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!

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.

Rut is wrong with you?

So, how automatic has your life become?  When you think about what you are doing now and where you thought you would be in your life by now, are you there?

We sometimes get stuck in our lives in a place of tyrannical sameness.  We get up, follow the same patterns (good or bad) day after day and become comfortable with the way things are.  We get stuck in a rut.

What is a rut anyway?

Definition: rut (rut), noun

1.    a fixed, routine course of action, thought, etc., esp. one regarded as monotonous

B-Positive!

I have been accused of many things in my life, not all of them flattering.  But, recently, a number of people have accused me of being too positive.  Of all of the things I have been called, I have to say this is a first. My answer has two parts.  One, guilty as charged and second, thanks you.

I have come to believe, through many trials and much error that thinking right is worth the energy. When faced with the option of being eternally positive or hopelessly negative, choose positive.

Unemployed, Underemployed, Have Faith?

Hallelujah, Thank the Lawd!

It has been eight months that I have been back to work, after being out of work for nearly as long – eight months.

I am grateful, and dare I say even more so now, to be among the working.  I still have friends that either remain unemployed or underemployed after months and some more than a year.

Be Who You Be, Even When Nobody Can See

(Right off the bat…excuse the grammar usage in the title – trying to make a point.)

I have to admit that I love the age we live in right now. I mean from a technology and access to information standpoint.

By self-declaration, I am a proud and unabashed maven of gadgets, whiz bang toys and oh, I can’t forget about cell phones…I l-o-o-v-v-e new cell phones. To put it bluntly, I am a techno geek.

I got to thinking the other day about this whole “social” media phenomenon and how people have become so engulfed in communicating this way, anonymously, without actual human contact, seemingly without restrictions or boundaries.

Earlier this year, a study came out (http://bit.ly/5uV2) declaring people visited Facebook, the most popular “social” media site nearly 1.2 billion a month, MySpace more than 810-million times a month and Twitter more than half a billion times during a typical 30-day period. That’s a lot of visits and a lot of time behind a computer screen for a lot of people.

The beauty of it all is that we can all make a difference in the world. While we all have the capacity for greatness, many times, we do not rise to the occasion.  

It is so much easier to just sit back and "go with the flow," instead of standing up for something, having a real impact or making that significant change in our lives that we all would love to make.

The power to make any significant and lasting change in our lives is a result of the decisions we make and the corresponding actions we take.  What we all need is a spark to initiate the decisions and create an environment in life where those lasting changes can take place.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite allegories in the world concerns David – the biblical king of Israel.  If anyone has spent any time in Sunday school, or even read a little, you have probably heard about his exploits on the battlefield against the giant, Goliath.  Many people know something about his proficient handling of a sling shot and three smooth stones. But, the reason I love the story is because of – as old time radio host Paul Harvey would say – the, “rest” of the story.  Whether you consider yourself “religious” or not, there are similarities in the way David was prepared for and subsequently handled this seemingly insurmountable challenge, and what you can decide to tackle in your own life.