I admit it…
I’m a self proclaimed A-D-D, multi-task-master with looong to-do lists.
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| Long Lists of To-Do’s |
At any given moment, I have 20+ windows open on my desktop and often forget what I’m searching for while opening up another browser to find an email in another account. I check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks while waiting for my Final Cut Editing Program to render — you video editors out there feel my pain. Did I mention, I also just picked up my iPhone to check some other apps? (I really did.)
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| Omm Writer App |
To stay on task, I’m blogging in OmmWriter, a writer’s app I recently discovered, that clears your screen and plays zen-like music.
With all the flash, video and pictures proliferating the wild wild web, it’s hard to catch my attention as I am sure it is to capture your eyeballs for more than 30 minutes on any given site. But this Facebook post by our friends at Service Space made me pause, smile and inspired me to blog… about happiness.
We all search for it and make excuses of why we don’t have it. We all can rewind and think about something that happened in our past that creates our bad attitude and bad habits. Likewise, we can look into the future and think our happiness is hinged upon a bigger paycheck, finding the right partner or _____Fill in the blank_____.
The truth is, we have the power to change our thoughts no matter what situation we’re in. That is why I LOVE THIS quote by Deepak Chopra. I stumbled upon this sweet message and picture posted by our friends at Karma Tube.
The quote: “Be happy for no reason, like a child. If you are happy for a reason, you’re in trouble, because that reason can be taken from you.” ~ Deepak Chopra
This resonated with me on many levels. Just last week, I was on a walk in my quaint San Francisco neighborhood and was completely in the moment. I stopped and asked myself why I was smiling. I remember being happy just for the sake of being happy.
I’ve had naysayers – aka “haters” – tell me, “It’s easy for you to be happy, you have nice clothes, lots of friends and a job.” While that may be true in my current situation, there have been times where that hasn’t been the case. Growing up in bad neighborhoods when I was a child, I wore lots of hand-me-downs from my two older brothers. My mother, being resourceful, used the tattered clothes to stuff the burlap rice bags for pillows. After leaving my TV reporting gig to start up Go Inspire Go, there have been times where I had $0.80 in my bank account. Yep, 80 cents. And there was a time when I lost four family members in one short year.
Looking back during those times, I do remember many happy moments. Most of the time, I didn’t let the situation define my happiness. As one of my favorite authors, Eckardt Tolle, said, “It is what it is.” I’ve learned to surrender to things that happen around me because I can’t worry about what I can’t control. That’s a good start. Instead, I focus on what I’m grateful for.
It seems like my gratitude list is longer than my woe-is-me list:
1. I’m grateful for the family that I still have in my life.
2. I’m grateful for my volunteers, viewers and everyday heroes we feature on GIG.
3. I’m grateful for my Skype sessions with my niece and nephew.
4. I’m grateful for the crisp autumn air.
5. I’m grateful for my breath.
These are just five things I’m grateful for. I made it a habit to log five things I’m grateful for in my gratitude journal before going to bed every night. Oh I have one more to add to the list – I’m grateful for the picture that inspired this blog.
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| Still Shot from Film: The Weeping Camel/Cinematographer: Luigi Falorni |
As adults, there are so many distractions: social media, climbing the ladder (whatever the ladder may be), material things, living up to the status quo… the list goes on. I guess as the aforementioned picture shows, we have a lot to unlearn as adults and re-learn from children. I know I do. If this makes you happy, please share with someone you love!