??How Stuff Works??

This is a great site I just came across. Every topic you ever wanted the answer to "how does it work"? Everything from acne treatments to NASA rockets to programming your DVR to food and on and on and on, are all answered on this site. Worth checking out!
in reference to: HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works! (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Art of a Great Quote

Some of my favorite quotes come from Emerson, Nietzsche, Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. What makes a quote famous? Sometimes I think it’s the author of the quote and other times it’s because the quote holds significance in its meaning which the reader is able to interpret into their own life. I love quotes. A great quote is like a priceless piece of art but the art isn’t a picture, it’s words that, when put together create an eloquent statement in my opinion. The best quotes are those that get passed on throughout generations and become a type of reference to use in your daily life. Why do some quotes carry on through many lifetimes? Well because they’re TRUE! If you take the time to really read and understand some of the very many famous quotes, you’ll see just how true and fitting to life they really are and this, in my opinion, is why they will stand the test of time.

Here is a compilation of some of my favorite quotes from various authors…Enjoy!

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” ~Dr.Seuss

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” ~Winston Churchill

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~E.E. Cummings

"Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." ~Thomas Edison

“Don’t make someone a priority when you’re only their option.” ~Author Unknown

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” ~Maya Angelou

"I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work." ~Thomas Edison

“Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” ~Garth Brooks

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” ~Mark Twain

“Well done is better than well said.”  ~Benjamin Franklin

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. ~Judy Garland

"Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted." ~Albert Einstein

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he thinks, he becomes.” ~Gandhi

“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” ~John Powell

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche

“It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.” ~Author Unknown

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~Dalai Lama

“Be the change you want to see in this world.” ~Gandhi

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“There are no facts, only interpretations.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche

“No matter where you go, there you are.” ~Confucius

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." ~Socrates

“We must be our own before we can be another's.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” ~Albert Einstein

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” ~Maya Angelou

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Gandhi

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” ~Robert Byrne

Recommended reading

I read a lot of books, some fictional but mostly Philosophical, New Age, Alternative Beliefs or Inspirational type books. Of all the books I've read over the years, The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav is by far one of the best, most interesting books I have ever read. The book became very popular over the last few years with endorsements by Oprah and multiple appearances by Gary Zukov on her show. I believe Oprah said this was her #1 book and recommended that everyone read it in their lifetime. I can't quote her exactly but it was along those lines. I read Seat of the Soul many moons ago, before it became a best seller but continue to pull it out of the bookshelf and reference it from time to time just because it's so packed full of valuable knowledge!

If you like thought-provoking books (which I do), then you will definitely enjoy this one. Gary Zukav takes the reader on a self discovery to teach you how to reach your authentic self using the perceptions of our five senses. He talks about how your everyday intentions and choices are what create your own reality. Overall, the book is a spiritual discovery into your soul.

I highly recommend this book...whether you are spiritual or not, you will gain a lot from reading it!

in reference to:

"Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, Gary Zukav"
- Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav, Book - Barnes & Noble (view on Google Sidewiki)

What is happiness?

Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. Wikipedia

Lately, I find myself continually asking this very question....What is happiness? What does happiness mean to me? What does it mean to others? I tend to be one of those deep thinkers, although only those closest to me know this about me. For as long as I can remember, I've never been the type to just accept an answer as fact without actually looking at that "fact" from all possible angles to make sure it makes sense to me. A deep analyzer, if you will. Oh how life would just be easier if I was able to just accept things for what they were without always trying to figure out the "how", "what" and "why" of it all. But I digress.

So back to the topic at hand...happiness. Of all aspects of life, happiness is the one common emotion or state of being that everyone attains to achieve in their lifetime. People search high and low for decades, often chasing “happiness”. There are philosophers, doctors, scientists, and religious leaders just to name a few, which spend their lifetime trying to define happiness and quantify happiness. What if everyone in the world was happy or not even happy as an emotion, but happy as a state of being at all times? I wonder how different the world would be. Would there be less crime, less judgment, less jealousy?

When I was younger, I didn't ever question what happiness was...why is this? I had a great and stable childhood, lots of friends and family and my biggest concern was getting good grades in school. My biggest decisions back then were when to study, what extracurricular activities I would participate in and when the next friends sleepover was. Oh the naive mind of a child! If only that innocence could be put into a bottle and preserved! So could this be the reason happiness was just my state of mind and never questioned?

But the older you get the wiser you become right? Or is it the older you get the more corrupted you become? Oh well, anyway, our innocent minds quickly move away from sleepovers with friends to career demands, bills, illnesses, stress, heartache, death, and the list goes on and on. This isn't something that can be avoided no matter who you are because...well, this is LIFE and many people experience many of these, simultaneously. So with all the daily stresses, suffering and pressure one can experience in their lifetime, how does one remain happy? Some believe they would be happy if they had more money or hit the lottery, others if they had a significant other, some think their happiness lays in a bigger house or nicer car, for others it's having a baby or a closet full of clothes, for some it’s discovering the meaning to life. These are just a few that I thought of but of course there are millions of reasons or excuses a person can have for why they aren’t yet happy. Whatever a person's reason is, often times the person remains unfulfilled and unhappy because they haven't yet attained this one elusive thing that they believe will bring them happiness. Which brings me to this quote by C.P. Snow: "The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase, if you pursue happiness you'll never find it."

For the most part, I am a very happy person by nature. However, being the deep thinker I am, I have exhausted myself over the years, trying to pursue or discover what my own happiness means to me. Because, I believe it is different for everyone. But like I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, I tend to look at everything and figure out the “who”, “what” and “why” of it all and I don’t think you can actually do that with happiness. I mean, you can look at a loved one and know they bring you happiness by being in your life and you can find something so funny that you laugh so hard it makes your stomach hurt and realize, that’s happiness. But I still wonder…if you had to give someone an illustration of what happiness is, what would your picture look like? Is happiness love? Well, then how do you illustrate love? You can’t just draw a heart. I don’t think anyone really knows how to define happiness. I think happiness, love, faith, hope…they’re all the same…they mean a lot and carry a lot of weight but  they’re hard to explain and define, and it’s not necessarily something you actually see, but more something you feel inside and believe in.

Overall, at the end of my life, I just want to make sure that when I am on my deathbed, I can look back and easily define what my life’s purpose was and say, "wow that was a fulfilling life". My blog headline, "LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH" is also my mantra. My other mantra is "Life is too short to sweat the small stuff". I try to live by these every single day. Of course, sometimes life difficulties get in the way and I forget my mantra, but overall I always find myself coming right back to these phrases. And believe me, in my life, these phrases have really been tried and tested, yet I remain loyal to them. I've come to realize that my own pursuit of happiness needs to reside within myself. I've also come to realize that what I perceived as happiness when I was a little girl might not look the same as I had expected. So the idea is to change your expectations or better yet, not have any expectations in order to experience true happiness. Happiness is not a purchase you make, a place that you visit or an item you wear. True happiness can only exist deep within ourselves, finding contentment with who we are and our own meaning to our life. It's being comfortable in your own skin, confidant in yourself that even if you fail your own strength will pick you back up, it's appreciating the small things in life like love and laughter...these things can't be bought or sought externally, they can only reside within.

On that note, I will end this blog with a few of my favorite quotes as they relate to happiness:

"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." -- Aristotle

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." -- Mahatma Gandhi

And lastly, "Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. " -- John Barrymore

Therefore, my door, will always remain slightly ajar....