Comfort-zone...!?!

The next important and easier said than done step of quitting worrying is what popularly referred as Comfort Zone. Yes, it could be the ease you don’t want to loose that is posing a danger of making you worried all the time and has potential of turning you into a filthy-worrying-couch-potato. Beware…!

3. Let go of that familiarity and certainty.

“Worry is like a rocking chair–it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

Unknown

”People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.”

George Bernard Shaw

They say that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out right away to escape the danger. But, if you put a frog in a kettle that is filled with water that is cool and pleasant, and then you gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling, the frog will not become aware of the threat until it is too late. The frog's survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes.
The Boiled Frog

Whatever you have been doing perhaps for decades feels familiar and comfortable. Even it could be something destructive as worrying. Taking a leap of faith and going into the unknown, making a change that may turn out to be positive, can feel scarier and more uncomfortable than what you are used to. Even if what you are used to is worse in the long run.

But at some point you have to make up your mind to start letting go of that old familiar part of yourself. You have to fill up the space that entire worrying used take up with new thinking. It may feel uncomfortable. It is not as intimately familiar as your past thoughts.

It can be scary and exciting at the same time because now you are not just someone who sees him/herself as worrier and that uses some techniques to lessen that. You are instead making a deep change to who you are, to how you view yourself. You are letting go of something that has been a big part of you and are leaving it at the side of the road.

One great tip that I have learned for making it easier to let go is to first accept it then to let it go. When you accept something instead of resisting it you stop feeding more energy into your problem and making it even bigger. A bit counterintuitive…!

This is useful when it comes to letting go. If you first accept what you want to let go you aren’t so emotionally attached to it and still feeding it with your focus and energy. And so it becomes less powerful and easier to just drop. As long as you resist it then it will be hard to let it go. All that worrying in your past may not have been very accurate at all, so perhaps it’s a smart choice to let go of that habit?

We will find out some more ways to lead a worry-free life...

Stay tuned...!

Exaggeration...!

Yesterday we tried to understand the ineffectiveness of worrying and even learnt the First Corrective Measure to overcome the fatal habit of nagging or worrying.

Today let’s try and cognize why it is important to call a spade a spade and stop beating around the bush dramatizing an anaconda for a small piece of fiber.

2. Don’t make mountains out of molehills.

“Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.”
Swedish Proverb

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
Arthur Somers Roche

“If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.”
Dean Smith

It’s very easy to fall into the habit of making mountains out of molehills. You think and think about a small problem until it becomes something that you believe may ruin your life. So why do we do it? Why don’t strive to make things easy and simple?

Well, one reason I believe is protection from pain. By making the problem huge can you can invent a helpful excuse to convince yourself to not take action.

Another reason is that the ego wants more. It wants to feel better or worse than someone else. By making things more complicated than they need to be you can make them feel very important. And since you are involved in these important things, since you have these BIG problems, well, then you have to be important too, right? Plus, by doing so you can get a lot of attention and comfort from other people.

So how do you get out of the habit of making mountains of molehills? Three tips:

• Zoom out. Ask questions that widen your current perspective. Questions like: “Does someone have it worse on the planet?” The answer may not result in positive thoughts, but it can sure snap you of a somewhat childish “poor, poor me…” attitude pretty quickly. This question changes the perspective from a narrow, self-centred one into a much wider one and helps me to lighten up about my situation and to be grateful about my life.
• Bring awareness to you own thought patterns. Ask yourself questions like: “Honestly, am I overcomplicating this?” and “What is the simplest and most straightforward solution to my problem that I may be avoiding to protect myself from pain?”
• Realize that much of this is in your head. Your relationships to what you want to achieve are – just like your relationships to people – to a large extent just in your head. Think that something is easy and simple instead of “heavy” and complicated and your perception of that external thing you want to achieve tends to change too. Experiment and find healthy and effective relationships to what you want to achieve instead of just seeing something like many people may do.
  

Tomorrow we will see one more technique for getting rid of this dreadful habit. Meanwhile you can start practicing what is learned...!

Stay tuned...!

Worrying...!

Starting today, we will deal with 'Worrying' for the next week.
We will try to understand the reasoning, process and ways to overcome the most fatal psychological disease of the modern living - Worrying, in the following pages...

”Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.”
Benjamin Franklin

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”
Elbert Hubbard

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.”
George F. Burns

Worries... They can circle around and around in your head. Becoming louder and louder as they sap your strength and make you feel you weaker. It’s no fun. So what can you do about it? We are about to discover five timeless thoughts to help us overcome or at least lessen the worries in our lives. I hope you find something helpful...

1. 80-90 percent of what you fear will happen never really come into reality.

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”
Winston Churchill

“If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.”
E. Joseph Cossman

This is a big one but one that is easy to forget about. Most things you fear will happen never happen. They are just monsters in your own mind. And if they happen then they will most often not be as painful or bad as you expected. Worrying is most often just a waste of time. This is of course easy to say. But if you remind yourself of how little of what you feared throughout your life that has actually happened you can start to release more and more of that worry from your thoughts.

Stay tuned and we will continue learning these wondereful insights...!!

Worry...!

Today try to cognize the illustration...

Tomorrow we will talk about it...!

Stay tuned...!

Approach...!

This is the last poster of our Poster Week...!

Approach - what matters most...!

Tomorrow we will share a one more interesting poster. Stay tuned...!

Plantation Drive...!

Dear All,

I haven’t forgotten that I have posted earlier today…! This post is just for the gratitude and appreciation of compliments and wishes for my Birthday which overwhelmed me since last night. While I am greatly obliged and even a little flattered with all your greetings, I comprehend that most of you wanted to gift me something and the task-time obligations are being the obstacles. So I have brought you something that you can do without leaving your desk…!

http://www.zeenews.com/myearth/

Just follow the link and Register yourself in the Nation’s Biggest Plantation Drive, which coincidently starts today 25th August, by ZEE News and they will plant a tree on your behalf, which will be the greatest gift of all to me as well…! For those who have already gifted me, consider this as my return gift…! Today also happens to be the 10th anniversary of Maitra Communication, so the excitement, enthusiasm and gratification are tri-fold…!!! Anticipating your similar consideration and patronage in the coming years, grateful I remain!

Please feel free to share the above link with as much as of your acquaintances. It will really help save the climate and the planet. Thank you!

Reciprocation...!?!

Sixth Poster of the series.

Tomorrow we will conclude this.

Stay tuned...!

Life...!

Fifth Poster of the 'Life' Series...

TWO more to go...

Stay tuned...!

Outlook...!

Today let's see how Outlook looks...
Fourth Poster in the series...

Three more to go, stay tuned...!

Relation...!?!

Here is the THIRD poster of the series. 4 More to go...

Stay tuned...!

Trust...!?!

Here is the SECOND poster of the Poster Week...

5 More to go... Stay Tuned...!

Inspiration...!?!

Dear All,

We have read a lot about Inspiration, Motivation, Awareness and Insight at this place...

Starting today, I will be posting Posters about Life Philosophy and some guidelines...

This is my collection from differnt sources. I don't claim the authority of it's contents but as far as the message, cognition, effect and graphics (?) are concerned, I have to claim them as editor...!

Enjoy the 'Week of Posters'...!

They say a picture is better than thousand words... Let's experience it...!

Stay tuned...!

Atheist...!?!

Yesterday we learnt how positive attitude helps.
Today let’s explore the power of FAITH…!


A committed atheist (that's someone who steadfastly does not believe in a GOD of any sort) was on a trekking holiday when he became lost in some dense woods. A large angry lion, with ten starving cubs back home and claws like kitchen knives, suddenly emerged from the undergrowth.

The atheist screamed in terror, turned and ran. The lion was quicker however, and after a long and desperate chase eventually cornered the atheist in a gully.

The exhausted atheist sank to his knees, shaking.

The lion, seeing that its prey was trapped, moved slowly towards the petrified man, drooling. The lion was drooling too. The atheist lifted his head, with tears in his eyes, and uttered the words he thought he would never say in all his life:
"God help me..."

With these simple three words, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the sky. There was a deafening crash of thunder. The clouds parted. A brilliant light shone down. The forest fell silent. The lion froze still, in a trance. The atheist stood gaping, transfixed. A voice came loud from above. Louder than twenty AC/DC concerts all happening at the same time. We can safely assume this voice to have been the voice of a god of some sort.

"You atheists make me seriously mad," boomed the GOD, "You deny me all your life. You tell others to deny me too. You put your faith in all that bloody Darwinian airy-fairy scientific nonsense, and then what a surprise - you get lost because you can't read your stupid map, and now you're about to get eaten by an angry lion all of a sudden you're on your knees sniveling and begging for my help…? You must be joking...!"

The atheist looked down, realizing that he was not well posed for argument... "Okay, I take your point," said the atheist, thinking on his feet, while he still had them, "I can see it's a bit late for me to convert, but what about the lion…? Maybe you could convert the lion instead…?"

"Hmm... interesting idea..." said the GOD, thinking hard, "...Okay. It shall be done!" At which the brilliant light dimmed and vanished; the clouds closed; and the noises of the forest resumed. The lion awoke and shook its head, a completely different expression on its face. Calm! At peace...!

The lion closed its eyes, bowed its head, and said,

"Lord, thank you for this food which I am about to receive, Amen…"

Faith really matters, no matter WHO practices it…!!!

See you tomorrow, stay tuned…!

Positivity...!?!

We have talked a lot about Inspiration, Motivation and Leadership at this place.
Today let’s discuss about Positive Attitude…

A landscape gardener ran a business that had been in the family for two or three generations. The staff was happy, and customers loved to visit the store, or to have the staff work on their gardens or make deliveries - anything from bedding plants to ride-on mowers.

For as long as anyone could remember, the current owner and previous generations of owners were extremely positive happy people.

Most folk assumed it was because they ran a successful business.

In fact it was the other way around...

A tradition in the business was that the owner always wore a big lapel badge, saying Business Is Great!

The business was indeed generally great, although it went through tough times like any other. What never changed however was the owner's attitude, and the badge saying Business Is Great!

Everyone who saw the badge for the first time invariably asked, "What's so great about business?" Sometimes people would also comment that their own business was miserable, or even that they personally were miserable or stressed.

Anyhow, the Business Is Great! Badge always tended to start a conversation, which typically involved the owner talking about lots of positive aspects of business and work, for example:

• The pleasure of meeting and talking with different people every day
• The reward that comes from helping staff take on new challenges and experiences
• The fun and laughter in a relaxed and healthy work environment
• The fascination in the work itself, and in the other people's work and businesses
• The great feeling when you finish a job and do it to the best of your capabilities
• The new things you learn every day - even without looking to do so and the thought that everyone in business is blessed - because there are many millions of people who would swap their own situation to have the same opportunities of doing a productive meaningful job, in a civilized well-fed country, where we have no real worries.

And so the list went on. And no matter how miserable a person was, they'd usually end up feeling a lot happier after just a couple of minutes listening to all this infectious enthusiasm and positivity.

It is impossible to quantify or measure attitude like this, but to one extent or another it's probably a self-fulfilling prophecy, on which point, if asked about the badge in a quiet moment, the business owner would confide:

"The badge came first. The great business followed."
More to come about the Attitude and Aptitude… Stay Tuned…!

Alone...!?!

Dear Indians,

Thank you very much for your overwhelming response to my 15th Augusts’ Blog.

Although I am impressed with your riposte, what I observed was most of the people want to blame it on the ‘System’ which they claim is completely corrupt and rotten. Even if we agree to that, it’s only us who can change it and to change the system you have to be in the system. You cannot be a bystander or a critic if you do not take the responsibility of the results and do your bit of change…

Others seem concerned about ‘how I alone can make a difference’…!?!

Apart from the documented fact that it always started with a one single person that changed the course of history, I would like to state something more lucid that is easy to understand and from the greatest GURU of all the races, creeds and times – The Nature…

If each grain of sand were to say:
One grain does not make a mountain,
THERE WOULD BE NO LAND.

If each drop of water were to say:
One drop does not make an ocean,
THERE WOULD BE NO SEA.

If each note of music were to say:
Each note does not make a symphony,
THERE WOULD BE NO MELODY.

If each word were to say:
One word does not make a library,
THERE WOULD BE NO BOOK.

If each brick were to say:
One brick does not make a wall,
THERE WOULD BE NO HOUSE.

If each seed were to say:
One seed does not make a field,
THERE WOULD BE NO HARVEST...

If each of us were to say:

One person does not make the difference,

THERE WOULD NEVER BE LOVE AND PEACE ON EARTH.

YOU AND I DO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

BEGIN TODAY AND MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

Difference...!?!

Dear All,
We were talking about the Unlearning, Fight and Insight the other day.
Today let’s try to learn something about ability to understand, realize and analyze the ‘difference’ which is part of the ‘perception’.

In philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science, perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. The word "perception" comes from the Latin words perceptio, percipio, and means "receiving, collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses."

Two types of consciousness are considerable regarding perception: phenomenal (any occurrence that is observable and physical) and psychological.

To better understand Phenomenal perception let’s read to story that will elaborate our topic of Perception in form of devil in the details.

A heart surgeon took his car to his local garage for a regular service, where he usually exchanged a little friendly banter with the owner, a skilled but not especially wealthy mechanic.
"So tell me," says the mechanic, "I've been wondering about what we both do for a living, and how much more you get paid than me…"
"Yes...?” says the surgeon.
"Well look at this," says the mechanic, as he worked on a big complicated engine, "I check how it's running, open it up, fix the valves, and put it all back together so it works good as new.. We basically do the same job don't we? And yet you are paid ten times what I am - how do you explain that?" The surgeon thought for a moment, and smiling gently, replied,
-
-
-
-
-
"Try it with the engine running…"

Stay Tuned…!

Independence...!?!

Dear Indians!

Today we are celebrating 64th anniversary of our Independence Day and it’s high time that we need to start our New Struggle for Freedom – this time against our own politicians.

Why…? Read on…

Our Indians' Money - 70, 00,000 Crores Rupees is deposited in Swiss Bank

1. Yes, 70 lac crores rupees of India are lying in Switzerland banks. This is the highest amount lying outside any country, from amongst 180 countries of the world.
2. Swiss Government has officially written to Indian Government that they are willing to inform the details of holders of 70 lac crore rupees in their Banks, if Indian Government officially asks them.
3. On 22-5-08, this news has already been published in The Times of India and other Newspapers based on Swiss Government's official letter to Indian Government.
4. The Indian Government has not sent any official enquiry to Switzerland for details of money which has been sent outside India between 1947 to 2008. The opposition party is also equally not interested in doing so because most of the amount is owned by politicians and it is every Indian's money.
5. This money belongs to our country. From these funds we can repay 13 times of our country's foreign debt. The interest alone can take care of the Center s yearly budget. People need not pay any taxes and we can pay Rs. 1 lakh to each of 45 crore poor families.
6. We can imagine, if Swiss Bank is holding Rs. 70 lakh Crores, how much money is lying in other 69 Banks? If the Account holder dies, the bank becomes the owner of the funds in his/her account.
7. Are these people totally ignorant about the philosophy of Karma? What will this ill-gotten wealth do to them and their families when they own/use such money, generated out of corruption and exploitation?
8. Indian people have read and have known about these facts. But the helpless people have neither time nor inclination to do anything in the matter. This is like "a new freedom struggle" and we will have to fight this.
9. This money is the result of our sweat and blood. The wealth generated and earned after putting in lots of mental and physical efforts by Indian people must be brought back to our country.
10. As a service to our motherland and your contribution to this struggle, convert this message into a mass movement by spreading the word of mouth, sharing this on your mails, blogs, tweets, facebook, orkut and/or each and every available means of communication/social networking.

Do this if you want to be a PROUD Indian… Jai Hind…!

Insight..!?!

In all the introductory psychology texts I tried to study and understand, insight gets mentioned only once or twice – in regard to Kohler's work with chimps and Freud's therapeutic goals – and then it is left unconnected to anything else. The interpretation we find is this:

Insight is the sudden recognition of relationships, based on unconscious associations.

The real meaning – as per Kohler, Freud, and Webster is this:

Seeing and understanding the true nature of something.

It is, in other words, a conscious recognition of "pre-associational" Gestalts or organized wholes. So the reason for insight not getting more attention is rather clear: The physiological, behavioral, and cognitive mainstreams of modern psychology don't deal with consciousness, Gestalts, or the conscious recognition of Gestalts.

Okay, let’s leave that complicated terminologies and psychological jargons aside and let’s try to make it simple by our usual way of learning – A Story…!

Once upon a time there were two donkeys who had never met but they were tied together.

They both wanted to eat off the bushes but the rope wasn’t long enough. They both really wanted to eat but hey just couldn’t reach so they just pulled and pulled hoping that the rope would stretch but it wouldn’t. The donkeys just gave up and fell in a big heap. Because they couldn’t reach the donkey just sat and introduced each other properly and tried to think of a way to eat? Then one suddenly clicked and said “now that were friends why don’t we just stand next to each other and take turns“so they did. They decided they’d eaten all they could from the other bush so they moved to the next and carried on all day. Now as we have Unlearned quite a few things, ignited our Fight and understood that even donkeys could have Insight so we can better have it… what next…!?!

Stay tuned and we will find out…!

FIGHT...!?!

Yesterday we tried to learn the process of ‘Unlearning’…!
Today we will explore a phenomenal and revolutionary concept – F-I-G-H-T.

First let us read a short story…

He came home. Slammed the books down on the table, ran upstairs, slammed the door and broke down and cried. It was his 10th grade year.

His mother came in, and said, "Son...what's wrong?" Through a 15 year's old broken heart, he said-" I got cut. I didn't make the team. Said I was too small"

With incredible wisdom, the mother said, "Son, it's not the size of the person in the game. It's the size of the game in the person." She left.

It clicked. In a huge way. Like nothing had ever before.
The next morning it started. He got up at 4:30 am and started practicing, every morning, every evening, every day, every week, every month. Relentless, non-stop.

His Fight had ignited.

He would not be denied.

Through the snow, rain, sleet, ice, wind, hail, he kept practicing - gave up movies and things that he did before. The Fight kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And he kept saying, "It's not the size of the player in the game, but the size of the game in the player." Over and Over and Over.

And then it came around again. The Season! He tried out with a focus so strong that it intimidated even the coach. His Fight was at Peak Force. And he made the team.

The next year he made the team. And he went on to explode the FIGHT in him to where no one dared to stop him.

His name?

Michael Jordan... the greatest basketball player of all time who remains eternal source of inspiration to youngsters around the globe…

Fight – simply put is – Forcing Inside Garbage to Honour Truth…!

Ignite your FIGHT and you will find yourself... on the path of profound Insight!

We will talk about Insight tomorrow,

Stay Tuned...!

Be Yourself...!

Don’t chase anything!

Follow nothing..!

Be yourself…!

When you chase after anything, whether it is a relationship, money, a job or anything else, it can be quite frustrating. Because you are focusing on something external to yourself, over which you have very little control.

If you are chasing something, the very fact that you must chase it means that it is moving away from you. Rather than chasing something directly, consider attracting it into your life.

Instead, focus on what you can control, on what you can build and grow and improve in yourself. That is the quickest and most reliable way to bring results.

Rest for a while and ask yourself a question…
Am I the person I always wanted to be…!?! If your answer is yes you need not read further…!
But if you answer is ‘may be’, ‘I’m not sure’, I’m trying to be’ or a plain flat ‘NO’, read on…

Have you ever wondered why you are not the person you always wanted to be and why, most annoyingly, it seems otherwise for everybody else…!?!

What is the one single thing that is stopping you from becoming what you want to be? No we are not talking here about the past failures neither I am interested in pampering or pep talks. This is very practical, real, blunt and even a little hard to swallow, because it’s nothing but the truth…

It is the perspective and perception that matters a lot. Your life is formed by more by how you take it more than how you make it. You need to change your approach to your life. Whatever you have done till this point was outward. Now it’s time to shift your focus more inward. When I say inward it includes all the things within that can be controlled by you and you alone, not your parents, not your siblings, not your friends and colleagues, neither your mentors and gurus nor your circumstances but only YOU…!

This process starts with ‘Unlearning’ and continues with ‘Fight’ and develops with ’Insight’…

Unlearning is getting rid of every mediocre, unproductive and negative faith, belief and philosophy by throwing it out of your conscious (subconscious will follow) to make place for excellent, productive and positive thoughts…

Whatever it is that you desire, give it a warm and welcoming place to exist within you. The good things in life will flow into places where they are appreciated and put to good use.

Imagine your most treasured dream in every detail, and then set about to be the person who can truly experience it. Your dream will fill the home that you build for it.

Be the person who would have what you wish to have. Be the person who can live the life you wish to live.

Tomorrow we will see what FIGHT means and what signifies its manifestation for the betterment…


Stay tuned…!

Being Happy...!?!

Yesterday we tried to explore 5 ways of Being Happy… Let’s continue our quest and move on to 10 more ways that can help us feel happy and content…

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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!

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. Finding 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.

12. 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. And two more just to sweeten the pot a little more.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Learning to be happy on all the days between.

Being Happy...!?!

Dear All,
This is my 101st Post on this blog…!

It is significant in more than one ways… But the least outcome of this activity would be the readers figuring out ‘what it’s all about…!’ Isn’t it? Well, I presume that so far you would have realized that we are here for Inspiration, Motivation and trying to ‘Unlearn’ few unproductive and miserable traits and philosophies wrongly imposed in our self-concept and ‘Learn’ some Useful, Productive and Enriching Life Skills…the basic, foremost, fundamental and ultimate being ‘Being Happy’. So Today and Tomorrow let’s see what we can do to be happier and peaceful rather being stressed out and depressed…

If you remember, the other day we tried to learn some elemental values from our dearest friend DOG. I wonder how many of you know that a dog in its entire lifetime experiences only TWO types of phases – Being Happy OR Waiting to be happy…! Isn’t it profound enough…!?!

Anyway, let’s proceed to human passions, expectations, life experiences, and even our personalities all contribute to the level of happiness we experience in our lives. Some find happiness in their careers while others find ways to be happy in their marriages or other 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. The following fifteen timeless ways to be happy 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.

1. Notice What's Right

Some of us see the glass as being half-full and 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 more content, at peace and happy. Take the time to begin to notice what's right and see the world change in front of your eyes.

2. Be Grateful

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 you,' the latter will naturally happen. Learn to be grateful and you will be open to receive an abundance of joy and happiness.

3. 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!

4. 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.

5. 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.

We will continue on this list tomorrow, stay tuned…!