Happiness is within each and every one of us. No one else can make us happy unless we first choose that we will place happiness first in our heart. Happiness is a state of mind, so the real source of happiness must lie within the mind, not in external conditions. If our mind is pure and peaceful we shall be happy, regardless of our external circumstances, but if it is impure and unpeaceful we can never be truly happy, no matter how hard we try to change our external conditions. Happiness is truly an attitude of choice.

Happiness is often difficult to watch, but it is a riveting experience. Even in light of its integrity to character and honesty of the written word, it’s not for everyone. Happiness is contagious, and a group of happy people will eventually make the rest happy, or remove those that can’t be made happy. That sounds bad, but if a group can’t make someone happy the person would be better trying to find something or someone else who can. Happiness is a skill too often taken for granted. Why are some people happier than others?

Buddhism mentions the fact that evil and suffering can be removed if only we have the right knowledge about the nature of our self. Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality … the amount of energy or “life-force” we have … is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.

Choose to be happy and see a positive outlook no matter what, or you choose to let it control you. Choose to be in environments and around people that increase your probability of happiness. The persons who become the happiest and grow the most are those who also make truth and their own personal growth primary values.

Happiness is a belief about yourself and the outside world. You can be doing something you normally experience as pleasurable but not be happy! Happiness is a state of mind, so the real source of happiness must lie within the mind, not in external conditions. If our mind is pure and peaceful we shall be happy, regardless of our external circumstances, but if it is impure and unpeaceful we can never be truly happy, no matter how hard we try to change our external conditions. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

Yet some people do seem to be happier on average than other people are. Although people adapt surprisingly quickly to both good news and bad, the set-point around which happiness varies from time to time apparently differs from one person to another. Yet, for now, suffice it to say that without happiness, human existence, as we know it, would have no meaning. According to research conducted, happiness is considered by the vast majority of people to be the most important thing there is in life.

Happiness is clearly fundamental in our lives. But we seem to spend most of our efforts pursuing it and all too little time actually experiencing it. Happiness is not dependent on amassing a certain amount of fame or wealth; happiness is not dependent on reaching a certain social pecking order. If we are always striving after something bigger and better, happiness will remain elusive. Happiness is always here, but covered by thoughts, desires and fears. It is experienced when these covers disappear for a while.

Happiness is not a feeling. It is a choice, a mindset and a way of thinking. Happiness is your birthright and as you clear out your filter system (which is composed of your beliefs, agreements, assumptions, and thoughts) you can learn to be happy no matter what is happening in your life. Give yourself that gift – do whatever it takes to lovingly retrain your mind and begin living your life based on love and the guidance of your spirit rather than the dictates of your mind.

Happiness is a feeling of well-being we experience in immediate situations and it is also a feeling of general well-being based on the recent past. The feeling is essentially the same in both cases, and most people commonly use the term “happiness” in both ways, depending on the situation at hand. Happiness is not found in a tranquil life free of storms and tempests. Real happiness is found in the struggles we undergo to realize our goals, in our efforts to move forward. Happiness is different from pleasure. It isn’t shortsighted or selfish the way pleasure is.

Be a Loving Heart by practicing happiness in all your life, and spreading happiness to all you encounter each day …

Today is Fathers Day. The day we honor our fathers for giving us the greatest gift of all … this journey called … LIFE

Happy Fathers Day … Dads!

Thank You for having a Loving Heart

There is a love that transcends the boundaries of earth. A love that is not tied to the gravity of planets, or stars, comets or astronomical events.

There is a love that transcends the boundaries of individualism. A love not tied to the sameness of religion, creed, ancestral or language borders.

There is a love that transcends the boundaries of happiness. A love not tied to emotions, gifts, recognitions or preconceived ideas.

There is a love that transcends the boundaries of man and woman. A love that is not tied to touch, taste, hearing, sight or the aroma of the other.

There is a love that transcends the boundaries of generations.

A love that was love before love was known.

A love that was love when there was no love to give love or receive love that becomes the lasting love.

Obituary of Common Sense

My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions.  It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed. Then today I read his obituary.  Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance.  For Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.  No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn’t always fair and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student; but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.  Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home or the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot.  She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame and I’m a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him pass this on.   

A Loving Heart View Of Aging

Has it ever occurred to you that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids?

If we are less than 10 years old, we are so excited about aging that we think in fractions.

“How old are you?”

“I’m four and a half!”

We are never thirty-six and a half.

We’re four and a half, going on five!

That’s the key.

When we get into our teens, there is no holding us back. We jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

“How old are you?”

“I’m gonna be 16!”

We could be 13, but hey, we’re gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of our life . We become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony … WE BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then we turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes us sound like sour milk! They TURNED; we had to throw them out. There’s no fun now, we’re just a sour-dumpling.

What’s wrong?

What’s changed?

We BECOME 21, we TURN 30, then we’re PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before we know it, we REACH 50.

And our dreams are gone.

But wait!!!

We MAKE it to 60. We didn’t think we would!

So we BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

We’ve built up so much speed that we HIT 70!

After that it’s a day-by-day thing; we HIT Wednesday!

We get into your 80′s and every day is a complete cycle; we HIT lunch; we TURN 4:30; we REACH bedtime.

And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90′s, we start going backwards.

“I Was JUST 92.”

Then a strange thing happens. If we make it over 100, we become a little kid again.

“I’m 100 and a half!”

May we all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

How A Loving Heart Stays Young

• Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why we pay “them!”
• Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull us down.
• Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.
• Enjoy the simple things.
• Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
• The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
• Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
• Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
• Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county or to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
• Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

A Loving Heart Always Remembers

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don’t send this to at least 100 people – who cares?!

But, with a Loving Heart, do share this with someone.

We all need to live life to its fullest each day!

Have a fantastic day, living life with a Loving Heart!