Why You're Not Happy

Happy New Year everyone! I know, I know, I've neglected this blog for quite some time. Been busy lately with another career - I am managing 4 careers concurrently ;) If being a student is a career in itself, that makes it 5. Oh well, I put this to myself and I think it's one cause for not being happY.

I came across this article about common barriers to personal happYness and fulfillment and how to overcome them. In brief, there are 6 major barriers:

1. Complexity (Solution: Simplify)
2. A Breakneck Pace (Solution: Take a Pause)
3. Negativity (Solution: Let go)
4. Despair (Solution: Stay hopeful)
5. Suppressing sadness (Solution: Feel the real)
6. Navel-gazing (Solution: Connect with others)

I basically try to fight these barriers but of course, I am only just human. One friend told me he was simplifying everything in his life, and he is hopeful this would make him happY. I wish him luck, and I hope I could do the same. A line from the same article struck me, that "happiness is a little like falling in love, that you can't make it happen." True, I've fallen in love without realizing it. I am happY at times without putting effort into it. But as they say, some good things never last. It's such an irony to have found one of the sources of your happYness, only to lose it in a bittersweet ending. The question now is, how does one sustain happYness? or better yet, how does one become happYer? That's the whole point of my quest. And this new year brings hope for me...

For the full article, click this link.

The 8th day of the 8th month in 2008

There are just too many 8s today! But I was quite busy because we have a wedding shoot tomorrow. So I ended up coming to bed early and not attending any party at all! Oh well, there'll be other times. What's with the date anyway? Couples getting married, people organizing parties, etc. So next year will be 9-9-9. I keep joking to my friends that 12-12-12 will be reserved for my wedding date!!! Like duh! I better find a hubby first?!

Anyway, still a busy bee. Not attending my PhD classes tomorrow but I am up for 2 reports next Saturday. Oh well, at least these activities keep my mind off a certain someone hehe ;)

Also, just bought 2 books from my favorite authors - Brida by Paulo Coehlo and The Appeal by John Grisham. I reserve the plot and my commentaries for my upcoming posts. So excited to finish reading them...better reading material than my stratman and business ethics books hehe ;)

Busy Bee

I'm taking a few minutes off from my many reports to prepare (yes, I did enroll with the PhD program). I am literally swamped with things to do that I may have neglected this blog for a while. But so far, it's a worthwhile experience to be a student again.

Between grad school, teaching and the two businesses, I barely have time to mull over my current disappointments (they still do get to me sometimes). I have finished yet another album layout (see image above) for the photography biz and we're starting development on our long-awaited project for the web development biz. Plus, I have watched all the latest movies and I still manage to go on coffee or gimmicks probably twice a week! Truly a busy bee!

Proud or confused???

It's been a while since I put a grin on my face and smile to myself...proud of what I have accomplished. Learning the ropes of this photography biz entails a lot of time and effort. But thanks to my good friend and biz partner, everything was made simple. Though I cannot say I have untangled the complications of Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Lightroom, it is a far cry from what little I know months ago. The upcoming wedding bookings will only hone my skills, and I am looking forward to learning more and being better at this craft.

I am also now faced with the decision to take up PhD in Management. A lot of people tell me that I am insatiable for learning, and that I never tire of school. Am I spreading myself too thin? Will this contribute to my overall happYness? These questions I have yet to answer, 'til the 13th of June atleast (this being the last day of enrollment hehe).

Oh well, I believe the things going on in my life all have a place and meaning in it. And that I should just enjoy the ride...and as years pass by, I will be wiser, and hopefully...happYer ;)

A Novel of Temptation

Once again, I put down another Paulo Coehlo book, entitled "The Devil and Miss Prym", and ponders the same question: "Are human beings, in essence, good or evil?" I'd like to believe that we are inherently good, heck, I even included it in my 10 Commandments to HappYness. Personally, amidst the pain and hurt that other people may inflict on me, whether intentional or not, I couldn't bring myself to hate them. If I dwell on the evils in this world, I would only end up feeling depressed and helpless. I wouldn't also be a hypocrite and say that I am a really good person, because I've done things that I am not proud of, and I may have caused misery to other people too.

The novel is indeed about temptation, whether to murder someone from the village in exchange for ten gold bars and for Miss Prym (the lead character) to take one bar of gold and leave everything behind. Our daily temptations are not as lucrative as these, yet we still struggle, whether to do good or evil. Again, it all boils down to choice.

Moreover, the book tackles about following your dreams, and getting what you want out of life. I'd like to share a few lines which hit me:

"...there are two things that prevent us from achieving our dreams: believing them to be impossible or seeing those dreams made possible by some sudden turn of the wheel of fortune, when you least expected it. For at that moment, all our fears suddenly surface: a fear of setting off along a road heading who knows where, the fear of a life full of new challenges, the fear of losing forever everything that is familiar."

"...whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is that you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed."

Sometimes I am confused of what it is that I really want, but when you take a closer look, you'll know what or who your heart desires. The only hard part is the "how" and answering the question, "Is it worth it?"