The meaning of life

Be happy

Show up

Follow your heart

Find a new perspective

Have a sense of wonder...

Find people you love...

Set goals

Help Others

Dance

Pamper yourself...

Face your fears...

Go to a museum

Exercise

Limit television

Get in touch with nature

Lighten up

Get a good night's sleep

Read books

Buy yourself flowers

Don't compare yourself with others

Don't beat yourself up

Be open to new ideas

Don't focus on negative thoughts...

...Focus on creating what you desire

Make time just to have fun

Keep the romance in your life

Make a gratitude list

Love your Mother Earth

Want what you have

Be true to yourself

The YouTube above was originally posted by my cousin on Facebook.

The illustrations and the captions are from the book Be Happy: A Little Book to Help You Live a Happy Life by Monica Sheehan.

The music is "Cuore di Sabbia" (Sand Heart) by Pasquale Catalano, from the soundtrack of the Italian movie Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons) directed by Ferzan Ozpetek.

So, is your life really that bad?

Life has simple pleasures and simple miracles.

What of the above have you been doing lately? Let's not judge others. What have you done? Me, honestly?

Be happy - not really, it has ups and down and lately I am not happy. I strive to be happy.


Show up - sometimes I am there but I am not actually there. Showing up means being present and alert.

Follow your heart - I mostly follow my heart, this I do, but sometimes t negative consequences.

Find a new perspective - I always try to find a different perspective to things, to be a better person.

Have a sense of wonder - this I do, I always have a sense of wonder. I am easily amazed.

Find people you love - I am lucky to have my wife and my dog by my side. People say love sometimes hurts, it does not. Love is love, it is pure and kind. But it is hate and jealousy that hurts.

Set goals - I have set goals, short term, medium term and long term. Now to achieve them.

Help Others - I always do but this is an area where I want to increase - to help people more or help more people.

Dance - I used to, now we have stopped and it needs to start again.

Pamper yourself - I usually do, but there are sometimes limitations.

Face your fears - this past year, I am beginning to face my fears and my inner demons.

Go to a museum - I love museums, went to a few in 2009, and 2010 but not yet in 2011.

Exercise - this I have failed, need to start Pilates soon.

Limit television - somehow, this has just naturally occurred. I am hardly watching as much television as I used to in previous years.

Get in touch with nature - I wish there was nature nearby but I do go to the jungle every month or so. But I take time to listen to the birds and the squirrels in my back garden.

Lighten up - I have been a little bit tense lately, I do need this.

Get a good night's sleep - oh how I dream of this.

Read books - I read lots of books. This area is well covered.

Buy yourself flowers - I have never bought myself flowers. I am going to my mother in law's place later and I think I will buy myself some flowers.

Don't compare yourself with others - one of those difficult things to do because of inner demons but I am getting better at this.

Don't beat yourself up - I try not to, but when others beat me, I tend to start beating myself up too. Weird isn't it. Need to get away from these S&M tendencies.

Be open to new ideas - I am so open to new ideas and very receptive to things.

Don't focus on negative thoughts - again something I need to take control over from my inner demons.

Focus on creating what you desire - something that I need to do consistently rather than on ad-hoc basis.

Make time just to have fun - I usually do, but I think need to have more fun.
Keep the romance in your life - wife and I are close and love each other to bits, but sometimes need to keep the spark going, I can't be working like how I have been.

Make a gratitude list - I make a daily gratitude list.

Love your Mother Earth - I love Mother Earth and Our Father in Heaven.

Want what you have - I always want what I have, sometimes I just want more.

Be true to yourself - as I have not fulfilled 100% of the criteria above, I cannot say that I am always true to myself, although I am striving to be there.

So think about it honestly, where are you on the list above? Share it with me if you want.

It has taken a lot of miracles and faith to get me where I am and the lessons I have learned on the journey are invaluable. But the journey of my life is still long and many more lessons and wonderful things to learn as well as teach. I will get there one day, and I hope you will too.

Take care and be well.