First, let’s establish what Happiness is. When I searched wikipedia for Happiness, this is what it returned. “Happiness is an emotion associated with feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy.” There sure are a lot of words in there.

So how do we know the difference from feeling contentment, satisfaction, bliss and intense joy?

We all have our own perception of what happiness means to us. Our emotions are our own so for instance, if you were fired from your job today, it’s reasonable to think that you would not be experiencing the emotion of intense joy unless you perceived being fired as an opportunity to go forth and try something new.

According to a scientific study by Leicester University in England, the happiest country in the world is Denmark. And that’s despite having one of the highest tax rates in the world! They are paid to study. Imagine not having school fees for University! Apparently, the students can take as long as they like to complete their studies.

They are also paid to stay home in the form of paternal and maternal leave and this is paid by the government! That’s full time wages for 6 months if required.

If that’s what makes someone happy then why not!

Some of the things I think can cause a person to find happiness are:

• some good friends who stick by you no matter what
• a loving family who you enjoy being around
• the freedom to choose when and where you work
• the freedom to take a break anytime you like for holidays
• the freedom to live where in the world you want to
• your dream home
• positive emotions
• positive activities
• quality of life
• satisfaction in all things that you do
• eating a delicious meal
• playing with your children
• hearing children’s laughter
• listening to music that inspires you
• dancing like no-one is watching
• watching a funny movie
• reading a good book
• living in a state of gratitude

Every effect in your life has to start with a cause and for each of us it will be different. Making choices is what leads us to creating whether or not we find Happiness. Choosing what is right for you is key!

Too Many Choices

A couple of days ago I watched another TED video by Barry Schwartz which I found via Blonde2.0 Blog and thought about it for a while… then realised what he was talking about. Watch this!

Interesting… isn’t it? I’ll let you make up your own mind.

So what are your thoughts? Is it because we have too much choice nowadays that makes us un-happy or does it bring you happiness knowing that there are all these choices? Do you feel satisfied, contentment, bliss or intense joy having such a range of options available? Is it a state of mind perhaps!

Here are some other articles and sites on Happiness you may also like to read…

1. The Only Guide To Happiness You’ll Ever Need
2. The Happiness Project
3. The Seven Habits Of Highly Happy People

If you are into meditation or not, this event is not to be missed. Georgina Beament of the World of Love and Light has organised this Global Meditation Event to be held on 08/08/08 at 8:00am or 8:00pm wherever you are.

The idea is this:

All you need to do is focus on Love to yourself, the people in it and the world you live in. It’s really very simple.

It’s not essential for you to tune into the show… just being aware of the date and time and applying your thoughts is all that matters.

Love and Light
Georigna

A special broadcast will be held at the Law of Attraction radio show specifically for this however, it is not necessary to attend. Further details can be found on the Facebook event page here.

If you would like to help make a difference and send your healing thoughts to the world, mark this on your calendar. This is also nurturing for the self. Quiet time to think thoughts of love and healing will energise you and give a sense of gratitude.

Buddhists say positive energy can heal the world. Here is a short video for you.

Over the last few weeks this site has had some strange happenings going on and I am putting it down to my lack of attention to it. You can liken it to a car for example. If you don’t put petrol in it, it won’t go!! To my loyal readers, for this I apologise in not bringing you material that keeps you informed and growing within yourself. With the upgrade and migration to a new server, I encountered some technical issues which are now resolved so all is up and running and now and I am back to writing for you.

Good vs Bad

I would like to bring your attention to something that struck me the other day. I watched a movie (shock, horror) which made me think about the good and the bad that is in the world today. Without the bad, there would be no good. What I mean to say is that every action has a complimentary reaction so when we hear of natural disasters or terrorist acts, we think these are bad things, but without them, we would not see the acts of kindness of the human race either. Follow me for a moment here.

In 2001, we all remember the planes crashing into the twin towers on 9/11. It didn’t hit me until one week later because at the time, I was with my firstborn in a sleep centre learning how to get her to sleep without too much interference from me. She happened to wake about 2am and that particular night, her cot was in the conference room where the night duty nurse had the TV on. I was half awake and the chaos of that day was unfolding right in front of my eyes on the tube. It didn’t really sink in until I was back home and my fogginess had cleared.

The events of that tragic day had everybody (or so it seems, as that is what the MEDIA portrayed to us) against terrorists and focusing on what they could and would do about them. Much later came the stories of acts of human kindness and because of this, there was a major shift in consciousness around the globe. People were helping others because it seemed the right thing to do. Now I am not discounting the thousands of people who lost their lives due to those attacks, and may they rest in peace, I am simply saying that if something as big as 9/11 didn’t happen, we may not have come as far as we have with a shift in consciousness.

I still don’t fully understand why it happened and I guess I never will because I cannot be those terrorists that made it so. What I can do though is be grateful that the human race can come together in times like these and give a helping hand.

Acts of Kindness

Now I have just described an event of mammoth proportions but it doesn’t take such an event for human kindness to shine through. Maybe you helped an elderly person cross the street, or maybe you cuddled a child who was hurt in an accident. It could be that you telephoned your wife/husband just to say “I love you” or even to take your mum shopping, or letting your niece write a post on your blog, lol! Whatever the case, I know each of you has this capability and if you wouldn’t mind sharing some thoughts on this, I am looking to write an ebook to be released when I get back from the Kokoda trek in which I will include a section about Acts of Kindness where I can feature what you share here.

PS. My niece who wrote the post prior to this has now set up her own blog at Michalea Is Me and I look forward to seeing what she does with it.

To Our Success

Have you ever had something happen to you that made you angry and because of this, you said hurtful words to a loved one without meaning too? I was visiting with some friends the other day and they were having a new oven delivered. Upon unwrapping the oven it was obvious that they had received the wrong one, so she got all in a tizz and said something awful to her husband on a totally different subject! I immediately noticed why this had happened and hinted that perhaps she was angry with the store that had delivered the wrong oven and not angry with her husband. She is a good friend so I can say these things to her.

The point I am making here is that when you are challenged and it makes you feel the emotion of anger, no matter who is there with you, and if nobody is, we do have a tendency to call someone just so we can vent our anger, we can easily slip up and say something that we may regret. Your anger can unintentionally hurt another so make it a habit to become aware of the language and the words you use when conversing with others… especially those we love.

In this case above, the husband dismissed what his wife had said but it could have easily turned into an outright misunderstanding causing a whole set of problems which wouldn’t have served either one of them. Have you been aware of this happening to you? I know that there have been times when something has upset me and without thinking, I have lashed out at the person closest to me. That was before I learned how to be aware of my thoughts and language.

Quick to think, slow to anger, and slow to speak

It takes practice to know why we say the things we do. It could be something as easy as stubbing your toe upon getting out of bed that sets your day in a direction of a downward spiral and without knowing, we snap and let the fact that we are not happy, make someone else not happy just so we don’t have to suffer alone! Does this make sense?

Think for a moment to the last time you were hurt or disappointed, how you re-acted and if you happened to use language that empowered or dis-empowered yourself or someone else! Remember how it felt and if you can, also, how was your physiology at the time? I say this because we do sit/stand differently when we are upset as opposed to when we are ecstatic! Our physiology then has a role to play in the language we use.

Okay, take time out and try this. Stand up and hang your head and hunch your shoulders over as though you are a victim of circumstance. Think back to a time when you felt anger. In this position, try smiling and having good thoughts. Can you? I mean, can you really think good thoughts if you have just been hurt or are angry?

Now try this. Stand up tall with eyes forward and a big smile on your face. How easy is it to say something positive? Totally different way of looking and feeling isn’t it? So how easy would it be now to become aware of your language that you use and how it affects others?

So, there is a marked difference as to how we speak depending on our physiology. If you can get over it sooner rather than later, you will be doing yourself and those around you a great favour. Don’t let your anger unintentionally hurt someone else. Be aware of how you are feeling and think about the words you will speak before opening your mouth. Life can be so much more pleasant when feeling love rather than anger.

If you enjoyed this article and it is your first time here, you may consider subscribing to my site so that you never miss an update. Let me know your thoughts and if/when you have noticed this kind of thing happening to you before now. How has it impacted your life?

Isn’t it funny how some people notice all the things that are not working in their lives, while there are others who notice all the good things in their lives and who seem to be aware of all the opportunities that are available to them.

I see and hear this time and time again from my friends and family. That their lives are not working and if only this was this way , and if only that was that way… BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! The thing is that the majority of people fill their lives with too much static which fills the air in the form of newspapers, television, magazines, radio, the Internet, mobile phones, emails - especially those spam chain letters that go around - books, the cinema, music, advertising, politics, other people’s demands on us at work, and all these things jump out at us before we have had a chance to give the most important person in our lives the attention they deserve: Ourselves. We are left with no time to think clearly and no space to do it in.

This is when our perception gets distorted and we are unable to sort through these things which really have no place in our lives and which we cannot do anything about. I call these external forces which have the potential to project the unwanted life some of us have.

Have you ever noticed when sitting on a train during peak hour as people are on their way to work, most of them look like they have a glazed look on their face. I think that these people are living their lives unconsciously, and are on merry-go-round wondering how to get off. They allow themselves to be driven by these external forces.

Imagine if the daily newspapers were a reminder to live consciously every day. I may buy the newspaper if this was the case :)  The media is notorious for distorting the news and telling us what they want us to hear. I remember seeing a short snippet of a news article where the reporter was saying that there had been violent scenes at a protest and the clip that was showing at the time actually had people smiling and happy in the background. I’m sure this happens frequently and I would be willing to bet that what is heard is taken in more than what is seen.  So how do we get off the merry-go-round?

It’s not about changing your life all at once, but rather, it’s about finding a moment of authenticity and self-truth. These moments are the places you can stand on to change the world. Begin with a moment of quiet reflection and something to write on, or if you prefer, you can also do this with your friends.  Start writing. Think back to moments when you felt truly alive, when you were so happy that no matter what you did, everything was a success. Were you five years of age or ten, fifteen, twenty or even thirty or more? Where were you? Who were you with? Was it something that you did once or is it something that is integrated in your life now? Would you love to do it again? What is at play or at work? How did you feel afterward? Once the momentum kicks in, this can be a truly awesome and inspiring experience.

Next, make another list, a list of times when you may have been experiencing fear and doubt and maybe gotten into difficulties. What was it the helped you overcome these experiences? How did you get out of this situation? Was it with help from friends, taking control of your life, learning a new skill, following a spiritual practice, taking a stand, reading a book? I think you get the picture.

If you happen to keep a journal, get that out. Once you have gathered all this information, and it does take some time to do this, you will end up with a very resourceful folio to refer back to. You may be feeling creative after doing this exercise and if so, make it into an attractive compilation and present it to yourself as a reminder that you can live consciously and that there are moments that do work for you in your life. Live up those moments and be aware that you can live the life YOU love. Use this resource every day and remember, Perception is Projection.