What Makes Us Happy?

Sunday, August 30, 2009

I have been thinking about what makes people happy. What needs must be fulfilled to get the most out of life? I examined my goals and categorized them. In my opinion, happiness falls into four basic categories. They are: health, income, entertainment, and expression.

Health is a necessary ingredient for happiness. Without it, we cannot enjoy all the other things that bring us fulfillment in life. It is the physical ability to live life the fullest. When we feel good, we are able to accomplish more.

Income is essential for survival. It is required to purchase the basic necessities that keep us alive. A source of income also offers much needed security and the ability to purchase the things we desire.

Entertainment encompasses a broad range of activities that offer relief from the demands of every day life. It is anything we do for fun. Our hobbies are the most common form of entertainment.

Expression is the way we show our individuality. It involves social interactions with others and using the creative capacities of our mind. We use expression to differentiate ourselves from others. The most common source of expression are in our hair and clothing styles. Art is also a commonly used to express ourselves.

Different things make people happy, but I feel my list incorporates the essentials for happiness. It may change depending on what part of life I am experiencing, therefore I anticipate my list will change over time.

Back to Blogging

Thursday, August 27, 2009

When I started this blog five months ago, my intention was to document my daily activities, thoughts/ideas, and reviews. Whatever was relevant to me at the time. I wanted to push myself to accomplish new things. "Live The Dash" was my motto. I was in a routine of uploading content everyday. Eventually it became once a week and then nothing at all. I wouldn't say I was living the dash whatsoever. My routine involved work and frittering away what little free time I had. I was falling into a routine and becoming complacent.

I am in the process of figuring out my life plan. I am deciding what I want to get out of life and I am pursing it. Last week, I took my lengthy goal list and realized how everything fits together. My challenge is to combine my goals and hobbies into products/services that have income potential. I have organized everything and it looks feasible in the long-term. This is still a work-in-progress, but I will upload my blueprint by the end of this weekend.

I still have dozens of writing ideas for this site. I realize that I need to pursue ideas when they come to me. This saves me from having the same ideas constantly running through my mind and frees it up for new ideas. Everything I have so far will be uploaded in the coming weeks/months.

Just to update, I moved into an apartment in July. It took 2-3 weeks to get everything set up. I would have to say this was the biggest event of the last few months. Living room in photo above.

Tennis

Monday, June 8, 2009

On Sunday, we played tennis at the high school. We aren't very good, but we enjoy hitting the ball back and forth while getting some exercise. I think we could be decent if we kept practicing. I shot a short first person perspective video with my digital camera. Check it out!

A Day in Williamsport

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Coty and I took a walk in the nicer area of Williamsport. We covered the upper area of Campbell Street and we also walked down Vallamont Drive and Hollywood Circle. The weather was perfect and the houses were awesome. After our walk, we drove to the top of Campbell Street and up into the hills to check out the area. We found a very cool house for sale. Only $250,000! See it here As we were driving, a deer walked out in front of the car. You can see a photo of the deer and our favorite houses by clicking the Photo Gallery link at the top of the page.

Does Karma Exist?

Thursday, June 4, 2009

While doing a good deed will not always result in something positive happening in your life, I think it greatly increases the chances. When you help someone else, they will be in a better mood and that person will be more likely to do something good for another person. At some point, you will probably be the recipient of another person’s good deed. I think this chain of events explains the concept of karma. A good deed creates a positive attitude in someone else which leads to another good deed. This cycle branches out and repeats among various people.

I think whether you receive positive or negative karma largely depends on your personality and attitude. With a positive attitude, you are able to create further positivity in others. A negative person is not likely to have good karma. Negative people attract negativity into their lives because attitudes are contagious. I believe a positive attitude and willingness to help others creates good karma. Give it a try and see what happens!