|
|
| Information |
|
|
Having Fun with Life
It was just a few degrees shy of swimming weather a few weeks ago at the beach. I walked along the shore in my jeans and a red tankini top, the salt air refreshing against my skin but not quite cold. My two sisters and some friends and I were taking a brief hike down the beach. Up ahead, a small freshwater creek came out of the pine forest along the beach and cut across our path. The water of the creek was a ribbon of earthy red crossing the white sandy beach. As we approached, I said to my sister Audra, "let's jump it!" It was a shallow creek, and only about seven feet wide, easily fordable. But something within me wanted to run, to leap, to risk splashing down in the cold water. Carefully wading across just wasn't going to do it for me. I wanted to jump the creek - for no reason other than the fun of it. My sister enthusiastically agreed, so we got a running start and began to run willy-nilly down the beach, our feet pounding down into the soft, powdery sand. The narrow creek approached rapidly, the wind in my face urging me along, my hair flying about, and when we reached the sandy edges leading down into the creek, we hurdled through the air as if jumping the Grand Canyon. I landed just short of the other side, sending diamond drops of water spraying all around me and soaking the cuff of my jeans. My sister landed right beside me and we laughed like children. It was fun. I felt happy and alive. The 14th Dalai Lama said, "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." Indeed. This purpose I gladly share with all fellow humans. As you go about your day, do you find yourself caught up in happiness, laughter and fun? As children, everything we did was for fun. That was the purpose behind every action. That was the part of me that had to leap across the creek. As you complete your daily duties - going to work, doing the laundry, checking your email, whatever your daily habits may be - is fun your purpose? Is happiness your objective? When you were younger, the pursuit of fun and happiness came naturally. You didn't have to put a lot of effort into looking for it. If your mother had asked you, "So dear, are you going to try to have fun today?" you would have looked at her like she was crazy. Fun is a child's obvious objective. If they want to build a castle, they have fun doing it. If they want to plant some flowers, they have a blast in the process. Mud pies - fun. Washing the dog - fun. At some point our priorities change. Our purpose and objective often becomes money and work. The obvious and natural engagement in fun activities falls to the wayside. When I'm taking myself too seriously, writing at the computer or something, my son always reminds me of my priorities. He'll come up to me and say, "Let's play tigers!" and we'll wrestle on the floor, growling and meowing. Or he'll run up to me and say, "Look, a rainbow!" and point to the refracted light coming from the sunlight shining through some glass. Being an adult doesn't mean abandoning the quest for fun. If life is not meant for fun and happiness, what is it meant for? Think about the things you might have done as a child. Did you climb trees, ride bicycles, eat ice cream and (purposefully of course) get it all over your face? Did you run uphill and pick flowers and play in the hose because you wanted any excuse to get muddy and wet? What do you do now for fun? As an adult you have more freedom, not less, than as a child. You've got a car and money and no curfew or confined play areas. Your play should be increased, not decreased! I'm not suggesting that you quit your job and play in the sandbox all day. What I am suggesting is that you quit working and start playing. Children find the fun in almost anything. It's all a state of mind. You can choose to view life as fun, or you can choose not to. Have fun at your job, have fun completing tasks, have fun brushing your teeth, have fun eating. Do also increase the purposeful acts of fun in your life. Go on a spontaneous lunch picnic. Go for a hike in the woods. Take a road trip to the country for a couple hours. Drive down to the beach. And be spontaneous and adventurous. When something silly strikes you, go for it! What's the worst that could happen? Have fun with your life. Break up your daily routine with intentional acts of fun. Laugh really loud. Take a leap! Copyright 2005, Alexia Alderson Chamberlynn Alexia Alderson Chamberlynn is the Co-Owner of Prosperity Power Training, LLC, a national training company specializing in e-learning, life coaching and live group training. To contact Alexia or sign up for free services such as a Free 7-Day Training Program, free monthly newsletter and free quote-of-the-day club, visit the website at http://www.prosperitypowertraining.com. Alexia expects to release her first novel in 2005. Alexia lives in Florida with her son Gareth.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. Help News pick Stadium's greatest moment (New York Daily News) The News is marking the countdown to the final game at The House That Ruth Built by reflecting on Yankee Stadium's greatest moments - and we're asking you - the reader - to help us pick out the best of the best. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. Site: news - Google News Palm Shares Soar As New Smartphone Wins Wall Street Praise - CNNMoney.com
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for happiness 'Harvest Moon' sows little happiness at 10 (USA Today) Originally launched on the Super Nintendo, the "Harvest Moon" series of video games is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the release of "Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness" for the Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, unless you have extreme patience, you will not experience much happiness with this software title that suffers from difficult controls and tedious game play. Gretchen Rubin: Balanced Life: Happiness Project: Dig deep. (HuffingtonPost) I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit.... Taller people have the edge when it comes to happiness (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Taller people are happier on average than shorter people, with each extra inch in height giving as much satisfaction as a four percent increase in income, according to a U.S. study. The price of happiness? £365 a year I'd say (Times Online) In Birmingham once, I was given a peek inside a majestic Victorian bank that had been closed for years. It's probably a dodgy nightclub now. In which case, its new punters may be a little startled by the stern admonishments emblazoned on its marble walls. ?Thrift radiates happiness? one declared. Pursuit of Happiness (The Moscow Times) The upcoming theater season is guaranteed to be full of the usual thrills, spills and creative performances. John Freedman reports. Ben Lewis proposes that jokes had a role in the end of the U.S.S.R. Famous Comedian's Cousin Says Happiness is Half Genetic (PRWeb) Rima Rudner, first cousin of top standup Rita Rudner, says the reason some people are happier and more fulfilled than others is at least 50% in their genes. "This does not necessarily mean that a woman who wears size 4 jeans is happier than one who wears size 16 jeans," says Rudner, author and happiness coach. "It means that happiness can be as hard to achieve for a genetically unhappy person ... Happiness and Wellbeing at Work Conference (Australian Policy Online) Follows the success of last year's conference including seminars and workshops facilitated by some of Australia's leading experts on psychology, leadership and workplace relations, The aim of this conference is for our expert speakers to provide strategies that will allow the mindful leader to create solutions for generating increased productivity through the dominant value of employee ... Happiness is a daily special at Island Soul Caribbean Cuisine (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) A visit to Island Soul will put a smile on your face thanks to its friendly servers and a menu that plays like a greatest hits of the Caribbean. When happiness means more than money (The Kansas City Star) Midcareer job changers may be the nation's best hope to fill an estimated 1.5 million teaching vacancies expected in the next 10 years.But $50,000 a year may be the magic number to entice most of them to the profession. The science of happiness (Los Angeles Times) Being happy has always seemed like a good idea. But now science, with research to back it up, can finally show us how to get there. True or false: Site: happiness - Google News Spirituality, not religion, makes kids happy - MSNBC
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Gift is in the Giving I have to be honest. I made the woman cashier at BIG! LOTS cry. Happiness Versus Pleasure We are a pleasure seeking society. Most of us spend our energy seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. Choose To Be Happy What if I told you that you have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. You would probably say that I'm crazy. Tap Into Wellness - the Secret Self Help Tool Your Doctor Doesnt Want You To Know About Everyone has issues with self esteem. It's no wonder then that bookstores have entire sections devoted to it. Are You Doing What You Love? Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. Laughter and Your Health Did you know that according to research, children laugh about 400 times a day while adults only laugh about 15 times a day? Some how we lost the ability to laugh, as we got older. Could it be that putting more humour and laughter into our day will improve our health and wellbeing?In an article written by Drs. 5 Keys to Understanding Why Your Life (probably) Sucks # 4 We are in constant competitionIf we take evolution seriously, then the reason why welasted this long (individually and as a race) stems fromthe fact we have adopted a survivor mentality. Eitherconsciously or unconsciously we subscribe to the "survivalof the fittest" mentality. You are Where You are Because You Decided to be There The decisions we make everyday have a big impact on where we are in life, both spiritually and physically. Often these decisions are the 'safe' choices. Helping Happiness Along Happiness is worth helping along.The benefits of being a happy person are huge. Happiness - A Matter of Focus Imagine for a moment you have been given a task. That task is to count the number of times five basketballs are passed between a group of people who are running around each other. Happiness - Cause and Effect Your reaction to the events around you determines how you feel and how you affect those you come into contact with. Consider the following example:Jane, a bank executive, got caught in traffic on her way to an important presentation at a board of directors meeting. You Can't See Your Own Eyes My friend called me this morning from her favorite coffee shop. She was taking a break from work. Smile How do we smile at each other? Is there a message communicated between us as we smile? Does it convey the depth of our feelings we have for each other? Take note of how our smiles deepen in feeling toward each other as our relationship grows and time passes. Note how our smiles reflect our joy as we pass time together without insignificant complaints. 5 Keys to Understanding Why Your Life (probably) Sucks! #3 The outcome of Reason # 2 is that you become your ownworst enemy. That, in turn, leads on to Reason # 3 whereYou place more value on doing than beingIf you are at war with yourself, chances are you don'tlike yourself very much. Design Psychology: How to Create Happy Homes Using Scents Our sense of smell elicits strong emotional reactions and trigger powerful memories, whether we're consciously aware of it or not.Scents and FeelingsOur olfactory system sends a chemical message about the scents around us through the limbic part of our brain, which is the oldest part of our brain. Love, Uncles, and Etymology Thwack! . . Are You Getting in the Way? Getting out of our busy mode and into our heart occasionally, I'm certain that many of us would find at least one moment during our day where we could pause, reflect on a situation, and see something that we can do to make a difference in someone else's life.The pace of life and work has increased a lot and I daresay we don't give as much thought as we could to the circumstances of other people's lives. Simple Pleasures: Ingredients to Feed Your Spirit. "When we do something we love, again and again, our life comes to hold the fragrance of that thing. ~ Wayne MullenCold air slips through the cracks in my doorway and around my windows. Who Controls YOUR Happiness? Where does happiness fit on a scale of 1 to 10 in your life?Is that a silly question? Who's in control of your happiness??Well, if you want to maintain continued happiness in light of difficult moments then start by identifying your thinking. Often this means that some of the way you think about certain things may need to change. Happiness Increases Longevity...Where Do We Find This Gift of Life? According to U.S.
|
| Home | Site Map | Resource Links |
