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Can we really choose to be happy?
Abraham Lincoln once said that “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Which seems to suggest that we can just make the choice to be happy, but is it that simple? Below are some quotations that I have compiled to help reflect upon happiness and what it means to you.
1. “Life is like a camera. Focus on what’s important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives. And if things don’t work out, take another shot.” Author unknown
2. “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.” Elizabeth Gilbert
3. “Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.” Author Unknown
4. “I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” Carl Jung
5. “Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” – Wayne Dyer
6. “You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.” Isak Dinesen
7. “You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.” Author unknow
8. “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” Dalai Lama
9. “Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” William E. Gladstone
Is your life a right or a gift?
Today’s post was inspired by the Khoutba or sermon given by our Imam last Friday. Reflecting upon it, I realized that I wrote a blog entry last year entitled “In this one life, how do you want to be remembered?” in which I was talking about how short life is, and how many people take it for granted. The Imam’s perspective was, of course, religious but nonetheless very relevant to our mundane life.
Time does not wait for anyone. However you choose to spend it is your choice. What you neglect to do today, at this very moment, is gone, you can not make up for it. The Imam made the point that the number one request for the people who already passed, is to have one more chance to come back to life and do the right thing, do good deeds, to be closer to their Maker. We all know that it is a request that’s never granted. So why don’t we avail ourselves of the opportunities that we have to do good before it is too late?
Motivation Wednesday # 17: Dare to be
Today’s motivation is a piece of poetry that I came across thru my readings. It is from Steve Maraboli. I hope you enjoy it as I did.
Dare to Be
When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
Dare to be the best you can –
At all times, Dare to be!”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
Whatever you are, be an optimist!
We’ve all heard the saying “we become what we think about”. We also know that what we focus on expand, and yet many people have a very pessimistic outlook on life. It is true that negative thoughts make they way into our minds from time to time. However we have no business inviting them let alone making them comfortable there. Being a pessimist will keep us in a constant state of fear. We are afraid that what we truly want will not happen. However by thinking about that over and over again it we will become our reality; indeed, the law of attraction is here to make sure of that.
How we talk to ourselves determines whether we are a pessimist or an optimist. When we have positive conversations with ourselves we tend to expect good things to happen to us. We tend not to worry because we know things will turn out fine and they usually will. We see more of what we anticipate. Optimists are happier people and accomplish more in life. The state of mind of an optimist is more conducive to success. On the other hand, the pessimist expect the worst and blame themselves for whatever goes
Motivation Wednesday # 6
If it is hard right now for you to believe in yourself, be with people who have faith in you, friends and families who can uplift you when you are feeling down. Stay away from dreams stealers, those who will shoot down any ideas you are excited about. Avoid free advice as much as you can, as it usually contains a lot of toxic poison. To Steve Job’s wisdom, “Don’t let the noise of other people’s opinion drawn out your own inner voice!” There’s isn’t and there will never be someone like you. So be yourself and be the best you can be, because everyone else is taken. You are good enough, however you need to take charge of your own development if you want to keep it up!
Question: Have you ever faced rejection? If yes, how did you handle it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Fail and fail again but keep going anyway!
Are you afraid of failing? Are you one of the many people who always say “failure is not an option”? If you answer yes to those questions keep reading I have got news for you. Thomas Edison once said that “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”. The key point in Mr. Edison’s statement, I believe, is the power to keep on keeping on in front of setbacks.

As you may have probably heard many times over, “success is not a destination, it is a journey”. Then it is quite natural for you to make stops and detours, on your way, under unforeseen circumstances. That is the reason why it is advisable to set your goals on rock but your plans on quick sand. Your goals to get where you want to go should not change, but the plans on how to go about it should be flexible in case something happens. Below are few ideas on why failure is important for you.
4 areas you need to work on for a balanced life
Balance is key! whether it is your personal life or your work life, too much of anything can be harmful. However the idea of balance can mean different things to different people. I want to address four areas of life that are essential to anyone and which, if worked on properly, can make you calm, clear-headed and well-grounded. Too many people are being pulled from many directions and too many times they are directions they do not need to follow.
Living a balanced life is like sitting on a four-legged chair, if one leg is missing, sitting safely and comfortably becomes almost impossible. Following are four areas of your life that if paid close attention to, and worked on diligently would provide you with a solid foundation for a life