September 25th, 2007 — Inspiration and creativity, Just thinking
Here’s another short inspirational movie from Mac Anderson, Founder, Simple Truths. I loved this one, including the Chinese poem at the end.
Live with Passion!
Quack, quack.
Or fly, if you’re an eagle.
It reminds me of the Ugly Duckling story in some respects. Be the best of who you are. That’s not ugly.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresSeptember 24th, 2007 — Joy and happiness, Just thinking, Quotations
H = S + C + V
Happiness = Set Point + Conditions of Your Life + Volunteer ActivitiesThe S and C account for …60% of our happiness. “But that still leaves 40% which is really quite a lot.” [Lyubomirsky] Liz Seymour
I’d like to know where they get their percentages. I think there are times when C can be a lot more than 60%. It can permeate the whole of life, even if we have happy moments.
We have to fight for the kind of life we want — and that includes our happiness. Make the choices that increase our overall sense of well-being.
Martin Seligman, originator of the term ‘positive psychology’ [director of the Positive Psychology Center at the U of PA] divides the building blocks of happiness into two broad categories: pleasures and gratifications. Pleasures are sensual and emotional (a good meal…a back rub) but generally fleeting in their effect. Gratifications are those activities that call on our skills and strengths and give us a sense of a job well done. [He] divides [these] even further into what he calls ’signature strengths’ — marks of character such as perseverance, kindness, curiosity, and humility that make each of us the individuals that we are.
…[Haidt] assigned [psychology students] four activities: attend a lecture, perform an act of kindness, express gratitude to someone, [or]eat an ice cream cone. Only the ice cream cone failed to lift the student’s mood for the whole day. … “We are most fully engaged in life when we are part of something that isn’t just for ourselves.” Liz Seymour
Well, no wonder food is not really a comfort, if this holds true. Of course, we knew that empirically, but now it is confirmed. I’m still not ready to give up chocolate, but if I go for a while not eating it, I find I don’t want it.
What things give you the best day or the best feeling about yourself or your life? Kindness and curiosity rank up there with keeping involved in life.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresSeptember 24th, 2007 — Music
When I was in college, the girl across the hall, played the cello in her room. She was very good, and I enjoyed the sound of the cello immensely. Someone else didn’t, and she ended up having to practice in a practice room in the dorm. Then she taught herself to play the guitar, which she played in her room. She became a good friend — and still is.
The funny thing is that on the whole I’m not a fan of classical music. I find it depressing. Then, I’m always surprised to hear pieces that I really like, and there are quite a few. (I like baroque music.)
Skip ahead a few decades, and my 11 yo, on her own, decided she would like to play an instrument. She began on the viola and switched to the cello. I feel like I’m back in college hearing her practice. The wonderful thing is that she is self-motivated to do it. I don’t have to even remind her.
I enjoyed this story about stringing a cello and learning a new technique of tuning from a master/master tuner. I’ll share it with my daughter when she gets home tonight.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresSeptember 24th, 2007 — Music
I love his voice.
Karin
September 24th, 2007 — Friendship, Just thinking, Opportunity, Quotations
The largest single gift to a secondary school has been made to the George School, a Quaker school in PA.
What I find particularly interesting about this is that it is a pay it forward kind of story. Because of being treated well…and then being treated well again…
Never underestimate the power in treating someone well.
Remember that if the opportunities for great deeds should never come, the opportunities for good deeds are renewed day by day. The thing for us to long for is the goodness, not the glory. F.W. Faber
It reminds me of the story of the hotel in NYC. Many years ago a man needed a room when there were no rooms available. The desk clerk, really the manager George C. Boldt, gave the man his own suite of rooms, moving his family out. A friendship developed out of this. Eventually he became the manager of the Waldorf-Astoria. The man who needed a room was William Waldorf Astor. Snopes has the full story.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresSeptember 22nd, 2007 — Adoption, Forgiveness, Joy and happiness, Just thinking, Prayer
This is a great story about a Chinese adoptee who was chosen to be the voice of Kai-lan. Don’t miss the rest of the story.
Hearing what her adoptive mother has been through and seeing the IHappy license plate brought tears to my eyes.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresJade-Lianna Peters steps into an audio recording booth at I V Media in Brookfield. Jade-Lianna Peters, 10, the voice of Kai-lan, rehearses before a recent recording session at I V Media in Brookfield.
Kai-lan and YeYe are among the characters in “Ni Hao, Kai-lan.”
Jade-Lianna Peters , 10 - with her mother, Kathleen “Candy”; sister, Alexis-Mariah, 7; and father, John - began appearing in commercials when she was 2.
Half a continent away, at Nickelodeon Studios, an animation production team marvels at the 10-year-old’s voice, one that is as natural and light-hearted as a songbird’s, with a sandpapery edge that adds just a rasp of mischief. It’s the pitch-perfect tone for Kai-lan, the lead character of “Ni Hao, Kai-lan,” a preschool series coming to Nickelodeon in August. Executives at the children’s network hope the half-hour episodes will be to Mandarin Chinese what “Dora the Explorer” has been to Spanish. Production continues on a first season of 20 episodes, animated and partly designed in Taipei, Taiwan, and Shanghai, China.
September 22nd, 2007 — Perfumes
College Girl and I went to see this movie last night. The theater was fairly full. There were a few guys, mostly girls. A few young teens, more were older.
There was actually a smattering of applause at the end of the movie. Imagine that. And as CG said, none of the guys booed.
It’s basically a cute movie. We overheard many comments like this on the way out. Even the few moms who were there with younger girls expressed surprise at how well they liked it. (It’s not a movie particularly for young children. You should check it out first.)
It’s a modern take on Snow White. The 7 nerds could have been seriously annoying, but they don’t take it that far. For every nerd there is a silver lining, which is sometimes true to life too when nerds grow up.
Yes, parts aren’t true to sorority life, that they’ve taken to the point of parody, but it’s not gross out comedy with the exception of one nerd with sinus problems. And it’s predictable in some ways and could have been better in others, but overall it was empowering, to know you can stand up to bullying.
Amanda Bynes has a lovely sense of comedic timing and an expressive face. She is fun to watch.
Sara Paxton plays the sorority girl you love to hate — the part she played well, as a high school student, in Sleepover
It sure beats slasher and gross out movies.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresSeptember 22nd, 2007 — Music
September 22nd, 2007 — Joy and happiness, Just thinking, Quotations
…things, whatever their number, contribute surprisingly little — somewhere between 8 and 15% — to our sustained happiness. Variables such as age, education, health, income, personal appearance, and even climate are ineffective at overriding our genetically determined set point.
…external factors have little impact on our level of happiness…our brains…turn out to be amazingly adapable to both good and bad circumstances…scientists can observe neurons firing most urgently to new stimuli; once nerves habituate to a situation, whatever its nature, they respond less…lottery winners …[or]paraplegic from an accident…Within a year after the event that changed their lives, they were pretty much back to their earlier level of happiness. That holds just as true for less dramatic conditions, says Lyubomirsky [professor of psychology at U of CA-Riverside and one of the originators of the happiness formula.] “If you make a stable change — …buy a bigger house… — you’ll get used to it after a while and return to your set point. It works the opposite way as well, which is why daily hassles make people very unhappy. You never get a chance to adapt because the conditions are constantly changing.” Liz Seymour
I don’t know whether this can be seen as good or bad. Good, if you are going through tough times, because you can hold onto the idea that a sense of normal will return, even if time doesn’t heal all ills, despite the adage. Bad, if you were really hoping that what you hoped for would do the trick on a permanent basis.
But isn’t it better to be aware of this than not to be and then be surprised when our highs aren’t sustained as we had thought. It takes some work to stay on top.
The same parameters that would seem to keep us at a certain happiness set point are the same parameters that lead to progress for all of us. After all, if we were happy and content with the status quo always, we’d still be in caves. A certain level of discontent and unhappiness leads us to find new solutions to old problems.
It’s the daily hassle thing we have to watch out for.
Sometimes I think it is similar to changing a channel on TV. We don’t watch a program we dislike. We shouldn’t have to think a thought just because it appears on the horizon of our consciousness. After a point, dismiss it or turn to something else to think about. Which is, of course, sometimes easier said than done, especially if we haven’t trained ourselves to do that — or didn’t realize we could.
Not so surprisingly finding things to be grateful for contributes to our happiness. Of course, sometimes I just don’t want to go there, say, if I’m mad…but eventually I do, and I do feel better. More about that (and what scientists find for those who do that) after a couple more parts.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresSeptember 21st, 2007 — Music
This is a beautiful song, with beautiful lyrics. I hope it touches you as it touches me.
It fit in with the larger discussion of happiness.
Karin
Related Articles Related StoresLife ain’t always beautiful
Sometimes it’s just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heartLife ain’t always beautiful
You think you’re on your way
And it’s just a dead end road at the end of the dayBut the struggle makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has it’s own way of takin’ it sweet time[chorus]
No,life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it’s a beautiful rideLife aint always beautiful
Some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walkin’ all these lonely milesAnd I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
Guess I can dream, but life dont work that wayBut the struggles makes me stronger
And the changes make me wise
And happiness has it’s own way of takin’ its sweet timeNo, life aint always beautiful
But I know I’ll be fine
Hey, life aint always beautiful
But its a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride
