Happiness

Of late countless research studies have been conducted into happiness. It seems that people the world over are seeking happiness.

Every happy person has close, supportive relationships - without exception. You can build those relationships by being grateful, by helping other people, by taking care of them and they are going to take care of you.

Essentially, there are three pillars of happiness: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. I have compiled a list of happiness drivers based on the research. The brackets denote the number of research articles the driver is mentioned in.

• Good close relationships and socialising with happy people (including marriage) (16)
• Good healthy bodies and diet (9)
• Spiritual practice or belief entailing support, purpose and acceptance (8)
• Random acts of kindness, doing good, generosity, giving, community volunteering (7)
• Active leisure pursuits for both mind and body (as opposed to passive indulgences such as watching TV) (6)
• Enough money (6)
• Realistic and clear goals (6)
• Optimism and pretend happiness, smiling and laughing, counting blessings, positive outlook, resilience and bouncing back from problems, set aside stress (5)
• Living in the now and enjoying the present, mindfulness, accept and appreciate pain, acknowledge sadness (4)
• Focus on controlling your own actions and activities (4)
• Sound sleep and rest (3)
• Rewarding, meaningful, and challenging work, mastery of skills (3)
• Buy experiences, not possessions (along with the anticipation of the experience) (3)
• Sex (2)
• Playing with children (2)
• Self-esteem (2)
• Learning and growing, education (2)
• Frequent small pleasures (including renting something you enjoy)
• Don't chase happiness
• Emphasise strengths
• Read newspapers
• Meals out
• Play sports
• Outgoing personality
• Balance sensory pleasures and achievement activities
• Forgive oneself and others
• Gratitude, loving kindness
• Meditation, prayer, surrender
• Byproduct of other activities
• Sunshine
• Connect with supervisors

Tragedy in Zimbabwe

The rising death toll from the latest mishap to strike Zimbabwe has turned the once comparatively economically developed country into a full scale international emergency. The cholera and anthrax outbreak compounds a country already in abject poverty.

The facts are bare. Zimbabwe's cities and towns have gone without fresh water for months. People are dying at an alarming rate. The outbreak comes at a time when Zimbabwe is facing government mismanagement, hyperinflation, drought, and disease.

Other equally tragic events occurring across the world. The systematic raping of seven out of ten women in the Democratic Republic of Congo has left many HIV-positive and pregnant. Agencies estimate that 75 per cent of all rape cases worldwide take place in Congo. Similarly, Sudan, Iraq, and Somalia are gripped by war which has left hundreds of thousands of casualties.

Me Today

What do I really want in life? I have experienced it all. The smarts, jobs, investments, faith, health, friends, girls, and now the most unbelievable speech. There was the confidence, the body language, the executives, the occasion. The speech I gave today filled me with jubilation. I felt incredible. Sheer joy.

But it's not just about the achievements. It's about the deep happiness within. This is what matters at the end of the day.

Update (28/6/2010): I have many attractive attributes. I am the complete package. I am confident, happy, tall, fit, intelligent, ambitious, rich, honest, open minded, adventurous and fun. I have achieved a lot of things I wanted to achieve. Sure, there are many more still to be achieved, but what I have done is great.

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Some points of interest:

Climate Change. The majority of climate scientists agree that global warming is primarily caused by human activities such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation. The conclusion that global warming is mainly caused by human activity and will continue if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced has been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science.

Emotional intelligence. Unlike normal intelligence, emotional intelligence can be repeatedly taught but difficult to draw upon when the situation arises. Although like normal intelligence, practice makes perfect. A person's emotional state is communicated throughout the body via the brain and the heart.

Feeling emotionless. There are times in life where feelings are inexplicable. This is the time where you are most vulnerable and the answers you come up with will need to be carefully analysed later.

Being influenced. Any event large or small can influence you. Like the song that is playing or a meal that you are eating. Small things that can trigger a change in mood for good or bad. These events and situations may subconsciously affect your mind, your disposition and your self worth.

Clarity. It is beneficial to voice what is on my mind and put pen to paper when evaluating a decision. Voicing the situation makes things clearer. On the other hand, being on the computer can easily distract.

Freedom. People who are free do what they want. They do not necessarily conform to society's bounds. They move unhindered by popular opinion. What is important here is the ability of these individuals to stand up for what they believe in despite what others may think.

Innovation. Although, these concepts are nebulous and mean different things to different people, they are essentially about improvement. Google Street View is a tribute to the continuous pushing of the envelope of imagination.

Invention. Electricity, the greatest invention. It has absolutely transformed the world as we know it and enabled many other inventions to follow. Other notable inventions include the wheel and computing.


Memory. Memory is our essence. Without memory, it is as being unconscious. Memory gives us a being.