Happiness, Success & Rewards – Part 2

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Michael Kane

Happiness, Success & Rewards – Part 2

So I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago detailing some success I’ve had on the weight loss and health fronts, for those of you who didn’t read it, here’s the link:  https://ministryofhappiness.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/happiness-success-rewards/

In that post I talked about giving yourself a reward when you successfully reach your goals and I was struggling with what exactly I should do to reward myself.  My normal mode of course being a large pizza, a couple of cokes and a really big bowl of ice cream, not exactly what my doctor ordered.  So I asked for advice and heard from a number of you and I appreciate the thoughts you provided.  One comment I got was particularly good in that it really suggested I do something no food related and non-monetary, to maybe go do a hike I’ve been wanting or some other outdoor activity.

During the time I was contemplating what action I would take I found myself in lieu of the bigger reward, taking lots of little rewards.  Now this isn’t usually a big deal but those little rewards were food related, heavy carb related as well.  I found myself eating some chocolates, a cookie here or there, and then of course I broke down and ordered a small pizza.  My favorite pizza place screwed up the order and one of the reasons they’re my favorite, they gave me my pizza and the mistake, two for the price of one.  Of course that also meant I not only was eating too much pizza, I was eating way too much pizza.  Also as a child I listened to the whole don’t waste food bit, so that turned out to be a wonderful rationalization for eating both pizzas over the weekend.

So yesterday I recommitted myself, did my normal weekly fast and then today was back in the gym and hit it pretty hard, I’m even planning on being up early in the morning and hitting the gym early since I’ve got responsibilities at night this week.  And last night I found my reward, a signed first edition of Charles Bukowski’s Crucifix in a Death Hand along with a promotional flier for the book, and I scored them for roughly 50% of the appraised value of the book from a really reputable book dealer.  Bukowski is my favorite author and I collect signed first edition books so this is definitely a double bonus situation.

Now unfortunately it was a monetary based reward, I still have some growing to do on this front, but it’s a good reward and one I’m really excited about.  Now it’s time to rededicate to my next goal, another 20 pounds by August 1st and between now and the next holiday for me, Mardi Gras I need to buckle down.  I hope you are doing as well on your goals and have a happy day my friends.

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Happiness, reacting and emotional triggers

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Michael Kane

Happiness, reacting and emotional triggers

The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mode of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change; happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up.  ~ Charles L. Morgan

It’s happened to all of us, you’re driving to work, you’re late and trying to hurry when the idiot on the cell phone, paying no attention cuts you off and you spill your coffee.  Immediately your yelling, on the horn and flipping him off.  Afterward you begin to the think of the consequences, he could have been nuts, could have been carrying a gun.  Of course you’re also wired out for the next ten minutes from the adrenaline pumping through your system.  None of it feels good at all.

Now for most of us this doesn’t happen every time you get cut off, hopefully it’s only when you’re extra stressed out and having a bad day.  Regardless, it’s not a good thing and there is a benefit to keeping things on an even keel.  So how do you do it, first of all it’s important to know what your emotional triggers are and finding ways to deal with them.

Searching on the web I found a great piece on this topic and figured I would pass it on:

http://www.examiner.com/holistic-wellness-in-national/how-to-deal-with-emotional-triggers

Have a happy day my friends.

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Happiness and Simplicity

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Michael Kane

Happiness and Simplicity

If one’s life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. And finally, there is an intense delight in abandoning faulty states of mind and in cultivating helpful ones in meditation ~ Dalai Lama

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Today I want to bring you some resources on happiness and simplicity.  Simplicity is one of those elusive goals that can really bring us true happiness:

7 ways to find happiness through simplicity

Simplicity of Happiness

A really beautiful post

Simple living blog

An offering from Zen Habits

Have a happy day my friends! ~ Rev Kane

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Happiness and a simple, hokey good morning

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Michael Kane

Happiness and a simple, hokey good morning

happiness

Ok friends this morning we are admittedly going to get more than just a little hokey.  But every once in awhile you need something a little simplistic, childlike and sweet to kick off your day, here you go and as always have a happy day my friends from me to you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKKjqzkGo3o

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Happiness, Success & Rewards

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Michael Kane

Happiness, Success & Rewards

Recently we have talked about our goals and about focusing on the positive in our quest to be happier people.  Today I’d like to talk really personally about something I’ve mentioned here before and that’s the fact that due to health reasons, and sure a bit of vanity, I’ve been trying to lose weight.  Happily I can report today that I’ve been successful in achieving my first goal which was to lose 30 pounds.  Today for the first time in over 15 years I stepped on a scale, looked down and saw three numbers that started with a 1 instead of a 2.  It feels incredibly good.  As we’ve said before it is important to set achievable goals and even some that are a stretch for us to make, for me, this one was a bit of a stretch.  The more of a stretch the goal is, the more satisfying the accomplishment will be for you.

The problem that I now confront with this success is how to reward myself; I am a very firm believer in rewarding yourself when you succeed.  Sure, were I perhaps a better person, a more self-actualized individual, maybe I could smile and say the achievement is enough of a reward.  I’m not that guy yet, I’m trying my friends but I haven’t gotten there yet, so I need a reward.  Of course for me, my typical reward falls in the realm of banh beo, pizza or especially cupcakes all of them raging with carbohydrates and calories and off the menu at this point except for my one cheat meal a week.  So what am I to do for a reward as I make this change?

I’d love your suggestions my friends as I work on this problem and I’ll keep you posted as to what I end up doing, most importantly, have a happy day my friends.

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Happiness via Zen Habits

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Michael Kane

Happiness via Zen Habits

I’ve referred to one of my favorite sites on happiness a number of times, Zen Habits.  So today, a list of some of their most popular pieces on how to live a happier life.

1.  Breathe http://zenhabits.net/breathe/

2.  I really love this very short piece, a brief guide to life 

3.  Solitude

4.  72 ideas to simplify your life 

5.  Simple mindfulness  

Enjoy and have a happy day my friends!

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How Happy is the United States?

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Michael Kane

So in our quest for happiness a quick check-in on how our country is doing as a whole, check it the link below:

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/united-nations-announces-world%E2%80%99s-happiest-country-247768

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Dalai Lama, instructions for life

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Michael Kane

So today I saw this post on Facebook by a friend of mine, (thanks Tick) and thought I would pass it along.  The link below is a story elucidating the Dalai Lama’s instructions for life, enjoy and have a happy day!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3776/20-Instructions-for-Life-by-The-Dalai-Lama.html

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Deng Ming-Dao, the new morning of the new year

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Michael Kane

Deng Ming-Dao, the new morning of the new year

Morning.
New day.
Joy of birth.
 
All we need is the morning.  As long as there is sunrise, then there is the possibility that we can face all our misfortunes, celebrate all our blessings, and live all our endeavors as human beings.  Spirituality is something that has become necessary in these troubled times.  Yet it is inherently superfluous.  We need it to remind ourselves, to bolster ourselves, to integrate ourselves, to fulfill ourselves.  If we could simply acknowledge the mystery of night and the glory of morning, we would need neither civilization nor spirituality.

As its simplest, life begins with dawn.  That is blessing enough.  That is happiness enough.  All else becomes fullness immeasurable.  At dawn, kneel down and give thanks to this wonderful event.  We may think mornings are so common that they are unworthy of veneration, but do you realize most places in the cosmos do not have mornings?  This daily event is our supreme goodness.

Greet the dawn.  That is your miracle to witness.  That is the ultimate beauty.  That is sacredness.  That is your gift from heaven.  That is your omen of prophesy.  That is knowledge that life is not futile.  That is enlightenment.  That is your meaning in life.  That is your directive.  That is your comfort.  That is solemnity of duty.  That is inspiration for compassion.  That is the light of the ultimate.

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Happiness and counting your successes

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Michael Kane

Happiness and counting your successes

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier.  The way it actually works is the reverse.  You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.  ~Margaret Young 

The end of the year is here and we all must suffer through the endless year-end lists of everything.  You know the ones, the best of, the worst of, for every category from TV shows to movies to celebrity nightmares.  But today I’m going to suggest that you do your own little end of the year list.  

Every year has its ups and downs and I’m quite sure for all of you this year was no different.  It’s often easier to focus on the things that went wrong over the year or the things you didn’t accomplish.  This is not productive at all and will not make you a happier person.  Now don’t get me wrong, you should take some time to reflect on the things that didn’t work and figure out what you could have done differently.  However don’t obsess on it because this year is another opportunity to accomplish all that you want to do.

This year for me things went wrong, a good relationship ended for me, friends have drifted including someone who for over a decade has been incredibly important to me.  Things at work that I would have liked to accomplish didn’t occur.  I set a goal to lose 30 pounds by the end of the year, it looks like I will fall short by a couple of pounds.  You could take all of that and really spin it into a downer of a year. 

However it has been a very good year for me.  You see the relationship ended but it was probably for the best in the long run, happily, we’re still friends.   We still like each other and instead of looking at it as having lost a great relationship, I choose to count the fact that I’ve gained a good and new friend who I expect to have in my life for a very long time.  Work is work, some things didn’t happen but we accomplished some amazing things and I’m about to do several talks at large conferences discussing our successes.  Finally, I lost 24 pounds since July!  Sure I wanted to lose 30, but the 24 pounds I lost have helped me look better and have been incredibly beneficial to my health.

The two paragraphs above talk about the same exact year just with a little different focus.  Yet the second paragraph is longer and much more upbeat.  And that’s what I want you to do, write that second paragraph for your last year and then use that paragraph as the starting point for the next year and as always, have a happy day my friends.

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