Ray's Daily

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”

Susan Polis Schutz

 

 

As some of you know I spend many hours each week with people who are not having it easy. Many have lost a job and have no income other than unemployment for the first time in their life; others have had a catastrophic lifetime event such as the loss of a loved one. I even occasionally share space in a hospital with patients who are receiving chemo treatments for cancer. The thing that always amazes me is how many of these people have chosen not to give in to depression, in fact many have chosen to be happy, yes I said happy in spite of all of their burdens. I never knew what a wonderful source of inspiration people like these can be. As I thought about that today after listening to a few complain about trivial problems I went back in my files and found an article I had saved written by author/trainer Larry Crane that I think is worth sharing. Here it is:

 

Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really; choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this:

11. Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner, and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mail, thank the police officer for making your place safe, and thank God for being alive. Whatever you can find to be grateful for, find it.

10. News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it — 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad, fearful news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do, does it?

9. A religious or spiritual connection is also recommended. Being part of a spiritual or religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers, and meditations foster inner peace.

8. Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do, and prioritizing. These basic skills can be fine-tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

7. Laugh and laugh heartily every day. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say, "Laughter is the best medicine."

6. Express your feelings, affections, friendship, and passion in healthy ways to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Let go of pent-up anger and frustrations, as this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

5. Working smart instead of hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives us a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us; they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel are worthy of your time. And don’t forget to celebrate them once they are completed!

4. Learning is a joyful experience. Try and learn something new every day. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons…and could also give us more opportunities in the future.

3. Physical exercise. Run, jog, walk, and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.

2. Positive attracts positive. Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins, and hazardous places.

And the Number One Way to be Happy:

1. LET GO, LET GO, LET GO! Letting go of the layers and layers of negative emotions, feelings, and habits is the number one critical key to being happy all the time.

These are the few simple things you can do every day to be happy. And always remember Abraham Lincoln’s wise words: "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Decide to let go and be happy all the time right now. You can do it!

~~~

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.

Anne Frank

~~~

A fellow decided to decorate his bedroom. He wasn’t sure how many rolls of wallpaper he would need, but he knew the Irishman who lived next door had recently done the same job and the two rooms were identical in size.

"Murphy," he asked. "How many rolls of wallpaper did you buy for your bedroom?"

"Ten," said Murphy.

So, the fellow bought the ten rolls of paper and did the job. It looked wonderful, but he had two rolls of wallpaper left over.

"Murphy," he said. "I bought ten rolls of wallpaper for the bedroom, but I’ve got two left over."

"Dat’s funny," said Murphy. "So did I!"

~~~

People are lonely, because they build walls instead of bridges.

~~~

We had built our dream house several years ago and furnished it with quality pieces as we could afford them. Now the delivery truck carrying the last purchase, a new bedroom suite, was pulling into the driveway.

"Finally!" I exclaimed, flinging open the front door as the driver walked up to the house. "I’ve been waiting twelve years for this!"

"Don’t blame me, lady," he said. "I just got the order this morning."

~~~

If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.

W.L. Bateman

~~~

A mother looked out the window and saw her Johnny playing church with their three kittens.

He had them lined up and was preaching to them. The mother turned around to do some work.

Awhile later, she heard meowing and scratching on the door. She went to the window and saw Johnny baptizing the kittens.

She opened the window and said, "Johnny, stop that! You’ll drown those kittens."

Johnny looked at her and said with much conviction in his voice, "They should have thought of that before they joined my church!"

~~~

May your troubles be less, your blessings more and may nothing but happiness come through your door.

~~~

Out in space somewhere near Earth, two space aliens are talking.

One says, "The dominant life forms on this Earth planet have developed satellite based weapons."

"Are they an emerging intelligence?"

"I don’t think so. They have them aimed at themselves."

~~~

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.

Thomas Alva Edison

~~~

A clergyman, walking down a country lane, saw a young farmer struggling to load hay back onto a cart after it had fallen off. "You look tired, my son," said the cleric. "Why don’t you rest a moment, and I’ll give you a hand."

"No thanks," said the young man. "My father wouldn’t approve."

"Don’t be silly," the minister said. "Everyone is entitled to a break. Come and have a drink of water."

Again the young man protested that his father would be upset.

Losing his patience just a little, the clergyman said, "Your father must be a real slave driver. Tell me where I can find him and I’ll give him a piece of my mind!"

"Well," replied the young farmer, "you can tell him whatever you like just as soon as I get this hay off him."

~~~

Nobody really cares if you’re miserable.

So you might as well be happy.

Cynthia Nelms

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

 Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.

The editor is somewhat senile.