CAREER DEVELOPMENT, GOALS, SUCCESS UNIVERSITY

Visualization is an essential tool used by millions of successful businessmen and professionals all over the world to help them achieve their goals. Visualization however cannot only bring success to your business but happiness to your life, as well.

Using visualization to help you gain happiness is a gradual process, so don’t expect to learn it overnight. Be patient and don’t skip to the next step if you haven’t mastered the previous one.

Ask yourself this question first and be honest with your answer. What is happiness to you? Material and external happiness is easy to achieve once you’ve developed a plan, but you might realize later on these things don’t make you truly happy.

Happiness comes from within. Genuine happiness is born from intrinsic goals, and it’s important that you determine those first before trying to visualize your future happiness.

Now that you know what your goals are, it’s time to choose the best image or symbol to reflect these goals.

What – What are those goals? What type of event, situation, or scene would best reflect those goals?

Who – Determine the persons integral to the completion of your goals; if these people aren’t present, your goals wouldn’t mean as much to you.

Where – It doesn’t have to be any place exotic or extravagant, but something that will mean a lot to you and tell you in an instant that your dreams have come true.

When – Your goals must be time-bound. Ask yourself for the ideal time to complete your goals.

Once you’ve determined all those key elements, the next thing to do is to put all those elements together into one image or symbol. Make this as detailed as possible until it resembles a vivid Technicolor scene. Commit the scene to memory. Memorize each and every pixel until you can call the image to mind with effortless ease.

Visualizing your happiness is like going on a race. The previous step required you to imagine what it would look like to get to the finish line. This time, you need to determine what you’ll do DURING the race in order to get to the finish line. Don’t let present limitations confine your imagination. Determine what you have to do to accomplish your goals and commit them to memory as well.

You now have all the required elements for this visualization exercise to work. The last thing to do is making yourself believe that it can and will happen for you.

Every time you wake up and before you go to sleep, visualize the perfect scene reflecting your goals. Then tell yourself with utmost confidence that you have all what it takes to do it. You can face yourself in the mirror if it helps.

When you do this regularly, your brain will get used to what it’s hearing from you until it’s convinced that you’re virtually destined to make your dreams come true.

Mastering your visualization skills will take time, so be patient if you find it difficult picturing your future happiness. Keep practicing, however, as the rewards you’ll gain will certainly be beyond your wildest imaginations. Dream big and dream happily!

- Leon Edward

Be Happy

Posted by Leon Edward at 07:08 AM | Permalink

Unavoidable or fated difficulties, frustrations, and adversities of life is not the cause of unhappiness. Most often than not, it is caused by what people believe and experience in response to the adversities of life, frustrations, and various dilemmas.

However, you can achieve the state of being happy in numerous ways and under various conditions. Many psychologists say that the meaning of actual happiness will entirely depend on an individual’s definition of being happy.

Reports show that in first world countries like the United States, many people define happiness as the state of having achieved their goals, being financially successful, and having good health and a wonderful family.

In third world countries, happiness would simply mean eating three times a day or getting a good job.

The state of happiness has its own varying categories. It can be gratification, such as learning a new skill; higher pleasures, such as amusement in watching your favorite movie; or bodily pleasure such as getting pleasure from eating your favorite food.

Indeed, various conditions can attribute to happiness. These things may vary from one person to another and from one culture to the next.

However, this does not necessarily mean that achieving happiness can be very tricky. There had been proven techniques and strategies on how to be happy. You can try using them in order to achieve a positive feeling about yourself, the environment, and your life.

Here’s how:

1. Wake up early

To start your day right, always make it a point to wake up early in the morning. Experts say that it would be better if you can witness the sunrise. The idea of seeing a brand new day, as the sun rises in the horizon, can bring a new sense of hope, faith, and confidence in your self.

In this way, you will be able to feel good about the day and could let you start your work with new hopes of getting good returns in the end.

2. Practice good hygiene

Taking a bath first thing in the morning and maintaining a fresh breath will definitely make you happy. Feeling cleanl can alleviate the pressure and tension brought about by yesterday’s stresses and anxieties.

Sleeping could have eliminated the toxicity of everyday living, but washing them off your body can give you a fresher feeling, making you feeling good all over.

Brushing your teeth can make you feel good about yourself. Once you feel good about yourself, you can feel the happiness that liberates from within your soul.

3. Do a good deed everyday

Always make it a point to do a good deed everyday. The idea of doing good deeds to other people will give you a special kind of happiness that no amount of good feeling can match.

Knowing that you enjoyed helping other people can bring a new kind of higher pleasure.

4. Do not jump on the assumption wagon

Before you conclude that something is negative, gather facts to clear up any ambiguities. Do not assume, for example, what someone meant.

Keep in mind that once you have started to entertain negative feelings, your path to happiness will be longer.

Indeed, happiness to many people could mean a lot of things. However, trying to embody all of these things can help you be happy at the least.

Posted by Leon Edward at 06:31 AM | Permalink

Happiness and success are two concepts intertwined with one another. These are two of the most important ingredients that would eventually define a person’s life.

If one would think about it, happiness and success are two things that are relative to a person’s point of view since these are dependent on one’s ideologies. Happiness and success relate to a target or reference point.

A person may say that he is happy because he just finished his studies or he just met a fine woman. A person may say he is successful because he was just promoted to a higher position. When one talks about happiness and success, a certain goal or perhaps an achievement is always the reference point.

A person will constantly ask himself if he is happy or if he can consider himself successful. Many people become depressed because they cannot seem to make sense of all the things that are happening in their lives. The most important thing to remember, when evaluating one’s happiness and success, is that people need to limit their assessment using their own personal standards.

Often times, depression comes about because people rely so much on the expectations of others. Have you heard college students who don’t do as well as they could because they don’t like the course which they are in? They say that they don’t really like the course because they were just forced by their parents or they had to take it for some other reason than because they liked it. Professionals also experience this kind of depression. Oftentimes, the workplace becomes a battleground wherein people live their lives according to the expectations of other people.

Again, happiness and success depend on one’s own views. Let us look at a musician’s point of view regarding happiness and success. A musician would love nothing more than to create music that comes from his soul. Depending on his ideologies regarding music, he can say that he is successful and happy with what he is doing.

A true musician wouldn’t care less if his records sold millions or not, as long as his music stays true to its original intentions when the records were made. A musician can also look at happiness and success in terms of the number of people who patronize his music, if he truly believes that music is nothing if no one hears and appreciates it. It really depends on one’s ideologies.

The only thing that we can infer from these two concepts is that these are mutually intertwined. One can say that success brings happiness and happiness is an essential ingredient towards success (i.e. Being happy with one’s work will bring beautiful fruits of labor).

Happiness and success are two things that all people aspire for in life. There can never be a single definition for both of these concepts. Even dictionaries wouldn’t dare give exact definitions for these words.

Perhaps, only the human heart can define these concepts. You will know when you are happy or when you can call yourself successful if your heart says so.

This is why the heart should always be consulted when making important decisions in life. Yes, of course, this is just a metaphor but we all know that the heart speaks reasons that the mind can never comprehend.

Posted by Leon Edward at 07:19 PM | Permalink

Goodness and happiness are two of the most complicated philosophical ideas. How does one define goodness? How does one define happiness? This article tries to make sense of the two concepts and picture their correlation in a very simple manner of explanation.

One can say that goodness and happiness are relative to how an individual would define them. Let us tackle the concept of "good." How does one really define what is good? Goodness is universally defined as a virtue, a concept that goes hand-in-hand with the concept of "positive." But there are certain moments in a person’s life when he wouldn’t really know which action is "good" to perform.

For example, when one’s loved one is in the hospital and he is enduring a very painful sickness and the doctor suggests that the life support system should be put off since the patient has a very tiny chance of making it and the expenses that would be incurred by the family if they continue to give life support would be enough to make them suffer financially for a whole lifetime. The greater good can never be really defined in such cases.

Happiness is more of a personal ordeal rather than a confusing philosophical concept, but it is also the latter. Happiness, is best defined through the words of a child, who knows not how to pretend and whose aura will be radiating when he is happy. A simple smile of a child can mean perpetual happiness. A simple joyful moment can inspire someone all throughout a sadness-infested life. Happiness is that warm feeling that one feels in his guts and makes him want to embrace the whole world with gratitude and greet all men with love and kindness.

One can say that goodness and happiness are exclusive from one another, that goodness can never really commensurate towards happiness. Perhaps this modern world of ours has been much affected by commercialism and the transient fascination towards earthly things. Today, one can equate happiness with having lots of money and with a multitude of possessions. This, as we say, is temporary. We have heard many wealthy people who commit suicide or those who have lost their minds because of their wealth. If true happiness is directly correlated with having lots of earthly possessions, then the human soul is bound to be doomed forever.

One should see behind the curtains of worldly splendor and look into the most basic needs of man. Man needs love and attention. As the song goes, love is all we need. Goodness, in its most basic form can be measured by the love that one extends in doing something. Every thing that we do affects others, and without love, we will be doing things that will more or less affect others on a negative way. Without love, there is no true happiness, and without love, there is no good.

Goodness is the true way towards happiness. Happiness is the key element in doing good. Goodness complements happiness as much as happiness complements goodness. They are two intertwined realities at we, as frail as we are, forget to look at and forget to reflect on. Underneath it all, there is love, the binding element that holds our lives together.

Posted by Leon Edward at 07:17 PM | Permalink

Happiness is the most wanted thing in the world and yet the hardest thing to find. The search is endless and bounds no place and time.

The level of man’s longing for happiness becomes higher and higher as the standard of living also increases. The first step towards happiness leads to another step, and then to another until a progression of steps is made transgressing the three dimensions of time - the past, the present, and the future. Like love, happiness is a vague concept. Based on the dictionaries, happiness is parallel to contentment. However, contentment is a thing that does not actually exist because man has never been contended all his life. His success for having attained a particular end always paves way to the urge to meet a higher end.

Epicurus, an Athenian philosopher, suggested that in order for man to achieve happiness, he should give up all the complexities of life, like wealth, fame and power, and go back to basics when the things that only matter are those necessary for pure biological subsistence, friends, freedom and analyzed life.

However, it is hard to persuade man to renounce life’s worldly pleasures. If man will relinquish his desire to aspire for the better, progress will be hampered and everything will be doomed in complete stagnation. Time moves forward and progress has been the norm. There must be a machine that will turn back time. However, by the time that man may have reached the basics, time will again start to tick and it will not be practical to do the same process over again.

Happiness might seem to be very far, but man’s journey towards it endures. There are only three steps to perfect the quest for happiness.

FIRST, be aware that you are a participant in the universal search. Every person regardless of age, sex, gender, religion, citizenship, ethnicity, talents, abilities and physical condition, partakes in the worldwide hunt for happiness. Look around you, you will see other people walking. Beside you are people who are almost at the same situation you are in; you are all walking at the same pace. Others might speed up and become a few steps ahead. Do not fret; rather, cheer up for them and persevere.

On the other hand, if you’ve been blessed and have gone farther than your fellows, do not brag; rather, assist those who stagger. While you proceed, also look at the people in front of you. They are those who started the walk much earlier and are now closer to happiness. Make them your role model. Analyze the strategies they used and learn from their mistakes.

Also look at the people behind you. They are those who started the walk later. These people are the neophytes and they look up at you as their guide. Show them a good example. Let your works touch their soul to keep them going.

SECOND, accept that the quest for happiness is never-ending. Do not race with time, but also do not lag behind. Savor the moment and pursue the right level of happiness that is achievable at your age.

The level of happiness varies from individual to individual. When babies crave for happiness, they normally cry and this necessity can simply be satisfied by attending to their basic needs such as a gentle pat, cuddling, words of assurance, simple entertainment or just one’s mere presence.

On the other hand, for adults, happiness is at a much superior level. Adults have infinite list of needs and wants, ranging from life’s essentials to intimacy to a well-defined career path. Adulthood is the busiest stage of man’s existence and oftentimes causes man a lot of emotional turbulence.

Two other crucial stages in man’s existence are adolescence and middle age. These stages are the most dramatic, stressful, and overwhelming segment of man’s life. It is in the middle-age period that man prepares for his retirement; it is the period when most of his dreams have been fulfilled. By the time he reached old age, his journey in pursuit of happiness may have already ended. However, man’s desire for happiness does not end at old age; the longing continues as long as he lives.

LASTLY, love yourself. Take good care of your health - physical, mental, and emotional. Choose a healthy lifestyle so that you will live longer and stronger. In this way, you will have more time and capability to do the things that you want. Do not pressure yourself too much. Take it easy, enjoy life, and appreciate even the little things that you achieved, but do not stop striving for the better. Reward yourself for every work well done. The reward does not have to be expensive, it might be simple and it may not be a material thing.

Most importantly, share your love to other people. As James M. Barrie said, "Let no one who loves be called altogether unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow."

These are the only steps you need to be happy.

Posted by Leon Edward at 09:37 PM | Permalink

Almost everyone have heard the hit single 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferiin's simple message surely made a lot of people by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

One of the better things ever said is - 'The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change', and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too would change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different, accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along with well with

Happiness is actually found in everyone, increasing it is a way to make a life more wonderful and also more healthy.

To be happy is relatively easy, just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really, choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this.
 
Being grateful is a great attitude.  We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mails, thank the policeman for making your place safe and thank God for being alive.

News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can't start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do.

A religious connection is also recommended. Being part of a religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers and meditations foster inner peace.

Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed  as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

Laugh and laugh heartily everyday.  Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say -'Laughter is the best medicine'.
 
Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep pent up anger of frustrations, this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.
 
Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us, they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel worthy of your time.
 
Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new everyday.  Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons. And could also give us more opportunities in the future.

Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.
 
Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.

These are the few simple things you can do everyday to be happy.

And always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln, he says that, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Posted by Leon Edward at 05:34 PM | Permalink

Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives. And then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so adorably sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?”  Then I pause and observed for awhile… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.

So, how does one become genuinely happy? Step 1 is to love yourself.

My theology professor once said that “loving means accepting.”  To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great ounce of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve your repertoire to recover from our mistakes.

Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”

When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else. But if you keep questioning life lit it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.

I believe that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, wining and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. Failure, in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder us from becoming happy.

How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that.

Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFLs. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.”, instead of looking at it all blank and murmur “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!” and then walk away.

Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best. So, how do you become genuinely happy?  Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success. So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. Its about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling your self “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.

When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults. You pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”.For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted. For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love ten folds back.

Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?”. I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted- “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Coz then you don’t just become happy… you become free.”

Posted by Leon Edward at 04:11 PM | Permalink