Strange Question by a Fourth Grader

Today, I experienced a peculiar state of thought when a 4^th grade girl asked me in an annoyed tone "Why are you smiling all the time?"

I once watched a lecture on the different types of generations that are being brought up by the world with the events and circumstances we experience. If a country were to be focused on war, the younger generations grew older to become more orderly and more attentive, but be very restricted from thoughts and creativity. If another country were to focus on freedom, the younger generations learned more of themselves from free will and to express their true nature, but be very sporadic in terms of personality types, which can be seen as chaotic to some.

But near the end of the lecture, the professor pointed out that if we wish to see what our future generation looks like, go and talk to an elementary teacher, for they will be the first people to know how a generation will turn out to be.

So when this little girl had asked me this question, I was puzzled in a sense that when I was a child, I was always happy and someone had to make me unhappy to not be happy. So I asked in return "Because I'm happy. Aren't you happy?". As she looked away and down at the floor, she met with my eyes once more to respond in a doubtful voice "Yeah, but I don't normally see adults smiling"

By sharing this experience with you, I am not saying we all ought to be more happy and be smiling more, but take away the fact that our actions will impact our future generations for they will learn from what we do, not what we say; since it's very easy for parents to tell their children to be more kind and be humble, and moments later, we catch them doing the exact opposite of their own teachings and in that consequence, actions speak louder than words.

If one thanks the mailman for delivering a package rain or shine out of sincerity, the mailman will feel good. In turn, he may then decides to compliment the following neighbor for his nice blue shirt. The man feeling good about the shirt, he then donates some of his other blue shirts to the poor. As the poor family receives them, a child watched a complete stranger give him and his family clothes to wear. In turn, the child later grows up to run a highly successful charity program to provide for the need around the world.

(I once read a book that said if we wish to see if we were good parents as mothers or fathers, watch how your grandchildren grows up.)

Know that what we project out to the world, will determine our own future whether it'd be good or bad; It's up to you on how you would like it to be.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"

-Mahatma Gandhi

What changes can you make starting today for the change we wish to see in the world?

How to live a Happy and Peaceful Life

There comes a time when we stop to look at our lives, and start to wonder why our lives became so complicated.

As dark as it sounds, the only things we really need to survive as humans is simply to eat, sleep, have sex and die just as animals do. But somewhere along the lines of humanity, we developed an egoic mind of wanting to stimulate itself by becoming selfish of our own desires, and have dominion over others by gaining control over sex, money, and power.

Easily, a person could purchase goods whether that'd be purses, cars, coffee, if those goods will provide value to our lives; with no problems at all. But if we add a hyped brand named good into the equation, we instantly choose the brand name because it creates a sense of worth and sense of superiority over others, since not everyone can afford it.

The Buddha said within the four noble truth, that suffering was caused by desire.

If one approaches to live with no desires, he later learns to realize that if we desire to not desire, we're desiring not to desire; just as Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) paradoxically left the open statement.

There is no right and wrong in wishing to gain something; except, what is your reasoning behind it?

Are you trying to become a doctor so you can gain a high income status and to have prestige of earning the right to being called Dr. Soandso? Or is it because you have a burning desire to learn about biology and to help the sick since you've experienced a family member pass away?

If you're suffering from inner turmoil, we must first learn to let go of our attachments. If one see's unfit of themselves until he/she becomes rich and famous with driving a fancy car and owning a mansion, who would you be if we were to strip all those away?

"Kingdom of God(Heaven) is within you"

-Luke 17:21

If we learned how to live a simple life knowing happiness comes from within ourselves, we reach a point of contentment of not needing to do anything, but live. So then comes to the concluding question "why do we do anything?" "what is the point of anything?"

If you were to ask me "then why do you write?" I would ask in return "why do birds sing?"

The birds aren't required to sing when it doesn't have to, but it does what it does out of joy. Therefore, I write for the same reason as birds sing; I dig it.

No one can give nor show you happiness and peacefulness, just as you leading a horse to water, doesn't mean the horse will drink it. You must find it within yourself.

So now, I'll leave you with the question,

If we desire happiness and peace, we've missed the whole target by agreeing our lives isn't sufficient; which is not happiness and peace. Isn't it so?

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Are You Living Your Own Life? Or Someone Else's?

If I were to ask you to prove that you're living for your own life, you can simply state that you are going to perform an action within 3 seconds, and proceed to do them to prove it. But in some cases, you may not even realize that you might not be living for your own life. Here's why.

• An average American watches 5 hours of TV per day. Children aged 2-11 watch over 24 hours of TV per week, while adults aged 35-49 watch more than 33 hours, and keeps increasing as we get older.

• Statistics of YouTube shows that over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube. That's almost an hour for every person on Earth.

In this case, we can easily add video games, movies, books, and they are all just a reproduction of life that we are not living in!

I am not claiming that it is wrong that we participate, but if we are excessively using our free time and will, to gorge on our false pretense life, are you watching the television? Or is the television watching you?

Here's an example that might resonate with you.

For those who yearns to travel, watching a pixelated replication of people traveling, we feel satisfied watching it as if we were generically there. Now that we're feeling satisfied as we watch more, it actually makes the idea of us wanting to travel to that specific place less and less inviting because it felt like we've been there already! We then slowly start to realize that its a hassle to save up money, to pack our essentials, and plan a flight, since it is much easier to click a button to view what we want to see.

So let me ask you this.

If I asked you about love, you can tell me all the romantic films you've watched, or you could easily quote me on the studies of William Shakespeare's sonnets, but tell me, what did her hair smell like? What did it feel like when she had her hand on your bare back after a long night? How did you feel when your heart was pulsating at a rapid tempo, as you embraced and kissed her soft lips for the first time? You never actually fully experienced it because it was just a reproduction of life you were watching.

Therefore, I'd like to invite you to live your own life. Stop continuously looking at screens and pictures of others living. Rather, go out there and feel the soft sand beneath your toes, feel the gentle caress of the wind, and go experience life entirely with your own 5 senses, to embrace your own personal piece of life!

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

So now, if you are observing others live their lives,

who's life are you really living?

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Why Quitting Your Job Can Save Your Life

How many of us have sold our time and soul for the pure intent of monetary paper to survive, which cannot afford with any amount for the beautiful encapsulated moments, of the remarkable life that we are privileged to partake in? I am one of the guiltiest member there is...

"He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither"

-Ben Franklin

I got myself into an insurance company, which at the time, I was succumbed on performing whatever it took to becoming rich, and live a luxurious lifestyle which would bring admiration to my friends and family of what a success I'd become.

With my innate ability of interpersonal skills, it was inevitable that I had become very good after a long time. I watched as my cash rolled in, wallet got larger, and experienced having generated a month worth of paycheck from my last job within a short 3 days.

As I had felt I was at the pinnacle of my success in life, I asked myself "What's next?" "Is this it?" "Am I enjoying the fruits of my labor?". Then I had realized, I'd blown my entire life around this career, which therefore, miss my own mother and sister's birthday, my grandmothers 80^th celebration, hanging out with my best friend, and every holiday within all just a short year.

I was so blinded, that I had forgotten that money is just a tool. It is supposed to make our lives easier, not harder; because what good is money, if you can't purchase being next to the ones you love?

Grateful am I, to have gained this prolific knowledge and be liberated within a short period of time, as to some are still imprisoned by their own greed to not realize, it is of no value, compared to the value of human life experience.

Maybe you yourself are experiencing this as we speak.

Are you working in a job you don't like? Are you working in a job solely for security purposes? Does your human spirit weigh more beneficial to stay at that job, or better leaving?

I understand. You have needs to feed yourself, pay the bills, dependents to take care of and so forth.

But realize what we are doing is, we're doing things we don't like doing, in order to go on living, that is to go on doing things we don't like doing. Then sooner or later, we'll be bringing up children to live the same sort of manner we're living in, and have them pursue the same depressing route, which is a foolish decision.

"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort"

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

So instead of taking part in a cycle of senseless choice, I'd like to ask you,

What personal value would you like to contribute, for the benefit of your own self existence and to others?

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Discovering Happiness from Nothing

If you grew up in America, the media and society has done a tremendous job of convincing us that the more we have, the better it is. With a sturdy sledge hammer and a gentle smile, I'd like to break that barrier.

We all know the saying "Quality over Quantity", but rarely do we take the time to consider what kind of actions we took part in, until we step outside ourselves and observe what we've produced. When we don't watch ourselves, we're on auto pilot and continuously fantasize and convince ourselves that the grass is greener on the other side.

Examples.

• Sleeping around with hundreds of people in search for the next hottest person, or finding that one special person to share the rest of your life with, knowing that everyone grows old, and gaze into their beautiful soul, and still make you feel like you've only just met them yesterday.

• Generating high income with a job that controls every aspect of your life in clinging desperation, or finding that one job that creates a sense of meaning of waking up in the morning and saying "I can't believe I get paid doing what I love!"

• Gaining over thousands of friends that you are uncomfortable letting go to be yourself, or having just that one good friend who's irreplaceable because they understand you, and loves you for being just you.

It is very easy for us to act on impulse that was created through subconscious programming; that's why it's called television programs.

Do you really need 6 different pairs of jeans to make you happy? Do you really need 4 different cars? 3 homes? More stuff to keep more stuff? Will that really make you happy?

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions"

-Dalai Lama

You only have one butt to put on jeans, one butt to sit in a car, and one butt to live in a home! Instead of being brain washed by decorative advertisements informing you that you need to purchase their stuff in order to be happy just like their other satisfied customers, realize that they are all temporary happiness.

But once we decide "ok, what do I really want?" "what is more important to me?" "what will make me happy?" then you can uncover what you truly desire; but rarely do people take the time to actually think about it!

In conclusion, you don't need additional things to make you happy, and you can't make everyone like you, because even God can't make everyone like him!

Love yourself, and love others, even if they wear the same set of clothing everyday like Steve Jobs or Buddhist monks, and find joy in simple things in life.

Although I've digressed a bit...

Removing everything the media has told us what we need to feel good about ourselves, if I were to ask you right at this moment "What would truly make you happy?" what would you tell me?

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Discovering Your Inner Voice

I believe that everyone has a voice. But some, have a voice that has been locked away as we become older and more sensible, we've talk ourselves out of those ideas, and listened to what society tells us is susceptible till it is unable to utter any sounds at all.

I believe this is one of the biggest problems that people face when we have a craving of want, to strive for something better; even though it is just right in front of our door steps. We become too afraid and timid to open the door, which leads us to think it may become the Pandora's box that we tried so fervently to keep contained.

Therefore, we accept the consequences as is, and we go back to our congenial life style we've created for ourselves, that is a par from our satisfactory.

Isn't it funny?

We already know what we need to be doing, but we've locked away the inner voice that is you, and miraculously, we're holding the key to unlocking our own potential! But you've hid the key so well, even you have a hard time finding where you put the damn thing.

We've convinced ourselves that we need to work hard and suffer, and only until then, are we allowed to reap the rewards in life.

Here is a silly story I've come across whilst listening to a philosopher.

A group of men wanted to reach enlightenment and sought out for a great guru that can teach them their ways of living. Once the men have stumbled upon a guru, they asked desperately, "Guru, how do we reach enlightenment?" The guru gently smiled and responded "You have it already. It is right in front of you." Then the men became frustrated and stormed off thinking, "what a stupid simple guru that was."

The group then found another guru and the men groveled and asked, "Oh great Guru, how do we reach enlightenment?" The guru sighed with disappointment and told the men, "You must shave your heads, wear one set of clothing everyday, and eat meals that are small portions to understand gratitude of life." The men rejoiced and said "Now this! This is the type of arduous training one must do to reach enlightenment!"

Let us remember the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt who announced in his inauguration speech that "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.". Know that we are our own fear we fear. We are our own worst enemy. We are our own limits to our limitations.

So now. If you feel as though you do not deserve the things you want out of life, know that you are special. We are all special. Out of the billions of sperm cell's that could have been born instead, it is you that were chosen to live this life and feel the abundant rays of spectrum's that can be experienced through the beautiful life that is you.

Now tell us,

What would you like to tell the universe why you're here?

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How To Find Your Calling

For those who are in tuned with their true side of their own nature, we hold an essence which longs for our meaning in life which grants us our fulfilling purpose that is a calling we have yet unreceived. How do we pick it up?

“I believe there's a calling for all of us. I know that every human being has value and purpose. The real work of our lives is to become aware. And awakened. To answer the call.”

-Oprah Winfrey

When was the last time you slept for 5 hours and you felt great? Within the last 24hrs, have you genuinely smiled and laughed your heart out? When was the last time that you've felt that life was going your way every step of the day?

If you can't remember, chances are, you're on the wrong path my friend.

You see, I believe that each of us must obey the divine voice that is within us that was impregnated when we were brought onto this world. One of the biggest problem is, we've stopped looking within ourselves since we get so caught up in the fast paced lifestyle we put ourselves through.

When the atmosphere becomes still, the tv/radio must be turned on to fill the silence. Have extra time, find a insignificant task to fill the void. Have a phone within our reach, look through things even when it is not needed because we humans crave for interaction even from a non-human being.

We can't even handle being by ourselves in a quiet room and to just enjoy the moment within ourselves! Instead, we gorge on meaningless acts that is to completely destroy the fabric of our existence.

For those who are looking for the divine call, I invite you to start Meditating. I am not advocating you to convert to any form of religion, nor am I saying it is the only way, but start first by becoming more connected to your own consciousness.

(Here are some people you may know that practices meditation: Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Oz, Clint Eastwood, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Aniston)

Although the western society focuses on the left brain of facts and knowledge of how meditation can lower blood pressure, lower anxiety, increase energy, those are the least things traditional meditators care about.

You know the feeling when you've felt like something just didn't feel right, and you later find out your intuition was true? It's kind of like that. Once a person becomes more in tuned with their body through meditation, you can listen to what your body is saying on a visceral level. You can literally tap into the highest version of yourself, or the God that is within us all, or the power of the universe; which ever you lean more against.

So I'd like you to try something right now as you're sitting down.

1. Try and focus on feeling your heart beating. (Sit up straight and relax your muscles if you can't feel it.)
2. Notice the sensation that is oxygen going through in and out of your nose.
3. Lastly, look at the palm of your hand and focus on feeling how your hand is feeling right now. If you felt a slight vibration or a warm sensation, you've passed! You're one step closer getting in tuned with yourself.

Start getting to know yourself more not only on the tangible level, but the intangible level as well.

I'll end by asking

Who are you? Not the name that was given to you, really, who are you?  

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Why Not Give Yourself The Chance?

Many of us have the right mind set and the right attitude to achieve greatness, but some of us are limiting our potential, which staggers us to make any progress towards our lives!

When was the last time you've picked up a book on your vocation? When was the last time you've made progress towards your worthy ideal? When was the last time you've invested towards your mind?

If you've enjoyed the results you've been getting, keep doing what you're doing. If you're not enjoying the results you've been getting, you're going to have to do something different!

As Thomas Jefferson put it beautifully, "If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done before"

So it is critical for us to start investing within ourselves which will gradually change us for the better!

If a man has the knowledge to build up a house for himself, and the house happens to burn down, he has already invested in his mind to know how to bring it back up! But if you're a man that had been given a house as a gift and it happens to burn down, you would have no idea how to build the house back up!

So investing in knowledge within yourself, and to grow yourself as an individual to work hard and put forth the effort that is needed to achieve the outcome you want out of life, you'll inevitable have what it is that you want in life if you just start investing towards yourself!

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."

-Chinese Proverb

Ladies and Gentleman, life doesn't have to be hard if you don't make it hard.

Life can be a magnificent journey of joy and fulfillment if one has the desire to find peace within themselves, on what that maybe, whether it's to take care of your mother, your friends, to have food in your stomach and know that you don't have to worry about the bills when you're going to sleep, a whole list of things that one can defined as peace!

But we'll never get the chance to see ourselves obtaining those things if we don't invest our time and energy, into those subjects to make one fit its own imagination, into the physical form of their own lives!

So give yourself the chance. Give yourself to find peace. Give yourself the life you've always imagined for yourself, and lead the life you want to live, but it wont happen until you decide now!

What can you start doing now to invest ten minutes of your time everyday to give yourself the chance you want from life?

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Why we must Question Everything

There was once a time when the universal belief was that the world was flat, and everyone was in a complete unanimous agreement for it to be true. But one man decided upon himself to question the common belief and to later reveal that what we thought we once knew, was something completely different, and we must also question like wise to become great.

"Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift."

-Albert Einstein

A man that questions his own reflection to the man that stands in front of the mirror can be a puzzling journey to self discovery of not knowing who we really are, and it's one of the most beautiful experience that one can have.

As elusive or enlightening it may sound to some, here is a story that may guide you on your journey.

There was once a prideful master swordsman who was well known for his exceptional skills and conceited in his own success.

He one day decided to take in a new student who seemed dumb and incompetent, so he would seem high and mighty among the people that watched him.

Although the proud swordsman slacked off training the student, the student learned diligently as much as he could from his teacher and at the same time, to educate himself by reading books and training when no one was around.

As time passes by, the student kept training and studying to become a great swordsman, and finally reached the same skill level as the master.

This brings us to reach our two different endings to this story.

First ending entails that the student becomes a prideful swordsman as his master was, and decides he knows everything and stops learning.

Second ending entails that the student questions himself "maybe I'm not a great swordsman" and decides to keep learning and training which invariable made him become a Wise Legendary Master Swordsman that the people in all the land looked up to.

"Stay hungry, stay foolish"

-Steve Jobs

If we tell ourselves that we don't know much, rather than saying we know all, it will open our minds to intake new information and to keep us stretching and growing! The fact that we don't know everything, opens the world of possibilities and to be let free of the shackles of imprisonment we've created for ourselves in our minds.

If we hold within our minds that we have a limited capability of our own potential, you've literally killed yourself! You've decided to put a limit on your potential, you've put a cap on your greatness, and you've closed the door for your creativity to flow within you!

"Limits, like fear, is often an illusion."

-Michael Jordan

Realize that our only limits are the limit's we've created upon ourselves.

Now question yourself,

"What am I really capable of?"

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