Archive for the ‘Happiness Quotes’ Category

Single Candles

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

HEcandle2

The Light of a Single Candle
Is Not Diminished By
Lighting a Thousand More.

This is also true of happiness.
Happiness is not diminished by sharing it.

If we decide to summon up a genuine sense of joy and honest appreciation and then continually project it, we can’t help but take on a more positive mood ourselves.

Our Focus Determines Our Feelings.  It’s the First Law of Happiness. By focusing our time and attention on projecting good things we feel good.  We may easily brighten someone else’s day as well.

We’re not trying to manipulate people’s moods or make people happy.

We’re simply trying to touch the people we meet with a positive spirit, an honest, enthusiastic smile and genuine appreciation…

A smile and a warm “Good morning” or an unexpected “Enjoy a beautiful evening.”

A heartfelt hello and smile for the lady who hands you coffee in the morning, the bus driver, the toll taker, the men on the sanitation trucks. Everyone you meet.

Imagine what would happen if we all decided to end our aloof, reserved indifference by radiating a genuine sense of warmth? If strangers smiled and acknowledged us as we greeted them the same way?

A single second of shared joy and appreciation to warm our moment as we pass by to enjoy our day.

What would happen if everyone decided to do it?  Even for just a day?  Would we keep it going and make it a habit?

Some people will scowl and shrink away and that’s okay.  We have already brightened our own moment and we’re not allowing them to darken our day. They are the people who need a bright smile and a warm greeting the most.HBcandles4

What would happen if we all decided to do it even for just a day?

We would be much happier, our day much warmer, the world more joyful.  We wouldn’t want to stop.

When shall we try it?

Copyright 1999-     , Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Links to our website and pages are welcomed! Please note our materials may NOT be published, broadcast, redistributed or rewritten without written permission from the authors. Explore HappinessHabit.com and HappinessBlog.com for more happiness insights.

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What is Spiritual Freedom?

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

utahlandscape21.jpg“The highest and greatest of the human freedoms is to choose your attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

~ Viktor Frankl, “Man’s Search for Meaning”

The concept of Spiritual Freedom grew from Viktor Frankl’s incredible accounts of how some men triumphed emotionally and spiritually over the most horrific circumstances, Auschwitz.

“Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical distress.”

Each inmate ultimately chose whether to succumb to prison camp mentality and become a mere product of their environment and experience or to try to triumph spiritually and be something more, better and different.

“Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him – mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp.”

Frankl describes how some men went about comforting and aiding their fellow prisoners while others succumbed to the most selfish, basest motivations and desires.

Frankl illustrates a key aspect of the Happiness Habit :

“If we don’t consciously decide what sort of person we want to be and  then work to become that person, our environment and our experience determine both our identity and our destiny for us.”

Beyond the barbed wires in life, there is always a wide expanse of opportunity, spiritual freedom and emotional independence that frees us from being dominated and controlled by our circumstances.

We can decide what sort of person we want to be and work to become that person.  We can decide to practice being our best selves all of the time and and continually try to do our best, feel our best and be our best all of the time. Our best will continue to get even better. 

A key to happiness and spiritual success is to always look past the barbed wire!

See HappinessHabit.com for more happiness insights. Copyright 2007, Michele Moore.  All Rights Reserved.  Reprints.  Michele Moore is author of How To Live A Happy Life – 101 Ways To Be Happier.

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The Pope’s Happiness & Fat?!!!

Tuesday, March 20th, 2007

happyangel12.jpg

Are God and Jesus Christ are the only true sources of happiness?

“Sometimes, the person who has everything he could desire is still not happy; meanwhile someone deprived of everything, even freedom or health, can be joyful and peaceful, if God is within his heart. ”
~ Pope Benedict XVI

We both agree and disagree!

Certainly many church teachings are central and crucial to living a happy, spiritually successful life. Compassion, goodness, honesty, virtue and truth are the basis of a happy life.

We also know many very religious people who are not especially happy. Some of the most horrendous crimes in history were committed with a false sense of religious righteousness.

Some of the happiness people in the world are Buddhists who do not have a concept of God that is central to our Judeo Christian creed. Buddhists do have compelling teachings about compassion, care and concern for others that are central to their beliefs.

It is these values, we believe, that bring Buddhists happiness. The ancient Greeks agreed, “A man who is not virtuous will never be happy.” ~ Epicurus

Herb Benham jokes about a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine reporting that fat men are less likely to commit suicide than thin men!? One wonders if worry is keeping people thin and unhappy.

Taking pride in feeling good and looking good is important source of happiness! We don’t believe habitually over eating is a healthy, enduring source of joy.

What do you think? Post your comments below!

See HappinessHabit.com for more resources.

Copyright 2007, Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved.  Reprints.

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Happiness Choices Show Who We Are

Tuesday, March 13th, 2007

happysunflwr.jpg“It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
~ J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series

How true this is with happiness and all other facets of our lives!

Our choices reveal our beliefs, ideals and our values.

The world evaluates us by what we value.

Truly happy people are guided by goodness, love, caring and compassion. They continually focus on doing their best and being their best. Love propels their work, their lives and their happiness.

They live by the highest and best values and beliefs. Their minds and lives are founded and grounded in honesty, virtue, goodness and truth. The universe respects, admires and rewards people who try to do good things well.

People who prefer greed and malicious manipulation over integrity, compassion and goodness are only happy when they beat somebody. When they don’t win they are miserable. They must feel superior to feel good about themselves. This is the path to emptiness, material gains on occasion, but still an unhappy, meaningless life.

Love propels happiness. Wherever love and goodness are limited or lacking there is no happiness. Look around and see if the wicked appear truly happy to you. Most are very shallow, weak, empty and insecure.

See HappinessHabit.com for more happiness wisdom.

Copyright©2007-      Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved.   Reprints.

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Happiness & Mastering the Art of Living

Tuesday, March 13th, 2007

Kouroshd0A Master in the Art of Living
Draws no sharp distinction
between work and play
labor and leisure
mind and body
education and recreation.
They hardly know
which is which.

A Master simply pursues
a vision of Excellence
in everything they do
and leaves others to determine
if it is work or play.

To the Master
it always seems
to be a bit of both.

James A Mitchener (Adapted)

See HappinessHabit.com for more insights on happy living.

Copyright©2007-      Michele Moore. All Rights Reserved. Reprints. Michele Moore is author of How To Live A Happy Life – 101 Ways To Be Happier.

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