Tag: be happy

I like being 27

Ian HunterLeave a comment

I can remember so well turning 27

Life was exceptionally good

My job was well paid and very interesting

With plenty of free time

I was building and racing Mini Coopers

Having tons of fun

I made a conscious decision to stay 27 forever

No more aging birthdays

Quite a few birthdays have passed by since those days

I still feel like I am 27

But my biological age has flipped the digits to 72

Live is still exceptionally good

My retirement pays me sufficient and life is very interesting

With plenty of free time

I still drive a Mini Cooper but not on the race track

I ride my bicycle 100 miles a week for fun

No more aging birthdays

I am staying at 27

lots of reasons to be happy on a Tuesday

Ian HunterLeave a comment

today is Tuesday

most likely nothing spectacular will happen to you today

you probably will not become super wealthy by winning the lottery 

you are unlikely to be on a luxury vacation around the world

if you believe these are the only things that could make you happy today

then you will probably be unhappy for most of your life

here are some things to do that could add to your happiness today

enjoy making breakfast

be entertained listening to books on tape during your commute

get satisfaction from your job

sing along to music while doing routine chores

have a good laugh with friends 

pause to smell the roses with a big smile smile

make an effort to be extra kind to somebody

if you repeat these daily

then there is a very good chance

that you will be happy for most of your life

Happy Tuesday

Ten minutes to happiness

Ian HunterLeave a comment

have you ever tried to figure out what makes you happy

we have all come across somebody who we think should be happier

especially those blessed with good health and a loving partner

I wondered if happiness could be achieved simply by changing the way we think

I stumbled upon an interesting book called Ten Minutes to Happiness by Sandi Mann

she explains that happiness is a trait that you can cultivate within yourself 

rather than a feeling that you wait to be washed over you

her book is based on research in the field of gratification journaling

she recommends you spend ten minutes a day keeping a journal

writing down the answers to the same six questions every day

as your journal expands you should also read previous entries

this will help shift you to a more mindful state of being

here are the six questions to ask yourself daily-

1- What experiences, however mundane, gave you pleasure

2- What praise and feedback did you receive 

3- What where the moments of pure good fortune

4- What were your achievements, however small

5- What made you feel grateful

6- How did you express kindness

I found the sixth question the most intriguing

how could being kind to others improve your happiness

donating a sum of money anonymously can be very gratifying 

research suggest this is far more rewarding than spending that money on yourself

the theory behind all this is that bad feelings tend to overshadow everything else

so by reminding yourself of of the good things in your life you get a better balanced perspective

apparently the more you journal, the more your actions can shift towards happier activities

your ship of life will then steer a course to paradise island- lets all meet up there!

happiness recipe

Ian HunterLeave a comment

I came across this recipe recently. Its very simple and anybody can make it. Interestingly the ingredients do not include relationships, money or material possessions.  Note that it recommends serving to everybody you know which implies that you will achieve your own happiness by giving to others. 

Ingredients

2 heaped cups of Patience

1 heart full of Love

2 handfuls of Generosity

1 headful of Understanding

a dash of Laughter

an endless supply of Kindness

plenty of Faith

Instructions

Combine patience, love, and generosity with understanding. Add a dash of laughter and sprinkle generously with kindness. Add plenty of Faith and mix well. Spread over a lifetime and serve everybody you know.

Is finding lifelong happiness simpler than rocket science?

Ian Hunter1 Comment

I grew up fascinated by mathematics

Wrestling with trigonometry questions

Stretching my brain with complicated equations

Navigating a maze of problems to find the value of X

I have long thought about applying mathematics to life

Solving the equation for lifelong happiness

After a lot of research I derived some simple equations

Imagine you had this question to answer in a test

Given that External – X = Eternal

And Eternal multiplied by X = Eternal X

Using the above two equations

Determine what X is

Of course the answer is simple

X = love

Eternal love is what all humans strive for 

But how can you get there

If you are struggling to find love in your life right now

Simply think back to your childhood

Remember that feeling of being loved as a child

That is the X you got from an External love source

Once you rediscover that loving feeling

Start smothering yourself with it

Keep hold of that X and never let go of it

You will feel so much better after loving yourself for a while

Your life will improve with all that love inside you 

The world around you will be a truly beautiful and magical place

Spreading that X to others will soon follow naturally

Make yourself a promise to love yourself forever

By multiplying  X with your present and your future

You will have Eternal X

Eternal love = lifelong happiness

Not so complicated really

Certainly not rocket science

Spread the word

Pink roses

addisonLeave a comment

By our Cheeky Monkey website manager and guest writer Addison West

I woke up early on a September Sunday somewhat grumpy for reasons I cannot remember.

As I skulked through Carroll Gardens doing my errands for the day, the nice weather lifted my spirits slightly.

My last stop was a flower shop for something to bring home to my partner.

Later, walking down my block with the bunch of pink roses I had picked out, I heard a man say: “Wow! ¡Qué lindo!”

I turned and saw my barber and his buddies working on a car.

“¿Para tu novia?” he asked with a smile.

Yes, I said.

I was no longer grumpy.

what could make you happy?

Ian HunterLeave a comment

if you are asking yourself that question

there is a good chance that you are unhappy right now

you feel you need to be in a better place

but how exactly do you get there

Is it the accumulation of wealth and material objects

do you yearn for a bigger house or a new flashy car

they probably won’t make you that happy

just bring you more worries

have you ever watched a child at play

building sandcastles on a beach next to his family

that child has a zero net financial worth

its not the sandcastles that make him happy

its the love and devotion from his family that makes him feel safe and content

fulfilling relationships are the key to happiness

so go out and send some loving messages to your family and friends

show them you care about them enough to invest time in your relationships

be ready to listen and be their confidante

stop worrying about your net financial worth

focus on growing your fulfilling relationship net worth

spread a little love multiple times throughout your day

your happiness portfolio will grow over time

and you will happily build sandcastles with your grandchildren when you are over 65

Refections on the middle of everything

Ian HunterLeave a comment

If Wednesday is the middle of the week

Do you consider the week half over or half to go? 

If you knew when you will die, would you celebrate living half of your life or having half left?

Are you happy in this moment of time or are you waiting for a happier moment to come along?

I am declaring this moment in time to be transient because by the time you finished reading this sentence, the moment has gone forever and been replaced by another moment

Does this mean you can only be happy for the tiny moment we call now and then lose it all at the end of that moment forcing you to refill the arriving empty moment with more happiness?

What an exhausting way to live, much easier to stay happy constantly and let the moments come visit you

Happy ?% completion of your life

Happy 22nd day of this eleventh month of your yearly orbit around the sun

Happy middle of this week

Happy Wednesday

Happy Thanksgiving eve

Happy Now………..