Happiness – Dawn Lupul

June 7, 2020June 7, 2020

Finding Success – The Daily, June 7, 2020

Sometimes you can grow even in the most difficult places

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
― Henry David Thoreau

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
― Maya Angelou

Today is a perfect day to stop allowing yourself to be small. If you aren’t doing what you want to do, figure out a way to make it happen. Now with a very powerful full moon behind us and the beginning of the waning phase, take time to devise plans and a schedule and prepare to put ideas into motion. It feels like the rest of this year is going to provide many opportunities for personal and professional growth, and you need only want it to have it happen for you.

Challenging Times Ahead – So many retrogrades, eclipses, and general unrest in our celestial skies are contributing to uneasiness, a desire for change, and no longer tolerating the archaic beliefs of the past. The collective is pushing towards something better as consciousness continues to find expression. Allow yourself to challenge every belief you hold. Figure out where it came from. Was it something your parents told you, or you learned at school, or it’s just the way you have always thought? Now is the time to expose these ghosts of the past and decide if they still work for you.

Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto continue in their retrograde motion, and before the end of the month Mercury and Neptune will join them. That will mean that from June 23rd to the 26th, six planets will be retrograde. It’s also eclipse season. What does this all mean? That it’s okay not to feel okay right now. Sometimes the energy outside of you challenges everything that you thought was safe and secure.

The year 2020 isn’t finished shaking our foundations quite yet. But from the turmoil can come strength and the realization of what is truly important in life. Sometimes you need to let go of everything in order to get everything that you want.

Gandhi – On June 7th, 1893, a young lawyer was kicked off of a train in South Africa. It was on that day that Mohandas Gandhi decided to fight racial inequality, a pursuit that would span a lifetime in a series of peaceful protests and the ability to motivate thousands. Gandhi’s persuasive methods of civil disobedience influenced leaders of civil rights movements around the world, including Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thought of the Day – It’s a new day. Step into it with fresh eyes and leave the tired, old way of looking at things behind. It isn’t serving you. Enjoy and be peaceful.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
― Winston S. Churchill

October 17, 2019

Wanting and Needing

Do I look happy? I was! I don’t need these moments to be happy, but sometimes I want them

There are things we want, and there are things we need. Are these the same?

We need to breathe, obviously. Take away air for more than a couple of minutes and we cease to exist. Food and water are needs, although we can last a little longer without either of these than we can without air.

Other than that, the basic needs of shelter and safety are important, although not entirely necessary to survive. I still feel I need them though in order to function beyond a level of just surviving.

There really isn’t much else. Our needs can be as basic as this.

Of course, we want much more and that is an important part of who we are.

There is everything right about wanting to create a life of comfort and ease. There is no nobility in suffering, unless you feel that is your karma in this lifetime and you are satisfied with that.

October 8, 2019

Being Creative

Take time to play everyday. It keeps you young at heart! Costa Rica inspires creativity

We are creators. It is a natural part of being human.

It is amazing how we can use the power of imagination to entertain ourselves.

As children, we use our imagination to play make-believe and to take ordinary items like cardboard boxes and turn them into castles or fortresses or spaceships.

Even as adults, this need to be creative never leaves. Some people find their expression through artistic pursuits, others start companies out of ideas, and others like to decorate their house or wear clothes expressing their style.

Whatever it is, we all do it in some way, or we all have the potential to do it.

September 25, 2019

Be Who You Want to Be – Happiness

It was impossible not to be happy in Costa Rica – just out there swimming with a friend

There are two ways to exist in this world. You can choose to be pleasant or you can choose to be miserable. If you are not able to be pleasant, then you have chosen misery.

The conditioning that we received as children that enabled us to fit into society also absolved us of the ability to recognize that we have the power to choose our thoughts and our emotions. We get very good at blaming others or outside circumstances for our unhappiness.

In other words, we don’t take responsibility for who we are and how we act.

By saying things like, “Oh, that’s just the way I am” or “I’ve always been this way,” we absolve ourselves of the ability to choose a different path. We lose our strength by giving our power away in this manner.

September 22, 2019

Be Who You Want to Be – Focus

I am dwarfed by the magnificence of creation. My problems are meaningless. I choose to live in joy

It can be overwhelming sometimes to know what you want. There are so many choices, so many different options that making a decision and narrowing it down to one can be intimidating.

And that can be just what to have for breakfast!

The world is like a big buffet. No two people are the same, nor do we need to be. We all have basic needs of survival, like having food, shelter and safety. After that, it becomes a choice as to what interests you and how you want to live your life.

Sometimes other people make our choices for us, and if these choices don’t resonate with us then we can feel resentment. As we get older we have the power to reclaim our lives and do what we choose to do.

So why do so many people stay in jobs or careers that they absolutely despise?

July 12, 2019

Contentment

Is it even possible to be content anymore? It seems that as soon as we achieve one goal in life, we instantly move on to the next one.

The question is, is that a good thing or a bad one?

It all depends on your point of view. If the constant striving is driven by a feeling of not having or being enough, then it can be a problem.

If you aren’t able to enjoy what you already have and are constantly envious of what others possess, then the striving will never be enough.

You will always feel empty inside.

If, on the other hand, you chase after goals because you enjoy the process and do it because it challenges you, then that is perfect! Life isn’t meant to ever stop, and by moving in the direction of the things we want we can find enjoyment in every day.

Write down five things you would like to have. It could be more money, a new house or car, a relationship, whatever you think would make your life happier or more complete.

Now look at the list and decide what emotion drives each of the desires. If you want more money, is it because you want to buy things, or you want the security that money can bring? Or is it because you think it will make you happy?

Find out what motivates you. Now find out if you can have the feeling without the thing you are chasing after.

Can you be happy without the money? Can you be satisfied without a new relationship? The key is to find the emotion without needing something outside of yourself to fulfill it.

When you can do that, you are truly free in this world and there is nothing you can’t do, be, or have!

July 11, 2019

Get Addicted to Happiness

Some days are more challenging than others. Some lives are more challenging than others. Everyone has a story, something that makes their life experience unique to them.

Make the most of your story. Choose to make the most of your life.

Five Things to Do Every Morning to Increase Joy

Wake up early Allow yourself time to accomplish goals by going to bed early and getting the sleep you need. You can’t win the morning if you are running on empty.
Express gratitude Sitting in meditation is one way to access a state of gratitude, but you can also take 5-10 minutes and just think about all of the things you are grateful for. This practice will change your life quickly.
Exercise Do something to connect with your body and get it going first thing. This could be yoga, going to the gym, jogging, or going for a walk. Appreciate the body as the vehicle that moves you through life and don’t neglect it.
Prioritize the day Know what important tasks lie ahead, and figure out which ones you need to do and what you can delegate or dismiss. You are one person – attend to the things that only you can do. Run your life as your business and be the boss of yourself.
Smile Stop taking yourself so seriously! Remember that nothing and no one you see will matter in 100 years. Live your life as though you won’t be here forever – because you won’t. It doesn’t have to be a struggle.

Even if you have challenges, appreciate that you are alive and be grateful for the air you breathe and the opportunity to be the captain of your own ship. Make decisions in every moment that propel you towards your goals, and don’t waste time on things that don’t matter. And remember, most of the things we spend our time thinking about and worrying over don’t matter.

Be healthy, be happy, and be whole. Be the kind of person who everyone wants to be around, not the person who no one can stand.

Be the best you in all ways, always.