Happiness Hack: Silence

Today’s Happiness Hack: Silence. Since the past few weeks, I have realized that the power of words lies not only in uttering the right words, but also in knowing how to be silent at the right time. This is totally against my nature – usually I am talkative, blabbering, and just being all over the place. Though it helps make others comfortable and open up to me, at times this proves to be disastrous. So for my peace of mind, I have to learn to be silent. This will also help me conserve my energy and use it for productive purposes, help me organize and control my thoughts, help me to be in control of my feelings and not react out of emotional foolishness, and just make a few things easier.

I know it is going to take a lot of practice, awareness, self-control, and discipline. It’s going to be a hell of a challenge. But till date, all the Happiness Hacks I have undertaken have served me really well, far better than my expectations. So I am more than willing to give this a try. As long as I don’t beat myself up for straying off the path, as I am sure I will, and just gently keep guiding myself towards the path, it should be okay. Let’s see how it goes..

Happiness Hack: Let God…

Krishna has an innate way of talking to me..He talks via the TV or through tube lights..Early in the morning, he gave me an awesome message (through TV) that became my Happiness Hack for the day: “Do what you can do and then let God do what you cannot do.”

I have an tendency of overthinking..I just can’t let go and let things take their own course. But this proves to be frustrating and draining. Today morning, I was obsessing over an upcoming trip. I really, really wanna go on the trip, but some hindrances have cropped up in my path. And I was thinking and thinking and thinking over it, to no end. There wasn’t anything that I could do to make it happen. And then when I heard this statement, I felt a sense of relief and peace. I let go, surrendered to Krishna, and went about my day. At no point in time did I ponder over the trip again. This happiness hack works. Hope I can continue with this effect. Amen.

Happiness Hack: Keep your cool

I read on the Happiness Project blog that our happiness is not based on achieving our biggest dreams, but letting go of the small, trivial things that constantly nag us and rob us of our peace of mind. This was an Aha! moment for me. As a part of my Happiness Project, I will tackle one trivial thing each day.

I have a tendency to lose my cool and snap quickly, which I always regret later. So today’s Happiness Hack is: Keep your cool.

No matter how much my family drives me crazy, my friends don’t show up on time, my laundrywala ruins my clothes (yet again), the traffic is unbearable, I am NOT going to snap. This is a trivial thing, but a mammoth challenge for me. Hope I can do it for a day at least! Wish me luck

Image credit: Looking for a Lighthouse

#96 It’s a wonderful life

Take time to smell the roses.

We run behind objects of desires all our life. A better job, an awesome relationship, a new car, the foreign tour, and so on. What about the life that we already have?

This is what I realized this morning. Lately, I have been obsessed with things that my life lacks at the moment – but what about the things that I have achieved? What’s the point of acquiring more and more posessions if I can’t take a moment to appreciate and enjoy what I already have? Will the fulfillment of my current desires guarantee the ever-eluding peace of mind and satisfaction that I crave, or will new desires take up the place?

Today morning, for a moment, I let go of all my desires and let myself just be. My mind was not ready to give up the gazillion thoughts it had about my current desires, but I told it to let go only for one moment, and we will come back to it soon. And it was a beautiful feeling. I instantly felt happier and at peace. I actually started smiling – for no reason!

Any desire achieved with this state of mind has to have good results because you do it from an abundance mindset, not based in fear.

Nugget of wisdom: Achieve a goal because your are happy, don’t be happy because you achieved the goal.

Image credit: My awesome friend - Bharat Bhavsar

#97 Amazing blogs

This is a resolution that I had for 2011 – Listing 100 Things to be Grateful for..And as all resolutions, I did not follow it

This is a continuation of the same resolution..

#96 on my list is the Amazing blogs that I came across: These blogs prove to be a source of inspiration and entertainment for me on a daily basis. No matter what my state of mind is, I always find the required remedies in one of these blogs. Here’s my list of my favorite blogs:

1. Personal Development for Smart People – by Steve Pavlina (http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/):

I love Steve’s insights and processes. The best part is that he writes about his personal experiences and experiments. That makes the          content of his blog very authentic and practical. And his frank writing serves the tough love that I need from time to time.

2. Art of Non-Conformity – by Chris Guillebeau (http://chrisguillebeau.com)

I always get some brain food after reading this blog. So if you are facing a shortage of ideas, this is the place to go.

3. Foodatarian (http://www.foodatarian.com/)

Okay, this is not a blog, it’s a website. But it has always, always helped me find amazing recipes and wow my guests. I owe all my culinary skills (however meager they may be) to this website.

4. Gaping Void – by Hugh MacLeod (http://gapingvoid.com/)

It’s been years since I am following the blog and still I can’t get over the awesomeness and simplicity of the concept. And I love Hugh’s writing style. Brilliant.

My Happiness Project

I came across a fabulous blog: http://www.happiness-project.com/. I loved the concept and am highly inspired by it. And acting on the inspiration, I am starting my own Happiness Project

WHAT IS A HAPPINESS PROJECT?

Your “happiness project” is your own project to take specific steps to boost your happiness. Start now!

To help you identify changes in your life that might make you happier, answer the following questions:

1. What makes you feel good? What activities do you find fun, satisfying, or energizing?
2. What makes you feel bad? What are sources of anger, irritation, boredom, frustration, or anxiety in your life?
3. Is there any way in which you don’t feel right about your life? Do you wish you could change jobs, cities, family situation, or other circumstances? Are you living up to your expectations for yourself? Does your life reflect your values?
4. Do you have sources of an atmosphere of growth? In what areas of your life do you find progress, learning, challenge, improvement, and increased mastery?

Answering these questions provides a good roadmap to the areas that you could tackle — and increase your happiness quotient.

My version of the Happiness Project

My intention behind this project is to be consciously happy and make choices that increase the joy factor in my life. Not that I am unhappy right now, but my routine has become stagnant and this can be a motivation for me to break out of the rut. Moreover , this project will make me seek out new experiences and activities that I would otherwise ignore. And I want to see where this leads me.

Sounds like an awesome thing to do in the New Year  Let the good times roll!!

#98 Being an Indian

I had started this series – ‘100 Things To Be Grateful For’ – in January, but couldn’t keep up with it. The reason being, I didn’t feel grateful for anything, and couldn’t fake it. But today, I am deeply grateful for being an Indian.

The World Cup 2011 win by Team India set the ball rolling. The tremendous achievement by the Men in Blue gave all the Indians a reason to celebrate. The cool captaincy of Mahindra Singh Dhoni, the warrior-like innings by Yuvraj Singh, the pure legend named Sachin Tendulkar, and the grit by the team and support staff taught me quite a few lessons about the game of life. I learned that through perseverance and determination, we can accomplish anything we want, if we keep unaltered faith in our goal and have patience. I learned that what you make of yourself is entirely in your hands, no matter what others say. I also learned that taking any challenge head-on, with a calm, balanced mind, and giving your best shot, will lead to definite success.

Just as the euphoria of the World Cup was starting to fade away, Anna Hazare renewed my pride in being an Indian by taking the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement to another level. I realized that the educated and young junta of our country has finally awakened and the politicians have to realize that the game has changed. They can no longer stand on the pedestal, give speeches, and win votes. The Gen-Y voters are smart,educated thinkers, who harness the power of social networking to voice their opinions and get heard. It’s time our politicians take heed of this and change their attitude. They are meant to serve the people of India, not rule over them. It’s high time they fulfill their duties instead of filling their pockets.

It was predicted that India will become a Superpower soon, and today, I believe that prophecy more than ever. I am contributing my bit to help this great country reach its glorious destiny and will continue to do so. Proud to be an Indian. Jai Hind!

#99 Blessed

Yesterday, I watched the video of Ted Williams – The Man with the Golden Voice. (For those who don’t know, Ted Williams was a homeless, jobless person in Ohio, with an amazing voice).

Though he now has a home and a great job, thanks to the Internet media, I just couldn’t get the video out of my head. The voice haunted me the entire night. I realized that there are millions of people out there who are far, far better than me in every which way – intellectually, physically, morally, in every way. Yet they suffer tremendous plights. And I am just another ordinary person, yet I have every comfort possible. And yet I am always whining and cribbing!

I realized how lucky I am to have all the things that I take for granted – a comfortable house, a good job, loving family, and wonderful friends. I am lucky to have so many brilliant opportunities lined up for me that would change my life miraculously. And instead of being thankful for this, I crib about the missed opportunities, the trivial fights with my family and friends, and worry about the future.

I am blessed with things that these people do not have. I owe it to them to be happy and grateful for these comforts. I owe it to my parents and the people who took care of me, to be happy. They have struggled a lot to make my life beautiful.

And I urge you to look at the beautiful things in your life and be happy for it. Recognize the blessings showered upon you. So just be happy and spread the love. It is not a charity, it is our responsibility. Cheers !

(Photo credit: Soham Sabnis – check out his amazing blog – http://sohams.wordpress.com/ )

#100 Friends

The countdown to the 100 Amazing things begins..

And it starts with – Friends ..

My friends ..

They come in all shapes and sizes ..age, caste, gender – no bar .. each with a different personality ..

The ones who make me laugh ..

The ones who teach me the ways of the world, and the ones who teach me what shouldn’t be taught ..

The ones with whom I talk all possible non-sense, laughing our heads off, for no reason, for hours together ..

The ones with whom I have meaningful, deep conversations (without boring each other)..

The ones to whom I can’t explain what I feel and yet they understand it..

The ones I share my joys and successes with, and are genuinely happy for me..

The ones who scold me and give me reality checks on a regular basis (though I don’t enjoy it much) ..

Today, I am grateful to all my dear friends .. Thank you for being who you are .. and Thank you for being my friend ..

P.S : I am also grateful for the TV series “F.R.I.E.N.D.S.” obviously

100 Things To Be Grateful For…

Happy 2011 Everyone !!!!

As my resolution for the new year, I had decided to increase my blogging frequency.. On Jan 1, 2011, wordpress.com launched a challenge – Post a Week everyday for 2011…and I loved it ! It was exactly the inspiration I needed to make sure I fulfill my resolution..

But to blog every week, I needed a topic or topics that I could blog about for an extended amount of time.. While searching for such topics, I came across this awesome video - http://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome.html … and went through the blog - http://1000awesomethings.com/ .. I totally fell in love with the concept.. It was something that I could enjoy writing about, as well as the process would make me grateful for the wonderful small things in my life that I simply forget to appreciate in the hectic daily routine..

So for 2011, I am going to post about 100 things that I feel grateful for. I am going to share with you things that make me smile, people that make my day, and events that make me appreciate the beauty all around, straight from the heart..  I hope this endeavor inspires you or at least make you smile…So join me in this journey and feel free to share your experiences..The comments section is meant for that, you know…

Thing to be grateful for today: I came across the video

Have an awesome 2011, and keep smiling always