MY HAPPINESS IS IN MY OWN HANDS

We all like to receive a compliment here and there because it can have a positive impact on us, but that doesn't mean that we should solely rely on someone else's words to bring us up from feeling down. With or without the chosen compliment spoken we should always be happy with what we have in our life in order to be respectful to those who are less fortunate than we are. To those of you who refuse to acknowledge that you are lucky to have the lifestyle that you lead and fortunate enough to have opportunities that enable you better yourself then maybe you should go without the things that you seem to take for granted and see how difficult life can really be. When you do get complimented it is merely a bonus that should only add to your own self motivated positive energy and not be the be all and end all of your life. If we give others the power to bring us up then they also have the power to bring us down, that it is why it is best that your happiness is in your own hands alone. We also should never let the people that don't have the power to inflate us to deflate us at their whim because they are not deserving of the privilege to have an affect on the positive people of the world, they should remain isolated where their negative attitudes and doubt can not affect others.

I KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW, OR I GUESS I DO

I dont need your help seems to be the first response to the question, Can I help you? We all like to feel that we are capable of handling any dramas in our life that come our way but this isn't always the case. Sometimes our ego can prevent us from asking for the help that we obviously need, all this does is hinder our own progression. This stance in our own stubbornness will only hold us back from moving forward to where we want to be. The quicker you take on the philosophy that you don't know everything will be the moment that you allow yourself to learn from input of others. Your goal should not be to prove that you know everything to others but that you respect them enough to listen and learn from their knowledge of experience on the topic. It is through mutual respect that we can learn from each other and grow. Only through learning from those that you interact with will you ever manage to be the best version of yourself that you can be. Shutting yourself from knowledge because you believe that it shows a lack of something is a weakness in your character for that we are always learning and the moment we stop learning is the moment we struggle in the evolving world. So do not flame your prejudices and allow yourself to learn from the four corners of the globe and you might be surprised what you could learn. 

WHAT IS A MAN?

A man is more than his hobbies and interests, they are merely what he prefers to spend his time focusing on. Men may share similar interests with one another and that is why we tend to refer to their common interests as "Thats what men usually like". Grouping men into common interests can partly be blamed on a combination of both nature and nurture in their set lifestyle this will always be the case because of the way we push our own belief system on how others should be all because it has worked for us. Men should be able to be who they want to be as long as they do not affect how other men want to be. Men are usually recognised for their shared interests in sports, cars, computer games etc ... but their common interests doesn't make them any more of a man from the men who would rather go shopping, dress up, or be a stay at home dad. Since language was created and a man was grouped and labelled in the same category as all those who looked similar in appearance the word man clearly was based on biology not personality. As much as we admittedly place people in groups all because it is easier to make sense of similarities when we live in world made up of generalities where the system might not be perfect it could be a lot worse if we begin to doublethink our understanding of what already makes sense, this will only lead to less understanding and more chaos. So what do you call a man who is feminine? I believe he's still a man.

THE WOUNDED BIRD

It is in human nature to feel sympathy for those that have experienced pain in their past as well as those that are still going through suffering on a day to day basis. Whether we can empathise with their plight or we just feel responsible to do what we can in order to alleviate some of their pain the moment you decide to make their problem your problem your path is set. Some people use the so called victim as a distraction from their own dramas rather than working on their own ongoing issues they are quick to defend the actions of others even at the cost of their own dignity. The decision to shield the wounded bird makes them feel happy and binds them to the so called victim. No matter what you choose to do to look out for the one who has chosen the life of isolation you will never feel fulfilled because you can not truly help others untill your own room is clean of problems. We are compelled to feel for that goes hand in hand of being human and it is when we feel most alive but sometimes it also ushers us to look out for only what makes us happy at the cost of others. So choose your side and stand proud because if you have to lie to yourself about your intentions then you may have chosen the wrong side.

THE POWER OF CONTROL

Real strength is to be able to have the power to do something but the control not to. Alot of people believe in the misconception that power needs to shown in order prove ones strength. Those who are constantly trying to prove their strength have little control of their emotions and are in constant struggle with the little strength that they do have. Through the lessons learned from your life experiences you enable your abilities to manage yourself by managing your emotions. The quickest way to manage your emotions is by maturing up. Maturity is the key to harness your true strength without maturity in your mindset you will fumble with your emotions grasping at your most prominent feelings your built up resentment. If you allow yourself to lose control all that will be left is regret because a person who experiences regret is the same person who has allowed himself or herself to ignore their rational mind over the anger that they are feeling and don't have the power to control it. So if you would rather do only what your rational mind wants then learn to control your anger so that you wont have anything that you will regret when you've let yourself be run by only your out of control emotions.

COMMON SENSE OUTWEIGHS COMPASSION

Everyday of our life we spend time interacting with different types of people who have different types of personalities that we either connect with easily, or we find it extremely difficult to find any common ground with. What should be just a simple interaction between two people has now been tainted because when the conversation is forced and only consists of superficial conversation it will only ever lead to a closed conversation. Those of you who put up boundaries around your conversation in order to detract from probing questions will never have a real conversation because the restrictions that you put in place are designed to prevent anyone from discovering what you yourself consider are your true vulnerabilities. It is accepting that like everyone else that you have vulnerabilities that is a show of your strength because true strength is only reached when you accept your reality not when you deny it. Pretending you are perfect shows others that you are without fault which none of us are, but only few of us are willing to admit that we have struggles in our life that can sometimes make us feel down. Only few of us a real enough to admit that we are human and we can make mistakes but it is being a resilient human that promotes us to push forward even when their is little motivation in us to do so. Those who choose to leave their guard up to discourage anyone from getting to close will never experience true respect because who is someone choosing to respect the you on display or the real you hiding in your own fear of rejection. It is through being open and honest that allows others to build a bond between each other and connect with who you really are. If you dont look beyond the surface of a smile you will only ever see the superficial this will only result in your true character being ignored,  because your real self is never on show. Common sense outweighs compassion so eventually people will see past the person that you are trying to portay and see the you that your afraid to show so be yourself with all the things that make you feel imperfect and you'll discover the perfect you.

SWITCHING OFF

Growing up goes hand in hand with taking on more responsibilities, but even though it is normal to take on more responsibilities as you get older there is only so much you can do before you need to switch off. Feeling responsible all the time can be draining when you don't give yourself any free time away from your obligations. Sometimes the only way to reset yourself is by switching off from your obligations so that you can take a breather even though this can sometimes seem like a selfish act. Reshuffling your priorities to put yourself on the top is the best way to get your mind and body back to where they need to be so that you can feel ready to tackle your responsibilities with a fresh mindset. You might feel that taking a break from your responsibilities is a sign of weakness but it takes more strength to admit that you have limits than pretending that you are faultless. There is true strength in acknowledging that you are only human who refuses to let your vulnerabilities hold you back because it is overcoming lifes dramas as a vulnerable human with faults that makes it a bigger feat then being a flawless person that always seems to be making the best choices all the time without fail.

IT WORKS FOR ME

The common mistake that people make when they are trying to advise someone about changing their lifestyle is that they are purely focused on what has worked for them rather than thinking about what would be beneficial for the other person. They believe that if someone took their advice and followed it to the letter that they too would be as happy as  they are, even though what may feel like a sure thing to them might not even be a consideration in the eyes of the listener. The wrong advice has the influence to dampen someone's else's interests even though it is unintentional. We all vary in our interests and believing that the formula to happiness is based on what one person's success will only end up in making a carbon copy of that person giving the advice. Those who stray from their own pathway of interests will only get lost in the end and be left questioning why they went against what felt so right. Advice needs to lead to a pathway that the person requiring the advice wants to reach but is struggling to see, not as a new goal furrher away from their personal interests of the one listening. So maybe the best advice is to not give advice so that people can work themselves out without someone steering them away from what matters most to them.

ADVANTAGE ME

The opportunist of the world like to take advantage of people's placid nature because they believe that their chosen victim is too relaxed to speak up and take a stand. Their line of thought is that if you arent going to speak up and stand up for yourself then no harm no foul. The voluntary victims can feel conflicted when they catch on to game that they are forced to play and are in two minds whether they should highlight that they are no fool to the opportunist strategies, or whether they should just play along ignoring the pitfalls that they may have to face all in the name of keeping the peace. Keeping the peace may seem to be the easier pathway to choose but at what cost is it having on you when you are knowingly choosing to ignore the attempts of the opportunist who is constantly chipping away at your integrity without any disregard on how it may impact on your well-being. Why do you put his or her needs above our own when we know that their selfish ways will eventually victimise us. We as a people can not reach a true heightened level of happiness if we are going against what our common sense is trying to tell us. It is our common sense that will guide us through the mess that bad decisions have lead us to. So more following your head because your head has your heart in mind whereas your heart only has what feels good at the time, which will only lead you to scratching your head wondering how did you get here.

NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM

Throughout our life we strive for more because we believe that once we have more of whatever we desire that we would reach our utopian lifestyle. We believe our life will improve if we put all our time in focusing only on the steps that will get us closer to the things we dream of. Whether its fame fortune  or anything in between we believe that the sooner we reach our goals the sooner we will reach our highest level of happiness. Your attempt to reach your goals shouldn't come at the cost of your values. Sometimes when you live your life with your head in the clouds you can lose sight of what you currently have. Living your life in fast forward may feel like the right thing to do because you won't get distracted by the things that arent on your check list but the journey is as, or even is more important than, your destination. So enjoy the ride because it is lifes struggles that help strengthen us to toughen up so that we can handle our next challenge. Remembering your roots will keep you grounded loyal to the person that you once were before you let lifes struggles taint your views. It is our past that connects us to our future, to deny the person that you once were is denying an important part of your true identity. Choosing to step on anyone just to reach your goals will be a dishonour to the innocence you once had and will only lead you to live a lonely lifestyle. If your younger self met the person that you've grown up to be would they be proud of that person or ashamed of how got there. You should respect that it was your past self that got you through the hard times triumphantly  so that you could take one step closer to your  preferred future.