Mystery or Misery?

Last night, I’ve seen a lot of scary T.V. shows – with topics on spirits, ghosts, souls. etc. Well, what would I expect during the halloween madness (hehe). Somehow it reminds me of the story of the Winchester Mystery House. The mansion built by Sarah Winchester for 38 long years. She kept herself in seclusion after the death of her husband, a gun magnate. The mansion, with 160 rooms is believed to be haunted by spirits. Some of its unusual features are stairways leading to nowhere, doors that open to abrupt drops and labyrinthine floor plan. You may ask why. Speculation as to the reason for her obsession includes escaping the ghosts of those killed by her husband’s armaments. Hmm, looks like really scary!

The question is “Is it really a mystery or a misery?”. I knew nothing about her and I don’t have the right to judge. What I do know is that life is a choice and we have to discover its goodness and potential no matter how difficult it may seem. Anyway, let me just share these lessons.

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. ~Anne Frank 

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. ~Carlos Castaneda 

I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our disposition and not on our circumstances. ~Martha Washington 

The miserable have no other medicine but hope. ~Friedrich Nietzsche 

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. ~Psalm 62:5

S.T.O.R.M. Defined

Typhoon Ofel just passed us by. She’s not as destructive compared to other typhoons before (just a personal assessment). And I am grateful for that. I woke up early this morning and took some photos. Still the water is all around our backyard but it has subsided. Thanks God!

Yesterday, in the midst of the storm, I’ve decided to gather storm-related quotes and then created an acronym.

S - Stay strong, focus on what you can do, not what you cannot, and know that the clouds will soon part, and the sun will return again. ~Doe Zantamata

T - Typhoons will come and go. But the real storm is in your mind. Dispel the storms in your mind. It maybe stormy on the outside but it shouldn’t be stormy on the inside. ~Bo Sanchez

O - Out of defeat can come the best in human nature. As Christians face storms of adversity, they may rise with more beauty. They are like trees that grow on mountain ridges - battered by winds, yet trees in which we find the strongest wood. ~Billy Graham

R - Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. ~John Updike

M - May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire.~Irish Blessings

And I always remind myself to “Hold on. Things will get better.

It maybe stormy now but it can’t rain forever.”

Worry-Busting Techniques

Here’s a graphic representation on what we do to ourselves when we worry a lot.. (Hmm.. Am I doing that ? LoL..)

According to Norman Vincent Peale, the word ‘worry’ itself is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning ‘to choke’. The long-held and habitual worrying is like a person putting his own fingers around his throat, pressing hard and cutting the flow of vital power. Perhaps a slow self-inflicting harm? Maybe. Anyway, I have summarized some simple worry-busting techniques based on what I’ve learned:

1. Snip off the little worries and expression of worry like "I’m worried I might miss the train", "I’m worried I might lose my job", "I’m anxious I might so.. and so…"

2.   Each morning before you arise, whisper the words “I believe” three times (or maybe more) believing in your heart that you’ll have a great fruitful day.

3.   Before you go to sleep, decide to  finish each day and be done with it. Learn to let go of the things that you have no control over. Whisper a short prayer leaving all the hurts and worries behind.  

4. Try this simple technique: 

Imagine yourself on board on a ship. With all the worries in your mind, take each anxious thought out of the mind. Drop it overboard. Watch them disappear in the wake of the ship.

You may say: “I am dropping all my worries overboard casting them entirely out of my consciousness. I shall watch them disappear in the great ocean of time.” Recite these statements several times and believe. Really believe.

And then remind yourself of Philippians 3:13 - "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead."

Enjoy the Little Things

They were once our puppies. Now both  full-grown dogs. Of course, without the wings! hehe

I used to work or shall I say play with Photoshop. During those times, I would spend hours exploring the program just to come up with out-of-this world images.

Today, I don't have much time for stuffs like that. Perhaps, I need to make a living just like everybody else.  But one thing I've learned ~ we have to treasure those simple moments doing the things we enjoy or spending time with our loved ones,  friends and yes, even our pets!

Enjoy life as it is today - it is going to change! ~Stephen Ramjewan

The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead. ~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things. ~Frank Howard Clark

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault

Discouragement, A Devil's Tool

We get discouraged sometimes. Life is a series of ups and downs. It's but normal to experience the negative emotion. Most often, I wouldn't let discouragement  define my day.

Browsing again my journal, I was reminded by this simple story:

The devil  once advertised his tools for sale at public  auction. His tools are  Malice, Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Sensuality, Deceit  and more. A lot of buyers came to see and noticed one oddly shaped tool which was labeled "Not for sale." Asked to explain why, the devil answered, "I can spare my other tools, but I cannot spare this one. It is called  Discouragement!  That’s my most useful implement.”

Puzzled, one boy asked why.  The devil answered: “Using that tool, I  can work my way into a man’s heart. When I get this piece into his heart, the way is open to plant anything there I may desire.”

In other words, if we are discouraged long enough, we become an easy prey for the devil. We  may take some actions not even bothered whether it's right or wrong.

The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.' ~Billy Graham

Do not be discouraged if your plans do not succeed the first time. No one learns to walk by taking only one step.  ~Catherine Pulsifer

Seeds of discouragement will not grow in the thankful heart. ~unknown

Keep Swimmin'

It's like saying 'Hang in there!' 

or 'Keep on going!'

..even sometimes things aren't going so well.

keep swimmin'....

just be good and fair!

Life takes persistence..

patience...
hope...
courage...

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: 

Make the most of yourself for that is all there is to you. 

Remember:

Sitting still and wishing 

Made no person great; 

The good Lord sends the fishing, 

but you must dig the bait.

~unknown 

Serotonin and Happiness

Early this morning, I’ve spent some time cleaning our windows. Sometimes, It feels good to focus on something and leaving all the cares behind. While busy scrubbing the glass, I remember those hormones (or ‘neurotransmitters’) which are released by our brain while doing physical activities and eventually make us happy. I have written some notes regarding this before, so I’ve browsed my journal. The hormones were termed as serotonin, endorphins, dopamine etc. Let me focus on ‘serotonin’, the so-called  'happiness' hormone.  Studies have shown that when our body releases serotonin, we feel better, our anxiety is eased and we maintain a positive outlook in life. And there are ways to boost the serotonin levels in our brain. Let the infographics posted on the side do the talking.  Have a great day!  : )

Life's Like That! (part 2)

Looking at my dashboard, I’ve noticed that the first  Life’s Like That! received the most number of pageviews recently. Made me wonder how a post with few words gained the top spot? Well, life’s like that!  Anyway, just doing them  for fun, I made a sequel. Enjoy!   

Keep doing good deeds long enough, and you'll probably turn out a good man in spite of yourself.   ~Louis Stanton Auchincloss

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ~Abraham Lincoln

Which Way To Go?

He's not quite sure which way to go. 

Sometimes, I find myself faced with the same dilemma.

Hope it'll remind me from time to time.

Reading the book “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale, I’d like to share the part that discusses Mr. Peale’s communication with a 26-year old man. Because of his dissatisfaction with his job, this  man consulted Mr. Peale. He was ambitious to fill a bigger niche in life and wanted to know how to improve his circumstances. Here’s their dialogue.

Peale: Well, where do you want to go?

Man: I just don’t know exactly... I have never given it any thought. I only know I want to go somewhere other than where I am.

Peale: What can you do best? What are your strong points?

Man: I don’t know… I never thought that over either.

Peale: But what would you like to do if you had your choice? What do you really want to do?

Man: I just can’t say. I don’t really know what I would like to do. I never thought it over. Guess I ought to figure that one out too.

Peale: Now look here. You want to go somewhere from where you are, but you don’t know where you want to go. You don’t know what you can do or what you would like to do. You will have to get your ideas organized before you can expect to start getting anywhere.

That is exactly the failure with many people, according to  Peale. People are trying to get somewhere but they have only hazy idea where they want to go or what they want to do. The message somehow made me  think. Guess it makes sense.  He added “No objective leads to no end.”  

All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination. ~Earl Nightingale