The Real Meaning of Happiness

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Think about this for a moment. We've been taught that getting the job, the relationship, the house, or some other want will bring us happiness. What often happens, once a dream is achieved, is that the happiness we longed to feel is fleeting at best, and then we quickly find ourselves thinking, "What else can I get to make me happy?" This thinking doesn't serve us. After all, how many times have we read tragic stories about the rich and famous, people who have money galore and every material desire, but still happiness eludes them.

So, the answer is not to stop dreaming and achieving our heartfelt desires, but rather to experience happiness on a more consistent basis -- to enjoy the journey. Here's another secret how you can do this -- treat yourself to some small, harmless indulgence on a regular basis.

If you do this, you are saying "yes" to happiness right now, not tomorrow or the day after, or 10 years from now. You are also expanding the positive energy around you. When this happens, you begin attracting people, situations, and material wealth like a magnet right to your side.

When you have a happy and positive frame of mind, you set in motion the opportunities that will enable you to achieve the things you want most of all.

Wants and Needs

Distinguishing between your wants and your needs is an essential part of realizing your dreams. While many of us may want a Jaguar or a new wardrobe, or a number of other things, we don't necessarily need to have them in order to live a joyful, productive life.

There is one mantra many of us need to be reminded to incorporate into our life -- "All I have is all I need." Now I want to make it clear that this mantra doesn't mean that you can't desire or obtain material things in your life. You certainly can, and let me reiterate that we are going to make this happen for you. But while we wait patiently for our desires to take hold, most of us need to be reminded of the abundance that we do have. This perspective brings us the issue of the water in the glass. Should we focus on what we don't have or on what we do have?

It is important to appreciate the positive things around us. Recognizing our assets and giving gratitude for them makes for a very powerful situation to live joyfully in the present as well as to set the stage to attract more of what you want.

The easiest way to do this is to write down in a journal at least three things you are grateful for each day. I speak from experience when I say that after a week of doing this simple exercise you will feel happier. Should you run into an obstacle that is preventing you from realizing one of your dreams, take out your journal and read down the list of things you wrote and you will feel a force of positive energy surge through your body.

Remember above all, it is the person you become, and not the things you achieve or the things you acquire that is most important.

The Universe is on your side now. You are moving forward.

New Beginnings

As Henry Thoreau wrote: "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."

In order to change, the first thing you must do is get yourself unstuck. To do this, it is important that you look closely at how you perceive yourself. Most limitations to success you perceive come from internalizing negative messages from people and past events. These can easily be overcome.

This is very important for you to remember -- you do have the power to succeed. And together, we are going to grow your awareness and choice-making ability so you can experience abundance in every area of your life.

Know that the thoughts that empower you to succeed come from your true Self and a Higher Power. This is why you must first love yourself and embrace the incredible blessings you have been given. Now more than ever, know that it is not only possible to change your thinking but also your actions. This steady change will allow your dreams to blossom and be realized. As Marcus Aurelius said "The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."

So that is why this week I want you to remember to concentrate on:

1. Focusing your mind on your best achievements, both big and small, and your ability to succeed.

2. Quieting your mind for 15 minutes each day in order to feel the energy flow within you. This will help get your thoughts moving in the right direction so that you can begin realizing your dreams.

3. Choosing one goal and taking your first step towards achieving it.

You can't expect to achieve success or move beyond your present situation unless you truly believe in yourself. Now is the time to use this inner power to change your life.

I know you can do this and just think positive, every step of the way.

What Makes You Cry?

A number of things make my eyes tear up...

the death or the pending death of someone close to me -- parents, family, friends, pets or just a worthwhile and courageous person's story will do it. I can also get tearful at a movie. However, the ones with elegant endings that make all the negative factors into a beautiful finish will really do it.

Songs like, Moon River, Wind Beneath My Wings, You Raise Me Up... and all other emotionally written songs.

Books can cause tears -- Even sunsets and intensely beautiful natural experiences -- like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time could bring me close to tears. Just thinking about the loss of childhood friends, ambitions, locations, and family can do it as can the lover that never quite became permanent.

Life's frustrations and injustices. however, usually bring out anger -- usually cold anger and resolve rather than tearful hot anger. I would probably be better off with the tears.

Job Hunting

It's been a year since I last blogged. And now that I'm in another country, i've been having a hard time looking for full-time work. they all suggest that i take another course, have a master's degree or specialize in something. but i'm tired of studying and it will cost loads of money... again!

So, what i did was search the internet for some tips in job hunting. and i'm here to share it with some of you and i hope that it would be of great help to everyone.

I do believe that doing research on the company before going to an interview is very wise. You need to be aware of any policies, dress codes, rules and regulations, benefits, how long they have been in business, or if they stand in good with the Better Business Bureau. Yes, I do need a job, but I want to be sure that I won't get stuck in a company with a bad reputation, working for someone who is not honest with their employees such as paying their workers on time and with a fair salary, and a safe environment. These are very important for anyone who is seeking employment. People are so desperate in finding a job that they'll take anything that comes along,especially in this economy. You have to be very careful on the internet of what you read as far as employment,and even in the newspaper. Some job advertisements sounds to good to be true. A research is necessary, always.

That Time of Year Again...

When the holidays arrive, life becomes rather chaotic. Our regular routines are disrupted by holiday gatherings, we spend time shopping for holiday gifts and food, and we get time off from work, but most likely have to work harder to get that work done. Yet, even with all of this extra hoopla and frenetic activity, we can learn to keep the peace within ourselves.

I just want to clarify, that being at peace and being happy aren't necessarily the same thing. There is a definite difference between our feelings and the state of our inner being. The state of inner being is what helps us maneuver through life in a calmer and more peaceful way, regardless of what may be happening around us and/or how we feel about it.

Experiencing inner peace comes from practicing the art of letting go. When we hold onto feelings and situations, reliving them over and over in our minds and feeling the feelings again and again we keep ourselves in a state of inner turmoil, even when some of the situations and feelings are happy ones. So how do we get to a place where we can achieve inner calm? It is actually through our ability to acknowledge our feelings about the things that happen to us and around us and then we can let them go.

This may sound strange, but in actuality nothing ever stays the same. No matter how happy or sad we may feel in any given moment, no matter what may be going on in our lives, it will always change. So hanging onto resentments, fear, and anger or trying to hold fast to feelings of happiness and joy actually keeps us in a state of inner turmoil. Acknowledging our feelings and then allowing them to flow into our past frees us to live in peace. This is the art of letting go.

I am sharing an exercise with you in the event you would like to try this. The next time you find yourself in the midst of turmoil, find a quiet spot and close your eyes and breathe slow deep breaths, for just a few minutes. Allow any feeling that comes up to wash over you and then flow away. Then take a really deep cleansing breath and return to your day. Do this as often as you need to and you will discover that you can do it faster and more easily each time.

Inner peace is the key to living a better, more fruitful and comfortable life. If you practice the art of letting go, over time you will find yourself doing it quite naturally. You will discover that there are times when you become consistently peaceful from within and don't even have to pick up and feel feelings before you let them go.

Synchronicities

Not too long ago, I was having a small talk with my friend Cheryle. We were in her garden and at one point our discussion turned to her mother-in-law who passed away not long ago. Apparently, her mother-in-law loved observing and identifying butterflies, and she was also an amateur painter. At one point, my friend was telling me about a beautiful butterfly book her mother-in-law had made from her own hand-painted images of butterflies, and just at that moment a large beautiful butterfly flew down and landed on the jam pot and rested there for several minutes.

We couldn't help noticing the synchronicity of the butterfly's appearance right when we were having a discussion about this exotic insect. It was almost as if her grandmother was sending us a sweet little message through the butterfly. Of course, I was thrilled to experience this magical moment. I have frequent experiences with synchronicity. For example, I might have a dream about someone I haven't seen in ages, and suddenly I'll get a call from them, or I'll read something and a word will stand out in my mind, and I end up seeing it everywhere I go.

Synchronicity is more than just coincidence. It is a way that events, actions, and thoughts come together to communicate with us in a meaningful way. Synchronicities can be very reassuring to us, by validating a feeling we have about something or someone, or confirming the validity of a new idea or plan. Synchronicity is a bit like having a psychic check-in that lets us know we are on the right track, or someone we love and miss is never far away.

The term, synchronicity, was coined by the famous psychiatrist Carl Jung, who first noticed a connection between incidents that were more than just coincidences when he was working with a patient. Apparently, his first understanding of synchronicity came about when a patient was sharing thoughts about dreams, which centered around Egyptian scarab beetles. While relating her dreams, a scarab flew right through the window and landed on Jung. The thing that made the appearance of the insect most unusual was that it was not native to the part of the world where the analysis session was taking place. This led Jung to conclude that the part of the psyche, called the collective unconscious, had produced the scarab beetle at the exact moment the patient was describing her dream.

Jung's conclusion was that our unconscious minds have an affect on the physical world around us, just as the physical world affects our conscious and unconscious minds. As an astrologer, I frequently see synchronicity at work in the lives of my clients as they look for and recognize synchronicities that confirm their understanding of the readings I give them.

Synchronicity has often given me guidance and comfort and I hope that you will experience synchronicities in your life as well to help guide you on your path. If you are on the lookout for it, you may be pleasantly surprised.