“When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.” – Walt Disney

We all dream of fast cars, expensive yachts and magnificent showcase homes.

But do these things really make us happy?

Research says – well, yes, actually. Let’s be honest. Anyone that says they’re happy while stone broke is probably lying. Having a little money behind you is always a great idea. Money makes things happen.

But even so, studies have shown that the happiness “created “by material goods is only ever temporary.

Within a few months, the dog hairs have permanently settled into the back seat of your once-new Mercedes – and annoying neighbors have moved next door to your beach home in Santa Monica.

The initial rush these material pleasures once brought soon subsides.

So, how do you get a lasting buzz from your money?

Well, those same studies showed that investing in experiences rather than material goods created greater lasting happiness.

From traveling in the tropics to overnight on the Orient Express, mini “life adventures” brought with them an immediate thrill – and a lasting memory and experience of the world, which resulted in greater long-term happiness.

So, rather than hoarding your cash, or spending it on merely material pleasures – why not indulge in a few mini life adventures of your own?

Go on a safari holiday in Africa. Visit the location of your favorite film. Hunt down the Aurora Borealis at the tip of Sweden. Take two weeks out and explore your own country.

Learn a new language. Visit your local tourist board and follow their recommendations. Get involved in a nearby wine tasting group. Discover ballroom dancing.

It doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to be expensive. And you can always do it on your own, too.

Even more exciting, set yourself crazy challenges and see what happens. Write a blog, or book, about your experiences.

Say “Yes!” to everything for a week and see what happens. Date twenty men over two months. Dine out somewhere new every night for two weeks. Meet five new people every day for a week. Go out with a new group of friends every week for two months. Find five people on the Internet with the same name as you – and try to meet one of them.

By living, and truly experiencing life, we feel more whole, fulfilled and authentic.

So, experience – don’t hoard – and you will be happy.

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“Few of us ever live in the present, we are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.” – Louis L’Armor

Some years ago, it was traditional in many British pubs to have an infamous sign hanging above the bar:

“Free Beer Tomorrow!”

It’s funny because, of course, “tomorrow” never comes.

But when you think about it, how many of us truly live our lives like that?

We spend so much time waiting to be happy in the future, or worrying about the past, that we forget to live in the moment. We fail to realize that happiness can only EVER be now.

Let me give you an example. You’re driving through the city and your favorite song hits the radio. You’re stuck in traffic, but loving the music – and you start to crazily sing along. You really get into it. You’re in the moment. But then you catch a few jealous faces in nearby cars, and go all shy and timid.

Suddenly you’re no longer living in the moment. You’re wondering what they’ll think about you. You’re concerned they’ll disapprove. You freeze up. Your happiness has gone, and your inhibition has arrived. You’re no longer in the moment, in the NOW – you’re stuck thinking about wanting approval from these people, worried what they’ll think of you outside that moment.

Right?

Try to catch yourself at some random point today – and just check what’s on your mind. If you’re like most people, you’ll be somewhere other than here and now.

You’ll be thinking about whether you made a good impression with that guy earlier today. You might be thinking about the holiday you have planned for next September. Or how all of your problems will be solved this time next year.

You’ll be anywhere but in the MOMENT. In fact, we each spend 95% of our time in the past or the future.

But here’s the thing: Life is transient. The past has gone. The future is just imagined. The only time that truly exists ever is RIGHT NOW.

In other words, RIGHT NOW is the ONLY time you can do or change ANYTHING in your life.

You are only ever what exists in THIS MOMENT.

So, are you HAPPY right now? Are you doing EVERYTHING you’d like to – and feeling THRILLED with life, as you read these words? If you’re not, then make the decision to be happy. NOW.

And if you’d like, put down this book, and go fly a kite. Or tell your partner that you love them. Or get your groovy flares on and head out to the nearby disco.

NOW is the only time you can change anything. And NOW is the only time you have.

So, make that simple decision – to be happy NOW.

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“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

We’ve all felt it.

That spark of happiness which ignites within us whenever we do a good deed for someone else.

We hold open the door for the elderly lady behind us, and she returns the favor with a loving, grandmother’s smile. You bring a box of chocolates into work for no particular reason, and get the warm attention of all your colleagues.

The truth is that doing things for other people really makes US feel great!

The more we give, the more we receive.

And one perfect way to add a little extra happiness to your own life, and the outside world, is to indulge in Random Acts of Kindness. Or RAKs as I prefer to abbreviate.

So, what are Random Acts of Kindness?

Well, the clue is really in the name. A RAK is a small act of kindness that you grant to someone else in the world – for absolutely no reason whatsoever, without expecting anything in return.

The classic example of a RAK is to pay at a toll booth for the car behind you. The recipient of the Random Act of Kindness will not only be flattered and uplifted by your generous deed, it’s likely they’ll “pay it forward” to someone else too. And that person may pay it forward yet again.

Indeed, your single Random Act of Kindness could just change the world.

So, what Random Acts of Kindness could YOU indulge in – to make yourself, and the world around you, happier?

Donate to a charity shop. Give someone a hug. Write a letter of appreciation. Say “I love you” to your parents. Pay for someone behind you. Donate blood. Scrape the ice off a stranger’s car windscreen.

Do something for them that they can’t. Give $1 of your money in the best way you can. Become a conservation volunteer. Give your groceries to a neighbor. Take someone out for the day. Spend time with a local elder. Send someone a bunch of flowers, randomly.

Take chocolate into work for sharing, without a reason. Thank your mentor for their support. Plant a tree. Pick up litter. Be someone’s biggest fan for a day. Be nice to someone who looks low. Smile more. Give food to a nearby shelter. Hold open the door. Give a cup of food at www.thehungersite.com.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be exuberant, and it doesn’t have to cost you a penny.

Just throw a little extra kindness out to the world – and watch how you find greater happiness starting to flood back into your own life.

So, do Random Acts of Kindness – and you will be happy.

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“By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is beyond the winning.” – Lao Tzu

Emotions are the things that make us human.

When we cry, we’re experiencing emotion. When we’re fearful, we’re experiencing emotion. Whenever we’re angry, upset, passionate, greedy, scared – we’re experiencing emotion.

But sometimes emotions need reining in!

They cause us not to make that fantastic speech at the company conference, because we’re scared of the platform. They stop us making up with long-gone friends, because we’re still maddened with anger. They cause us to stay in relationships that damage us, because we’re still emotionally addicted to the misshapen void the relationship fills.

Emotions aren’t always good for you. You are NOT your emotions.

Emotions are just things that happen, and which you can (and should) control.

Sure, that sounds easy. But here’s the thing: it actually really is easy.

The best way to let go of our troublesome emotions, the emotions that are holding us back from happiness, is to discover the art of releasing.

So, what is releasing?

Releasing is the ability to realize that you are desperately “gripping” onto emotions in your life. You treat them as if they’re “you.” It’s about realizing you can let go of them, unclench your fist around them, just by making a simple decision.

How can you start releasing?

The simplest method is just to go through your life, recognizing where emotions are holding you up. Are you angry about your home-life situation? Your working hours? That incident you just had, with the rude guy at the grocery store?

Bring that issue or situation to the forefront of your mind. Connect with the emotion.

Then, ask yourself: “Can I let this go?”

Can you let it go? Just for this moment? Could you release this emotion?

Breathe out, and answer honestly with either “Yes” or “No.” Either answer is absolutely fine.

If you can let it go, then do it. Really feel yourself letting go. Feel yourself releasing, unclenching, relaxing, detaching. It should feel something like when a doctor calls to tell you those worrying tests have come back all clear: an immediate release of worry and tension.

And if you can’t let go right now, don’t stress it. Give yourself permission to hold onto it some more. It’s your decision.

How does that feel? If the emotion still has charge, simply repeat the process until you feel better – or until you feel like stopping.

Remember, letting go doesn’t mean you “forgive” the person at the grocery store, or you “allow” that kind of behavior. It just means that you release the negative emotion inside of you.

By releasing negative emotions, you’ll not only enjoy much more freedom in your life – you’ll also become more emotionally stable and less stressed too.

So, learn to let go – and you will be happy.

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“When you follow your bliss, doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.” – Joseph Campbell

In life, it’s easy to end up in the “wrong place”.

We’re doing a job we hate. We’re living with people we dislike. We’re keeping secrets, when we’d rather be open and genuine.

We get stuck and don’t feel authentic, because we’re not truly doing what we want.

Does that sound like you?

If so, you need to find what makes you truly happy.

American mythologist Joseph Campbell summed up that process of seeking your own true happiness and authenticity in three simple words: “Follow your bliss.”

Sometimes in life, we all stray and lose direction. We’re half- way up a ladder we didn’t want to climb, rather than at the bottom of one that we do. By not following our bliss, we permanently limit our happiness and stop ourselves truly enjoying our lives.

Are you following your bliss?

One thing bliss is not – and that’s money.

Bliss is what you’re doing when you’re wrapped up in the moment. When you’re so thrilled just to be doing it, it ceases even to be work anymore. Your bliss occurs when you’re living in the moment, and time doesn’t really matter anymore.

My bliss is helping to run a number of really big businesses, while teaching self-development. In fact, I love it so much that I’m typing this rule while on holiday in Thailand. It’s not for the money, it’s for the pleasure. I’m immersed in my own bliss.

So, what’s YOUR bliss?

You may love teaching tube surfing on the beaches of Australia. Or running your own small accountancy firm. Or helping teenagers discover and appreciate the world of art.

When you were a child, and played with a kite, you were immersed in your bliss.

As an adult, what makes you feel like that again? And how can you increase that in your life?

Follow your bliss.

You know, I have a theory that absolutely everyone in life knows what they need to do in order to become happy. It’s just that most aren’t brave enough to take the steps to do it.

So, that’s your challenge.

Take those steps, follow your bliss – and you will be happy.

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“I will say yes to every favor, request, suggestion and invitation. I will swear to say yes where once I would say no.” – Danny Wallace

“No!” is a wonderful word.

It’s powerful, it’s universally understood, and it stops everything in its tracks. By saying no, you’re instantly slamming the door and holding it shut, ensuring nothing else gets through.

But how many of us say “No!” way too often?

You see, “No” really holds us back in life. It closes us off to many of life’s wonderful experiences, and causes us to resist what happens around us.

When we say no, we’re swimming against the current. When we say yes, we’re swimming with the current.

Which do you think is easiest? Which produces less stress? Which is faster, and more enjoyable?

We say “NO!” to life’s funny randomness, when a passing bus splashes rainwater all over our new jeans. We shout “NO!” to our emotions, resisting and fighting grief, when our pet rat passes away. We yell “NO!” when we don’t get that promotion, which we’d been working so hard to achieve.

Long story short: we say NO to everything, too often.

We fight against what happens to us in life, rather than allowing it to be as it is. We resist it, rather than accepting it. We say “No!” rather than saying “Yes” – or even just “Okay.”

By saying “Yes!” more to life, we go with the flow. Things become more enjoyable and positive, less stressful and anxious, and often the situation turns out for the better regardless.

So, SAY YES MORE.

And what about saying “Yes!” more socially too? Say “Yes!” when you’re invited to that party. Say “Yes!” when you’re asked if you’d like lunch with the boys. Say “Yes!” when you’ve asked to go on that speed dating night, which you wouldn’t normally even consider.

(That’s what Danny Wallace did in his great comedy cum self-help book, Yes Man. He said yes more. It changed his life.)

So, if you’d like to flow more with the current of life… If you’d like to inject a little more excitement into your day… If you’d like to enjoy the random twist and turns of fate…

Then SAY YES MORE.

The Australians call it a “bias for yes.” The Spanish say “Si a todo.” Buddhists describe it as flowing with the river of life. In this book, we simply say yes more.

Try it out, even if just for a week. It’ll change your world.

Say yes more – and you will be happy.

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“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” – Meister Eckhardt

We live in a fast-paced, microwave, drive-thru, Buy-It-Now society.

It’s a society that has forgotten to be truly grateful for the things around it. We only tend to be grateful for things when we no longer have them.

Think of the sense of relief you gain when you just get over an illness, and are so thankful that your turbulent tummy has now settled. Consider how appreciative you are when those tests come back clear. Or when the speeding camera doesn’t flash. Or when you finally find your lost child in the supermarket.

These are the moments in life when we realize how blessed we truly are.

Yet how many of us truly appreciate that on a day-to-day basis?

My guess is very few of us. We only become grateful of things when we think we don’t have them.

But here’s the thing: by counting our blessings every day, in a very literal way, we become happier people. Research across the globe in countless studies has proven this over and over again.

So, when was the last time YOU were truly grateful?

Think of all the wonderful things you have to be grateful for right now. It could be your family. Or your health. Maybe your home. Your friends. Your brain. Your heart. Your spirit. Even your DVD collection.

We’ve all got amazing things in our own lives that make us smile with joy. Things that bring a secret, loving tear to our eyes.

And if we can only learn to count these blessings every day, we’ll discover a true happiness and greater appreciation of the beautiful world we surround ourselves with.

So, if you can, make that part of your daily ritual. Count your blessings, briefly in the morning, and briefly at night. Then smile at the world for sending such great things your way.

Be grateful – and you will be happy.

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“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.” – Helen Keller

Oh, come on. Admit it.

We all do it every single day.

Everybody enjoys wallowing in a little self-pity. It feels great to remind ourselves how terrible the world is. How we’ve not been given the right opportunities. How people are against us. How life has been a real struggle this past year.

Right?

But here’s a true secret to happiness. And it’s probably the biggest, easiest and quickest happiness secret you’ll stumble across. Ever.

If you want to be happy – just stop feeling sorry for yourself.

Self-pity, you see, is the worst kind of emotion. It eats up everything around, except itself. Soon, self-pity is all that exists, and you’re left feeling sorry for how poorly life has been treating you.

We’ve all felt like that, right?

Maybe you feel like life has dealt you a bad hand. Perhaps you’ve lost money, family or health. It could be that you’ve missed out on so many opportunities that others have been easily granted – and you think that fate really HAS been unfair to you.

And that viewpoint might even be 100% correct.

But STOP feeling sorry for yourself.

It’s not going to help the situation. It’ll only help you to wallow in a state of apathy, playing the victim. The kind of person that things happen to, but that can’t do anything about it. By stopping feeling sorry for yourself, you can actually get on and DO something about it.

Trust me on this one. This is the biggest ever technique for putting a smile onto your face.

If you want to be happy – stop feeling sorry for yourself.

You could close this book right now and you’d already hold the wisdom of ten thousand self-development courses, and double that number of self-help gurus.

And it’s so simple. In fact, it’s worth repeating (and rewording) one more time:

Stop feeling sorry for yourself – and you will be happy.

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How exciting to start a race without a clear direction to the finish line. As I blasted across the starting line, my heart racing and senses on high alert, my fellow hashers and I looked like a bunch of blood hounds desperately searching for clues and signs to follow. Always working as a team I could  hear someone yell “On, On” meaning they had found  “True Trail” and were heading in the correct direction.  When I found the marks of True Trail I was at once excited and reassured that I was finally on the correct path. There were no guarantees for success. Many would find their way, some would arrive faster than others, and a few remained lost until we sent out search teams. I have been lead through shopping malls, flea markets, across golf courses, up hills, and down many blind alleys.

In the end it was never about who came in first or last, but about the thrill of the adventure, following our intuition, working with team mates, laughing, cursing, and always smiling over finding the elusive True Trail or the frustration of yet another dead end.  The finish line was always a celebration of the hunt, of comradeship, and living life to the fullest.  Of all my road racing events, my time with my fellow Hashers has provided me with the biggest smiles and fondest memories.

“Wow, what a wonderful metaphor for life. I often step back and look at my life and wonder, “Am I On, On”, am I on “True Trail” or am I chasing a rabbit down a blind alley or worse yet, just settling for the same old comfortable trail?”

There are many lessons to be learned from the Hash House Harrier experience which  applies to finding Balance in our Minds, Bodies and Spirits:

1. The path to finding one’s true trail works well in a community with a common goal.

2. The willingness to take a risk going down a false trail in life but ready to make the necessary course alteration to find your  true trail.

3. Finding true trail requires an open heart and an adventurous spirit.

4. A willingness to leave your ego at home, not afraid to fail, look foolish, or asking someone for help is a formula for success.

5. Finding true trail is about the journey, the joy of seeking, learning, working together, the exhilaration of being a member of a team, and the joy of just doing it.

6. Learning to trust your inner voice, your intuition, and willing to take a Leap of Faith to find the answers.

7. Knowing that the risk of finding true trail may mean letting go of a strongly held belief or core value which we have held our entire life.

8. The rewards of finding true trail can be the joy of knowing your life is in balance, your body is healthy, your spirit is soaring, and your emotions are free from the burdens of fear, lack, and the unknown.

9. The excitement of joining others just like you who are seeking, willing to share, who will support you, never judge you, and are ready to catch you if you fall.

10. Ready to keep life in perspective, be willing to laugh, be silly, let your hair down, get in touch with your playful energy, and make every moment important.

Finding your “True Trail” is a metaphor for finding Balance in your Life. It is about opening your heart and mind to all of the wonderful possibilities in life. It is about revealing all of your beauty, radiance, and magnificence  in the human experience.

Happy Trails

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Questions that have no answers leave us occupying our minds with some of nonsense of medieval times. What are those questions and why do we ask ourselves these types of questions?!

Since mankind existed on earth they have questioned the reason of their existence: why I am here? How and when did we become the only dominant creatures of the known universe? Are we really the only beings of our kind who possess this knowledge? What knowledge do we really possess if we can’t answer the most pressing questions?

Every time we begin to think about the beginning and ask those questions, we feel like jumping off the cliff! Are you cursed to be a thinker? When it comes to asking these kinds of questions, then it seems that ignorance would be an absolute bliss.

When we don’t find answers, why do we tend to blindly believe anybody who might say nothing more than nonsense? Why we are always looking for something to rely on? Is it because we are stupid or just because we are lost by not knowing better?

Looking for the beginning will never end as long as there are some cursed thinkers in the world; at least the world now is more open-minded to allow those who questioned life to be alive!

In the past, we have read of many prophets: men and women who had different kinds of inspiration that made their voices heard; carving their names into the history of mankind. Some had miracles and others were murdered. One of them spent some time inside a whale, whilst another changed the water into wine. Whatever they once did and whatever we were later told does not change the simple fact – those people had an idea and they struggled to defend their opinions to their last drop of blood. All the prophets, messengers and even the scientists who tried to change whatever people believed in have had a hard time getting people to understand their worldview.

Looking back thousands of years, most of the followers of all the prophets were people who had nothing to lose. These people found an element of freedom in the prophets’ messages. Most of the People who had a hard life and the slaves who found their freedom with the men who said that people are equal now are creating some kind of unbalance in the life scale.

Are we really equal? And who said so?

Thousands of years and people were divided to segments starting with the highest in power are the royals then the nobles, priests and teachers, then the public and slaves. Whenever the last to segments gets louder and louder the top segments practice their right of smashing them or as they thought it was their right to do so!

So when someone comes up with some kind of new opinions that says people are equal of course the people who were living in luxury will have a different word on that new prophesy.

The only thing that all the rollers who belongs to different faith and different language agreed upon is rejecting any teaching that will make people equal! It is about wealth and power so we shouldn’t be equal! Those people didn’t even think that slaves and labor are humans as if they were made of different mixture!

The trinity of power consists of three elements: authority, money, and god. To be able to rule you have to possess the three elements of the power’s triangle: authority to punish, Money to be desired, and god to convince the illiterate to believe that you were appointed by god and by obeying you they are obeying god! God was the means of justification of bloodshed throughout the history of mankind. Wars and massacres have often been conducted in the name of God.

The whole idea of life doesn’t make any sense and when the religions tried to explain the purpose of life they make it sounds like a fairy tale and some kind of terrifying nonsense. It is like telling a child that if he lies he is going to hell! If you look at the child’s face you will see fear and some kind of anger and confusion and deeply the child thinks you are insane.

When people got stuck and found themselves are miserable they refer their failure to the god’s well! As we all heard from many people, life is a test! It is an endless test that every religion claims that they have the right re-copies to pass it.

If I am not mistaken, all the religions in the entire world didn’t really explain any details of the reason why we are here? The majority believe that our only purpose is to obey and pray. So god created us only to worship him, really?! Did god need somebody to worship him and that was the only reason we have been created!

Too many questions yet to be answered before we can say that we are certain about any faith, have we answered those questions? If you are not certain about what you believe in or at least have evidence that what you believe in is right then how you would assume that others are wrong? What makes you right and others are wrong?

How can you walk if you don’t have legs? Definitely you can dream that you are walking on the clouds, but there is a huge difference between walking and imagining that you are walking in fact imagining something doesn’t make it real.

Faith is submission to a creator which means believe in the unknown Nothing wrong about having faith even if it is illogical but some people always feel the belonging to something beyond their understanding and from this point if they question they will end up believing in nothing or become a fundamentalist in their own dilemma.

Believing that life started from nothing is nothing but nothing. How a nothing becomes something from nothing without the well of someone?

Actually if you believe that life started from nothing then you believe in the creator and you don’t even know it.  All the religious texts clearly state that god created life from nothing – so before you deny the existence of a creator why don’t you read what was claimed to be from god in many books? Then, when you try to rely on the big bang theory you might find some kind of big bang in some religious texts!

If you want to enjoy your life then try not to think about things that god doesn’t want you to think about because thinking is a curse and ignorance is bliss when it comes to these kinds of questions!

Isn’t this what you have been told when you started to ask your teacher in school or a priest in a church that you are not allowed to ask certain questions?

This is the ignorance that spread throughout Europe, influencing people to support the kings’ plans to invade other nations and destroy their civilizations in the name of god. What do you think god is? A psychopath!!

Whether you have faith or not – if there is a creator, then he is capable of taking care of his own creation without your interference. What would happen if everybody didn’t believe in god? Will god get angry like a human and destroy you because he gave you the freewill to choose and then you didn’t chose what makes god happy!

If the creator said in all the books that people are believing in  that he loves you either you believed or not then why would he change his mind and say that you have to be killed because you didn’t believe , would that make sense to you ? would you believe that god or the creator is behaving like a human ?

Are you certain about anything in life? If you are, then ignorance is bliss. God bliss you.

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