| |
| |
|
Happiness Information |
|
|
|
Having Fun with Life
It was just a few degrees shy of swimming weather a few weeks ago at the beach. I walked along the shore in my jeans and a red tankini top, the salt air refreshing against my skin but not quite cold. My two sisters and some friends and I were taking a brief hike down the beach. Up ahead, a small freshwater creek came out of the pine forest along the beach and cut across our path. The water of the creek was a ribbon of earthy red crossing the white sandy beach. As we approached, I said to my sister Audra, "let's jump it!" It was a shallow creek, and only about seven feet wide, easily fordable. But something within me wanted to run, to leap, to risk splashing down in the cold water. Carefully wading across just wasn't going to do it for me. I wanted to jump the creek - for no reason other than the fun of it. My sister enthusiastically agreed, so we got a running start and began to run willy-nilly down the beach, our feet pounding down into the soft, powdery sand. The narrow creek approached rapidly, the wind in my face urging me along, my hair flying about, and when we reached the sandy edges leading down into the creek, we hurdled through the air as if jumping the Grand Canyon. I landed just short of the other side, sending diamond drops of water spraying all around me and soaking the cuff of my jeans. My sister landed right beside me and we laughed like children. It was fun. I felt happy and alive. The 14th Dalai Lama said, "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." Indeed. This purpose I gladly share with all fellow humans. As you go about your day, do you find yourself caught up in happiness, laughter and fun? As children, everything we did was for fun. That was the purpose behind every action. That was the part of me that had to leap across the creek. As you complete your daily duties - going to work, doing the laundry, checking your email, whatever your daily habits may be - is fun your purpose? Is happiness your objective? When you were younger, the pursuit of fun and happiness came naturally. You didn't have to put a lot of effort into looking for it. If your mother had asked you, "So dear, are you going to try to have fun today?" you would have looked at her like she was crazy. Fun is a child's obvious objective. If they want to build a castle, they have fun doing it. If they want to plant some flowers, they have a blast in the process. Mud pies - fun. Washing the dog - fun. At some point our priorities change. Our purpose and objective often becomes money and work. The obvious and natural engagement in fun activities falls to the wayside. When I'm taking myself too seriously, writing at the computer or something, my son always reminds me of my priorities. He'll come up to me and say, "Let's play tigers!" and we'll wrestle on the floor, growling and meowing. Or he'll run up to me and say, "Look, a rainbow!" and point to the refracted light coming from the sunlight shining through some glass. Being an adult doesn't mean abandoning the quest for fun. If life is not meant for fun and happiness, what is it meant for? Think about the things you might have done as a child. Did you climb trees, ride bicycles, eat ice cream and (purposefully of course) get it all over your face? Did you run uphill and pick flowers and play in the hose because you wanted any excuse to get muddy and wet? What do you do now for fun? As an adult you have more freedom, not less, than as a child. You've got a car and money and no curfew or confined play areas. Your play should be increased, not decreased! I'm not suggesting that you quit your job and play in the sandbox all day. What I am suggesting is that you quit working and start playing. Children find the fun in almost anything. It's all a state of mind. You can choose to view life as fun, or you can choose not to. Have fun at your job, have fun completing tasks, have fun brushing your teeth, have fun eating. Do also increase the purposeful acts of fun in your life. Go on a spontaneous lunch picnic. Go for a hike in the woods. Take a road trip to the country for a couple hours. Drive down to the beach. And be spontaneous and adventurous. When something silly strikes you, go for it! What's the worst that could happen? Have fun with your life. Break up your daily routine with intentional acts of fun. Laugh really loud. Take a leap! Copyright 2005, Alexia Alderson Chamberlynn Alexia Alderson Chamberlynn is the Co-Owner of Prosperity Power Training, LLC, a national training company specializing in e-learning, life coaching and live group training. To contact Alexia or sign up for free services such as a Free 7-Day Training Program, free monthly newsletter and free quote-of-the-day club, visit the website at http://www.prosperitypowertraining.com. Alexia expects to release her first novel in 2005. Alexia lives in Florida with her son Gareth.
MORE RESOURCES:
Happiness - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
True Happiness Most people look outside of themselves as the cause of their unhappiness or frustration. After all, wouldn't life be practically perfect if the significant people in our lives would simply do things the way we want them to or do what we think is best for them? Actually, this is the kind of thinking that perpetuates the misery!I agree that most of today's unhappiness centers on important people in our lives not cooperating with us. Acts of Kindness Benefit Everyone Do you really want to be happy? Everyone says yes, but the gateway to happiness makes some of us frown. The gateway to happiness, is giving to others. Choosing Happiness Did you know that it's up to you?It's actually your choice.You can choose to be happy instead of waiting around for it to suddenly appear out of nowhere one day and land in your lap. 4 Steps to Use Fears as Friends: Don't be a Thunder Dog! Imagine humungous, bulbous, billowing alto-cumulus clouds building higher and higher in the sky. They are as black as tar at the bottom and snowy white at the top. Getting To The Root Of Unhappiness Many people live in clutter, emotionally eat themselves into overweight, live in debt, hate their jobs and otherwise live unhappy lives, unable and seemingly unwilling to change. Why? What do these have in common? What is the core issue? Fear, or rather an absence of love. If You Can Dream It you Can Do It! Confuscious, the Chinese Philospher is quoted as saying : "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. Achievement and Happiness the 80/20 Way If there was ever a principle that was responsible for the most happiness and achievement in the world, it would be the 80/20 Principle.The 80/20 Principle or Pareto Principle was discovered in 1897 by an Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto while he was searching for patterns of wealth and income in England. You Need To Start To Like Yourself If you have a very low self esteem or a lack of self-confidence you may be seeking help to gain extra confidence.I was somebody who had a severe confidence crisis from the ages of four until the age of around twenty two. Choose To Be Happy - NOW! The older I get, the more I realize that ninety percent of life is about choices. Both the choice to be happy or unhappy is mine. What is Happiness and How to Achieve It? True happiness is such a rare commodity that the whole of the world is continuously seeking it and failing to find it. All the people, who we consider to be the best in their fields, are seeking it too and failing to acquire it. 10 Steps to Happily Ever After Do you know what all happy and healthy marriages have in common? In every one of them you will find two people committed to making each other happy. You will find a man who cherishes his wife and puts her needs above his own, and you will find a wife who respects and trusts her man. Do You Still Have This Type of Dreams? Jesus says in Matthew 13:25"But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way"The greatest danger that we face in the spiritual world happens when we sleep.There are 40 kinds of "tares" i. Gratitude For Dummies Yes, it might feel great to win the lottery. Money, houses, travel - these are wonderful, but not enough by themselves. Reframing with NLP For Enhanced Happiness I used to work for the Independent National Newspaper in Canary Wharf, London. I can remember in the build up to Christmas, my department was having a large & expensive new computer system installed because the newspaper was being relaunched, it was when Andrew Marr and Rosie Boycott were becoming joint editors, I digress?. Happiness Fleeting "You cannot capture happiness no matter how hard you may chase after it. Happiness is something that follows you. Body, Mind, and Soul Being in tune with your mind, body, and soul and how they work is the one most important thing you can do for yourself. We know now that, the three work together. Living a Balanced Life - The Real Juggling Act I just read an installment from another self-improvement course that states that celebrities are unhappy because they don't have gratitude for what they have. I disagree. The Most Beautiful Flowers The most beautiful flowers, in conjunction with their design and color schemes, create feelings that enhance our mood. They are a simple and sincere way to lift our spirits. Today It Is ... Tomorrow It Will Be ... What is your life like today? What do you want it to be like tomorrow? Today it is a good life for my wife and I. We are enjoying retirement and spending the winters in Florida. 7 Gifts that Multiply Happiness Did you know that there are gifts that will multiply your happiness when you give them away? Here are seven of those gifts. Giving these gifts will allow you to share with others your most unique treasure: your authentic self.
|
| home | index |site map |
| © 2006 |
