Searching for Happiness? Know your Heart.

“Devote yourself to what gives you meaning.”- Morrie Swartz

I have a question for you today. Do you love what you do now?

If your answer is Yes, that is great! I am happy for you!

But if your answer is NO, then why do you do it? For whatever reasons you may have, I want you to consider deeply if it is worth sacrificing your chance to live a happier life.

I believe that God has bestowed upon each one of us talents and abilities. It is our duty to unlock, develop and utilize them. If we love something and we have the talent and the ability to do it, then we owe it to ourselves to pursue it. If we are scared to move out of our comfort zones, then we are compromising our chance to truly live a joyful life.

We only have one life. I think that the best way to live it is by doing the things that give us fulfillment, purpose, and satisfaction.

I like how Barbara Sheer put it: “Happy people have two things in common. They know exactly what they want and they feel they’re moving toward getting it. That’s what makes life feel good: when it has direction, when you are heading straight for what you love.”

In decision-making, it is not always wise to think logically. Sometimes, in order to live a happier life, we must learn to listen to what our hearts say. Remember: Where your heart is, that’s where your treasure would be!  If you don’t trust me, I’m sure the internet could provide you a list of inspiring people who followed their passions and found amazing success!:)

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Date Written: August 03, 2016

Deal with Negative Emotions, Positively

“Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.”- Joel Osteen

Negative emotions are inevitable. Everyday, we encounter circumstances that would arouse one or more of these emotions in us. The truth is, no matter how positive a person we are, we still get affected and we still can’t help but feel these negative emotions even if we don’t want to.

So, how do we handle these? What can we do so that they don’t affect us as much? In my personal opinion, I think that we should allow ourselves to feel them. Let ourselves get acquainted with those feelings– welcome them and accept them. And then, we detach from them. Allowing ourselves to feel the negative emotions is us recognizing that we don’t feel good about something.

Now, it is important to remember that after we come from that realization, we have 2 options: It is either we dwell on these emotions long enough that they make our lives miserable, OR we take charge and have the power over them by analyzing their root causes and come up of possible solutions to change them.

According to Gretchen Rubin, “Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they’re big, flashing signs that something needs to change.” I agree with her completely! 🙂

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Date Written: June 23, 2016

 

How To Live “Lighter”

 

“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” – Carol Burnett

Sometimes, life likes to play difficult for us. There are times when we feel we are always struggling. There are times when we feel we’re always failing, or letting other people down. There are also times when we think we’re doing the right thing, but feel otherwise. And there are those times when we wish the world would stop for a while and just let us breathe (or if you’re like me, you wish you could just magically disappear for a certain period of time until everything is great again!)

Well, that is life- at least a part of it is. But we CAN make it better. We CAN make US feel better.

I would like to share with you seven things that I am trying to live by when I decided to live my life in a more mindful way.

1. Know your self before you can accept and love yourself.
2. Forgiveness is not for the person you give it to. It is a gift to yourself.
3. Gratefulness is what makes a person happy, not the other way around.
4. Always prioritize people over material things. Material things give instant gratification, but healthy loving relationships give lasting satisfaction and fulfillment.
5. It is okay to get angry, but always choose to love others and yourself.
6. Failure doesn’t mean you’re a loser. It means you are trying and learning.
7. No matter how big your problems may seem to be, always remember that you have a bigger GOD! 🙂

Lighten up! Life can be good.

A Blog Worth Sharing #12: MATTERS FOR THE HEART

Hello Everyone!

I am excited to share with you today another admirable blog that I am sure you will really love. Di’s writings are truly moving and inspirational. It makes you reflect on yourself and your life. Her positivity is just infectious and admirable.

Di, thank you for your inspirational blog. It is very soulful and thought-provoking! Simply amazing! 🙂

BLOG NAME: MATTERS FOR THE HEART
POST TITLE: Autumn Leaves and Forgiveness

“So now the time had arrived…

Thank you anxiety, you showed me how to control my fear,
Thank you inadequacy, you showed me I AM enough,
Thank you over-sensitivity, you showed me how to feel for others,
Thank you worry, you showed me greater peace,
Thank you emotions, you showed me to release my fear of vulnerability,
Thank you solitude, you showed me how to listen to my deepest spirit callings,
Thank you pain, you slowed me down long enough for my heart to catch up,
Thank you, ‘too quiet’, you showed me how to listen,
Thank you jealousy, you showed me what’s important to me,
Thank you ‘day-dreamer’, you showed me the possibilities,
Thank you fear, you showed me how to push through my doubts,
Thank you inferiority, you showed me we are all equal, and all worthy of LOVE,
Thank you self-criticism, you showed me the way ahead can only be LOVE for myself.

May we find forgiveness in our lack of unconditional love towards ourselves.”

(Featured Image: Source)

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

“Self-worth is so vital to your happiness. If you don’t feel good about YOU, it’s hard to feel good about anything else”- Mandy Hale

Some people are not truly happy with their lives because they are too conscious about how people might judge them. They give too much importance on how others would see them, and sometimes, they try to change who they are just to belong and be accepted. Some people think that it will make them happy if they will fit the criteria and meet the standards that other people set up for them.

But I believe otherwise. I believe that one way to live a happy life is to accept ourselves for who we are.

It is not how other people see you that is important. It is how you see yourself that is more important.
It is not whether people will like you or not that matters. It is whether you like yourself or not that matters more.

So stop pretending to be someone you’re not just to be liked and belong.
Stop being insecure and start embracing your real self

When you become comfortable with who you really are, and no longer care too much about your “image”, you will become happier and more attractive to people. So be true to yourself and be your own kind of beautiful! 🙂

(Note: I would like to say thank you to Nicky M. of TheShimmerWithinHer for the inspiration.)

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Date Written: August 11, 2016

Protect Your Self-Esteem!

“The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.”  ― Mark Twain

Some people may not pay attention very much on Self-esteem but it is important and it matters. Why? Because our Self-esteem affects the way we look at ourselves. How we perceive ourselves influences our actions, which will eventually affect the way we live our lives.

Unfortunately, there are certain factors beyond our control that could negatively impact our Self-esteem. Fortunately, we can do something to protect it and if we want to, we can re-build a more positive self-image.

Here are some helpful ways to protect our Self-esteem:

1. Choose your company

Hang out with people who appreciate you and make you feel good; and depart yourself from people who constantly put you down. We may not always avoid negative people in our lives, but we can always keep reminding ourselves not to allow their negativity to transfer onto us. Remember that you deserve to be loved and respected. So be around people who bring out the best in you.

     2. Know the difference between constructive feedback and destructive criticism.

Constructive feedback is focused on your behavior or action, and it aims to improve you . On the other hand, destructive criticism attacks you personally and it does not have any purpose for your betterment. So take in the constructive feedbacks and do not pay attention to the destructive ones.

  3. Avoid comparing yourself with others.

Do not compare yourself with others especially if you think that they are better than you. Wishing that you are on their shoes is hurtful to your self-esteem. What you can do is analyze their behavior and take note of what they are doing good, and then copy that. If it is healthy and you can benefit from it, you can mirror that attitude or behavior until it becomes you.

     4. Learn to accept compliments

Don’t be shy to accept compliments. Believe and accept that you can really be good at something so learn to say THANK YOU!

  5. Build up positive thoughts about yourself.

Don’t dwell too much on your failures as it will only drag your self-esteem. Instead, catch yourself when you do great! Make sure to celebrate small victories by rewarding yourself to things that you enjoy.

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Date Written: August 08, 2016

Free Yourself from Fear!

 

“Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Rise. It’s YOUR Choice!”- Anonymous

There are times in my life when I am scared to try a new thing just because I can’t imagine myself failing, even if I know deep inside me that I am going to be good at that certain thing. There are moments when I second-guess myself and doubt my own capabilities, fearing that I may badly hurt my self-esteem and may not recover from the blow.

However, I realized that whenever I do that— whenever I allow my fears to dictate my decisions and actions, I would only be wasting opportunities.  I would be throwing away my chances to succeed and thrive.

Fear is an illusion that our minds create to protect us from danger; but we should not allow it to disable us. Fear is NOT real.

So let us make the choice to overcome our fears and start believing that we can! If we fail, it is okay. WE CAN ALWAYS TRY AGAIN. Enjoy life everyone! =)

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Written on: June 07, 2016

Take the Driver’s Seat!

“Either You Run the Day or the Day Runs You”- Jim Rohn

They say that life is a journey. If that’s the case, I say Congratulations! That makes you an automatic driver! Now, if you’re a good driver, you’re definitely going to make it to your destination. BUT if you’re a lousy driver, you might get hit and hurt, (or do that to another “driver”) and you’re on your way to total disaster.

So, lets get familiarized with some of life’s traffic lights and signs before you go hit the road!

• STOP:

We live in a fast-paced environment where every second count and everyone is in a hurry. If you think we accomplish more by being always on the go, think again. We all need to take a break, otherwise we get burnt-out.  Also, when we’re always rushing through life, we missed out opportunities. Life is supposed to be enjoyed, not endured. It’s nice to pause once in a while and smell the roses too.

• READY & GO:

Be ready for life by equipping your self with the right attitude. Remember that your life is how you make it. Help your self attain success by breaking down your major goals into tiny goals that you can achieve. Be aware that there will be “road blocks”, and know that you only fail if you don’t try to overcome them. Think positive and believe in what you can do!

• PITSTOP:

When  you are not feeling good, you have to do a “Self-check”. Revisit the different aspects of your life and see how you are doing physically, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually. Normally, if we are bothered or feeling something unpleasant, it is our Self telling us that we need to change something in us.

• U-TURN:

Reflect on previous experience. Be it good or bad, there is always something worth remembering. Even Albert Einstein said that “The only source of knowledge is Experience.”

• DETOUR:

Sometimes, unexpected and even unpleasant things happen. It is during this occasions that we need to be brave, to go out of our comfort zones, and take risks. We should rise to the challenge and respond to the opportunity that is  given to us!

Enjoy your journey and drive safely! 🙂

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Date Written: June 30, 2016

Today will be Better!

“I wake up every morning believing today is going be better than yesterday.”             -Will Smith

Have you ever experienced waking up so refreshed, full of energy and high-spirited, but so stressed and worn-out at the end of the day? I admit that I do too, sometimes- during those times when I forget that I can be in control.

You see, people wake up everyday in an auto-pilot mode. We do the same stuff that we do, and we usually treat situations almost the same as we always do. As a result, we experience more or less the same things. Unfortunately, we also experience the not-so-favorable things because we usually let others dictate and influence how we will act.

Here’s a good fact: We have the power to be in-charge and we can choose how to run this day!

Let me share with you some tips that works well with me.

1. Appreciate that you are given one more day to live. Treat it a little more special by doing something extraordinary or unusual.

2. Decide that it will be a good day, and commit your actions to support that decision. This mindset will greatly influence the way that you react to things.

3. Let go of the thoughts that does not make you strong. Don’t dwell on previous negative experience nor stress out on the things that will not happen.

4. When you make a mistake, don’t be hard on your self. Every mistake is an opportunity to grow wiser, stronger, and better. As my previous boss used to tell me before when I make an error, “It’s okay, nobody died!”

5. Before you retire, replay in your mind what happened today.
Savor the good things, and then analyze this: What could you have done differently to make this day much better? The good news is, you can always make tomorrow better than today.

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Date Written: June 28, 2016

Let’s Plant Life Seeds!- Seed #5: I AM

There are 5 things things in life that we know are important, but do not treat with much importance. You see, simply knowing is useless until what we know is applied and manifested in our behavior or actions.

Let me give you 2 simple facts:

1. OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED. The average life expectancy of a person is 78.8 years according to CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

2. WHAT YOU PLANT IN YOUR EARLY YEARS, YOU WILL REAP IN YOUR LATER YEARS.

Some people would see our life as a book, and we’re the authors.
For this time, I want us to picture our life as a garden and we’re the gardeners planting the seeds that we will reap later in our life.

Let’s talk about the Seed#5, the last and I believe the most important one- I AM.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”- Psalm 139:14

Let me ask you a question: WHO ARE YOU?

Some people with high self-worth would be able to give fantastic answers to this question. But there are also some people who may give negative answers because of low self-worth.

Let me share with you something that I find really helpful to me. How we see ourselves is very important because it affects how we live our life.

If you are always saying negative things like I am a loser, or I am a mess, or I am a total wreck… you are pushing away all the good things that could possibly happen to you. If this is the mindset that you have, you’re saying “NO” to good things before they even happen. WHY? Because you’re affirming to yourself that you deserve to suffer and do not believe that you can be happy.

I’ll tell you a universal fact. NOBODY IS PERFECT! So instead of looking at yourself based on your failures, flaws and imperfections, focus on your good traits. You may have had your fair share of bad moments or experiences, but they do not defy who you are.

Believe me when I tell you that…

(If you’re a parent) YOU ARE A CARING DAD OR MOM
(If you have a spouse/partner)YOU ARE A LOVING SPOUSE/PARTNER
YOU’RE AN OBEDIENT AND LOVING SON OR DAUGHTER
YOU ARE A DEPENDABLE FRIEND
YOU ARE A KIND & HONEST PERSON
YOU ARE A HARD-WORKING STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE
YOU ARE PATIENT AND UNDERSTANDING
YOU ARE FUN
YOU ARE FORGIVING & PEACE-LOVING PERSON
YOU’RE DIFFERENT, BUT CONFIDENT
YOU MAY NOT LOOK LIKE A MODEL, BUT YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.
YOU MAY NOT BE A GENIUS, BUT YOU’RE SMART ENOUGH
YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE
YOU ARE WORTHY OF GOOD HEALTH
YOU ARE WORTHY OF FORGIVENESS
YOU ARE WORTHY OF ACCEPTANCE
YOU ARE WORTHY OF BLESSINGS!

If you say “I am lovable”…Love will come looking for you…If you say “I am abundant”, opportunities will come knocking at your door…If you say “I am blessed!”, blessings will be poured unto you.

Friends, we have more power over our bodies and our lives more than we think we have. We have to choose carefully what we say next to our “I AM”. Plant positive seeds for your Self-Worth.

Let me end this post with this lovely quote from Joel Osteen, “It doesn’t matter who likes or doesn’t like you, all that matters is that God likes you. He accepts you. He approves of you.”

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Did you miss the previous Seeds? Read them here.