Happiness

Health is your wealth and your happiness!

You have probably come upon quotes or sayings that voice the same thing. This is because one of the major reasons why people are happy is because they are healthy. Without physical strength and an active body, there can be no real happiness since you will not be able to accomplish and attain anything anymore.

This is why you do not have to ridicule those who are so conscious of what they eat and the exercise that they subject themselves into. They are just trying to maintain that healthy feeling that promotes happiness.

You too can improve the state you are in. It just might be the solution to the kind of happiness you have been looking for for so long now. What do you need to do?

1. Exercise.

At first, it would seem that your body is not able to endure all the physical hardships that go with exercising. Counteract these by having a positive mindset. Think results. Imagine what you will become some time in the future.

With the kind of foods available to people today, it is no wonder that people die young. If you do want to live long enough to experience happiness, then you need to take care of your health.

Choose the program that fits your needs. Take it slow. There is no need to rush these things. Eventually you will see the result of your hard work.

2. Be kind to yourself.

Some people think poorly of themselves because they have low self-esteem. They think they do not have the physical attributes to make them feel love and acceptance. These people who retreat to their own world.

Your physical looks are not the cornerstone of your happiness. There are more important factors such as health, spirituality, and attitude.

What would you rather be? A good-looking person confined to medications and bouts of illnesses? Or an average person who is healthy and fit enough to enjoy socializing and being active?

Do not downgrade yourself just because you are not perfect. No one is perfect. But everyone can be happy no matter what they look like.

3. Diet change.

If you want to stay healthy, you should start considering your food intake more seriously. Are you living on junk foods and other instant meals that are not offering the vitamins and minerals that your body needs?

If you do not know what is good for you, review the basic teachings about health and diet. This is where you will find what kinds of foods that will prove important to your health.

4. Health is more important than money.

Many people think that they need money to be happy. If you are not healthy, will you be able to enjoy that money?

The purpose of working is to be able to afford a lifestyle that allows you to pursue happiness. Money is only a tool.

Do some soul searching. Now is the best time for you to make choices about how you wish to spend the rest of your life.

Life is as good as I allow it to be.

Lord God you are my Creator.

Together we can accomplish miracles.

A lot of people I have known have regrets about their life.

They say that they wish they had:

• gone to school
• traveled the world
• entered/exited a relationship
• and many other things

When I hear these comments, it reminds me of something I heard many years ago called the rocking chair test.

The way it works is when you are trying to decide whether or not to do something ask this question: When I am old and grey sitting on my front porch in my rocking chair will I say “I wish I would have done it or I’m glad I did it”?

A lot of the regrets that we have stem from of outside pressures (friends, relatives). We want to please others and think that will make us happy.

The sobriety chips that are given out at AA meetings have one statement that says it all “To thine own self be true”. If we cannot act truthfully on our own feelings (wants and desires) then how can we be true to someone else?

So, the next time you are standing at a fork in the road, consider the rocking chair test.

Life is as good as I allow it to be.

Technorati Tags: rocking chair test, regrets, To thine own self be true

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before my Higher Power along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune.

I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their
tapestries. So filled their lives had been.

My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes.

I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again .

I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to my Higher Power in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light.

An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.  Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ.

Then my Higher Power stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.”

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing your Higher Power to shine through!

Our Higher Power determines who walks into your life. . . it’s up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

I have heard it said that there is nothing good or bad in this life, it is just our perception that makes the difference. I decide by the way I think about an item if it is good or bad for me. And, we all do it.

Wayne Dyer talks about something he observed the day the Shuttle exploded on take off from JFK center in Florida. He was preparing for a talk in California and had not heard about the accident. Someone that he was with heard the news about 10 hours after it happened.

This person said “that makes me so sad”. Wayne turned to her and said “if that made you sad, you would have been sad ten hours ago”. So, it is not what happens that effects but what we think about something.

When my grand daughter was born and given a very short life expectancy, we could have just collapsed and become the victim. But, we have decided to celebrate her life and enjoy her while she is physically around.

If one wants to be happy, do it, BE happy.

To see what it takes to be happy, watch a child during a birthday or Christmas celebration. The little ones seem to have more fun playing with the boxes and wrapping than the expensive gift. They are able to be happy thru the use of their imagination, not the stuff.

Life is as good as I allow it to be.