2011 The Year of Living Happily

Smile: it increases your face value

2012-01-02T11:52:00.003+00:00

Contrary to my decision earlier this year to let happiness quotes find me, I decided to look for an image to add to this blog's final post. And I found one which gives the title to the post with a sub-title: be happy, keep smiling and a pre-title: life will be better that kind of summarize my whole living happily thing for 2011.

I am terrible for remembering my achievements. That's why probably one of the reasons why I get down every now and then. So I need to keep record of them. Or I need someone who loves me reminding me of them. That's why I kept my 2011's New Year Resolution simple: Be Happy.

So, what is the verdict? Overall I can say I succeeded. 2011 it's been a happy year for me. Of course there has been dark and sad moments. But I think I'm in the right path to change my life's outlook or my outlook on life, whichever you prefer.

But unlike 2011, being happy is not over. It's a continuous assessment in the school of life. (I love that academic term in Spanish: "evaluación continua"!) It takes effort. Constantly. Well, more than effort I would say practice. A conscious practice. And then it becomes habit, second nature.

Enough rambling. My New Year's Resolutions for 2012? Ha! That's a good one. I'm trying to keep it simple, so only one thing for me. The problem? To choose it. I guess one of the next things that I need to address in my life is fear which stops me (& everybody else) from fulfilling our own potential. Or so I hear. So even if I AM afraid and a bit skeptical that I'll "bump" into fear quotes as much as I did with happy ones, I won't be afraid and I'll go for it: 2012 The Year of Living Fearlessly. What do you think?

And even if I fail, and I'm scared to death, I'll try not to forget 2011 and I'll smile through it!
There you go!

Compassion

2011-12-22T14:02:00.000+00:00

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
~ Dalai Lama ~

Posted by my friend Nabila on Facebook on the 22-Dec-2011

El universo sobre mí de Amaral

2011-12-21T10:02:00.000+00:00

Sólo queda una vela
Encendida en medio de la tarta
Y se quiere consumir

Ya se van los invitados
Tú y yo nos miramos
Sin saber bien que decir

Nada que descubra lo que siento
Que este dia fue perfecto y parezco feliz
Nada como que hace nucho tiempo
Que me cuesta sonreir

Quiero vivir, quiero gritar
Quiero sentir el universo sobre mi
Quiero correr en libertad
Quiero encontrar mi sitio

Una broma del destino
Una melodía acelerada
En una cancion que nunca acaba

Ya he tenido suficiente
Necesito a alguien que comprenda
Que estoy sola en medio de un monton de gente

Que puedo hacer...

Quiero vivir, quiero gritar
Quiero sentir el universo sobre mi
Quiero correr en libertad
Quiero llorar de felicidad

Quiero vivir
Quiero sentir el universo sobre mi
Como un naufrago en el mar
Quiero encontrar mi sitio
Sólo encontrar mi sitio

Todos los juguetes rotos
Todos los amantes locos
Todos los zapatos de charol

Todas las casitas de muñecas
Donde celebraba fiestas
Donde solo estaba yo

Quiero vivir, quiero gritar
Quiero sentir el universo sobre mi
Quiero correr en libertad
Quiero llorar de felicidad
...

Sountrack on a video posted on Facebook by Virginia Lanzarote Eco on 21-Dec-2011

2011-12-18T23:46:00.001+00:00

"La felicidad no está en el dinero, está en vivir". Ainhoa, 6 años.

Posted by Rebeca on Facebook on the 18-Dec-2011

Here and there

2011-12-15T10:45:00.000+00:00

"Happiness is not about getting there, it's about being here" Robert Holden

From www.healyourlife.com, daily affirmations, on Thursday 15th December 2011.

All work and no play...

2011-12-10T10:11:00.000+00:00

From "How to Be More More Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps)" by Jessica Hagy, Contributor to Forbes

Entrevista con Dios (Interview with God)

2011-12-01T09:36:00.000+00:00

"Un día comprendí que el silencio vale más que mil palabras!: Un periodista le hizo una entrevista a Dios, al entrar en la habitación le preguntó: ¿qué es lo que más le sorprende de la humanidad? A lo que Dios respondió: que se aburren de ser niños y quieran crecer rápido, para después desear ser niños otra vez. Que desperdicien la salud para hacer dinero y luego pierdan el dinero para recuperar la salud. Que ansían el futuro y olvidan el presente y así no viven ni el presente ni el futuro. Que vivan como si nunca fuesen a morir y mueran como si nunca hubieran vivido....... Quedé en silencio un rato y le dije: Padre, cuáles son las lecciones de vida que quieres que tus hijos aprendamos? Y con una sonrisa respondió: que aprendan que no pueden hacer que nadie los ame sino dejarse amar, que lo mas valioso en la vida no es lo que tenemos sino a quien tenemos, que una persona rica no es quien tiene más sino quien necesita menos y que el dinero puede comprar todo menos la felicidad, QUE EL FISICO ATRAE PERO LA PERSONALIDAD ENAMORA. Que quien NO VALORA lo que tiene, algún día se lamentará por haberlo perdido y que quien hace mal algún día recibirá su merecido. Si quieres ser feliz haz feliz a alguien, si quieres recibir, da un poco de ti, rodéate de buenas personas y se una de ellas. ¡Recuerda, a veces a quien menos esperas es quien te hará vivir buenas experiencias! Nunca arruines tu presente por un pasado que no tiene futuro. Una persona fuerte sabe cómo mantener en orden su vida. Aun con lágrimas en los ojos, se las arregla para decir con una sonrisa, "estoy bien".

Published by my friend Jenny on Facebook on 01-Dec-2011

The secret of his success

2011-11-30T16:44:00.000+00:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger's inspirational speech about his 6 secrets to success:

1. Trust Yourself do whatever makes you happy, what motivates you
2. Break the rules - not the law but the rules, think outside the box
3. Don't be afraid to fail - to make decissions or your never push yourself
4. Don't listen to the nay-sayers - people who say "it can't be done"
5. Work your butt off - no pain no gain
6. Give something back to the community

Posted by my friend Paul on Facebook on the 1st of Dec, 2011

Gone in 60 seconds

2011-11-28T21:46:00.000+00:00

"Be happy today...For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of HAPPINESS."

Posted by Soulspring Empowerment Groups for Women on Facebook on 29-Nov-2011

5 simple rules

2011-11-19T14:43:00.001+00:00

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
 
Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
Live simply and appreciate what you have.
Give more.
Expect less.

(email I sent to myself back in 2009, that I found today purely by chance - a message from the past?)

:-)

Happiness as a profession

2011-11-10T13:46:00.000+00:00

Posted by Soulspring Empowerment Groups for Women on Facebook, 10-Nov-2011

Happiness vampires

2011-11-10T10:07:00.001+00:00

' "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth...they drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself." [from Happy Potter] [amendment 16-Nov-2011: I meant Harry Potter, of course; a happy typo, maybe? ;-) ]

Harry has to fend off these energy vampires. And so do we.

In the land of Hogwarts, Dementors cannot be killed - only chased away and kept at bay with a special charm that is the "magical manifestation of good will and happiness." Same thing in the real world, right? (...) And as I reacquaint myself with joy and gratitude, the Dementors fade into the distance. Good riddance. '

Posted by Liv Lane on her Choosing Beauty blog on the 09-11-2011.

Full text of "Goodbye, Dementors ~ Hello, Happiness" by Liv Lane here.

Al mal tiempo...

2011-11-03T13:55:00.001+00:00

Posted by my cousin Olga on Facebook on the 03-Nov-2011

Joy to the world

2011-11-01T13:53:00.001+00:00

"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Posted by Soulspring Empowerment Groups for Women on Facebook on 01-Nov-2011

Ir y venir

2011-11-01T13:50:00.000+00:00

Posted by my friend Benjamin on Facebook on 31-Oct-2011

El mejor remedio (the best remedy)

2011-10-18T10:42:00.000+01:00

"Lo cura todoooo."
(It cures eeeeeverything)

(Smile, it's pays off to be happy)

Posted by my friend Susana R. on Facebook on the 17-Oct-2011

Stay smiling and keep running

2011-10-17T18:20:00.000+01:00

"The secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from people who are negative, stay smiling and keep running."

17 October 2011 Last updated at 00:31 GMT

Fauja Singh becomes oldest marathon runner

Fauja Singh's translator and coach Harmandar Singh: ''Running has given him a new focus in life''

A 100-year-old Briton has become the world's oldest marathon runner after finishing a race in Canada.

Fauja Singh, from Ilford, east London, ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds.
The record-holder "hit the wall" at 22 miles but soldiered on for another two hours and finished in 3,850th place, ahead of five other competitors.
Mr Singh, who took up running 11 years ago after his wife and son died, trains every day by running 10 miles.
Curry and tea His coach and translator Harmander Singh said Mr Singh was "overjoyed".
"Earlier, just before we came around the (final) corner, he said, 'achieving this will be like getting married again'.
"He's absolutely overjoyed, he's achieved his lifelong wish."
Born in India in 1911, Mr Singh was a farmer in the Punjab but moved to Britain in the 1960s.
He puts his stamina down to ginger curry, tea and "being happy".
He holds the world record for the over-90 category after running the 2003 Toronto marathon in five hours and 40 minutes. His latest feat earns him another spot in Guinness World Records.
On Thursday he broke another eight records for 100-year-old men by completing all eight distances ranging from 100m to 5,000m.
Mr Singh said: "The secret to a long and healthy life is to be stress-free. Be grateful for everything you have, stay away from people who are negative, stay smiling and keep running."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15330421
Sent by email by my friend Barbarella

Happiness is something that you are

2011-10-12T21:34:00.000+01:00

"Most people are searching for happiness outside of themselves. That’s a fundamental mistake. Happiness is something that you are, and it comes from the way that you think." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

On Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's Facebook page, 12-Oct-2011

4 reglas para vivir bien, amar con todo tu ser y ser inmesamente feliz (4 rules to life well, love completely and be inmensely happy)

2011-09-26T21:04:00.000+01:00

En la India se enseñan las "Cuatro Leyes de la Espiritualidad"

La primera dice:
"La persona que llega es la persona correcta",
es decir que nadie llega a nuestras vidas por casualidad, todas las personas que nos rodean, que interactúan con nosotros, están allí por algo, para hacernos aprender y avanzar en cada situación.

La segunda ley dice:
"Lo que sucede es la única cosa que podía haber sucedido". Nada, pero nada, absolutamente nada de lo que nos sucede en nuestras vidas podría haber sido de otra manera. Ni siquiera el detalle más insignificante. No existe el: "si hubiera hecho tal cosa...hubiera sucedido tal otra...". No. Lo que pasó fue lo único que pudo haber pasado, y tuvo que haber sido así para que aprendamos esa lección y sigamos adelante. Todas y cada una de las situaciones que nos suceden en nuestras vidas son perfectas, aunque nuestra mente y nuestro ego se resistan y no quieran aceptarlo.

La tercera dice:
"En cualquier momento que comience es el momento correcto". Todo comienza en el momento indicado, ni antes, ni después. Cuando estamos preparados para que algo nuevo empiece en nuestras vidas, es allí cuando comenzará.

Y la cuarta y última:
"Cuando algo termina, termina". Simplemente así. Si algo terminó en nuestras vidas, es para nuestra evolución, por lo tanto es mejor dejarlo, seguir adelante y avanzar ya enriquecidos con esa experiencia. Creo que no es casual que estén leyendo esto, si este texto llegue a nuestras vidas hoy ¡es porque estamos preparados para entender que ningún copo de nieve cae alguna vez en el lugar equivocado!

¡Vive Bien, Ama con todo tu Ser y se Inmensamente Feliz!

******************************************************
Shared by my friend Isabel by email on the 23/10/2011

Road to happiness

2011-08-26T23:31:00.000+01:00

Do it your way

2011-08-19T09:21:00.000+01:00

"I live my life in my own way

You can't go around being what everyone wants you to be, living your life through other people's rules, and still expect to be happy and have inner peace."

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Posted on Daily afirmations on www.healyourlife.com on the 19-Aug-2011

No te impidas ser feliz

2011-08-16T22:51:00.000+01:00

Muere lentamente,
quien no gira el volante cuando está infeliz
con su trabajo,o su amor,
quien no arriesga lo cierto ni lo incierto
para ir detrás de un sueño
... quien no se permite, ni siquiera una vez en su vida,
huir de los consejos sensatos...
¡Vive hoy!
¡No te dejes morir lentamente!
¡NO TE IMPIDAS SER FELIZ! Pablo Neruda

Posted by my friend Mari on Facebook on the 16-Aug-2011

Happiness by Jack L

2011-08-16T22:44:00.000+01:00

Unhappy people

2011-08-05T21:07:00.000+01:00

Posted by Soulspring Empowerment Groups for Women on Facebook on 05-Aug-2011

I choose

2011-08-03T12:08:00.000+01:00

"I claim my power now. I have the power to heal my life, and I need to know that. I am not helpless. I have the power of my own mind. My thoughts create the sort of life I live. I no longer choose to think of myself as a victim, for those are powerless thoughts. I have given up complaining and whining. I choose in this present moment to claim the power of my thoughts and use them wisely. I choose thoughts that make me feel happy. I choose thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for life. I am connected with the One Power and Intelligence that created me. I am supported by Life, and I am loved."

By Louise L. Hay.

Source: http://www.healyourlife.com/meditations/louise-l-hay/2011/08/03/louise-hay-meditations