15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

Couple holding hands.
Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO ALWAYS BE RIGHT
There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. GIVE UP YOUR NEED FOR CONTROL
Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. GIVE UP ON BLAME Continue reading

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My Soul Teaches Me

Angel Playing LuteMy Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to love what the people abhor and to show good will toward the one they hate. It showed me that Love is a property not of the lover but of the beloved. Before my Soul taught me, Love was for me a delicate thread stretched between two adjacent pegs, but now it has been transformed into a halo; its first is its last, and its last is its first. It encompasses every being, slowly expanding to embrace all that ever will be.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to measure time by saying, “It was yesterday, and will be tomorrow.” Before my Soul taught me, I imagined the past as an era not to be met with, and the future as an age that I would never witness. But now I know that in the brief moment of the present, all time exists, including everything that is in time — all that is eagerly anticipated, achieved, or realized.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to define a place by saying ‘here’ or ‘there’. Before my Soul taught me, I thought that when I was in any place on the earth I was remote from every other spot. But now I have learned that the place where I subsist is all places, and the space I occupy is all intervals.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me never to delight in praise or to be distressed by reproach. Before my Soul taught me, I doubted the value of my accomplishments until the passing days sent someone who would extol or disparage them. But now I know that trees blossom in the spring and give their fruits in the summer without any desire for accolades. And they scatter their leaves abroad in the fall and denude themselves in the winter without fear of reproof. Continue reading

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Smart Jury

Smart Jury
A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse.

In the defense’s closing statement, the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. “Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly.

A minute passed. Nothing happened.

Finally the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I, therefore, put it to you that you have a reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed, and I insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.”

The jury retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty.

“But how?” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.”

The jury foreman replied: “Yes, we did look, But your client didn’t.”

You may also like: Need A Break!

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Have You Loved Others Enough?

Mary Jo Rapini was sent back to live some more and love some more. This powerful video is the story of her “Near Death Experience” or NDE. There are millions who have experienced a NDE so much so that there is a web site dedicated to this. While skeptics have dismissed these experiences as hallucinations of a dying brain, those who have experienced a NDE claim it to be something deeper.

Increasing number of scientists and doctors who have experienced a NDE have joined the bandwagon. Here is a neuroscientist talking about his NDE. We also have a doctor who has studied this phenomoenon and claims that it is real.

Related: My Stroke Of Insight

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The Story Of Paramahamsa Yogananda: Finding The Guru

Yogananda

Yogananda as a high school student. Painting by his younger brother

From a young age Mukunda felt a relentless pressure to make spiritual progress. From early days he showed clear signs of a deep spiritual intuition and his family was aware of the prophecy that he was destined to make a bigger impact on the world stage.

Yet there was deep skepticism. Mukunda’s family was well off and the traditional path to deep spirituality lay in initiation as a monk by giving it up all. Though Mukunda was eager to jump in with both feet and renounce the world, his family was extremely reluctant to allow him to do so. The life of an ascetic monk, in India, is extremely difficult and the family was not yet willing to cast Mukunda away into the deep end of the pool. This is the second part on a series of posts covering the life of the world famous yogi: Paramahamsa Yogananda. The first part was about some incidents in Mukunda’s life as a child. Yogananda was the name given to Mukunda after he was initiated into monkhood. Since in this part of the narrative he is still not a monk we will refer to him by the name given to him by his parents: Mukunda.

Mukunda’s restlessness to make deeper spiritual progress drove him. He attempted to run away from home, when he was 11, but his adventure was short lived and he was tracked down and escorted back. Once again, when he was 13, he attempted to run away. Again he was tracked down and his eldest brother, Ananta, went to get him back. On the way back Ananta and Mukunda stopped in Benaras to meet a renowned saint. Ananta hoped that this renowned saint would be able to give Mukunda some guidance on how he could make spiritual progress. Once they were in his presence Ananta addressed the saint, “Your holiness, kindly bless us, I have also bought my brother to receive your blessing and guidance.”

The saint looked at Mukunda and addressed him directly, “Young man! Are you seeking the Divine? Your search is at the end: I am God!” Continue reading

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