Luck? Maybe so, Maybe not. We’ll see.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Hamlet

There is a Chinese Proverb that goes something like this…

A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

A Scientific Reason to Stop and Smell the Roses

A new study suggests people are happier when they take time to appreciate the good things in life.

How nature makes us feel good

A large body of research is documenting the positive impacts of nature on human flourishing—our social, psychological, and emotional life. Over 100 studies have shown that being in nature, living near nature, or even viewing nature in photos and videos can have positive impacts on our brains, bodies, feelings, thought processes, and social interactions. In particular, viewing nature seems to be inherently rewarding, producing a cascade of position emotions, calming our nervous systems and reducing stress. These in turn help us to cultivate greater openness, creativity, connection, generosity, and resilience.

In other words, science suggests we may seek out nature not only for our physical survival, but also because it’s good for our social and personal well-being.

13 insightful Stoic quotes to transform your life

Stoicism is a branch of philosophy said to help us live in real world and doesn’t concern itself with complex theories. It reminds us how unpredictable the world can be and how brief life is. It teaches us how to be steadfast and in control of yourself through logic and not to allow oneself to be controlled by impulsive desires or external events. Although the philosophy was developed over 2,000 years ago, it’s key insights have stood the test of time and remain as relevant as ever in a highly materialistic age of global 24 hour media coverage . Here are 13 of the most insightful quotes by it’s well-known figures, and hopefully it inspires you to want to discover more about Stoicism.

13 insightful Stoic quotes:

 

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

 

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

 

Happiness is a journey, not a destination

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough, and we’ll be more content when they are. After that, we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.

Life is, what we make of it

Each one of us has a different perspective on life, a different way of looking at and interpreting things, all of which decide the way we go about living our life…

The significance of our approach & attitude to life

Everything we experience in life and how we feel about our experiences is always a result of how we approach life and interpret our experiences. In effect – we go a along way in determining what will happen to us simply through our thoughts about what we think will happen to us.

The Starfish Story – each of us doing our own tiny bit to improve the world

A little metaphorical story to make us realise everything we do, no matter how small, can make a difference:

15 inspiring quotes on Gratitude. Reading these will make you instantly a little happier

There are lots and lots of things out there promising to increase your happiness in one way of other. More often than not it involves spending your money. However, one of the most effective, ‘free’ and proven ways to boost your happiness – it’s just to take stock and practice a little gratitude. And this can be done right now. Most of us have something to be grateful for – we just perhaps take things a little too much for granted, and focus on what’s wrong or what we don’t have rather than what we do have. Take a few seconds out your day to read the 15 quotes below, reflect on them a little, and it will brighten your life 🙂

 

In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.

David Steindl-Rast