happiness
Happiness, defined; things that help you find happiness, keep it, and share it with others.
When a Man Meets a Mountain
Life sure has a strange way of revising. Often it critiques us in ways we'd rather edit ourselves, but there seems to be no way of changing it. Some catch breaks early on, while others go to the grave wondering where they went wrong. Every story gets told, regardless of how glamorous or glum. Fortunately, unless you take the quick road out, life keeps going on. This story serves to thank myself for being, well me. Nothing has been easy about the past five years of my life. At 20, I got west nile virus, my spine curved, love for fitness waned, and with that, my heart sank. Three friends around committed suicide, and I became curious as well. Who signed me up for this life of self-discovery? Deep down, I loved to sing, dance, give everyone hugs, and be nothing but a friend to all, but something kept me blending with the crowd. Several mental and physical health constructs got in the way of self-expression. I cared what other people thought of me, and this often kept me from singing and dancing; you could say I was living life for others, not myself. Because I acted out from this disingenuous place, it's no wonder I didn't thrive. As a yoga instructor now, I'm quite aware of the energy/aura people carry, and mine was certainly off-putting. Maybe I was justified in my sadness, but there wasn't a whole lot of action aimed at change. Depression had it's way with me, and I was just in survival mode. Enter yoga. In an unlikely place, I found a teacher who would ignite a shift in my heart. At eighteen, I developed an interest for writing, which helped me reflect on the hard times, but yoga gave me inspiration and a calling, a direction. Stevi, as a junior in college, taught me to breath for the first time. Just how I think there's little l and big L, love, I believe there's little b and big B, breathing. My whole life had been taking in oxygen, not Breathing. Stressed out, I'd run toward external stimuli for a release, but I never knew answers could be found internally. She began teaching me that knowledge could arise from others knowledge, but wisdom had to be found on the road to self-discovery. The "woe is me" anthem in my head started to change. Instead of complaining about arriving in this universe without asking, I began asking why I'd arrived here. My christian background really didn't assist me in finding peace. This fear narrative of hell loomed over, and I didn't feel any form of free will. The whole live to die or die to live rhetoric repeated itself over and over, and I had to get away. Yoga connected me to the universe, and ironically, to God, for the first time. You could say a light switch had turned on, but it didn't make me any more accepted. Around campus, I was seen as different. In church, my beliefs made me an outlier. I had become everyone's acquaintance, but nobody's friend. When I took a magnifying glass to analyze the situation, I could see my life had no purpose. Will power comes from falling in love with something, and I had no love. Many things I thought I loved had been stripped away from me, and the chalkboard needed attention again. Years went by, and life felt like nothing but a drag. I thought I was digging a hole that couldn't be climbed out of. College days were nearing a close, and I felt hopeless. Graduating with a general studies degree doesn't guide purpose too well, I found. Funny things is, I was wrong. Summer felt strange for the first time, but my shell was about to be cracked. After applying for numerous jobs without a reply, I stumbled upon coolworks.com. While my friends were sleeping a hangover off at Hangout music festival in Orange Beach, Alabama, I was applying for jobs. They all told me of their "big boy" opportunities they'd found, so I felt a bit sheepish looking for an opportunity here. Little did I know, as coined by David Brooks, life has two mountains to climb, and I had already summited the first one. Society had encouraged me to follow the traditional route, and it did nothing but eat me up. This was not my framework of existence, and Camp Walt Whitman, Piermont, NH, would open my eyes to the second mountain. I was at base camp, ready to climb. Ironically, maybe serendipitously, I became a hiking guide for the summer. Based in the White Mountains, along the Appalachian Trail, Campcraft would facilitate hikes for all campers. Campers, 6-15, would load up for a weekly hike for seven weeks of summer. Mount Moosilauke, Lonesome Lake, with the youngins, The Presidential Range, Mount Washington, Franconia Ridge for those interested in a challenge or an overnight. Each of these hikes left an impression on me. Much of the summer felt like resistance to the life my peers thought I should live, so Whitman's words, "Resist much, obey little," reverberated in my ears as the summer moons waxed and waned. In many ways, I felt like an utter failure being here, but it was my the first step towards my "personal legend." The reigns of my being had been let loose. While "Baseball Song" by Kenny Rogers played over campfire, I acted out the song, singing front in center by the fire, with all of camp around. I caught bass in the lake, ran them into the main office, and a fishing activity came to life weeks later. I'd come to bear the name Mississippi, and I wore it with pride. Different was my tagline, and it was beautiful. Of all the life changing moments experienced over the summer, one reigns supreme: A three day overnight with seven nine-year-olds on the Tuckerman Ravine. By no means had we arrived with perfect timing. The forecast promised rain, and it didn't lie. Tuckerman's, a popular backcountry ski destination, can be skied in June of most years, and this trail is known to be brutal at all times. The fastest wind speed was recorded right here on this trail's peak: Mount Washington, 231 MPH. We were not exempt from this weather in July. After a leisure uphill climb and a nice bowl of NE clam chowder at the summit, the temperature plummeted. Unfortunately for us, we had to brave the weather. The forecast was not looking to trend towards sunny skies. Temperatures plummeted, the wind started howling, and I was miserable. Three miles out from shelter, it was no surprise the kids had a meltdown. For a moment, I panicked, but the pressure made something in me shine. A story-telling light switch turned on, and tears of misery turned to laughter in a moments time. Meesah was born, a fictional critter that can be thanked for eyebrows we have today. I'm working on the copyright, so the whole story won't be shared, but his story captivated the audience of campers. We set a blazing pace back to Hermit Lake Shelters, and by golly it was a changed group. Long into the night, extended stories of Meesah's journey's were told, all because I started acting out of my genuine self: a story teller. The following morning I'd awake to the kids bowing at my sleeping bag, repeating over and over again, "all hail Mees king, all hail Mees king." The story would make it back to camp and take over my time. Every camper wanted to hear the legend of Meesah. After all the years of asking God, or whoever rules over the universe, for directions, I felt a calling. It happened when I finally let go of what the world wanted for me and took off my shackles and chains. I had the key to them all along and made myself captive. This story does not serve to praise this moment for opening a world into a mental or physical utopia. Life is still quite difficult. Some days the stories don't come, but I discovered a gift through stepping off the paved road. Writing may always be a hobby, but I sure have big plans if something hits. Over 500 works have been written since Meesah's birth in 2018, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I've had opportunities to touch lives in spectacular ways because of a commitment to words. I couldn't be more thankful for books that act as guides: The Alchemist, where I learned to explore my personal legend; The Gita, where I've learned to believe in myself; The Celestine Prophecy, where I learned to search for moments of serendipity. Cool to think their visions were birthed from nowhere but a desire to tell a story. Life is still unbelievably tough, as I still battle health problems daily, but there are sweet messages to gather from living a life of purpose. Maybe my stories will always be shared best when spoken. Maybe I'll be a best selling author one day. Apparently only God knows, and I'll leave it to Him to guide. I'll keep living a life in tune with my genuine nature, smiling through the highs and lows. There's a life worth living out there, and you just have to find it. Feel free to give me a call 769-218-7606
By Daniel Trussell4 years ago in Motivation
The Life Your Living Is Amazing
Every day I go to work at an after-school care for kids and there is always this one kid who will just talk to me about the most random stuff. Today he said something that has really stuck with me. He said, "You know why time machines are a bad thing because then you have the ability to change the future and you know why it's good we can't go into the past because then we don't have the power to change it." When he said that I kind of had to think about it for a little bit, but then I realized what he said made a lot of sense. I know sometimes in life we wish we could go back and change something or go into the future and see what's ahead of us, but I have recently noticed that some of the best things that come are unexpected. Sometimes in life, we get so focused on what we want or what our "plan" is that when it goes a different way it seems like there is no way to fix it. In the last year so many things have gone the opposite direction of how I thought things were going to go. For example, last year I was supposed to be done with community college and onto my four-year university, but within a couple of minutes, literally, a couple of minutes that all changed. I found out that I was going to be staying at community college for another year. That was a major change in my life and what my future held, but now looking at it, it was such an unexpected, great thing. Now if I could have gone into the future I probably would have made it so I could be at my four-year university by now. That is what I saw for the next step in my life, the next thing I had planned, but if I would have been able to shape my future I would have missed out on all the great things I received by staying at home. Well of course another kid had to comment "if you can't change your past or future then you can't prevent all the bad things from happening." What that kid said was a very valid point and something I think a lot of us ponder on. Would we prevent the obstacles we are going to face if we could? Would we take away all the challenges and pain from our lives? That question can seem easy to some, why would we want to go through obstacles and feel pain? What I have seen is that these obstacles and this pain in our lives is temporary and it makes us stronger, it makes YOU stronger! So if you are going through any challenge or feeling any pain, don't wish you could have never encountered it. Beat it and use it to make you stronger. So I guess the main thing I got from what the kid said was if we could go into the past or future and change it we would miss out on so much, all those unexpected things! All those great things we never thought were going to happen, sure we would not be able to take away the bad things, but we can use those times to make us BETTER and STRONGER! Our life is a journey that never really goes as we plan, but instead of focusing on all the plans you have for your life, focus on the life your living now and all the great unexpected things that are going to come your way.
By Cindy Brunswig4 years ago in Motivation
Hidden Intentions
Deep is a good man yet forceful enough to pursue his wildest fantasy. Attraction is mutual so is our love. In his mid 50's, slightly on the heavy side, medium height; Deep is handsome. Very confident and charismatic, he separated from his wife but is not divorced. Presently living in NJ with his 3 children, he financially supports them with his successful career in IT.
By Purvi4 years ago in Motivation
Focus on Those Little Moments of Peace and Joy
Think back to some of the last moments in which you felt calm and at ease. Maybe it was while watching a sunset on vacation or after completing an important task at work. You can't exactly put your finger on what made these moments so special, but they are still fresh in your mind. They are clear snapshots of joy.
By Amra Beganovich4 years ago in Motivation
My Authentic Words
I fell to my knees in tears as I realized that I was no longer living in a way that felt aligned with who I knew myself to be. Tears streaming over my cheeks and screams were pushed into my pillow as the feeling of loss and frustration came over me. Once calm, I take a breath filling my lungs back up with life force to catch myself from the flooding of emotion. I use all my limbs and strength to make it to my feet. I then make my way over to the mirror hung in my bedroom. Looking myself in the eye, I ask, "what do you want?" the response came so quickly to my lips as I spoke it into the universe. "To write," I responded. "To share all that I have learned and use myself in a way that feels creative and unique." At that moment of pure honesty with myself, I knew that there was work to be done. Things that had to change included a seemingly unreasonable decline of a job position that I had been offered the day before. Coming soon after was a layoff from the job I was already working. Time was no longer an obstacle as the universe showed me the way – making space to find myself. Trust was all I had at this point. Trust in me and trust in all that was happening since my declaration of wanting to write.
By Moorea4 years ago in Motivation
Happiness Is Not Riches
I had read about lepers and leprosy in several books, but had never come in very close contact with them until I picked up a job in one of the schools in their settlement site. This gave me the opportunity to know more about them as I interacted with their kids in the school and during parents-teachers meetings.
By Ngenwuthe4 years ago in Motivation
Why is hope so important in life?
In order to have hope, you must want a result that will make your life better in some manner. It not only has the potential to make a difficult current situation more tolerable, but it also has the potential to enhance our lives in the long run since seeing a better future drives you to take the necessary actions to make it a reality.
By The Breatharian Blogger4 years ago in Motivation
Taking positive action is the key to success!
Did you know that having a good attitude is one of the most crucial factors to achieving success? Having this key - having this frame of mind – makes it simpler to accomplish success, strengthen interpersonal relationships, maintain better health, and experience feelings of enjoyment, fulfillment, and inner peace.
By The Breatharian Blogger4 years ago in Motivation
How can you think positively?
Do you ever find yourself wondering how to think more positively and how to quit thinking negatively? Do you question yourself, "How can I make my thinking more positive?" on a regular basis? If your prevailing thoughts are negative in nature, you should consider taking steps to reverse this trend as soon as possible. This behavior, which may have begun as a child, may have resulted in you becoming an unhappy, cranky, and dissatisfied person. You, on the other hand, have the power to stop it.
By The Breatharian Blogger4 years ago in Motivation
Success starts by changing yourself from within
The quality of your emotional and mental well-being has a significant impact on the quality of your physical well-being. What you think and how you feel have an impact on your life, your relationships, your career, and everything else that happens in your life, including your health. What this implies is that what happens inside you has an impact on your exterior life. Inner transformations result in external transformations.
By The Breatharian Blogger4 years ago in Motivation
