Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
response from Salesforce.com's CEO
Q: When did you know that Salesforce.com was going to be a success?
A: I still have not accepted that Salesforce.com has made it. (Former Intel Corp. CEO) Andy Grove said it pretty well, "Only the paranoid survive." Michael Dell says it really well also. He says, "Pleased, but never satisfied." That's kind of how I feel, which is you have to kind of keep going and work harder.
A: I still have not accepted that Salesforce.com has made it. (Former Intel Corp. CEO) Andy Grove said it pretty well, "Only the paranoid survive." Michael Dell says it really well also. He says, "Pleased, but never satisfied." That's kind of how I feel, which is you have to kind of keep going and work harder.
How To Be Really Alive
How To Be Really Alive!!!!!! By Sark
Live juicy.
Stamp out conformity.
Stay in bed all day.
Dream of gypsy wagons.
Find snails making love.
Develop an astounding appetite for books.
Drink Sunsets.
Draw out your feelings.
Amaze yourself.
Be ridiculous.
Stop worrying now. If not now, then when?
Make yes your favorite word.
Marry yourself.
Dry your clothes in the sun.
Eat Mangos Naked!
Keep toys in the bathtub.
Spin yourself dizzy.
Hang upside down.
Follow a child.
Celebrate an old person.
Send a love letter to your self.
Be advanced.
Try endearing.
Invent new ways to love.
Transform negatives.
Delight someone.
Wear pajamas to a drive in movie.
Allow yourself to feel rich without money.
Be who you truly are.
Believe in everything.
You are always on your way to a miracle.
The miracle is you!
Live juicy.
Stamp out conformity.
Stay in bed all day.
Dream of gypsy wagons.
Find snails making love.
Develop an astounding appetite for books.
Drink Sunsets.
Draw out your feelings.
Amaze yourself.
Be ridiculous.
Stop worrying now. If not now, then when?
Make yes your favorite word.
Marry yourself.
Dry your clothes in the sun.
Eat Mangos Naked!
Keep toys in the bathtub.
Spin yourself dizzy.
Hang upside down.
Follow a child.
Celebrate an old person.
Send a love letter to your self.
Be advanced.
Try endearing.
Invent new ways to love.
Transform negatives.
Delight someone.
Wear pajamas to a drive in movie.
Allow yourself to feel rich without money.
Be who you truly are.
Believe in everything.
You are always on your way to a miracle.
The miracle is you!
Man's search for Wisdom by Cameron Schaefer
Joe Day recently tweeted that he’d been chewing on Ecclesiastes 7 for weeks now. After reading through it a few times I can see why. Here are a few sections that impacted me in particular:
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.
12 Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.
13 Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future.
15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:
a righteous man perishing in his righteousness,
and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremes . [a]
19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful
than ten rulers in a city.
20 There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.
21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you may hear your servant cursing you-
22 for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,
“I am determined to be wise”—
but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever wisdom may be,
it is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?
————-
29 This only have I found:
God made mankind upright,
but men have gone in search of many schemes.”
Popularity: 2% [?]
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Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.
12 Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.
13 Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future.
15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:
a righteous man perishing in his righteousness,
and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremes . [a]
19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful
than ten rulers in a city.
20 There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.
21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you may hear your servant cursing you-
22 for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,
“I am determined to be wise”—
but this was beyond me.
24 Whatever wisdom may be,
it is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?
————-
29 This only have I found:
God made mankind upright,
but men have gone in search of many schemes.”
Popularity: 2% [?]
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Maybe the world breaks on purpose...
"We were taught how the pioneers went into the West. They opened their eyes and made up what things could be. A long time ago, things got broken here. People got sad and left. Maybe the world breaks on purpose, so we can have work to do. People think there aren't frontiers anymore. They can't see how frontiers are all around us."
~Levi Strauss & Co Commercial
~Levi Strauss & Co Commercial
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
No day but today
"I live each moment as my last
There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road,
No other way
No day but today."
-Another Day, sung by Mimi Marquez.
There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road,
No other way
No day but today."
-Another Day, sung by Mimi Marquez.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Qualities of a Successful Leader
Qualities of a Successful Leader
by Napoleon Hill
Personal initiative heads the list of qualities a successful leader must possess. These qualities are:
Personal initiative
The adoption of a definite major purpose.
A motive to inspire continuous action in pursuit of a definite major purpose.
A master mind alliance through which you may acquire the power to attain your definite purpose.
Self-reliance in proportion to the scope and object of your major purpose.
Self-discipline sufficient to insure mastery of the head and the heart, and to sustain your motives until they have been realized.
Persistence, based on the will to win.
A well-developed imagination, controlled and directed.
The habit of reaching definite and prompt decisions.
The habit of basing opinions on known facts instead of relying on guesswork.
The habit of going the extra mile.
The capacity to generate enthusiasm at will, and to control it.
A well-developed sense of details.
The capacity to take criticism without resentment.
Familiarity with the ten basic motives that inspire all human action.
The capacity to concentrate your full attention upon one task at a time.
Willingness to accept full responsibility for the mistakes of subordinates.
The habit of recognizing the merits and abilities of others.
A positive mental attitude at all times.
The habit of assuming full responsibility for any job or task undertaken.
The capacity for applied faith.
Patience with subordinates and associates.
The habit of following through with any task once begun.
The habit of emphasizing thoroughness instead of speed.
Dependability, the only requirement of leadership that can be stated with one word – but no less important to success on that account.
There are qualities of minor importance which leadership in many fields of endeavor may require, but those listed above are on the must list of all able leaders. Measure any successful leader by the list and observe how many of the traits he applies, although he may do so unconsciously.
by Napoleon Hill
Personal initiative heads the list of qualities a successful leader must possess. These qualities are:
Personal initiative
The adoption of a definite major purpose.
A motive to inspire continuous action in pursuit of a definite major purpose.
A master mind alliance through which you may acquire the power to attain your definite purpose.
Self-reliance in proportion to the scope and object of your major purpose.
Self-discipline sufficient to insure mastery of the head and the heart, and to sustain your motives until they have been realized.
Persistence, based on the will to win.
A well-developed imagination, controlled and directed.
The habit of reaching definite and prompt decisions.
The habit of basing opinions on known facts instead of relying on guesswork.
The habit of going the extra mile.
The capacity to generate enthusiasm at will, and to control it.
A well-developed sense of details.
The capacity to take criticism without resentment.
Familiarity with the ten basic motives that inspire all human action.
The capacity to concentrate your full attention upon one task at a time.
Willingness to accept full responsibility for the mistakes of subordinates.
The habit of recognizing the merits and abilities of others.
A positive mental attitude at all times.
The habit of assuming full responsibility for any job or task undertaken.
The capacity for applied faith.
Patience with subordinates and associates.
The habit of following through with any task once begun.
The habit of emphasizing thoroughness instead of speed.
Dependability, the only requirement of leadership that can be stated with one word – but no less important to success on that account.
There are qualities of minor importance which leadership in many fields of endeavor may require, but those listed above are on the must list of all able leaders. Measure any successful leader by the list and observe how many of the traits he applies, although he may do so unconsciously.
"Don't worry, be happy"
"Don't worry, be happy" may be more than just a wishful mantra. A new study finds that people's happiness levels can change substantially over their lifetimes, suggesting that happiness isn't predetermined by genes or personality.
Psychologists have long argued that people have a "set point" for happiness. Regardless of what life brings, the set-point theory goes, happiness levels tend to be stable. A big life event could create a boost of joy or a crush of sorrow, but within a few years, people return to a predetermined level of life satisfaction, according to the theory.
The new study, which used a nationally representative sample of almost 150,000 German adults, finds the opposite. People's long-term life satisfaction can change, the researchers report today (Oct. 4) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In fact, a substantial number of people followed over 25 years saw their happiness levels shift by one-third or more.
The study also echoed previous happiness research in finding that money doesn't buy happiness.
"People with a lot of money are more satisfied with their lives... but mainly due to the more interesting and challenging jobs they have," study author Gert Wagner, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany, told LiveScience. "Money is simply a byproduct of good and satisfying jobs. If you want to be satisfied with your life, you must spend time with your friends and your family."
Wagner said that previous work suggests findings on happiness from one developed country, like Germany, should also hold true for another, such as the United States. In fact, a study in May found that in the United States, happiness tends to increase with age.
I'm happier than you
The researchers used data from a study of German adults spanning from 1984 to 2008. Each year, the participants answered questions on their life satisfaction, life goals and other measures like how much they exercise and socialize.
By averaging life-satisfaction responses to even out any short-term effects, the researchers plotted out the respondents' happiness by percentiles. Someone in the 99th percentile, for example, would be happier than 99 percent of the study participants.
People shifted in the rankings - and thus in their levels of happiness - quite a bit. Just over 38 percent changed their position in the distribution by 25 percentiles or more during the study period. About 25 percent changed by 33.3 percentiles or more, and 11.8 percent changed by 50 percentiles.
Feel-good factors
So what contributed to long-term happiness? The researchers found several correlations between life choices and life satisfaction:
Marry well: The personality traits of partners influenced people's happiness. Neuroticism, or a tendency toward anxiety, emotional instability and depression, was most influential. People who married or partnered with neurotic people were less likely to be happy than people who married non-neurotic types.
Focus on the family: People who assigned relatively high value to altruistic and family goals compared with career goals were happier. Women were also happier when their male partners ranked family goals high.
Go to church: People who went to church more often were happier, though the study can't determine whether the happiness is related to religious views or to the social circle religious organizations offer.
Work, but not too much (or too little): People's happiness matched how well they felt their work hours matched their desired work hours. In other words, people who worked more or fewer hours than they preferred were less happy. Working less or being unemployed was worse than working too much, presumably because underemployment is a financial blow, the researchers wrote.
Get social, and get moving: Social interaction and exercise were both associated with happiness. Working out made people happier regardless of body weight. The only correlation between body weight and happiness was that underweight men and obese women were more likely to be unhappy.
Mysteries of happiness
"In its extreme form, set-point theory was never credible," Daniel Kahneman, an emeritus professor of psychology at Princeton University and the winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, told LiveScience. "If it was taken to mean that the only factor that determines happiness or life satisfaction is genetic, so that people always come back to exactly to the same point, this was utterly incredible."
The current study is a "useful" demonstration that life changes can influence people's life satisfaction, said Kahneman, who was not involved in the research. However, the correlations between certain goals and traits and happiness doesn't necessarily answer the nature-versus-nurture question.
"They're suggesting that the goals are chosen. But the goals may be part of personality," and thus partially genetic, he said. "The fact that goals matter, like altruism and materialism, that really doesn't help us distinguish between personality and circumstances."
More studies are needed that track large populations of people after influential changes, like the enactment of new laws, said Andrew Oswald, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Warwick who studies happiness but was not involved in the current study. By comparing people who lived under, say, a new state tax law that affected income to those who lived in a nearby state without the law, researchers could begin to look at happiness in a more experimental way, he said.
"The key thing is that life events good and bad do shape happiness over long periods," Oswald said. "We are, in part, the product of our experiences. It's not all born into us."
Stephanie Pappas
LiveScience Senior Writer
LiveScience.com Stephanie Pappas
livescience Senior Writer
livescience.com – Mon Oct 4, 4:50 pm ET
Psychologists have long argued that people have a "set point" for happiness. Regardless of what life brings, the set-point theory goes, happiness levels tend to be stable. A big life event could create a boost of joy or a crush of sorrow, but within a few years, people return to a predetermined level of life satisfaction, according to the theory.
The new study, which used a nationally representative sample of almost 150,000 German adults, finds the opposite. People's long-term life satisfaction can change, the researchers report today (Oct. 4) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In fact, a substantial number of people followed over 25 years saw their happiness levels shift by one-third or more.
The study also echoed previous happiness research in finding that money doesn't buy happiness.
"People with a lot of money are more satisfied with their lives... but mainly due to the more interesting and challenging jobs they have," study author Gert Wagner, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany, told LiveScience. "Money is simply a byproduct of good and satisfying jobs. If you want to be satisfied with your life, you must spend time with your friends and your family."
Wagner said that previous work suggests findings on happiness from one developed country, like Germany, should also hold true for another, such as the United States. In fact, a study in May found that in the United States, happiness tends to increase with age.
I'm happier than you
The researchers used data from a study of German adults spanning from 1984 to 2008. Each year, the participants answered questions on their life satisfaction, life goals and other measures like how much they exercise and socialize.
By averaging life-satisfaction responses to even out any short-term effects, the researchers plotted out the respondents' happiness by percentiles. Someone in the 99th percentile, for example, would be happier than 99 percent of the study participants.
People shifted in the rankings - and thus in their levels of happiness - quite a bit. Just over 38 percent changed their position in the distribution by 25 percentiles or more during the study period. About 25 percent changed by 33.3 percentiles or more, and 11.8 percent changed by 50 percentiles.
Feel-good factors
So what contributed to long-term happiness? The researchers found several correlations between life choices and life satisfaction:
Marry well: The personality traits of partners influenced people's happiness. Neuroticism, or a tendency toward anxiety, emotional instability and depression, was most influential. People who married or partnered with neurotic people were less likely to be happy than people who married non-neurotic types.
Focus on the family: People who assigned relatively high value to altruistic and family goals compared with career goals were happier. Women were also happier when their male partners ranked family goals high.
Go to church: People who went to church more often were happier, though the study can't determine whether the happiness is related to religious views or to the social circle religious organizations offer.
Work, but not too much (or too little): People's happiness matched how well they felt their work hours matched their desired work hours. In other words, people who worked more or fewer hours than they preferred were less happy. Working less or being unemployed was worse than working too much, presumably because underemployment is a financial blow, the researchers wrote.
Get social, and get moving: Social interaction and exercise were both associated with happiness. Working out made people happier regardless of body weight. The only correlation between body weight and happiness was that underweight men and obese women were more likely to be unhappy.
Mysteries of happiness
"In its extreme form, set-point theory was never credible," Daniel Kahneman, an emeritus professor of psychology at Princeton University and the winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, told LiveScience. "If it was taken to mean that the only factor that determines happiness or life satisfaction is genetic, so that people always come back to exactly to the same point, this was utterly incredible."
The current study is a "useful" demonstration that life changes can influence people's life satisfaction, said Kahneman, who was not involved in the research. However, the correlations between certain goals and traits and happiness doesn't necessarily answer the nature-versus-nurture question.
"They're suggesting that the goals are chosen. But the goals may be part of personality," and thus partially genetic, he said. "The fact that goals matter, like altruism and materialism, that really doesn't help us distinguish between personality and circumstances."
More studies are needed that track large populations of people after influential changes, like the enactment of new laws, said Andrew Oswald, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Warwick who studies happiness but was not involved in the current study. By comparing people who lived under, say, a new state tax law that affected income to those who lived in a nearby state without the law, researchers could begin to look at happiness in a more experimental way, he said.
"The key thing is that life events good and bad do shape happiness over long periods," Oswald said. "We are, in part, the product of our experiences. It's not all born into us."
Stephanie Pappas
LiveScience Senior Writer
LiveScience.com Stephanie Pappas
livescience Senior Writer
livescience.com – Mon Oct 4, 4:50 pm ET
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Painted Drum
"Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could."
— Louise Erdrich (The Painted Drum)
— Louise Erdrich (The Painted Drum)
[Proverbs 3:13-15]”
“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. [Proverbs 3:13-15]”
Monthly Message from Dr. Napoleon Hill
Motivating Yourself to Achieve Success
by Napoleon Hill
The greatest reward success brings is self-satisfaction. For success lies not in the accumulation of riches although, of course, this can be important. Success is marked by the satisfaction of knowing you have done a job and done it well—that you have achieved the goal you set for yourself.
Einstein, for example, didn’t attain great wealth during his lifetime. But would anyone say he was an unsuccessful man? How can you motivate yourself to success? The surest course lies in developing a burning desire for something you do not now have, to complete a goal you alone can set for yourself. There is a difference between merely wishing for something and deciding definitely that you are going to attain it.
All things are possible to the person who believes they are possible.
Set yourself a definite goal in life. Write it down. Commit it to memory. Direct every thought and all your energies to making it come true. Instead of letting momentary setbacks throw you off course, search in them for the seed of equivalent benefit which can help you attain your set purpose.
Remember, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.” The person who is determined to attain success starts where he stands, making the best of whatever tools he has. Start from wherever you stand—today.
by Napoleon Hill
The greatest reward success brings is self-satisfaction. For success lies not in the accumulation of riches although, of course, this can be important. Success is marked by the satisfaction of knowing you have done a job and done it well—that you have achieved the goal you set for yourself.
Einstein, for example, didn’t attain great wealth during his lifetime. But would anyone say he was an unsuccessful man? How can you motivate yourself to success? The surest course lies in developing a burning desire for something you do not now have, to complete a goal you alone can set for yourself. There is a difference between merely wishing for something and deciding definitely that you are going to attain it.
All things are possible to the person who believes they are possible.
Set yourself a definite goal in life. Write it down. Commit it to memory. Direct every thought and all your energies to making it come true. Instead of letting momentary setbacks throw you off course, search in them for the seed of equivalent benefit which can help you attain your set purpose.
Remember, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.” The person who is determined to attain success starts where he stands, making the best of whatever tools he has. Start from wherever you stand—today.
The 15 Timeless Secrets of Happy People
The 15 Timeless Secrets of Happy People
How we achieve happiness can be different for each one of us. Our passions, expectations, life experiences, and even our personalities all contribute to the level of happiness we experience in our lives. Some people find happiness in their careers while others prefer the bliss found in their marriages or other intimate relationships.
No matter how you define happiness for yourself, there are certain universal and time-proven strategies to bring, and sustain, more happiness into your life. These 15 timeless secrets of happy people can be adapted and even customized to fit your needs. Over time, these strategies will become positive and life-changing habits that will begin to bring more happiness, joy and peace into your life.
Notice What’s Right
Some of us see the glass as being half-full, while others see the glass as half-empty. The next time you are caught in traffic, begin thinking how nice it is to have a few moments to reflect on the day, focus on a problem you have been trying to solve, or brainstorm on your next big idea. The next time you get in the slow line at the grocery store, take the opportunity to pick up a tabloid magazine and do some “guilty pleasure” reading. Take all that life throws out you and reframe it with what’s right about the situation. At the end of the day, you will be more content, at peace and be happy. Take the time to begin to notice what’s right and see the world change.
Show Gratitude
How many times do you say the words “thank you,” in a day? How many times do you hear these same words? If you are doing the first thing, saying the “thank yous,” the latter will naturally happen. Learn to be grateful and you will be open to receive an abundance of joy and happiness.
Remember the Kid You Were
Do you remember how to play? I’m not referring to playing a round of golf or a set of tennis. I’m talking about playing like you did when you were a child – a game of tag, leap frog, or street baseball when the bat is a broken broom handle and the bases are the parked cars. One way to find or maintain your happiness is to remember the kid you were and play!
Be Kind
There is no question that by merely watching acts of kindness creates a significant elevation in our moods and increases the desire for us to perform good deeds as well. Kindness is indeed contagious and when we make a commitment to be kind to ourselves and to others we can experience new heights of joy, happiness and enthusiasm for our lives.
Spend Time with Your Friends
Although an abundant social and romantic life does not itself guarantee joy, it does have a huge impact on our happiness. Learn to spend time with your friends and make the friendships a priority in your life.
Savor Every Moment
To be in the moment is to live in the moment. Too often we are thinking ahead or looking ahead to the next event or circumstance in our lives, not appreciating the “here and now.” When we savor every moment, we are savoring the happiness in our lives.
Rest
There are times when we need the time to unwind, decompress, or to put it simply, just “to chill.” Life comes at all of us hard and fast. Time, as do the days on the calendar, keeps going forward at its own natural pace, which is not always the pace we would choose. Fatigue, stress and exhaustion may begin to settle in on us faster than we may think, or notice. The best remedy for this is indeed rest.
Move!
The expression a “runner’s high” does not infer an addiction, but a feeling or a state of mind - a state of euphoria. There is no question exercise, or any physical exertion, elevates your mood and enhances a more positive attitude as well as fosters better personal self-esteem and confidence. Indeed, one way to increase your happiness is to move!
Put on a Happy Face
Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it. I’m not suggesting that we not be honest, real or authentic, but I’m suggesting, sometimes, we just need to put on a happy face and keep moving forward. Researchers claim that smiling and looking like we are happy will indeed make us happier. Studies further show that if we act like we are happy then we can experience greater joy and happiness in our lives.
Pursue Your Goals
The absence of goals in our lives, or more specifically avoiding to pursue our goals, makes us feel like we are stuck and ineffective. The pursuit of goals in our personal lives, in our relationships, or with our careers, is the difference between having a mediocre life or a life full of passion and enthusiasm. Pursue your goals and watch your happiness soar.
Find Your Calling
Some find meaning in religion or spirituality while others find purpose in their work or relationships. Finding your calling may be much more than accomplishing one simple strategy for increasing your happiness, but having a sense of purpose – of feeling like you are here for a reason – can perhaps bring the greatest joy of all.
Get into the Flow
Flow is the form of joy, excitement and happiness that occurs when we are so absorbed in an activity we love that we can lose ourselves and time seems to stand still. What creates flow is unique to each one of us. To find and sustain true happiness in our lives, we must get off the sidelines and get into the flow.
Play to Your Strengths
One way to achieve flow is by understanding and identifying our strengths and core values, and then begin to use these every day. Once we aware of our strengths and we begin to play to your strengths we can better incorporate them in all aspects of our lives.
Don’t Overdo It
Know when to say when. What gives you joy and happiness the first time may not work the second time. Too much of a good thing may begin not to feel as good if the “thing” becomes more of a routine, or an expectation. Set healthy and reasonable boundaries for yourself and don’t overdo it.
Appreciate What You Have
Want exactly what you have and know that what you have can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Hold on to it, treasure it, and let it cover you with love, comfort and happiness.
Written on 10/02/2010 by Alex Blackwell. Alex writes for his incredible readers at The BridgeMaker, an honestly-written blog about faith, inspiration and personal change. To receive twice-weekly articles subscribe here. Photo Credit: Scarleth White
How we achieve happiness can be different for each one of us. Our passions, expectations, life experiences, and even our personalities all contribute to the level of happiness we experience in our lives. Some people find happiness in their careers while others prefer the bliss found in their marriages or other intimate relationships.
No matter how you define happiness for yourself, there are certain universal and time-proven strategies to bring, and sustain, more happiness into your life. These 15 timeless secrets of happy people can be adapted and even customized to fit your needs. Over time, these strategies will become positive and life-changing habits that will begin to bring more happiness, joy and peace into your life.
Notice What’s Right
Some of us see the glass as being half-full, while others see the glass as half-empty. The next time you are caught in traffic, begin thinking how nice it is to have a few moments to reflect on the day, focus on a problem you have been trying to solve, or brainstorm on your next big idea. The next time you get in the slow line at the grocery store, take the opportunity to pick up a tabloid magazine and do some “guilty pleasure” reading. Take all that life throws out you and reframe it with what’s right about the situation. At the end of the day, you will be more content, at peace and be happy. Take the time to begin to notice what’s right and see the world change.
Show Gratitude
How many times do you say the words “thank you,” in a day? How many times do you hear these same words? If you are doing the first thing, saying the “thank yous,” the latter will naturally happen. Learn to be grateful and you will be open to receive an abundance of joy and happiness.
Remember the Kid You Were
Do you remember how to play? I’m not referring to playing a round of golf or a set of tennis. I’m talking about playing like you did when you were a child – a game of tag, leap frog, or street baseball when the bat is a broken broom handle and the bases are the parked cars. One way to find or maintain your happiness is to remember the kid you were and play!
Be Kind
There is no question that by merely watching acts of kindness creates a significant elevation in our moods and increases the desire for us to perform good deeds as well. Kindness is indeed contagious and when we make a commitment to be kind to ourselves and to others we can experience new heights of joy, happiness and enthusiasm for our lives.
Spend Time with Your Friends
Although an abundant social and romantic life does not itself guarantee joy, it does have a huge impact on our happiness. Learn to spend time with your friends and make the friendships a priority in your life.
Savor Every Moment
To be in the moment is to live in the moment. Too often we are thinking ahead or looking ahead to the next event or circumstance in our lives, not appreciating the “here and now.” When we savor every moment, we are savoring the happiness in our lives.
Rest
There are times when we need the time to unwind, decompress, or to put it simply, just “to chill.” Life comes at all of us hard and fast. Time, as do the days on the calendar, keeps going forward at its own natural pace, which is not always the pace we would choose. Fatigue, stress and exhaustion may begin to settle in on us faster than we may think, or notice. The best remedy for this is indeed rest.
Move!
The expression a “runner’s high” does not infer an addiction, but a feeling or a state of mind - a state of euphoria. There is no question exercise, or any physical exertion, elevates your mood and enhances a more positive attitude as well as fosters better personal self-esteem and confidence. Indeed, one way to increase your happiness is to move!
Put on a Happy Face
Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it. I’m not suggesting that we not be honest, real or authentic, but I’m suggesting, sometimes, we just need to put on a happy face and keep moving forward. Researchers claim that smiling and looking like we are happy will indeed make us happier. Studies further show that if we act like we are happy then we can experience greater joy and happiness in our lives.
Pursue Your Goals
The absence of goals in our lives, or more specifically avoiding to pursue our goals, makes us feel like we are stuck and ineffective. The pursuit of goals in our personal lives, in our relationships, or with our careers, is the difference between having a mediocre life or a life full of passion and enthusiasm. Pursue your goals and watch your happiness soar.
Find Your Calling
Some find meaning in religion or spirituality while others find purpose in their work or relationships. Finding your calling may be much more than accomplishing one simple strategy for increasing your happiness, but having a sense of purpose – of feeling like you are here for a reason – can perhaps bring the greatest joy of all.
Get into the Flow
Flow is the form of joy, excitement and happiness that occurs when we are so absorbed in an activity we love that we can lose ourselves and time seems to stand still. What creates flow is unique to each one of us. To find and sustain true happiness in our lives, we must get off the sidelines and get into the flow.
Play to Your Strengths
One way to achieve flow is by understanding and identifying our strengths and core values, and then begin to use these every day. Once we aware of our strengths and we begin to play to your strengths we can better incorporate them in all aspects of our lives.
Don’t Overdo It
Know when to say when. What gives you joy and happiness the first time may not work the second time. Too much of a good thing may begin not to feel as good if the “thing” becomes more of a routine, or an expectation. Set healthy and reasonable boundaries for yourself and don’t overdo it.
Appreciate What You Have
Want exactly what you have and know that what you have can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Hold on to it, treasure it, and let it cover you with love, comfort and happiness.
Written on 10/02/2010 by Alex Blackwell. Alex writes for his incredible readers at The BridgeMaker, an honestly-written blog about faith, inspiration and personal change. To receive twice-weekly articles subscribe here. Photo Credit: Scarleth White
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