Have You Been Creating Memorable Stories With Your Life?

Lately I love writing about creating memories.  The quality of your life is dependent on how you remember it. The quality of your life is a collection of stories interwoven together from a lifetime of memories. When you talk about the stories of your life are you feeling happy or content? Do your stories create sparks of joy? How about when you talk to yourself about your stories? Are you proud about your stories?

Sure you can stand around the water cooler on a Monday morning and talk about the BBQ or recommend what novel you are reading. But what about the stories that make your heart skip? What about the stories that tested your courage?

A friend of mine once gave me a plane ticket to fly to three cities in Europe. I landed in Zurich and was also allowed to fly to Sweden and Finland as well. It was a fabulous gift. I decided to include side trips to Italy and Estonia. A week before leaving, I took out my Let’s Go Europe book, highlighted a few choice youth hostels and took off. When I think back to that experience I’m amazed that in three weeks time I walked, took trains, ferries and flew to some incredible places.

I got lost in Italy at 1: AM searching for my youth hostel, shared my cigarettes with a Russian bus driver (I was the only customer) in Finland, and shared tea in Helsinki with a British art critique and an American improving lives of orphans in Russia. In Sweden I stayed on a 200 foot sailboat and went to a lingerie fashion show (poor me). My courage was tested a few times during that trip, but the memories will last a lifetime.

Staying in and experiencing the present moment is an amazing habit to find peace and even joy, but ultimately the overall quality of our life is governed by our memories and stories . This is your remembered self.

How do you remember yourself? Are you making life changes so that you think back upon your life with happiness and pleasure? What stores stand out in your memory? Are your glued to the Internet and television while the world passes you by?

Maybe it’s time to make new memories, and create a few new stories. There is a whole wide world to explore.

Reference:  Daniel Kahneman - TED - Ideas Worth Spreading

How To Be Happy And Create A Lifetime Of Joy With Your Memories

Just came back from Ogunquit, Maine. I love it there. I love the quiet beach, eating fresh seafood, breathing in the crisp ocean air and talking amazing walks. Why though? The reason is that I have such warm memories of this place. And my memories tell me a story even before I walk on the beach. My future and the joy I find are largely due to my anticipation based on my memories.

I saw a whale come out of the water a few days ago and that tied in to my memory of seeing dolphin’s many years ago in Wildwood.

These memories and the anticipation that comes with them will last me a lifetime.

I’ve written about living in the now and experiencing the present moment many times. During these times I feel contentment but not necessarily joy.

Joy I find comes from remembering the incredible beauty in the stories of my life. I may have experienced stunning beauty on multiple cliffs or felt the peace and quiet of a hot summer day. I have heard the sound of waves lapping on a shore in many places. These extraordinary memories never get old.

When I think about any of these memories of my life I am truly happy and even joyful at times.

Forget about buying stuff, go out and create a lifetime of wonderful memories. That is what true joy and happiness is all about.

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Stop Complaining, Whining Or Making Lame Excuses And Start Living

I have been working incredibly hard to make meaningful life changes for years. I have changed my fundamental relationship with money (I wanted to be a millionaire by 30).I have settled into two challenging careers and am content with both. I have struggled with back issues but have more or less come to terms with this. I’ve tried to build deeper and more loving ties with family and friends.

We all have life changes we want to make. The biggest life change I’ve made BY FAR is to appreciate the fact that I’ve been given the privilege to live on this blue planet, which slowly twirls around in the middle of an infinite universe. Every single day I think about this. Everything else is insignificant. Lots of money, a powerful career or fame will not bring you a deep joy or heartfelt appreciation. If you think they will you are either incredibly ignorant or our consumer driven society has continued to suck you in and spit you out.

Go take a look up at the sky. It’s going to rain whether you like it. It WILL be cloudy some days (unless you live in Arizona). There is absolutely no point in wishing otherwise. You are just wasting energy and your time hoping for a change that is beyond your control. Learn to enjoy the day and whatever the planet serves up.

The sun will rise and it will set (it only hides behind the clouds). This has not changed since the beginning of time. Enjoy this day because you will never, ever see it again. It is May 09 2010 today. At midnight this day will have passed….forever. Are you going to enjoy it? Or are you going to spend time complaining, whining or making lame excuses?

Sometimes I sit in traffic and fume after some asshole that has cut me off. If he is driving a big Mercedes SUV I may get judgmental and hope something bad happens to him…or her. But in the end these silly incidents don’t matter. I just let it go. What really matters is that I’ve been born onto this beautiful planet and have had a few years to share it with many extraordinary living beings. And even though we are seriously fucking it up with oil spills and raping the forests, I’m eternally grateful for my time here.

I look out at the sky from my car window. I picture this magnificent blue planet circling the sun with a trillion stars winking all around. I remember how damn lucky I am to experience this miracle surrounding me. I feel a deep felt joy. I hope you learn to as well.

Make a life change to enjoy every waking moment you have here. It won’t cost you a cent.

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Related posts:

Choose To Be Happy

Lead A More Meaningful, Peaceful And Happy Life

Find More Joy In Your Career and Entrepreneurship

Don`t whine, complain or make excuses about what you cannot change.

As someone who has worked in some of the largest and leading Aerospace and Pharmaceutical companies in the world here is my best advice. Don`t try to change what you can`t. And don`t whine, complain or make excuses about it either. In each company I have worked for I have seen plenty of fundamental mistakes being made. These mistakes can create enormous inefficiencies across the company. The best you can do is point them out, provide examples and trust your advice is taken (one day). There may be a million reasons why the company’s priorities lay elsewhere and most of them are probably legitimate. Do your job to the best of your ability and don’t worry needlessly about what is outside of your influence.  When the company feels enough pain they will change. In the mean while enjoy your job and stop worrying about what you cannot change. You`ll feel a huge weight lift off your shoulders.

Segregate your tasks into Vice Presidential duties

As an entrepreneur I have found that segregating my tasks into Vice Presidential duties helps enormously. One day I am VP of Production, another I am VP of Sales, and another VP of Finance. This affords me more clarity as to what needs to get done during any given day or week. Trying to do everything all at once, usually leads to only partially completing tasks and frustration. As I am writing this article I am VP of Production. I am not thinking about any other tasks other than production and writing this article. And I am enjoying writing it immensely. Try it! For more great information on this concept read the book E- Myth Revisited.

Other Brilliant and Related posts

Successful Small Business - The Three Top Requirements

Wealth, Money And Getting Filthy Rich 101

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The New Achievement Rule: Feel The Sensation Of Success

The second biggest value people are seeking on www.mylifechanges.com is achievement. Achievement, success, accomplishment, whatever you want to call it will never be reached without following this golden rule.

First feel the sensation of achievement

First you have to feel the sensation of achievement in whatever area of your life you are trying to change. It may be wealth, relationships, health or just serenity but the key is to visualize yourself as already achieving your goal. Feel the sensation of reaching your goal. Visualize it, taste it, feel it. How does it make you feel? This is the all important question. Does it make you feel proud? Does visualizing your accomplishment make you feel like you are being of service? Does it give you a warm and fuzzy feeling? Meaning and purpose?

The problem is that most people picture their success as a BMW or a large house. But these are just fleeting feelings of material accomplishment. They never last. What really last are feelings of happiness, peace, bliss  and fulfillment first felt in your heart and then in your mind. Remember when you went away on vacation? Perhaps you stayed near the beach and saw dolphins swim by each morning. Memories that bring that kind of pure joy to your heart , are what stick in your heart and mind. There was that everlasting sense of wonder from something bigger than you. It will last a lifetime. Now think back to all the toys you have had. Do they bring back a sense of wonder and joy? No. It is your feelings and sensations from something other than your stuff that will bring you a long lasting joy. Joy from material objects never last.

Now picture yourself having achieved your goal. How does it make you feel?

Now that you have captured that feeling, it is time to take action. Go and start working on your goal. And always keep that sensation of achievement inside of you. You’re ultimate goal is to capture that wonderful feeling you are after. That feeling is what your success should be. That feeling opens up your heart.

The #1 Goal In My Life

I am seeking permanent serenity, joy and happiness. It isn’t always easy. Becoming enlightened means we have to let go of all the conditioning, worries and ego that we carry with us every day. It requires that we accept life as it is and stop struggling against it. We slowly learn how to tear down all the walls that protect us and to let the light shine in. We learn how the heart reacts to life and then the mind afterwards, creating unnecessary pain, insecurity and worry. We learn how to not react and to not keep the pain inside of us. We also learn to accept suffering, instead of avoiding it and move on. We learn to let it all go. We learn to use our consciousness. We learn to be truly happy.

I read that we are one spinning planet of water and dirt spinning around a star, amongst hundreds of billions of stars in our own Galaxy. Sometimes I look up at the sky and think about that. It seems that everything else is trivial compared to that thought. Should I be that concerned about what people think about my clothes or car?

I am learning to accept everything life has to offer. My time is limited on this planet. I want to spend the rest of it experiencing freedom, joy, peace and love. I hope you choose to join me.

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5 Truths About Happiness And Love

I am, if anything, a seeker of truth. I continuously read, discuss, ponder and write about my journey towards truth.

What is happiness?

I think that happiness can be a rather foggy term. So I will more or less agree with the author and scientist Barbara Fredrickson and say that happiness includes these 10 traits - joy, gratitude (including reciprocity), serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement (humour), inspiration, awe (”goodness on a grand scale”), and love.

How do I become happy?

I will also agree that the happiest people experience a happiness ratio of 3-1 (Three happy thoughts to one negative). The people that are flourishing in happiness have a ratio of 5-1. I know people I work with that have 3 negative thoughts to 1 happy one. I walk in the other direction when they start complaining, whining or making sad excuses. Think about your own ratio. Any thoughts on this?

When are my happiest moments?

I’ve read a few times that having drinks and dinner with good friends can be a peak happy experience. I had a rocking dinner party with close friends last week and we had brilliant conversations, laughed to the point of crying and made damn sure we would get together again. It was a remarkable night filled with many moments of happiness traits including joy, interest, amusement and inspiration.

How do I fall in Love?

I will agree with Barbara that Love usually happens when we associate a group of happiness traits together. When one person can inspire joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration and awe in us, how can we not fall in love?

Commit to following your dream

You will be happiest pursuing goals and dreams that are intrinsic, meaningful to you and freely chosen. Intrinsic goals are pursued because they provide significance and purpose to you. They help you grow and mature. Writing this blog (and providing you a life changing tool) is a way for me to grow and find deep personal meaning and purpose. Intrinsic goals will make us happier in the long run. Writing this blog also provides me with joy, inspiration, pride, hope, amusement and even awe on occasion. Ya even awe! 

What inspires you? What gives you joy? What gives you awe?

I Am Going To Show You True Wealth, Meaning And Happiness

I’ve decided to stop being so damn polite to you in my article/blog writing.

I think most people haven’t a clue on how to make deep, meaningful life changes. In this article I will give you a brief summary on how to find true peace, meaning and wealth. And yes, its fine for you to want more money, it makes life much easier.

Finding Wealth and Peace of Mind

Yesterday I went shopping for polo shirts downtown, lunched at a great French restaurant (found it on my Iphone app) and spent the rest of the stunning day lounging by the pool. I also enjoyed every moment by staying in the present and not worrying about the future, or allowing any negative thoughts to attach to my mind. Staying in the now (the present moment) is the most important habit you can start building. Embracing the now will help you move away from fears, doubts and past conditioning. When I focused on a salary increase some years ago I stayed in the moment (while talking to my new boss), let go of my fears and eventually ended up with a 24 % increase. A few years later, I let go of any doubts and fears and launched this website. Now my passion for sharing the most important self development thoughts is realized and I make money doing it! You too can get rid of your fears and doubts. Starting right now! Why would you not want to?

Letting your mind wander keeps you away from life’s beautiful moments.

Decide on a few key goals in your life and then start getting rid of all those unnecessary thoughts in your head. You are human right? You CAN think what and how you want right? You have the ability to find your authentic and pure self! You can stay in the moment and enjoy your walk, kids, spouse, friends and work. You see the problem is that we keep thinking about the future, past, buying stuff, television, money worries, you get the picture. And every damn time we are not in the moment we lose that moment forever. I know people that can be out in the forest walking and all they think about is paying bills. And they don’t remember the forest two minutes after getting home. Are you one of those people? If you are you can start changing today. Break out of those bad habits.

Tiger Woods stays in the moment.

Tiger wins golf tournaments in front of millions of people because he remains in the moment. The moment he does not give full attention to the present moment he goofs up. While in the moment he feels the grass, his clubs, the wind and focuses on the shot. He is 100% present. This is the main reason why he is wealthy. Can you imagine if he thinks of his bills or that his best friend has a bigger house? Well this is how most of you think. You think about everything but experiencing the present moment and your unique, pure self. That can be changed starting right now.

I think it is time to wake up and really experience life and all that it has to offer. Decide on a few key goals. Stay with them. Stay in the moment and enjoy life to the fullest. Every moment is precious. You will find a deep understanding about how wonderful life can truly be.

It’s your choice. Just do it.

I’m extremely happy today about launching this redesigned website, version 2.0. I hope you like it.

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Happiness and Awareness

We are not always aware of the world around us because our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours usually highjack our awareness. Once we overly identify with our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours we usually lose our awareness of ourselves and the world around us. Being aware means stepping out of this destructive cycle and realizing our true or greater nature. Our true nature is bigger than this. Stepping out of an emotional cycle creates a vast space in our mind, where we can experience our true selves and not the self created from our emotions. For example, “I am angry” turns into “I am experiencing anger.” Once we recognize this we can usually step away from any emotion and it eventually recedes instead of strengthening. Being aware (or living in the now) is a pure form of consciousness that can be particularly joyful and free ,which then eliminates our temptation to use past conditioning , blaming, or other negative behaviours that will most likely be destructive.

So happiness doesn’t always begin with a simple switch of attitude. Happiness begins with the realization that we can step away from the turbulence of the mind and just soak in the now with every fiber of our body. Staying in the now elevates us to experience this world as we were truly meant to as human beings. Staying in the now or being aware makes something as simple as a walk in the park a truly joyful experience. We feel the grass under foot, the sunshine warming our skin and the scent of flowers as we are meant to experience. It is actually a very simple concept and free to experience every moment of our lives. So wake up and look around you. You are not your emotions, thoughts or conditioning. You are free. Free to embrace each and every moment as you choose to.

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My Best New Year’s Resolution Tips For 2009

My biggest lesson in life this year has been to be happy each and every day. I will also never forget that happiness, love and pure joy are born with me and are always a choice I can make at any time.

Make happiness your number one goal.

Can you think of anyone that does not want to make happiness their primary goal? I can’t. Unfortunately many of us get lost in a sea of work, family issues, worries and stress, so we forget that a core of happiness sits inside of us waiting to be let out. This happiness isn’t a destination but a continuous journey. It is a journey of discovering that the real you can embrace self acceptance leading to pure joy and love. Being happy with yourself is the first step to being happy with the world.

Let go of your judgements.

Once you choose to be happy and stop self judging, you will see a kinder more joyful self emerge. Your family and friends respond in kind to you. Nature and even the sky will look brighter. You will discover a wholeness about you that you may have lost a long time ago. There will be a purity that seeps back into your soul and you will recognize that you have always been good enough. Reclaim your inner light.

Having more stuff will not make you happier.

Wanting more stuff, only makes you want more most of the time. Having more stuff is about consuming more and staying on that consumer treadmill. Being happy is simply a choice that can be made right now and always. Having nice things can bolster your happiness but doesn’t make you happy. Stuff isn’t your happiness. You are already happy and probably don’t even realize it. Make that choice now and you will see that having more stuff isn’t nearly as important as you thought it was.

Wake up to happiness every morning.

How you begin the day sets the tone for a day filled with happiness and joy, or worry and self judgments. It is your decision to begin the day with good thoughts. But our social programming and subconscious conditioning is a powerful enemy and one that can automatically bring a morning of stress filled thoughts, fears and doubts. Your intention should always lean towards beginning your morning with peace and joy. Whether you use meditation, take a small walk or just look up at the sky, any of these small goals can start the day off right. It is always your decision. Choose to be happy.

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