Monday, November 21, 2011

You Can Be Happy, too.


Here I am again, though I've nothing to write about.

In the past I used this blog as an occasional outlet when I was feeling rather down. But now it seems like—on the odd occasion that I do write something—I am here because I am really fine.

So anyway, I am still not too sure what the purpose of keeping this blog is, but I guess I'll just keep it for now.

When people in the United States have nothing special to discuss, they often talk about the weather.

The weather in Holland is very misty today. It's been misty and nearly freezing many days of late. It also hasn't rained at all the month. Not a drop. So I guess the dikes are at a low level, and there's a drought.

I'm happy with the drought though because we need a new ceiling in our kitchen. It leaks when it rains.

It's just as easy to be happy as it is to be unhappy. Happiness is really only a state of mind, and so is unhappiness. In order to be happy, you have to change your way of seeing. Nothing external can lead to happiness. You can feel a temporary sense of happiness from something outside of yourself, but that sense of happiness won't last unless you have a sense of overall contentment about your life situation.

We think we need all kinds of things in order to be happy, but really, this is not the case at all, since happiness lies within the mind.

If you want to be happy, it's also very important not to harm yourself or others. Harmful actions stem from the mind, so take a look at what's in your mind. Remember that if you harm yourself or others, you will be miserable, so try to avoid harm at all costs. This is very important for a happy life.

Whatever you have, wherever you are, you can be happy, as long as your mind is happy. You don't need anything other than what you have right now. The past is gone, so forget about it. Move on with your life from the present moment. Be kind to others, and kindness will come back to you.

If someone does something to you, try not to retaliate. Retaliation will only make matters worse. Instead, realize that that person also has his or her own problems that led him/her to commit such an action. Remember that harmful actions stem from the mind alone, so then you can go back and think, well, that person must be experiencing pain or unhappiness in his/her mind, and that's why he/she did that. This way you can feel a sense of love for that person, along with the wish that he/she will be able to experience happiness in the future.

Try to remember that we are all essentially the same. We all want to be happy, and we want to avoid suffering. Everyone wants happiness, but rather than creating the causes of happiness, we continually create causes for unhappiness, and that is harm, pain, negativity. So it's better to just stop all of this.

Try to realize your own value as a human being. We all have the same potential for good, and that includes you. So there's no need to put yourself down, or to see yourself in a bad light. You are a valuable person, and you have good qualities, so be happy about that. In order to increase your sense of worthiness, try to think of little things you can do to help someone else, or to help yourself. This doesn't have to involve spending money.

If you mess up, or make a mistake, try to forgive yourself. Forgiveness goes a long way. You can forgive others, and you can forgive yourself. Forgiveness is a form of love. You'll be doing yourself a big favor if you can really learn to forgive. Holding grudges only harms your mind, and since happiness is in the mind, you'll just be unhappy, so whatever it is or was, accept it, forgive, forget.

We can all make small contributions, and it all begins in the mind. You can do it.