Smile, It's Not That Bad!

Its a beautiful night, and I am lounging outside on my back patio with my laptop listening to music.  My dog Reno is laying at my feet.  My constant companion when home, he refuses to be left inside while I am out here, and I can't hold that against him on a night like this.  Tonight's soundtrack is currently Muse.....

What is it that makes a person happy?  What is life all about. Here are some of the things that work for me:

Smiling truly can be contagious.  So smile even if you do not feel like it.

Read a book.  I love to read and have decided to stop making excuses and to start making more time for it.  Reading sharpens your mind, expands your vocabulary and keeps your imagination flowing. It doesn't matter how old we get, its a travesty to let your imagination become stagnant.

Be kind and courteous to everyone you come across.  Why has it become the exception rather than the rule for people to exercise simple manners?  Hold the door open.  Say "please, thank you, excuse me."  Show respect for the elderly.  Are any of these really all that difficult? 

Be humble.  A little humility goes a long way.  If you cannot put your pride aside you will miss out on a whole lot that life has to offer.

No, be more humble than that.

Make exercise an essential part of your life.  It can be as simple as walking or as hardcore as running marathons.  Physical fitness is such an important part of mental health.   Spend less time on the couch and more time out and about.  Join a gym.  Grab a buddy and walk or go for a run together. 

Family is important.  Love your family unconditionally. 

Keep an open mind.

Never give up on yourself. 

Nothing worthwhile comes easy so work hard for what you want in life.

These are some of the most important lessons I have learned in life.  At twenty six years old I still feel like my journey is just beginning but I have already come a long way.  Each experience in life teaches us something new about ourselves.  As you accumulate this knowledge you begin to develop your own set of core values.  It is important to be able to take a moral inventory of yourself from time to time.  

Take a moment now to think about your own moral inventory.  What do you want in life? What is important to you?  Are you truly happy?  Why?  Ask yourself these questions and take a look at how you are answering them.  Be honest with yourself.  Questioning yourself is not the problem, not having an answer to those questions is where the problem may lie....

It is important to take that moral inventory of yourself from time to time.  It allows us to acknowledge where we have come from and helps us to figure out where we are headed.  It may not always be clear how we are going to get there, and thats ok, but its important to have a destination in mind.  A goal that you can work towards. 

To me, in the end, we all make a decision whether to be happy or not.  And true happiness will fill you up and you will have the desire to share it.  The only way to keep that happiness is by giving it away... sharing it with those around you.  Sometimes, it can be as easy as simply smiling.....