Synergetic Flight

Hi everyone! This will be the first guest post on this blog. My good friend put together an intriguing piece for us, give it a read!

"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." 

Napoleon Hill 

Fascinated by the conduct of flying geese, Dr. Robert McNeish, wrote "Lessons From Geese" for a sermon in his church in 1972. Demonstrating the power of a good idea, his essay spread and has become a classic statement of the importance of teamwork.

We all have a lot to learn from the synergetic geese flock. It’s really beautiful how a flock of geese, or “skein” functions.

Let’s take a look at the facts and lessons within their cooperation:

• As each goose flaps its wings, it creates "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
• People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

• When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies to the point position.
• It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on one another's skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

• The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
• We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

• When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation to follow, help, and protect. They stay with the goose until its demise or until it regains the ability to fly again. When the wounded/sick goose heals, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
• We can learn a lot from the geese collaboration, we ought to stand by one another in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

• When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
• We ought to stay as a collectivistic society, in formation with those headed where we want to go. There is virtue to be found in receiving their help and by giving our help to others in need.

It is inevitable that we encounter someone who will make our life more difficult, and it may also be inevitably important to cooperate with them.

Through these difficult times, it is never easy to simply shrug off the disrepute or disregard what some would consider, ignorant behavior. However, we can all benefit from even the most difficult of people, because when we are able to handle a situation by collaborating in conflict, we are well more prepared for our next conflict.

As cliché as it might sound, Friedrich Nietzsche coined the quote best: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

Why not find strength and strengthen others? Perhaps easier said than done, but let’s do it together for a stronger tomorrow.

Remember that people with high self-esteem are willing to give and receive. People who love themselves will tend to love others. People who respect themselves will tend to respect others. By the same token, people who are strong will tend to strengthen others.

Guest Author: G
Editor: Lawrence

Understand and Resolve Conflict!

In all interpersonal relationships, conflict is seemingly inevitable. Naturally, we have different beliefs, experiences, and attributes. Too often, both parties do not consider the other side's perspective. By not stepping into the other person’s shoes, blame can be assigned, and too often the wrong conflict handling style is used.

It’s a tragedy to let a beautiful relationship end due to conflict. Sometimes it begins with something petty- which then results in a destructively downward spiral- till seemingly the point of no return. Perhaps the most tragic part is that both parties may have wanted to resolve the conflict. In this situation, we often didn’t know what approach to take without appearing weak.

The key is communication- if the needs and wants of either party are left undiscussed and misunderstood, the relationship is bound to turn negative or unhealthy. More often than not, there are feelings of anxiety, anger, sorrow, guilt, frustration, helplessness, and blame. These are negative emotions- the emotions that give "conflict" a negative connotation. These emotions may cause us to hold grudges, which then causes us to think back to problems laterally- leading to more arguments.

Conflict in itself neither good nor bad, positive or negative; it is how we resolve conflict that makes conflict either constructive or destructive. This means that conflict can either bring people closer or tear them apart. 

Effective conflict handling style also involves emotional intelligence- which reflects strongly on career, health, and all inter-personal relationships. We all desire a healthy relationship with trust, respect, understanding, and joy: certainly, effective communication is a key factor.

If there’s a problem, talk about it, and if the other party talks, listen (really listen). It’s important to not worry about being right or wrong, but rather, worry about whether or not the two parties could come to a win-win situation.

Conflict handling styles: University of Wisconsin

Via LiveStrong: http://www.livestrong.com/article/157478-what-is-the-meaning-of-interpersonal-conflict/ :

Negative Behaviors:

“Conflict is best understood by examining the behaviour styles people use to meet their needs. Competing is a style in which you try to gain control over a situation by relying on aggressive communication and coercive power, with little regard for building relationships. Accommodating is a style in which you yield to the other person’s needs in an attempt to be diplomatic and preserve the relationship. Avoiding is a style that is common when you have negative view of conflict. You may think that the issue will blow over if it is avoided long enough. The conflict, however, continues to grow until it ruins the relationship.”

Positive Behaviors:

“Compromising is a style in which you gain and give in a series of trade-offs to reach a satisfactory compromise. This style has limitations, however, because everyone involved is still limited to their own perceptions, and this fails to build trust or risk-taking actions. Collaborating is a style in which you bring together individual needs towards a common goal. To produce a win-win situation, collaborating requires communication from everyone. It builds synergy in unrecognized possibilities and true resolution to the conflict.”

The next time you get into a conflict, stay calm; do your best to stay logical and rational; be in control of your emotions and don’t let your emotions overpower your intelligence. Be sure to avoid accusations, broken communication, and false assumptions. By doing this, you will instead allow for a satisfying relationship in collaboration and respect.

Application:

We aren’t always going to have the opportunity to talk it out or see the other party in person. In this case, writing a letter may be wise to help the both parties understand each other. This is a 6 part letter:

1. Write in consideration of their perspective, write out where you think they may be coming from- be sure to refrain from accusations or insults. 

2. Write about your perspective- stay rational and logical, refrain from being offensive, but state your feelings. 

3. Write in their perspective again, really put yourself in their shoes (but also let them know that you cannot read minds). 

It’s important to begin by addressing their perspective and end by addressing their perspective. Parts one and three combined should be around the same length of part two. This way, they know that you value their feelings and thoughts, showing respect, equality, and effort. By beginning in their shoes and ending in their shoes, it will be easier for them to see the effort you have put in. 

4. Explain why you are writing the letter (for establishing effective communication, resolving current conflict, because you care, etc). 

5. Indicate the conflict handling styles- positive behaviour and negative behaviour- not to point fingers, but rather, to come to a mutual understanding. 

6. Elaborate on how you would like to resolve the conflict and your hopes for the future.

Approach the conflict calmly and wisely, and things are likely be fine. But if the other party cannot come to a mutual understanding, know that not everything is in your control and that you have done your best.

Stay positive =].

Here’s a more complete description of conflict handling styles by University of Wisconsin: https://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/home/HideATab/LeadershipManagementDevelopment/ConflictResolution/AboutConflict/ConflictStyles/tabid/228/Default.aspx

Self-Acceptance

"If you don't love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others. - Dalai Lama

"Happiness and self-acceptance go hand in hand. In fact, your level of self-acceptance determines your level of happiness. The more self-acceptance you have, the more happiness you'll allow yourself to accept, receive and enjoy. In other words, you enjoy as much happiness as you believe you're worthy of" - Dr. Robert Holden (Psychology)

Hi everyone, I decided to drop the hiatus- I've been itching to write =). However, I will be keeping my posts relatively short (but sweet)!

Lets take a brief look at self-acceptance: Self-acceptance is a prerequisite for change to occur in clinical psychological and positive psychology. It is a concept that is deemed necessary for mental health. 

(Picture credit to my wonderful brother Dr. GC)

Self-esteem movement founder- Dr. Branden says that the practice of self-acceptance is expressed through the willingness to accept our real self (with honesty and without denial or evasion).

Dr.Branden emphasizes- we ought to accept that we think what we think, feel what we feel, did what we have done, and are what we are. Our fears, our thoughts, our actions, and our dreams are all a part of who we are- and we should not deny it nor evade it. 

When we practice self-acceptance, we willingly experience the facts (leading us to be more worry-free) of our being at a particular moment. Self acceptance is to refuse being our own enemy by making peace with ourselves. This is so important, and I've come to realize that we are often our own worst critic, our own worst enemy, and if willing, our own best friend. 

When we practice self-acceptance, we willingly accept any emotion or behavior as a part of us- at a particular time, regardless of whether or not it is to our liking. Dr. Branden calls this a virtue of realism: "respecting reality"- in regards to our self. 

It's so very applicable: "If I am confronted with a mistake I have made, in accepting that it is mine I am free to learn from it and do better in the future. I cannot learn from a mistake I cannot accept having made. Self-acceptance is the precondition of change and growth." Dr. Branden

As individuals who yearn to be healthy mentally and emotionally, we must learn from our mistakes. It's clear that if we desire to learn from our mistakes, we must first accept that we have made a mistake. Too often, we deny or evade our problems- by choosing flight in our "fight or flight response." We have to realize that we can learn from all our mistakes and misfortunes; we have to realize that it's necessary for positive change and growth; we have to realize that we are all human. This means that we ought not to continually criticize ourselves, but rather, that we accept our flaws and mistakes as a part of us at a specific time.

But this also doesn't mean that you accept your weaknesses and negative habits by doing nothing about any of it. It doesn't serve as an excuse to be lazy and having an easy way out. Certainly, this mindset will not lead us to positive progress or change. 

In practicing self-acceptance, you become aware of your characteristics and know better who you are. This is the overcoming of fear to look at yourself in an honest manner. How can we really improve ourselves if we don't even acknowledge who we really are? If we are in constant denial to think rationally, logically, and realistically, how can we ever make positive progress in an efficient and effective manner? 

"Keep your heart open for as long as you can, as wide as you can, for others and especially for yourself." - Dr. Morrie Schwartz (Sociology)

To accept your self doesn't mean that you go ahead and accept your failures by doing absolutely nothing about it. It means that because you now know what your failures are, you've learned to analyze and evaluated them more objectively, thereby gaining wisdom and knowledge. After this essential foundation-laying step, you get up once again after your fall to conquer your mistakes and improve yourself. 

It's a first step, but a necessary step, and Dr. Branden stated it as one of the 6 pillars to a positive self-esteem for good reason. 

We don't effective change by beating ourselves up. Rather, when we accept our self, we allow a positive change by being mentally healthy before striving towards our goals. 

Always realize that at a particular point and time, you did the best that you could do. Get to know yourself better: your values, your guilt, your motivation, and never be afraid to ask questions that are hard to answer. 

"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who doesn't ask a question remains a fool forever." - Chinese Proverb. 

If you are interested in looking more into self-acceptance, here's an insightful article by Psychologist Dr. Seltzer, a former Cleveland State University Professor: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/200809/the-path-unconditional-self-acceptance

The World Happiness Report (purely reference post)

Hello my lovely readers- I am going on a 2 week hiatus starting today. I'm sad that I have little to no time to write at the moment. I've been really touched by the support and feedback you guys have given me, I mean it. I never thought I'd pick up hundreds of views within the first week, it's been super rewarding and inspirational. See you soon, stay positive =].


The World Happiness Report was released a few days ago. Here's an interesting/insightful synopsis of it by Ariel Schwartz at Co.Exist: [I will do an analysis of the report once I come back]

"Happiness isn’t easy to quantify, but a lot of people have tried: Bhutan has its Gross National Happiness survey, global research company also has its annual world happiness poll, and now Columbia University’s Earth Institute has put out the first World Happiness Report, which has the ambitious goal of surveying the state of happiness in the world today and looking at how the science of happiness plays into it.

The report, commissioned by the United Nations Conference on Happiness (yes, that exists), contains over a hundred pages of musings on world happiness. Here’s an ultra-abridged version of the findings.

• Richer people are happier than poorer people on average, but wealth is only one factor in overall happiness. The same goes for countries, where factors like personal freedom, lack of corruption, and social support are more important.

Cute Quotes

It's always nice to see a few heart-warming quotes. Enjoy:


“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around.

You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you.

You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”

- Bob Marley

Be Worry Free!

Worry- the definitions itself says quite a lot:

Verb -To torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts
        -Give way to anxiety or unease; allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles
Noun -A cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.
         -A State of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems

That's right, we torment ourselves with disturbing thoughts. We lead the way to our own negativity, uneasiness, and anxiety. We continue to dwell on our "troubles"- allowing ourselves to suffer. We also let the uncertainty of events, emotions, and thoughts overwhelm us- regardless of the problems being actual or potential.

"If I had to live my life over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I'd have fewer imaginary ones." - Don Herold

Worrying is something we all tend to do far too often. Sometimes, worrying can even lead to positive results. In most cases however, we end up investing negative emotions and thoughts into circumstances and events, and it eventually leads to negative outcomes.

We hope to change and control our future, but our negative thinking and emotions can too often cloud our judgement and blind us- leading to undesired outcomes. The outcome of these events then conditions us to be even more negative, and it seems to become a repetitive cycle. Those who break the cycle are those who break their worries. But naturally, most of us require a lot of time and experience to figure this out- most of us have to learn it the hard way.

Fortunately, our world is filled with wisdom provided by those who have amassed and solved worries in their time. These teachers have built systems that are now time-tested techniques. They shared them for a reason- and we ought to look at some of these seemingly simple, yet amazing techniques.

The techniques below were taken from Dale Carnegie’s “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.”

Willis Carrier, the man had who invented the modern day air conditioning and the Carriers Corporation, used an anti-stress technique for decades:

“Step 1- What is the worst that could happen? Analyze the situations without fear and with all honesty. Figure out what was the worst that could happen as a result of failure.”

Acceptance

“Acceptance simply means acknowledging reality as it is right now. When we accept something, we are simply acknowledging that it exists. We don’t judge it as good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, desirable or undesirable; we simply acknowledge it as being present.” – Greg Dorter (Psychotherapist)

Acceptance is an important concept in several religions and psychology, in which both suggest that a path of acceptance to be taken in a situation of dissent. Often, these situations are negative, uncomfortable, out of our control, unchangeable, or can only be changed at the cost of great risk or sacrifice.

Acceptance is prominent in Buddhist teachings, and Christianity tends to characterize acceptance as forgiveness.

Many times throughout my life, I’ve had difficulty accepting things as they are. I didn’t like the situation, I wished it could be different, and I was unhappy with the result. But I’ve come to realize that the origin of our unhappiness comes not from our desire for change, but rather our perceptual language (Search: Green Psychology Perceptual Language). Our perceptual language allows ourselves to live in the present moment, reminding us that we make meaning of all that we experience, and that we possess the power of this choice.  The origin of my unhappiness came from my choice to not accept that the negative and uncomfortable situations were out of my control. In most cases, even if such a situation was changeable, my own cost-benefit analysis certainly did not look healthy. I certain did not want to be vulnerable and I desired to be in control.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” - Shakespeare

Self-Esteem #2

My first post was a selective cut-and-paste of what Dr. Branden said at the first international conference of self-esteem. I know not all of you will take the time to read a 10 page summary- shame on you (just kidding- but I still urge everyone to read it). If you haven't read it, then this 2 page blog post can be found insightful.

In short, Dr. Branden wanted us to realize the importance of Self-Esteem. He doesn't suggest that it's the solution to those who pursue happiness, but rather, he suggests that a healthy self-esteem is a necessary condition to our well-being. Simply put- we cannot achieve fulfillment without it.

Those who are high in self-esteem are strong in the wake of difficulties and set backs, they are also determined and ambitious towards a goal they have set. This really refers back to anything, emotional goals, creative goals, and spiritual goals. Those with low self-esteem stick with the relatively safe, the known, and the undemanding. It's a self-reinforcing, repetitive cycle, and if we have a high self esteem, we get right back up when we take a fall (failures, mistakes, regret- relate back to the post Our Past.)

Now here's one of my favorite parts: Dr. Branden stated that if we have a low-self esteem, we will tend to attract those who are low in self-esteem as well. This can be really disastrous- two people who think poorly of themselves on the inside, coming together to form an even more toxic relationship.

Why would it be toxic?

Self-Esteem (Caution Lengthy Post)

Self-Esteem is an idea that some psychologists fear in being trivialized. This is going to be a lengthy read for a blog post, but I promise it has strong potential to impact your life positively.

"There is no use whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb himself." - Andrew Carnegie –

 "Let me say here that self-esteem as I understand it is not a free gift that we need only claim: its possession over time represents great achievement." – Nathaniel Branden

Let’s take a look at what a prominent psychotherapist has to say at the first ever International Conference of Self-Esteem. In direct synopsis, Nathaniel Branden, founder of the Self – Esteem Movement:

"A human being cannot hope to realize his or her potential without healthy self-esteem. Self-esteem is the experience that we are appropriate to life and to the requirements of life. More specifically, self-esteem is (a) confidence in our ability to think, confidence in our ability to cope with the challenges of life; and (b) confidence in our right to be happy, the feeling of being worthy, deserving, entitled to respect our needs and wants and to enjoy the fruits of our efforts. Later I will refine and condense this definition. 

Lacking positive self-esteem, our psychological growth is stunted. Positive self-esteem operates as, in effect, the immune system of consciousness, providing resistance, strength, and a capacity for regeneration. When self-esteem is low, our resilience in the face of life’s adversities is diminished. We crumble before vicissitudes that a healthier sense of self could vanquish. We tend to be more influenced by the desire to avoid pain than to experience joy; negatives have more power over us than positives. If we do not believe in ourselves—neither in our efficacy nor in our goodness—the universe is a frightening place.

Our Past

In my last post, I had mentioned how important our attitude can be in terms of interpreting circumstances. Many of us have a past that haunted us, or even worse- a past that still haunts us. It’s a powerless feeling, and it’s easy to become demotivated at the thought of our scary and traumatizing past. Unfortunately, in some cases, we can even fall into depression, becoming but a shadow of who we once were.

Fear is prevalent throughout our lives. But why is it so prevalent?

I have reason to believe that our biggest fears are driven by our failures and our mistakes- the unwise decisions and circumstances we created in the darkness of ignorance.

But let’s take another perspective on it. In our past, we were who we were at that time- something we also can't change. We were characterized by our priorities, maturity, thought process, or whatever that went to influence a decision we made or the result of that decision. At any given point in time, it was the best that we could do, or the best that we decided to do. We didn’t have the hindsight wisdom, the motivation we wished we had, or the virtues required to achieve a desired outcome.

“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”- Buddha

But it is because of our past that we can learn to deal better with the present. It is because of our present that we can learn how to deal better with the future. Remember that we did what we were able to do to the best of our capabilities. The key response is not to let your past failures, mistakes, or regret define you negatively.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill

Through our pains and through our mistakes, we gained the wisdom to give a helping hand to those who are in need. Let us not be characterized by our failures by staying down and admitting defeat, but rather, by standing up once again to face our failures and our fears with even more courage than yesterday.

"I've come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy." - Tony Robbins

How we deal with failure can define who we are. Amongst many other virtues, strength is a choice, and for those who don’t choose it, they might've uttered ‘I can’t’. In most cases, it’s not that they couldn’t choose to be strong, it’s that they wouldn't. Choose to be influenced by your failures positively, and you will have already chosen to be strong.

One of my all-time favorite quotes: “I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday, and I love today.” William Allen White

Embrace the thought of loving today. Good luck !

Happiness?

The subject of happiness is an important and meaningful topic, yet many do not stop to ponder upon it deeply. After all, whats more important than happiness? Let's take a brief look at it today.

Successful entrepreneur / Marketing guru Seth Godin wrote on his blog yesterday:

"If your happiness is based on always getting a little more than you've got... then you've handed control over your happiness to the gatekeepers, built a system that doesn't scale and prevented yourself from the brave work that leads to a quantum leap. 

The industrial system (and the marketing regime) adore the mindset of 'a little bit more, please', because it furthers their power. A slightly higher paycheck, a slightly more famous college, an incrementally better car-- it's easy to be seduced by this safe, stepwise progress, and if marketers and bosses can make you feel dissatisfied at every step along the way, even better for them. 

Their rules, their increments, and you are always on a treadmill, unhappy today, imagining that the answer lies just over the next hill.... All the data shows us that the people on that hill are just as frustrated as the people on your hill. It demonstrates that the people at that college are just as envious as the people at this college. The never ending cycle (no surprise) never ends. 

An alternative is to be happy wherever you are, with whatever you've got, but always hungry for the thrill of creating art, of being missed if you're gone and most of all, doing important work."

Well said Mr. Godin. There's a specific reason to why Mr. Godin used the word treadmill. In writing his post, he instilled a prominent positive psychology theory called the Hedonic Treadmill. The theory states that regardless of positive or negative events in our lives, we have a tendency to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness. This is why research shows that lottery winners aren't happier than those who didn't win at all. 

The theory states that we all have a range of baseline happiness, and we will stay there regardless of these positive or negative events or life changes. Further research has also indicated that 50% of our level of happiness is determined by genes, 10% by external circumstances, and 40% by intentional activities. 

Buddhist philosophy strongly value mental attitude- they believe that our mental attitude determines our happiness. So I urge a new mindset to many of you who have not yet adopted it: We cannot change past circumstances, and in many cases, we cannot change the present circumstances. So in a circumstance like getting stuck in traffic- instead of trying to change the circumstance and have it it ruin your vibe, change the way you think and interpret it.  

Positive thinking and negative thinking are both intentional activities. You can choose what to interpret, what you pay attention to, and what you think about. Your thoughts influence your external circumstances, and you have power over your thoughts, so influence it wisely. An old but effective analogy is choosing to see a glass half empty versus seeing a glass half full. Realize that you don't have to see the glass half empty, and realize that many things in life can end up being a blessing in disguise. 

We can't control everything that is around us. But we can control how we think, feel, and respond. Good luck!

P.S Did you know that a Harvard B-School study found that spending money on others actually make us happier than spending it on ourselves? Hmmm... more of a reason to share =). 

Why Blog?

There are several reasons actually... but let me start with the main reason!

The moment I had realized that blogging could bring upon a smile, I became inspired. I had realized that if I could influence someone's day positively, then my effort would definitely be worthwhile.

Why Share?

Buddha put it beautifully: 

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

I believe that inspiration, wisdom, and knowledge ought to be shared. This is a principle true not only for this blog, but for a life worth living as well. There's more joy in giving, there's more joy to sharing, and there's definitely more joy in sharing positivity. In the past year, reaching out and giving to people became a constant goal for me. So here I am, inspired to write, inspired to share insights that made me a happier person. My only hope for all who stumbles upon this blog, whoever they may be, is that they learn something new, or feel a bit happier every time they read one of my posts. 

I'm excited, time to begin =).