Don’t Have Happiness, Be Happy

I hear so many people discussing their quest for happiness and it bothers me. They’re chasing after something that they will never capture.

When we talk about “having happiness”, we are talking of having things that will make us happy. We’re saying when I get the house, the money, the job, the lover, the _____ (you fill in the blank) I will be happy. We are handing our ability to be happy over to a physical thing over which we have not power.

Wayne Dyer talks about the way we go thru our lives hoping that when we get to the next stage will magically become happy. In grade school we say when I get to high school then I will have it. After that it is when I am in college it will be so good. Then it is when I get that first job I will have happiness. It is just a progression of trying to get the next thing to “make” us happy.

It is never an outside thing that will make me happy. I have to be happy inside first. I have to be comfortable in my own skin before I can be comfortable in the world around me. Once that happens, once I have that base level of happiness, then outside things can contribute to my level of happiness.

This understanding is something that we all have to gain individually. It’s not something that someone else can give to us. It’s something that comes as the result of going through life.

As a parent, I would love to be able to give this knowledge to my children so that they did not have to gain it by going thru the rough times of life. It is so hard watching them go thru the trials and tribulations to get to the other side.

But, that’s the only way that we learn, by going thru the incident, by being present and experiencing life.

The dictionary defines experience as: 1. a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something: My encounter with the bear in the woods was a frightening experience. 2. the process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something: business experience. 3. the observing, encountering, or undergoing of things generally as they occur in the course of time: to learn from experience; the range of human experience. 4. knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone: a man of experience. 5. Philosophy. the totality of the cognitions given by perception; all that is perceived, understood, and remembered.

It is developed by examining the chapters of my life as I go thru them.

My life is as good as I allow it to be. When I make the decision to be happy, I can be happy. Then the the people, places and things that I experience will not create my happiness. These things will become attributes of my happiness, not the definition.

There are a Lot Of Reasons For Childhood Obesity

Being aware of the causes of childhood obesity is a very good idea for any parent. It isIt’s only when you address the actual causes of this condition that you can truly work toward fixing it. Dismissing the situation will not make it disappear. And when a child grows up heavy or obese it’s that far more difficult to keep the weight under control as an adult. So, what are the common causes of childhood obesity and what can a family do to address these causes?

Consider the common lifestyle that many people lead today and you may get your first clue as to the typical causes of childhood obesity. Children just do not go outdoors and frolic anymore. They usually spend their free time performing video games or computer games or watching TV. Lack of physical activity is one of the causes of childhood obesity. The body must burn the calories it takes in from eating. Any extra calories not burned off are stored as fat.

Nowdays people also normally drive everywhere instead of taking a walk. Children take the bus to school and are frequently driven to the bus stop itself. They’re driven to their friend’s house and to the corner store. And when it’s time to do jobs around the house we have alot of labor-saving devices that restrict physical activity as well. Power lawn mowers, snow blowers, and leaf blowers mean that even when doing work around the house there is little exertion expended. All of this lack of activity and lack of physical exertion is another one of those causes of childhood obesity.

The diet that most people follow is another part of those causes of childhood obesity. Much of the food that people eat is very unhealthy. It is normally cooked with added oil, butter, and sugar to raise the flavor. Unfortunately, this also raises the calorie count! Fast food and junk food are two prime culprits. Hamburgers, fries, potato chips, and items like these are very caloriedense meaning they have a lot of calories for the amount of food you get. Fast food restaurants are emphatically a large part of the common causes of childhood obesity! Enclosed in this are the numerous vending machines that are just about everywhere, including the schools. Nearly all of their offerings contain sugary foods and sodas. It’s not unusual for kids to eat literally thousands and thousands of extra calories every week. This, even if it doesn’t appear as if anyone is binging.

These common causes of childhood obesity can be addressed by any prudent parent. There is no need to go to extremes and expect your child to become a star athlete or to never have a hamburger again. But being balanced and moderate can go a long way in this respect. Handling these causes of childhood obesity may be as simple as walking after dinner as a family or taking a bike ride on a regular basis. Provide healthy and nutritious foods at home to balance out the excess calories children get when on their own, and your child should maintain a healthy weight.

Do not Die With Your Music Still Inside Of You

What is it that you love doing? What activity simply makes you beam when you think of it? What is it in your life that you’d do even if you didn’t get paid to do it?

Well, whatever it was that sprang to mind is what you need to be doing. This is the thing should be come your avocation. What you need to do on a daily basis.

Why is it that we’re the only living creature on this earth that doesn’t believe that we’re worthy of being happy? Why is it that we allow others to control our joy our happiness our zest for life?

If you observe the animals, they do ‘what comes to mind’. If you watch a puppy, it will run and jump and play with no thought to ‘what should I be doing’. Watch nature shows and you’ll see monkeys just swinging aimlessly around the trees.

The other day, I watched a video recording of a monkey annoying a tiger. It was up in the trees above this beast that would really enjoy him for dinner just playing as though he did not have a care. The monkey would swoop down and tap the tiger on the head or yank its tail.

Then there is the storry about a kitten and the old street wise Tom cat. The kitten was spinning and spinning chasing his tail. The Tom asked the kitty what he was doing. “Well”, the kitten said, “I’ve been to cat schooling and they told me two things. First that the important thing that I am to do in live is be happy and two that happiness is in my tail. So, I’m going to catch up with my tail and be happy”. To this, the Tom said “I never had the opportunity to go to school and gained all of my knowledge on the streets. But, I too, have found out that the prime goal is happiness. I also learned that happiness is in my tail. But, I have learned to just go my way as I wish and my tail and happiness will just follow me all along’.

Tolstoy penned a novel about life by the name of ‘The life of Ivan Ilych’. Ivan was on his death bed and asked the question “what if my life has been a mistake”. Do not get to the conclusion of your life and question if you should have done things otherwise.

We so often place our happiness in the hands of others. We think only of others and fail to enjoy our life on a daily basis.

When you are trying to make a decision about something that you want to do, apply the rocking chair test. When you are trying to decide to do something or not just think about when you are old and grey and sitting on the front porch and think about this decision. Will you say about the thing that is troubling you “I wish I would have done it” or “I am glad that I did it”.

Life it way too short to be lived in the eyes of others. Live your life for yourself. Live your life as if god can see you, because he can.

Dare something worthwhile. Not necessarily something that will win the nobel peace prize or anything that grand. It may be as “little” as smiling at a child.

If you are having a problem with the law of attraction and the fact that “what you give out comes back”, try this little test. As you are walking down the hall at work or down the street, look at the next 20 people that you meet and do one of two things. At half of these people look at them directly and say “Hi” with a big smile. At the other half look straight at them and give them a big snarl or ugly face. What did you get in return.

It is a known fact that you cannot give out more than you get back.

The best thing to do is to do what you love, there by giving something that you love. That being said, you will then begin to get more of the same back.

Life is as good as I allow it to be.