I have been thinking about the things that make people happy. But the key to being happy is not necessarily in certain things or items that you can get to make you happy. It's about experiences. And those priceless things - memories, spending time with people, life experiences, trips - are the things that bring us true joy.
So I have compiled some of my thoughts on this subject.
First is the optimist versus pessimist thing. Being optimistic does not mean you are happy all the time; it just means you have an idealistic view; you hope things will go well and you believe that you should focus on seeing the best in things. Pessimists assume the worst and are glad when good things happen. So in a way, optimists lose because they can be more disappointed than pessimists. But at the same time, pessimists may fail to see the little things in life that optimists do see. So it's not optimism versus pessimism; it's a balance of both.
Something else I have learned: sometimes, it's worse to regret not doing something than it is to regret doing it, especially when it comes to a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Like when I was in Costa Rica, we were all jumping off this cliff with our clothes on, and while I didn't really want to at first, I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. I knew I probably would never do this again, so why not?
Life's about pushing yourself to go places new, see different things, stretch the parameters of your mind, and basically throw yourself into situations that you feel "out of your element" in. Life's about risks, and doing things you never thought you could do. And happiness comes in the pride you gain from doing different things and engaging in new experiences.
And to put it simply, do what you like to do. There's no point in being an orthodontist if you hate it, even if it does pay well. Find a true passion and follow it. And if your passion does not work out for you, would you rather fail trying or fail having done nothing about it?
And finally, surround yourself with friends and family. People who love you, and people you love. People who will be there to listen to you vent when you are really upset, people who will buy you an ice cream, people you can trust, people who you can have fun with. People you would do anything for in a heartbeat.
Not one thing on that little list was a material item. Not ironically, with such a heavy weight placed on materialism in this society, the futile pursuit of satiation of our endless wants often leaves us feeling depressed. Life is so much deeper than that. You just have to be willing to dig.
07 December 2011
06 December 2011
living a life-ful life
Last year, when I was sitting in the yearbook room doing nothing (because yearbook is 10% rushing to get things done for a deadline that just popped up and 90% waiting around for something to happen), I randomly went onto the bone marrow donation website and I researched it because I want to donate bone marrow some day. I think it would be a really great way to save someone's life, and I don't have any of the thousands of health restrictions that prevent you from donating. However, I am not old enough yet.
And I was thinking that it would be cool if I could do it now, but then I forgot that I'm not 18. And then I sort of wished I was 18. But then I took it back, because I will be older than 18 for a long time, but I won't be 17 forever. And instead of wishing for time to pass, enjoy it and let the good times roll. Time will pass anyway; why wait in agony? You will always get older, there is never trouble in that. But you will never get the younger years back. Enjoy whatever age you are right now, and live it to the fullest. Dance crazy, sing loudly, and surround yourself with friends and family. Live a life-ful life. Do things that make you feel good and young. Face the hardships bravely, and if you don't come out triumphantly, don't fall so low that you can't get back up again. Life will always be going by. The question is, are you going to let it pass you by, or will you chase each fleeting moment with vigor?
And I was thinking that it would be cool if I could do it now, but then I forgot that I'm not 18. And then I sort of wished I was 18. But then I took it back, because I will be older than 18 for a long time, but I won't be 17 forever. And instead of wishing for time to pass, enjoy it and let the good times roll. Time will pass anyway; why wait in agony? You will always get older, there is never trouble in that. But you will never get the younger years back. Enjoy whatever age you are right now, and live it to the fullest. Dance crazy, sing loudly, and surround yourself with friends and family. Live a life-ful life. Do things that make you feel good and young. Face the hardships bravely, and if you don't come out triumphantly, don't fall so low that you can't get back up again. Life will always be going by. The question is, are you going to let it pass you by, or will you chase each fleeting moment with vigor?
05 December 2011
humanity's oldest institution
Guess what? Remember when I went to the Aviva USA website and I ordered a Youmanity token? Well it came today! It's basically a little token that you register online with the code on the token, and then you do a random act of kindness for someone and given them the token. And because it is registered online, you can then track your token and see where it travels to around the world. So when the time is right, I will pass my token along to someone.
But also, I went to my sister's band concert today - the only type of concert I have actually been too, unfortunately - but it was really all of the bands in the whole school.
Regardless, it was a concert, and it was really quit impressive, especially the hard core wind ensemble that played "Sleigh Ride" at the end, and I swear it sounded so much like the Boston Pops I literally thought that it was them. My mom said it was like a recording of the Pops. Pretty cool.
But one of the reasons I love music education and arts education is because those two things are the oldest institutions in humanity. People, and their earliest ancestors, have been making art and music since before Homo sapiens was even a species. And today, while it is much more refined and technologically-oriented, the principle of music is the same. It's and expression of life and emotion, and it's so cool that we still have that connection to our past.
But also, I went to my sister's band concert today - the only type of concert I have actually been too, unfortunately - but it was really all of the bands in the whole school.
Regardless, it was a concert, and it was really quit impressive, especially the hard core wind ensemble that played "Sleigh Ride" at the end, and I swear it sounded so much like the Boston Pops I literally thought that it was them. My mom said it was like a recording of the Pops. Pretty cool.
But one of the reasons I love music education and arts education is because those two things are the oldest institutions in humanity. People, and their earliest ancestors, have been making art and music since before Homo sapiens was even a species. And today, while it is much more refined and technologically-oriented, the principle of music is the same. It's and expression of life and emotion, and it's so cool that we still have that connection to our past.
04 December 2011
i'm a kid and proud of it
I don't really understand why people are all into being an adult. Because being an adult doesn't seem nearly as fun as being a kid.
Today we went to the country club for this nice Christmas brunch and ornament-making. And Santa was there as well.
I was probably the only 17 year old at this brunch, and I was definitely the only one going to see Santa as well.
But you know what? Who puts age limits on fun? I think that kids have the most fun on Christmas because they are captivated by the magic and happiness of Christmas, while teenagers sort of grow out of those things. And just because you are not in elementary school anymore doesn't mean you can't enjoy things like Easter egg hunts, Halloween trick or treating, and Santa, the way you did when you were a kid.
At this rate, I'll probably be trick or treating until I am at least 35. And I will never deny myself the joy that comes from childhood wonders.
I guess people think it is too cool to engage in childish activities that will make you seem like a fool. But you shouldn't listen to what other people think if it makes you happy.
Today we went to the country club for this nice Christmas brunch and ornament-making. And Santa was there as well.
I was probably the only 17 year old at this brunch, and I was definitely the only one going to see Santa as well.
But you know what? Who puts age limits on fun? I think that kids have the most fun on Christmas because they are captivated by the magic and happiness of Christmas, while teenagers sort of grow out of those things. And just because you are not in elementary school anymore doesn't mean you can't enjoy things like Easter egg hunts, Halloween trick or treating, and Santa, the way you did when you were a kid.
At this rate, I'll probably be trick or treating until I am at least 35. And I will never deny myself the joy that comes from childhood wonders.
I guess people think it is too cool to engage in childish activities that will make you seem like a fool. But you shouldn't listen to what other people think if it makes you happy.
03 December 2011
friendship garden
"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher" ~ Oprah Winfrey
I have heard this quote a bunch of times. Evidently I like this quote a lot.
Life is too short to bother with those who drag you down. And life is too fragile and beautiful to endanger. Much like a garden. There are many beautiful flowers in a garden, like good friends and family, but sometimes there are pests and weeds that can ruin your garden.
And you simply have to remove these pests so that they do not take over your life and rule over you. You just have to free yourself from them.
While sometimes we don't plant weeds or invite pests into our gardens, we can change them so that the sun only shines on the good in life.
Oprah really knows how it is.
I have heard this quote a bunch of times. Evidently I like this quote a lot.
Life is too short to bother with those who drag you down. And life is too fragile and beautiful to endanger. Much like a garden. There are many beautiful flowers in a garden, like good friends and family, but sometimes there are pests and weeds that can ruin your garden.
And you simply have to remove these pests so that they do not take over your life and rule over you. You just have to free yourself from them.
While sometimes we don't plant weeds or invite pests into our gardens, we can change them so that the sun only shines on the good in life.
Oprah really knows how it is.
02 December 2011
tis the season
Today we went out for frozen yogurt (actually just the samples for free) and there were a whole bunch of people there, as well as a keyboard and microphones. Then we saw a girl with a guitar. It was like an open mic night sort of thing, and the two people playing were teenagers, probably about my age or younger.
One of them sang a Christmas song and played the guitar. I didn't know the song, but the girl was really good. Better than some "professional" singers when they sing live. And she played and sung at once. The other girl sang and played the keyboard, and it was one of my favorite songs that I know by heart - "Like A Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae. And she sung it just like it was sung in the song. It sounded very good, especially for someone so young.
Their parents were there, as well as basically everyone who worked there and some other frozen yogurt goers. But it was so cool to see some people who are my age - people you go to school with, people you see in the mall - performing in public. I don't know how I would do performing like that in public, and they handled it really well.
That's one of the things I love about the Chirstmas season; everyone sort of comes together and does fun things as a family and community.
One of them sang a Christmas song and played the guitar. I didn't know the song, but the girl was really good. Better than some "professional" singers when they sing live. And she played and sung at once. The other girl sang and played the keyboard, and it was one of my favorite songs that I know by heart - "Like A Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae. And she sung it just like it was sung in the song. It sounded very good, especially for someone so young.
Their parents were there, as well as basically everyone who worked there and some other frozen yogurt goers. But it was so cool to see some people who are my age - people you go to school with, people you see in the mall - performing in public. I don't know how I would do performing like that in public, and they handled it really well.
That's one of the things I love about the Chirstmas season; everyone sort of comes together and does fun things as a family and community.
01 December 2011
the power of being nice
Some people think the only way to be happy in life is to be domineering, imperious, and annoying. Stepping on people, being backstabbing, and manipulating people is a way to get things done, sort of. But there are other ways to be happy. Like being nice. Being nice is not only good because it makes you feel good, but because you're making someone else feel special too.
Remember a few days ago - maybe it was a week ago - when I got a letter back from that solider in Afghanistan? Well I emailed the teacher at school, because it's her son. Mostly I did it because in the letter, he said that if I see her in the hallways at school, just to let her know that he is doing alright. And if a soldier fighting for my safety and the safety of other people in America and Afghanistan is asking me to do something, nothing will keep me from doing it. So I emailed her, because I've never had her before and she doesn't know me at all. It would be an awkward encounter, I could envision it now, if I waltzed in and randomly started talking about it to her in person. Email is good.
So I got a reply this morning when I went to the computers in the classroom and she said that my email "made her day". And I smiled and felt warm and fuzzy inside. Everyone probably wondered why I was sitting on the chair beaming at the computer, but that's cool. She said the holidays can be really hard without him there, but that she's happy that there are people who really do appreciate what he and thousands of other men and women are doing abroad to serve the country.
And I made someone's day. How special is that, to know that you made an impact in someone else's life and that they really appreciated it? It makes you feel more wanted and less lonely. The power of niceness!
Remember a few days ago - maybe it was a week ago - when I got a letter back from that solider in Afghanistan? Well I emailed the teacher at school, because it's her son. Mostly I did it because in the letter, he said that if I see her in the hallways at school, just to let her know that he is doing alright. And if a soldier fighting for my safety and the safety of other people in America and Afghanistan is asking me to do something, nothing will keep me from doing it. So I emailed her, because I've never had her before and she doesn't know me at all. It would be an awkward encounter, I could envision it now, if I waltzed in and randomly started talking about it to her in person. Email is good.
So I got a reply this morning when I went to the computers in the classroom and she said that my email "made her day". And I smiled and felt warm and fuzzy inside. Everyone probably wondered why I was sitting on the chair beaming at the computer, but that's cool. She said the holidays can be really hard without him there, but that she's happy that there are people who really do appreciate what he and thousands of other men and women are doing abroad to serve the country.
And I made someone's day. How special is that, to know that you made an impact in someone else's life and that they really appreciated it? It makes you feel more wanted and less lonely. The power of niceness!
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