2006 September - The Advanced Soul

13
September
2006

Happiness Habit How To Live A Happy Life - Step 1

This is the first of a series of articles describing how to live a happier life written by Michele Moore, author of the upcoming book Happiness Habit Skills & Strategies of Habitually Happy People. See www.HappinessHabit.com for further details.

1) Decide To Become A Happy Person - Most Habitually Happy people are self made. Many say they were very unhappy for much of their lives until some crises or turning point prompted them to make the decision to live life differently. They realized they needed to change to become a happy person. They made happiness a goal and used that goal to guide and direct the personal changes they decided to make.

Over the next week, continually ask yourself, ? What I can change (about myself) to live a happier, more fulfilling life?? ? What are happy people like? How can I be more like them?? The best solutions are often surprisingly simple. Make happiness, being and becoming a happy person a goal. What does that mean to you? What specific actions will you take to achieve this goal?

2) Begin A 2006 Happiness Journal - Dedicate a special note book, computer file, section of your appointment book, jump drive or whatever works well for you to your Live A Happier Life program during the upcoming year. Keep it easily accessible at all times, but make sure it is personal and protected so you can be honest with your responses.

Over the next week, plan to think about the program three times a day every day, even if it is only for a minute or a moment. Answer this question in writing in your journal: What does happiness mean to me and what can I do during the upcoming year to live a happier, more fulfilling life? Most people don’t think about their own happiness very much, this will get you started. Clear goals help define the steps we take to achieve them.

3) Begin To Identify Specific Action Items - Simply sayings like ?I am going to have a good time and feel great all the time? may seem trite. But when you honestly embrace the concept and put it into action, amazing things begin to happen. Why not try to have a good time all the time?

Pessimists say, “Don’t be silly you can’t expect to be happy all of the time!” That’s true. But if you try, you can certainly be happier more of the time. That’s what it’s all about, expanding happiness gradually over time.

4) Identify Things You Want To Begin To Avoid - We bring much of our unhappiness on

ourselves. That’s good news, if we cause it, that means we can change it. Amazing things happen when people simply decide to try to eliminate all unnecessary negativity from their lives. What are you going to stop doing, avoid or eliminate to be happier this year? Write it in your journal.

This Week…

Carry a printout of this sheet with you and think about it three times a day. Record your answers in your journal. What does happiness mean to you? What are you going to do or change to live a happier, more fulfilling life in 2006?

We’ll share skills and strategies habitually happy people use to live happy fulfilling lives in upcoming editions. You can share your questions, challenges, thoughts and ideas with us a Share@HappinessHabit.com

Michele Moore is author of the Happiness Blog, www.HappinessBlog.com and Happiness Habit Skills & Strategies of Habitually Happy People which will be released later this year. See www.HappinessHabit.com for more information.

Michele writes and speaks on the subjects of happiness, sparkle and well-being from her home in Atlanta.

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Greg Hankerson Happiness No Comments »
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12
September
2006

Make Me Laugh Part 1

Laughing is always good. In fact, God once told me it was part of the key to enlightenment (actually not really). I found many drugs along the way that made me laugh all day, but they had too many side effects. So here is some funny stuff I found while surfing:

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- -

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- -

[gv data=”fdDKwBPb9dw”][/gv]

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST…

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11
September
2006

Your Time Is Limited

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs

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Greg Hankerson Happiness, Enlightenment 1 Comment »
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11
September
2006

Remembering September 11th

Cross at the memorial Wow, it’s the 5th anniversary of 9/11. It doesn’t seem like it’s been 5 years already. I remember watching TV that early morning. And how shocked I was to see those planes fly into the buildings on live TV. So many died. But my positive side sees some great things that happened. For the next month, I watched complete strangers talking on the streets, everywhere I went. It seemed that this attack united us. Maybe we realized that we all have something in common, we’re Americans and we’re human. And maybe we realized how much we take for granted in this great country of ours.

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Greg Hankerson Happiness No Comments »
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10
September
2006

Messiah’s Handbook, Reminders For The Advanced Soul

Here is a great book, The Messiah’s Handbook by Richard Bach which mas mentioned in his other book Illusions. In Illusions, the Messiah had an instructional manual for being a Messiah. One was to open it to any page and in there was a message for you at that moment.

Here are a couple quotes:

“You’re master of what you’ve lived, artisan at what your living, amateur at what’s next to live.”

“You do not exist to impress the world. You exist to live your life in a way that will make you happy.”

“There’s a reason you chose what’s happening around you. Hang on, live your way through the best you know, and in a bit you’ll find out why.”

Some people find this book amazingly true, while others don’t. I don’t have this book yet, but it’s on my list. And it’s where I got the idea for the name of my site…

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Greg Hankerson Happiness No Comments »
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10
September
2006

You Can Make A Difference

My old motto used to be that I alone can’t make a difference. Well, that’s changed now over the last few years. After I changed my outlook on life, I make a difference everyday and I’ve seen the proof from time to time. I’m not doing this to be rewarded by god, or with money, or with more friends, or a pat on the back. I strive to make it a better place for me and others to live. And we only have one earth. So I do my best to leave the house with a big smile on my face. Why not, there’s a lot to be happy about!

When I’m out and about I see lots of people stuck in the daily grind talking on their cell phones, fiddling with the radio or whatever. They seem so preoccupied with stuff that they don’t look out the window and see the beauty of now. I do my best to give them a warm smile and a happy hello. It’s amazing how something so simple can effect somebody. Once I realized that everybody is basically the same, I mean we’re born, have physical bodies and minds. And stuff happens to us during our lives to change our nature. That makes it easier to talk with strangers since we have so much in common. And when I mean talk, I actually do more listening. I study their body language which really tells me how they are doing. Then I’ll ask, “are you alright because you seem a little tense” or something like that. Or I’ll just give them a great compliment and go on my way.

I remember when I was at the grocery store a couple years ago. This older lady came up to me and said that she just wanted to say that I looked very handsome and that I had an awesome smile! She later said that she had cancer and had a new outlook on life and was loving every minute of it. This lady made my day, no, my week! And we can do that too, spreading sunshine on rainy days.

I heard a story from the 1970s about a lost soul. This guy was very depressed and wrote a suicide note which he left in his apartment. He left on foot for the Golden Gate bridge. When he got to the bridge, he jumped off and ended his life. Dr. Jerome Motto was later called to his apartment to investigate. He found the note on his bureau. It said, “I’m going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I will not jump.”

What if I had been there to give him that smile? What if that had been one of my family members? It really makes me think. When I first heard that story it made me cry like a baby.
Here’s an exercise:

Imagine somebody close to you that you are not getting along with so well at this moment. Got that person in mind? Now imagine that person is the guy who is going to jump off the bridge later today and CLOSE YOUR EYES for a minute or more. Doesn’t that make your differences seem pretty small?
Put on a big smile today and see if you can make a difference in somebody’s life. I guarantee you will, and as a bonus, you may feel great about doing it. By helping others you automatically help yourself and the world. Click here to see something to smile about!!!!!

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Greg Hankerson Happiness, Depression No Comments »
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10
September
2006

Setting Goals And Making Wishes Come True

The Scientific Process Behind Making Wishes Come True
by Mark Victor Hansen

I’ve told people thousands of times that they’ve just go to ask for what they want. And I find that most people only have one problem with this directive . . . They don’t KNOW what they want!

You can’t ask for what you want unless you know what it is! In this exercise, I’m going to start you on a wonderful path of painting your dreams into reality. I’m going to teach you the secrets behind setting - and achieving - your greatest ambitions.

Before we set off on this path together, let me make one thing very clear: The word “goals” can be intimidating - it can feel so overbearing that it keeps people from even beginning the process. So, let’s instead think of goals as a “To Do List With Deadlines.”

Do the deadlines have to be tomorrow? Next week? Of course not. This is your To Do List for the rest of your life. Goals can be added to, subtracted from and - most importantly - scratched off the list - as you move through your life.

Here’s a checklist to ensure you’re using a successful framework to set your To Do List:

* Your most important goals must be yours. Not your spouse’s. Not your child’s. Not your employer’s. Yours. When you let other people determine your definition of success, you’re sabotaging your own future.

* Your goals must mean something to you. When you write your goals, you must ask yourself, “What’s really important to me?” “What am I prepared to give up to make this happen?” Your reasons for charting a new course of action give you the drive and energy to get up every morning.

* Your goals must be specific and measurable.

* Vague generalizations and wishy-washy statements aren’t good enough. Be very specific!

* Your goals must be flexible. A flexible plan keeps you from feeling suffocated and allows you to take advantage of genuine opportunities that walk in your future door.

* Your goals must be challenging, exciting. Force yourself to jump out of your comfort zone to acquire that energy and edge.

* Your goals must be in alignment with your values. Pay attention to your intuition, your gut. When you set a goal that contradicts your values, something inside will twinge. Pay attention.

* Your goals must be well-balanced. Make sure you include areas that allow time to relax, have fun and enjoy people in your closest circle.

* Your goals must be realistic. Be expansive but don’t be ridiculous. If you’re four feet tall, you will probably never play in the NBA. Also, be sure to allow yourself time to get there.

* Your goals must include contribution. Unfortunately, many people get so wrapped up in pursuing their goals that they don’t have time in their lives to give something back to society. Build this into your goals program.

* Your goals need to be supported. Either selectivity share a few of your dreams with a number of people, or share all of your dreams with a select few people. In either case, you’re creating a web of support and accountability for yourself.

Go For the Gusto - 101 Goals! It’s time to get started on your master plan. Give yourself some quiet time, put on some relaxing music… and write down 101 goals.

Open your mind to ALL the possibilities. Start each goal with “I am” or “I will.” Don’t even THINK about restricting yourself! To help you with this process, here are some key questions to ask yourself:

* What do I want to do?
* What do I want to have?
* Where do I want to go?
* What contribution do I want to make?
* What do I want to learn?
* Who do I want to meet and spend my time with?
* How much do I want to earn, save and invest?
* What will I do for fun and optimum health?

This process may take two hours. It may take two weeks. Don’t stop until you have 101 goals. Remember, you’re building your better life here - it’s the only life you have.

To learn more about goal setting, see, The Aladdin Factor in either book or tape form. I listen to this CD set regularly and I highly recommend it. One of the most important things I learned from it is how to ask for what I want.
_______________
Written by Mark Victor Hansen - Co-Author of the wildly successful Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books. For over 26 years, Mark Victor Hansen has focused solely on helping people in all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what’s possible for themselves. Visit www.MarkVictorHansen.com for articles and resources, secure shopping and web-only product specials, speaking schedule and current projects of Mark Victor Hansen. Mark is also the co-author of The One Minute Millionaire book.

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9
September
2006

The Master In The Art Of Living

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both. — James A. Michener

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Greg Hankerson Happiness, Enlightenment 2 Comments »
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8
September
2006

The Starfish Story

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”

Adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley