Happiness

This just in: There was a bit on CBS this morning about happiness.  I thought I would look into a few other studies and summarize my takeaways today.

First of all, what stood out the most for me was the absolute absence of Material Wealth in any study.  I could not find anything that said the bigger your house, the happier you are.  The “I got more so my happiness is greater” type of thought is a belief in something that just isn’t true.

We tend to worship the Trumps of the world because they have wealth and thus, power.  I’m not one to get biblical but this, to me, is akin to Worshiping False Idols.

What does cause happiness?  In no particular order…

  • Spend time every day being grateful.  A lot of effort is not necessary but more seems to be better.  For example, before you go to bed a night, think of just 3 things you are grateful for.
  • Spend time socializing.  This means spending time with other people, in the flesh.  Texting is not the type of socializing the studies refer to.
  • Perform random acts of kindness.  Hold open a door.  Give a compliment.  Whatever it is, make it spontaneous.
  • Change your perspective.  You have everything you need to be happy, right now.  You are in the right place with the right people, or lack thereof.  To be happy you need to only change how you are looking at things.  I know this can sound impossible.  How can I be happy when I am in mourning from losing a family member or pet?  Maybe the “happiness perspective” is to acknowledge how strong the love was that could result in such grief.

There are several other things but to me, they are all variations of the short list above.

There is one last step…

Don’t expect to be happy by accident.  Sure, it can happen and does happen all the time.  However, if you find you are unhappy, the above steps are “action” steps that can take you from where you are to where you want to be.

Time to save the world…

Up, up and away…

J

Perspective

This just in:  For those of you that read my blogs, you may remember that my favorite quote is from Wayne Dyer and reads, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

I mention this because a few days ago, I wrote about the idea that Conservative Views are not so much based on “longing for the past” as much as they are about “fearing the future.”

For me, this cleared up a lot of things.  Why would they long for the past?  Did they not like the internet, airconditioning and computers?  Did they prefer covered wagons?  What was it?

As I said, they really were longing for a past where America, in their minds, was a White, Christian nation.  They see the tide turning to where we have Muslims and non-white immigrants in increasing numbers.

Their Conservatism gives way to racism and its all based on FEAR.

I am restating this because of the man in NY that went on a racist rant in a restaurant.  Here is a link to the video.  Turns out that the man is a lawyer.  He has been kicked out of his office and a petition with more than 10,000 signatures has already been generated seeking to have him disbarred.

I could look at him as a racist; a person that hates others simply because of the color of their skin and their non-english speaking ways.

Instead, I see a man overwhelmed with fear.  Fear of a change that is coming; that has always been coming.  Fear of a condition that he cannot control.  Fear of a condition that his “future eyes” see but that does not, and may not ever come to be.

This does not justify his actions.  It does not make him less racist.  But it does help me to understand the root cause of his behavior.

In the end, I don’t get mad at him.  Instead, I pity him.

That is how my perspective changed when I looked at this situation differently.

Now…a word about Vinegar…

I started taking 2 tablespoons of apple vinegar in the morning and again at night.  I feel great!  Could be the Placebo Effect or I could be onto something.  Turns out I am not alone. Here is a link to 6 proven health benefits of vinegar.

While I’m on the “secrets of good health” wagon…

Do you have arthritis?  I know a guy that went on disability at the age of 50 because his was so bad.  He tried everything.  Eventually, he tried becoming a Vegan.  Once he did this, he quickly recovered and is completely pain free.  Has been for years.

On the Dog pain page…

I had an older dog that started limping.  The doctor said it was because of his age and the fact that the dog walked up and down stairs at the house.  He recommended trying MSM.  He said it works for some dogs with some conditions.  I tried it and in less than a week, my dog stopped limping.

I tried this on another dog with a different cause of leg pain and had no result.

Now, keep in mind, I’m not a doctor, but I pretend to be one on my blog so you know you can trust me.

In reality, I’m a superhero that spends a lot of time thinking about saving the world.  Someday I hope to actually get around to it.

Up, up and away…

Jim