yourself up.  I only bring this up as a point to demonstrate the degree if dissatisfaction people have with some aspect of who they are.

The beginning of real satisfaction in life begins with knowing who you are.  If you don’t have a sense of that, you are starting off in the hole.  The journey to where you want to be is an inside job. 

Proverbs 23:7 puts it very clearly, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Another anonymous writer puts it this way when thinking about how we think about ourselves, “Love yourself, for if you don't, how can you expect anybody else to love you.”

Part two of the impromptu poll, is it okay to try to improve God’s handiwork with your appearance?  What do you think?

Photo Credit: Zehar