I have a habit of keeping copy of memorable emails received from friends and family members through the years. The source of these mails are unknown but they contain useful and meaningful messages that we can heed. The following from my email collection:
Tips to a Happier Life
Stress affects all of us and can show its manifestations in various forms. We cannot avoid it altogether, but what we can do is follow some of these hints to reduce stress from our lives. Here is a list of ten quotations and how we can interpret these to experience a happier and stress free tomorrow.
1) Cry a river; build a bridge; get over it.
Let go of past failures, sadness and people whom we remember but who no longer care for us. This sounds so easy but it’s easier said than done. We all have gone through our share of heartaches and sadness. But when we constantly remember the pain and suffering we had endured, we are allowing that sadness to gain an upper hand over us. What we must realize is that what has happened has happened. It’s over and done with. People change and times change. Moving on in life is very difficult but It’s the first constructive step to a better you.
2) Everything happens in its own time.
There are things that we do and expect to be rewarded for which does not happen. In offices, there might be a promotion that we might have wanted, a high score on a test, or a job offer that we were sure that was to be given to us that never worked out. At such times we lose perspective and blame our luck and become despondent. We need to realize that there is a time for everything that happens in our lives. And when the appropriate time comes, things will start working the way they were supposed to work.
3) You are the only person who can make yourself happy.
Think of "your" happiness, too, and be kind to yourself. In life, all of us have goals and ambitions. But in the pursuit of those goals, we lose sight of the bigger picture that we are doing these things to make ourselves happy. This is seen especially in the case of mothers who are doing so many things for their kids and family that they don't remember when the last time was that they did something for their own happiness.
It happens to all of us. Be gentler with yourself. Make yourself happy, and that can be done in so many ways. Treat yourself to some ice cream, buy a book that you were dying to read, spend a day lolling in the bed doing nothing. We deserve it and so do our bodies.
4) Laughter is the best tranquilizer with no side effects.
Laugh each and every day of your life. Humorous situations happen to us every single day. Whether you choose to enjoy the moment or not is your decision. There are so many excuses in our day-to-day life to have a good laugh. All we need to do is just look at the lighter side of life and enjoy the moment. When you laugh, don't think whether people are watching you or how much you laugh. It's their problem that they cannot find the humor in the situation that you have found.
5) Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
As we make our journey through life, we have so many things to savor and experience. There is no such thing as instant happiness or happiness that can be found somewhere. Live your life each day, the same way you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.
6) Do today what others won't so you can live tomorrow like others can't?
So many times we are faced with duties and work that we are not happy doing or performing. In those times, instead of hating or shirking from that work, we can try and make use of the thought that somehow, whatever we are doing will prove beneficial to us one day or another. Maybe the results won't be seen tomorrow, but surely we will benefit because we did something that no one was willing to do. An example would be the people who started companies which are million dollar establishments today. They dared to venture and put their money in something that their colleagues would not have been willing to do, and today their work is paying off rich dividends.
7) It is never too late to be what you might have become.
There are several factors that cause us to end up doing the work we do. Many of us, at some point of time, would have definitely wanted to make a career change and thought that it's too late to do it. But the truth is it's never too late. You can start doing whatever we want to do because it's your life and your decisions. Think of the people who attend college in their late 60's and 70's because they always wanted to do it. Such people are the ones who truly believe in this adage.
8) Treasure the love you receive; it will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.
We always seem to cherish our material possessions more than we should. But life can take a lot more from us. Today we might have good health, family love and a good home to go back to. What we forget is that there are so many calamities that can take away all our comforts, but love is something that can never be taken away. We need to be more demonstrative of our love towards others and treat our loved ones with more kindness and affection.
9) The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Any huge task that needs to be done seems very daunting at first. But if we analyze the task carefully, and do it step-by-step, we will find that things get resolved very quickly and easily. But we need to be bold enough to take the first small step. Once that is done, we just need to proceed with additional small steps towards our goal.
10) Always have something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
These three things are what will keep the flame burning within all of us. Something to do will keep us busy, something to love will keep us motivated and something to hope for will take us faster towards our goal.
Stress affects all of us and can show its manifestations in various forms. We cannot avoid it altogether, but what we can do is follow some of these hints to reduce stress from our lives. Here is a list of ten quotations and how we can interpret these to experience a happier and stress free tomorrow.
1) Cry a river; build a bridge; get over it.
Let go of past failures, sadness and people whom we remember but who no longer care for us. This sounds so easy but it’s easier said than done. We all have gone through our share of heartaches and sadness. But when we constantly remember the pain and suffering we had endured, we are allowing that sadness to gain an upper hand over us. What we must realize is that what has happened has happened. It’s over and done with. People change and times change. Moving on in life is very difficult but It’s the first constructive step to a better you.
2) Everything happens in its own time.
There are things that we do and expect to be rewarded for which does not happen. In offices, there might be a promotion that we might have wanted, a high score on a test, or a job offer that we were sure that was to be given to us that never worked out. At such times we lose perspective and blame our luck and become despondent. We need to realize that there is a time for everything that happens in our lives. And when the appropriate time comes, things will start working the way they were supposed to work.
3) You are the only person who can make yourself happy.
Think of "your" happiness, too, and be kind to yourself. In life, all of us have goals and ambitions. But in the pursuit of those goals, we lose sight of the bigger picture that we are doing these things to make ourselves happy. This is seen especially in the case of mothers who are doing so many things for their kids and family that they don't remember when the last time was that they did something for their own happiness.
It happens to all of us. Be gentler with yourself. Make yourself happy, and that can be done in so many ways. Treat yourself to some ice cream, buy a book that you were dying to read, spend a day lolling in the bed doing nothing. We deserve it and so do our bodies.
4) Laughter is the best tranquilizer with no side effects.
Laugh each and every day of your life. Humorous situations happen to us every single day. Whether you choose to enjoy the moment or not is your decision. There are so many excuses in our day-to-day life to have a good laugh. All we need to do is just look at the lighter side of life and enjoy the moment. When you laugh, don't think whether people are watching you or how much you laugh. It's their problem that they cannot find the humor in the situation that you have found.
5) Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
As we make our journey through life, we have so many things to savor and experience. There is no such thing as instant happiness or happiness that can be found somewhere. Live your life each day, the same way you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.
6) Do today what others won't so you can live tomorrow like others can't?
So many times we are faced with duties and work that we are not happy doing or performing. In those times, instead of hating or shirking from that work, we can try and make use of the thought that somehow, whatever we are doing will prove beneficial to us one day or another. Maybe the results won't be seen tomorrow, but surely we will benefit because we did something that no one was willing to do. An example would be the people who started companies which are million dollar establishments today. They dared to venture and put their money in something that their colleagues would not have been willing to do, and today their work is paying off rich dividends.
7) It is never too late to be what you might have become.
There are several factors that cause us to end up doing the work we do. Many of us, at some point of time, would have definitely wanted to make a career change and thought that it's too late to do it. But the truth is it's never too late. You can start doing whatever we want to do because it's your life and your decisions. Think of the people who attend college in their late 60's and 70's because they always wanted to do it. Such people are the ones who truly believe in this adage.
8) Treasure the love you receive; it will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.
We always seem to cherish our material possessions more than we should. But life can take a lot more from us. Today we might have good health, family love and a good home to go back to. What we forget is that there are so many calamities that can take away all our comforts, but love is something that can never be taken away. We need to be more demonstrative of our love towards others and treat our loved ones with more kindness and affection.
9) The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Any huge task that needs to be done seems very daunting at first. But if we analyze the task carefully, and do it step-by-step, we will find that things get resolved very quickly and easily. But we need to be bold enough to take the first small step. Once that is done, we just need to proceed with additional small steps towards our goal.
10) Always have something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
These three things are what will keep the flame burning within all of us. Something to do will keep us busy, something to love will keep us motivated and something to hope for will take us faster towards our goal.
