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How to be Happy
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Here you will find 5 short 'Wisdom
Stories' per week.. The theme that is followed in each story is... a
short introduction, a wisdom related story and a powerful quote.
Please enjoy...
ADAPTING TO CHANGE:
Why don't we generally
adapt to CHANGE?
Allow this explanation to
help answer that question...
Imagine if you would:
your first trip to the seaside each year with your children. It would be
almost customary for you visit the beach and walk to the seafront. Of
course you would know better than to slip off your shoes and walk into the
freezing cold sea.
But would your children?
They would see it as an exciting adventure and be off with their shoes and
socks and rush to go for a paddle with no hesitation whatsoever! The cold
sea would not be a problem.
Why? It is because they
ask different questions. You had pre-judged the temperature of the sea and
decided it would be too cold. Your children hadn't.
If and when CHANGE is
happening, and you find the
mood is negative it is
because you are asking the wrong questions. Most people tend to ask
themselves the same questions over and over each day. As a consequence
they receive the same answers in return; which makes their life 'black and
white' instead of 'colour'.
If you have ever visited
one of the world's beauty spots such a Niagra Falls, do you see the beauty
or do you see the hustle and bustle of the commercialism?
If over this festive
period you begin to get a little tired of the adverts for holidays. Is it
because you haven't organized your own yet?
QUOTE: "If you don't like
the answers you are getting in life, change your questions."
(Nate Booth, American
Author and Corporate Trainer).
ADAPTING TO CHANGE:
Once, in a forest, a
lioness who had several cubs went off to search for food and while she was
away, one of the cubs strayed into the middle of a flock of sheep.
The cub followed the
sheep and the shepherd, seeing the cub with the sheep, kept him. The cub
behaved like the sheep because of the company of the sheep.
The shepherd thought
that, if he remained in the forest, then one day the lioness would roar
and the cub, hearing the roar, would remember it was a lion and would
attack the sheep. So he took the flock with the cub to another forest
where he believed there were no lions.
One day a lion did roar
in this other forest and all the
sheep ran away, and the
cub also tried to run away.
The lion - in lion
language! - told the cub to stop and said, 'Why are you afraid of me?
There is no need; you are not a sheep. You are a lion like me. If you are
not sure I can show you.'
So he took him to a pond
and the little lion saw in the reflection that he had the same face and
same
characteristics as the
one who roared. Then the lion
asked him to roar with
him, so he learnt how to roar,
and the whole personality
and individuality of this little lion was completely changed and he
started roaring like a grown lion.
I suppose the moral of
the story is; if you are a Judge and mix with criminals, you'll become a
criminal. If you mix with the Judges again you'll return to being a judge.
You are who you mix with!
So if we are who we mix
with, could it be possible that we, could be, who we pretend to be? Well
the following quote suggests that it may be a way to overcome fear!
QUOTE: "I have often been
afraid, but I would not give in to it. I made myself act as though I was
not afraid and gradually my fear disappeared.'
(Theodore Roosevelt,
Former American President).
ADAPTING TO CHANGE:
Is change an important
part of your life? It is integral! It is like the wind in nature; let me
explain:
Most people would be
aware of the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1, 800 miles from New
Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take visitors to view the reef.
On one tour, the guide was asked an interesting question. "I notice that
the lagoon side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side
is vibrant and colourful, " a traveller observed. "Why is this?"
The guide gave an
interesting answer: "The coral
around the lagoon side is
in still water, with no
challenge for its
survival. It dies early. The coral on the ocean side is constantly being
tested by wind, waves, storms - surges of power. It has to fight for
survival every day of its life. As it is challenged and tested it changes
and adapts. It grows healthy. It grows strong. And it reproduces." Then he
added this telling note: "That's the way it is with every living
organism."
(Unknown Author).
That's how it is with
people. Challenged and tested, we come alive! Like coral pounded by the
sea, we grow. Physical demands can cause us to grow stronger. Mental and
emotional stress can produce
tough-mindedness and
resiliency. Spiritual testing can produce strength of character and
faithfulness.
If you want to feel the
wind through your hair a little
more often, then be ready
for the changes in life.
These changes are more
certain than even the
very things we expect to
happen.
"Be good at dealing with
problems and with change.
Little is more certain to
happen, both today and tomorrow!"
QUOTE: "Within you right
now is the power to do things you never dreamed possible. This power
becomes available to you just as soon as you can change your beliefs."
(Dr. Maxwell Maltz, 1899
- 1975, Author).
ADAPTING TO CHANGE:
Before we adapt to change
we need not to fear the
effects that change will
bring.
Preparation for a major
change in our life is essential,
but I'll deal with that
in a later piece of editorial.
Major changes in life do
happen and you can plan for
them, a wedding of course
is a good example. But
what if you don't like
your circumstances or career
path, how can you
instigate change?
Today we have a recent
selection of very short stories to illustrate how we all strive to improve
our lives for the better. Yet we too easily mix up these two suggested
solutions.
A good example to
consider, in comparing these stories to your own life is the parallel
problem with our medical profession. They treat the problem and not the
cause!
'As we enter this
new-year, we all want to change our lives for the better. The question is,
how? There are two ways you can change your life: (1) Change your
conditions; and or (2) Change your mind. Sometimes you can change your
conditions. Always you can change your mind.
Perhaps you have heard
about the fellow who was
losing coins out of a
hole in his pocket, so he went out and got a second job to replace the
coins. He didn't realize how much more helpful it would have been to
simply sew the hole!
Recently I was in a car
with several friends waiting to pay a toll at the Chicago airport. The
line seemed to be moving rather slowly; I assumed the delay had
something to do with
security. When we finally
arrived at the booth, we
found a handsome Italian
man with thick grey hair
and sparkling eyes. As he
handed us our change, he
leaned over and
enthusiastically sang us
several verses of "La Traviata" - and he was really good! We thanked him,
smiled, and went on our way with a little more colour in our cheeks.
Many years ago my mentor
told me, "Take whatcha
got and make whatcha
want." If ever anyone has
ever put this principle
into action, it is that toll
collector! He has taken a
potentially dreary and
chilly tollbooth and
transformed it into an opera
hall! I'm sure the people
who pass through his
booth are the happiest in
that airport.
My friend Drake is a
landscaper who had numerous
small accounts. One day
one of his customers,
a wealthy man with a
large estate, invited Drake to
work on his property full
time. "What is your dream
of how good this job
could be?" the owner asked Drake.
Drake told him he would
have to think about it. He went home and wrote down all the aspects he
could picture for his ideal job. A week later Drake revisited his notes
and realised that what he had written did not represent his entire dream.
So he expanded the salary, equipment, and working conditions. Several
weeks later Drake came back to his written vision and realized it still
wasn't big enough. This process went on for three months, with Drake's
dream job continually expanding on paper. Finally he felt that what he had
written was big enough to match what was in his heart and mind. He took
the paper to his prospective employer and showed it to him. The fellow
read the paper, thought for a moment, and answered, "Sounds good to me."
Now Drake is living his dream job. He took what he had and made what he
wanted.
The key to taking what
you have and making what you want is to reframe. Find a way to look at
every
experience so it empowers
you.
After the great
Argentinean golfer Robert De Vincenzo won a tournament, he received his
cheque and began walking to his car in the parking lot. There he was
approached by a young woman who told him that her child was seriously ill,
near death. She did not know how she could pay the doctor's bills and
hospital expenses. De Vincenzo was so touched by her story that he
endorsed his winning cheque and pressed it into her hands with the loving
wish, "Make some good days for the baby." A few days later a golf official
told him, "That woman you met in the parking lot is a phoney. She has no
sick baby. She's not even married. She fleeced you, my friend." "You mean
there is no baby who is dying?" asked De Vincenzo. "That's right, "
answered the official. "Well, " De Vincenzo responded, "That's the best
news I've heard all week."
(Alan Cohen, Author and
Lecturer).
QUOTE: "When your life
isn't so sweet, do you change your conditions or change your philosophy?
Ultimately, mastering your mind yields far more success and reward than
rearranging conditions.'
(Alan Cohen, Author and
Lecturer).
ADAPTING TO CHANGE:
Most people try and avoid
change, but are not
aware it happens in small
amounts each day. I
must admit that at times
I can become quite
grumpy when one of my
favourite shops shuts
down, or when one of my
older computer
keyboards breaks down.
It is a comfort zone that
nurtures all our needs.
Or does it?
I am a great believer in
fate. But that could also
be described as a person
who can adapt to
change. If fate brought
along some good or bad
news, you could adapt
with ease.
The skill in adapting is
of paramount importance.
It is an equal parallel
to the finest athlete who
needs to trim a few
seconds off his running time.
If you can adapt to
change you'll be the finest in
your profession, the
happiest in your circle of
mothers, the less
stressed in your circle of friends.
Some changes in life are
inevitable, they somehow
need to follow a course
of action. If that course is
changed for convenience,
then there could be
handicaps as a
consequence.
Marriage is a good
example. If we cheapen the
ceremony, not necessarily
in any financial way
but by lack of effort or
approach, the glue that
binds these two partners
is lost. The ceremony
needs to take its full
course to have a
binding effect.
This little story proves
that changes are essential
for our survival...
LIFE'S LITTLE STRUGGLES
A man found a cocoon of
an emperor moth. He
took it home so that he
could watch the moth
come out of the cocoon.
On the day a small
opening appeared, he sat
and watched the moth for
several hours as the
moth struggled to force
the body through that
little hole.
The moth seemed to be
stuck and appeared to
have stopped making
progress. It seemed as
if it had gotten as far
as it could and it could go
no farther. The man, in
his kindness, decided
to help the moth; so he
took a pair of scissors
and snipped off the
remaining bit of the cocoon.
The moth then emerged
easily. But its body was
swollen and small, its
wings wrinkled and shrivelled.
The man continued to
watch the moth because he
expected that, at any
moment, the wings would
enlarge and expand to and
able to support the
body, which would
contract in time.
Neither happened! In
fact, the little moth spent
the rest of its life
crawling around with a small,
swollen body and
shrivelled wings. It never was
able to fly.
The man in his kindness
and haste did not
understand that the
struggle required for the
moth to get through the
tiny opening was
necessary to force fluid
from the body of the
moth into its wings so
that it would be ready
for flight upon achieving
its freedom from the
cocoon.
Freedom and flight would
only come after the
struggle. By depriving
the moth of a struggle,
he deprived the moth of
health.
Sometimes struggles are
exactly what we need
in our life. If we were
to go through our life without
any obstacles, we would
be crippled. We would
not be as strong as what
we could have been.
Give every opportunity a
chance, leave no room for
regrets, and don't forget
the power in the struggle.
(Unknown Author).
QUOTE: "Life can't go
according to plan, if you
have no plan!' (Unknown
Author).
The content and materials provided in this
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intended to supplement or comprise any precise facts, although we have
researched sufficiently for the facts and information to be reasonably
accurate. All content and materials including research papers,
case studies and testimonials summarizing facts have been done by
individuals working for this website. We cannot be held responsible for
any inaccuracies, as we have described that information is for educational
purposes and therefore maybe a few weeks old.
Resources:
All Authors, where know are credited to both quotes and 'add-in' stories
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Wisdom and Philosophy
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What More Connectivity Does and Does Not Do
Despotisme démocratique, Alexis de Tocqueville
