I love quotes. What better ways to learn from the brilliant minds of all time than to read their quotes? These are some of my favorite quotes, in no particular order.

1.

Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man’s happiness really lies in contentment. – Mohandas Gandhi

It is contentment, and not wealth that makes a man happy. And contentment comes from caring for others who are less fortunate.

2.

It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness. – Thomas Jefferson

Rich or poor, happiness is for everyone who found tranquil and passion regardless of his social status.

3.

Success in its highest and noblest form calls for peace of mind and enjoyment and happiness which come only to man who has found the work that he likes best. – Napoleon Hill

I sincerely believe that if your career involved something you have a passion for, and you are able to support yourself with the income generated, then you are truly successful.

4.

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invisible host against difficulties. – Helen Keller

It’s always better to look at the positive side of things.

5.

Love is trembling happiness. – Kahlil Gibran

There’s simply no room for hatred in happiness. There is only love. Whenever possible, choose to forgive and forget.

6.

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. – Ernest Hemingway

We too often complicate our feelings. Over analyze if you may. Sometimes, being an idiot has its advantageous, especially when it comes to living.

7.

Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude. – Dale Carnegie

I have been repeating this over and over again. And I wouldn’t hesitate a second to repeat it again. Happiness is a state of mind. Not something you can buy in your favorite fashion outlet.

8.

Happiness can only exist in acceptance. – George Orwell

Happiness can be found only after one accept his flaws, his mistakes and be true to himself.

9.

Happiness consists in activity. It is running steam, not a stagnant pool. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Surround yourself with activities you enjoy doing. Hobby, interest, passion, etc.

10.

The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom. – Plato

This quote says it all. One of my all time favorite by the way.

What’s your favorite quote?

All I ever want in this life is to be happy. How can I find it?

Some people cross the ocean to find happiness. Some kill, some rob, some even start a war, all for the sake of finding happiness. Yet they will never find what they are looking for, for happiness is not something you find. It’s something you make.

I’m going to share with you an embarrassing personal story of mine before we move on.

There was a period of time where I was constantly depressed. I get agitated easily, often moody and I was always in my room, avoiding people. It was a black period in my life. A past that I cannot seem to shake off no matter how many times I tried.

It all started when I was doing my final years in Australia. That’s right. It was a year ago.

Due to reasons unknown, my body was unable to adjust according to the weather and lifestyle in the country Down Under. And the price to pay was something I would never see coming.

I got infected with Papule and Cyst. A type of skin condition that makes its way to some 89% of teenagers, but not so much young adults.

It is a condition whereby if you don’t cure it soon enough, it will turn a normal looking guy into some other creature. A nightmare among popular guys (ehem..).

In case you’re clueless, I was referring to the inflammatory acne that had haunted my past and made me a social outcast.

I can see some of you laughing right now.

You can call me naive and laugh all you want, but the misery that comes from having acne spreading all over the face is not something anyone should belittle.

But you know what, you’re probably right. It is funny now that I think about it. Looking back, I had probably exaggerated the scenario a little too much. I’m pretty sure this is a common mistake though.

Most of us seem to have the tendency to dramatize our given situation (if you don’t, good for you). You know, the time when we messed up on a project and got our ass handed by the boss. Or perhaps the time when we lost a close friend over something minuscule. Don’t delete his number just yet.

Sure, the event that befalls us is not going to make our day.

But you heard the saying, “Smile and the world smiles with you.”

Truth is, tomorrow is another day. While you may never know what’s in store for you, I can tell you won’t be happy if you keep sulking over the little things.

“How do you differentiate the little ones from the big?” You asked.

Well, You can tell when you fail to make it into the news on 8.

With war and famine going on every single day, there are simply no justification for us to get beat up over petty things.

But we can’t compare, right?

Yes we can. And for the sake of our “everyday is a happy day” motto, we simply have to.

Happiness is a state of mind, I kid you not.

These days, I smile a lot. When walking down the street, when making eye contacts with strangers, at the counter and even during odd moments.  I’m not smiling because I’m happy. It’s actually the other way around. I smile because I want to be happy.

The next time you’re in a rough situation, ask yourself, is it worth crying over? Could you possibly have overreacted?

No matter how big a problem may be, this too shall pass. In this world, nothing ever last. Yep. It’s just like those damn zits.

Being a guy who enjoys the outdoor, a sunny day never fails to put a smile on my face.

Few years ago, I decided to paint my bedroom. Being excited that I am, I took the liberty to study the effect that colors have on our emotions.

I have always known that colors affect our mood you see, though I have no idea what is what.

This is what I came to learn:

Yellow is the color of cheerfulness. Blue is calming. Green brings about peacefulness. In general, bright colors are energizing. Dark colors are the opposite.

So for bedrooms, unless you want to be energetic during nighttime (for the most part…), bright colors are not a wise choice.

But what does this have to do with happiness you asked?

When you’re unhappy, take a break and surround yourself with bright colors. Instead of secluding yourself in your room, take a stroll in the outdoor, the park or the beach.

Misery is just like the rain. Though it can be depressing, it is essential to bring life on earth. And when the rain finally decides to stop, it will always be accompanied by the sun that shines ever so brightly.

Photo Credit: Rayced

They say LOL is the best medicine. I can’t agree more. So, with that in mind, I thought I share with you simple ways to increase it. After all, we all can benefit from more laughter. Enjoy.

1. Subscribe to humor blog – Humor blogs would be an awesome addition to your RSS reader. Sorry, I meant to say everyone.

• Failblog This is my favorite humor site. The posts are short and are updated every few hours. If you like this blog, you would also enjoy this, this, and this, (and this).
• Cracked This site has tons of funny articles, though I don’t subscribe to the blog. The articles are often long and time consuming. I do however, visit the site whenever I’m bored. If you are looking for their RSS feed, you can get it here.

2. Subscribe to comedians in Twitter – So you think it’s hard to crack a joke with 140 characters? Well, not for these people. Here’s a good list of 85 comedians to follow.

3. Create a play list of cheerful songs – Instead of only having play list categorized based on genres, I recommend creating a play list with songs that can cheer you up, my favorite being Unwritten By Natasha Bedingfield. The song never fails to make me smile. For music player, try Itune. It’s simple and  easily manageable.

4. Spend quality time with love ones – Remember that guy who never fails to make you smile? Or that woman who is always there for you? Or that adorable kid who looks just like you? Take them out for movies, dinner, recreational parks, etc. You know they deserve it.

5. Take some time to procrastinate and enjoy yourself – I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Procrastination is healthy. Whenever you lack focus, it doesn’t hurt to take a break. Watch Youtube, read blogs or take a power nap works great to rejuvenate that lost energy. I recommend Youtube for the lol.

Have anything to add? Share it in the comment section below.

PS: I don’t recommend giggling. It hurts your stomach.…

If you enjoy the article, please share the love via twitter. I’d appreciate it.

Have you ever thought of escaping from all the work, miseries and troubles in life? Have you ever envied the dead?

For the past couple of days, I have been feeling tired. It was a bad month and there is way too much going on, which got me a little tired of living. I don’t hate my life, though I secretly do wish it ends for good. Before you get the wrong idea, I wasn’t having suicidal ideation, merely wishing my life to end in an unplanned accident.

This wasn’t the first time I’m having this thought.Thinking back, it all started when my younger brother passed away four years ago. On that day, seeing him laying lifeless on his deathbed, I wonder how nice would it be if it was me on the bed instead. He was my mother’s favorite son, and I had not been kind to him.

It’s just like sleeping, I thought to myself, only I don’t get to wake up. Well, it’s not as though I look forward to it. In the end of the day, isn’t life all about working on a job I will most likely hate, chasing after the illusion that money provides, surviving the month, paying bills and have the cycle continues?

I haven’t had this feeling for a long time though, well, not until a week ago. While I’m not sure if this is a normal feeling to have, I do know that if I left things as it is again, there will be more negative influences on my work and my surroundings than otherwise. I have learned my lesson.

Understanding the purpose behind the action

Simply put,the reasons to suicide for many have been to escape their problems, miseries and responsibilities. Though it is an easy way out, what suicide victims failed to understand is that they do not hate life itself. They only happen to get tired of theirs.

The beauty of life is that we all have a choice. If you happen to hate yours then change it. It may be hard, drastic, selfish and wrong, but as long as it brings a renewed purpose and strength to continue,  it’s the best choice to make. Suicide is after all, a coward and selfish act, no matter how one argues.

Finding the source to these negative thoughts

Sometimes, when you have too much going on in your life, it blurs the root cause to your problems, my problems in this case.

To find a solution to a problem, you must first identify the problem. I took some time to meditate and try to understand what I am facing, and I’ve come to realize that all I really want is to run away from the stress I have accumulated overtime. I haven’t had fun without worries for sometime now.

Solution

Take a break, have a vacation. Get a leave or fake a medical leave if you have to. Just do whatever it takes to regain your life back. Ignore the consequences, critiques and the naysayers as they are not as important as keeping your sanity in check.

We don’t live the life of others. Hate as they may and criticize as they wish, it shouldn’t affect you from doing what you want. If you choose to take a break or make any drastic changes, these opinions should be the last of your worries. After all, they are not going to commit suicide on your behalf are they?

As for me, I never really care what others think. I guess I’m selfish when it comes to doing what I want. Over the past few days, this is exactly what I have been doing. I enjoy myself to the fullest. I went shopping, read books and play without worrying about my work. During the period, I refuse to write, exercise, reply messages, e-mail and work. The discipline, commitment and consistency to my blog and my workout regimen are all thrown out of the window. This lasted exactly a week as I have planned. I never intend to rest more than a week.

To commit suicide is to merely run away from your work, miseries and troubles. The problem is, most of the feelings that you may have which resulted in having suicidal ideation are either short lasting or can be solved with having some courage to change or act a little different than the norm. Most of the time, all you really need is a good break from everything.

During the one week that I’m recuperating, I consider myself dead and I try my best to act like one. Someone without worries, right?

The system in which the world works can drive many crazy at times. If you are ever stuck on finding a solution to your problem, try to think out of the box for a change.

What I have learned from the break

You can never avoid the problems in your life. You can at most delay it, but never ran away from it. To solve a problem, you need to face the problem.

But you know what, it feels good knowing I have full control of my life once in a while. It feels great living a life free of expectations and commitments, although it lasted only for a short period of time.

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