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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Happiness...

HAPPINESS as defined by ninjawords.com:
(n) : joy, the emotion of being happy;
synonyms: felicity, blessedness, bliss

Simple or cheap things make me happy. Among these things are the rain, ginanggang (grilled unripe banana brushed with margarine and then sprinkled with sugar), and night outs with my friends.

There are people though who claim to have not found or experienced true happiness. For a person like me who's easy to please (you dare not contradict), I find this pretty pathetic. Believe me, finding happiness is not as hard as looking for that winning gold chip in Surf pouches and bars (Eeek! what a rueful metaphor).

Today, I got a forwarded email on How To Be Happy. 30 sentences, 30 tips. I think 30 is too long a list to post and comment on, so I just chose my top 15 tips.

This one goes out to Anne Tolentino. She has told me for the nth time that she never experienced real happiness in her whole 23 years of existence. Well Anne, I hope this helps you.

1. LEARN TO SAY THANK YOU. Thank those who have done something good to you. Send them a text message, an email, an instant message, a call (if your mobile is loaded :p) or just whisper 'thank you' .

2. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH OTHERS WHO ARE HAPPY. When you are with people who are happy, you kind of absorb their aura and have a happy disposition as well, but if you are around angry, or melancholic people, chances are, you become like them.

3. CONNECT WITH OTHERS. Go out with friends. But then, Check #1. Again, be careful about who you hang out with. Spend time with people who you know will cheer you up. Do not hang out with people who are gloomy, or you'll end up drinking 5 buckets of beer, wasted, wallowing in self pity and feeling more unhappy.

4. SAVOR LIFE. Try to do things slowly. Focus on one goal at a time. Resolve to have less to do each day. Do things with ease and mindfulness. Enjoy your lunch break, your cup of coffee, your morning walks and conversations.

5. TREAT YOURSLF. Give yourself little treats. An 8-hour sleep, a large mug of latte (from Spro--shameless plug), a foot spa, a bag of Doritos, or a tub of vanilla ice cream.

6. THIS SHALL PASS. When bad things happen, and you're having trouble accepting it, think to yourself the same thing the ancients did: "This, too, shall pass." And you'll survive.

7. SHARE. Practice the art of sharing. It might be a chocolate cookie, some amount of money, your talent, or maybe your time.

8. LOOK AT YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS. Look at what you have done instead of what you haven't done. Your achievements can boost your self-esteem and will make you feel good about yourself.

9. LAUGH. Hang out with your crazy friends, watch dumb videos on Youtube, go to comedycentral.com, or watch "Tagalized" Doraemon(this works for me). Laugh your head off!

10. HAVE A GOAL. Too many goals will lead to ineffectiveness. Choose one goal and really focus on it then work to accomplish it. Goals lead to happiness, if you make progress on them.

11. DO LITTLE ACTS OF KINDNESS. Helping your friend finish her baby back ribs meal is one example. *tee hee*

12. EXERCISE. Just a short walk or jog could lift your spirits and reduce stress. Nothing difficult. Just get outside and move.

13. LEARN SOMETHING NEW. It's strange how many of us fear to try new things and/or admit that we do not know something. Learning new skills or new information is one of the most fun things there is to do. Hang out with geeks(like what I do) and you're sure to learn something new everyday.

14. NATURE WATCH. Watch the sunrise or sunset. Listen to the the rain. Watch the stars, rainbows and clouds. Watch the flowers. Watch animals. Watch insects. Watch people (in my case, I ogle).

15. LAUGH SOME MORE. When you are in the middle of a bad situation, look around you, realize the absurdity of the situation, and just laugh. In a year, no one will care. In two years, you'll be laughing at this anyway. So laugh now, and be happy now.

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