BE HAPPY, STAY POSITIVE IN THE NEW YEAR

This is my last post for 2014. I thank you for reading my other posts and for sharing it with others. Let us look forward to a splendid 2015, to a year filled with joy, fun and laughter. In this post I will give you suggestions about what to do to stay happy. I will also share with you my views of people, places, policies and programmes. I will make you laugh. I want to leave you feeling motivated and inspired to implement changes in your life, changes that will make you feel good! In this post, I would like to write about happy, positive matters. I want to end on a high note! Let us charge into 2015 with a fanfare, with a blast of music and with humour! As Audrey Hepburn said, “The most important thing is to enjoy your life — to be happy – it’s all that matters.”

Friends

There are many things that I am grateful for in my life. One of these is the friends that I have and with whom I have enjoyed much fun! They have given me so much support, care and love. They love me for who I am and what I am. They put up with my eccentric manners, my crazy talk and my various passions. They make me feel loved, wanted and appreciated. With their strong support, I am motivated to pursue my dreams, to engage in fulfilling activities and to take on tasks which are difficult. Often I feel that I can paint the sky and move mountains. Hence suggestion number one for the New Year is to meet your friends often, make new friends and reach out to others.

Humour

Cultivate laughter throughout the year. Watch comedies on television or on the computer. I am fortunate to be able to access some comedies which were produced in the past and these are most enjoyable. His Highness, my mother and I laugh out loud when we watch these shows and we feel so good afterwards. Engage in conversation with others and pepper your conversation with anecdotes, jokes and funny comments. I find that my mind is engaged and actively trying to find something funny to say and when I do say something hilarious, the people around me will be roaring their heads off. And I too will laugh!

One story which I shared with some people recently is the one about a woman who gave me a gift for Xmas. She said to me, “Auntie, I want to give this to you, because you are like a mother to me. I have no mother now and you are like my mother.” All of this is fine except that the lady who gave me the gift is a grandmother herself! For a week after this, I kept looking at myself in the mirror to look for signs of aging!

Suggestion number two for the New Year is to watch comedy shows and engage in conversations which are filled with funny stories. Laugh as often as you can.

Be Kind and Generous

Life is made happier and fulfilling when we are kind and generous to one another. I found the following stories on the Internet and I would like to bring them to your attention. At a Ferguson Rally in the United States, a young Black man held a sign that read “Free Hugs” and a White policeman took him up on the offer. Ferguson was where a Black man was shot and killed by a White Policeman.

An amazing story of generosity is that of the successful Chinese businessman, Shui Hua. He bulldozed the wooden huts and muddy roads in the area in which he grew up and built luxury homes for the people who lived there for free. Ninety families now have a better life!

Yet another is that of the Chairman of Hari Krishna Exports who gave his employees cars and homes worth $8 million as a performance bonus for meeting their target. One other story of generosity is that of Raymond Burse, the President of the Kentucky State University. He donated his salary to boost the pay checks of the University’s lowest paid workers. There were twenty four of them.

Suggestion number three is help your friends, colleagues and family members. Help total strangers. Be generous with your time and energy. Be generous with your money too. You do not have to give large sums of money, just small amounts will do.

Reasons the Future will be Good

The future will be good for us. One reason for this is the presence of some amazing people in positions of power. In India there is Narenda Modi who has spoken of change. I am sure that he will introduce progressive policies and programmes for the people. In a short time since his appointment, Pope Francis has highlighted the need to eradicate poverty, to counter terrorism and to find ways to improve the lives of many people. He is an amazing, awesome individual.

Democracy and the rule of law will continue to function. Certain countries like the United States and the United Kingdom will do much to preserve this ideology. Each time I watch Prime Minister’s Question Time on Television, I am amazed at the wit, the elocution and the ability of the Prime Minister, David Cameron and the Members of Parliament to question and debate various issues! This is the best example of Democracy and political freedom. President Obama’s belief in freedom of expression and creativity as evident in his support for the film The Interview to be screened is most important. People will now feel that they can express themselves freely and their creativity will not be curtailed.

Conclusion

There is much about which to be happy. Life is great, enjoy it to the fullest. In 2015 wake up each morning and tell yourself that it will be a good day. Dress to please yourself and dress as well as you can. Smile at everyone you meet and laugh often. Be enthusiastic about your work, your family, your friends and your life.

I leave you with this quote from Sai Baba:

“Life is a song-sing it. Life is a game-play it. Life is a challenge-meet it. Life is a dream-realize it. Life is a sacrifice-offer it. Life is love-enjoy it.”