Easy day

Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.

Sometimes the only thing you can do is to just stop searching. Making it look likeyou’re after the feeling is not the same as actually having the feeling.

But still… something was missing.

It can be frustrating when we know we should be happy and yet… something just isn’t right. Just because I look cool and collected on the outside does not mean I feel that way on the inside.

I knew I had my issues. I had my issues around eating, around my body image, and my tendency to isolate myself from others. The more I isolated myself, the more I lived inside my head, and the more I beat myself up over the fact that I’m “making up problems that shouldn’t actually be there.”

But that feeling is real.

The feeling that something isn’t quite right is real.

A huge chunk of my life was missing.

Happiness.

I realized I wasn’t happy. It wasn’t an easy realization to make. It isn’t something we want to admit to ourselves. It sounds so grim. “I’m not happy” – it sounds so final and depressing. I wasn’t depressed but that statement just sounded so… sad.

So I decided to go on a quest to become happier. I read books, articles, and blogs about the topic. I watched documentaries. I put more and more on my plate, thinking that all of these “happiness resources” have got to help me become a happier person.

I had the resources right there in front of me. But still… I wasn’t happy.

That’s when I realized something.

Just because I have the resources…

Just because I have the information right there in front of me…

It doesn’t mean that I’m actually taking action inside of myself to change.

We do this with many issues. We drown ourselves in resources with the hopes of finding not just one solution, but finding multiple. We want to try them all – and many times, WE DO.

Or so we think… but that’s why it doesn’t work. Piling these things on just doesn’t work. That’s not how change happens. Reading book after book and educating myself on happiness without any real action will not make me a happier person. It will simply make me a person who’s more educated on happiness. But not necessarily happier.

So I decided to stop.

I decided to stop searching for happiness and focus on FEELING happiness.

I remembered certain things that were reiterated from the articles and so I created simple action steps for myself that would allow me to focus more on MYSELF rather than continuing this quest.

I stopped searching for happiness because I wanted happiness to find me.

Better yet, I wanted to find joy.

I left behind my anxieties about finding the solution (although it wasn’t easy) and I began to just LIVE. I began to learn myself all over again. What is it that makes me happy? What is it that brings me joy? What sensations and activities bring me pleasure?

We have evolved into a society that shames pleasure even though it is the very core of our existence. We crave pleasure and we deserve to feel pleasure. We were made to feel pleasure. That’s why it exists.

That’s when the change happened.

I left behind what I felt I ought to do and started doing what my body and mind wanted to do.

I call this practice “sensual living” because it requires you to be more sensual in your daily life – to be more mindful of what you’re doing; to take time for yourself; to notice and take in your surroundings with all your senses. The very act of living a more mindful life can be transformational on your quality of life.

I believe that turning to mindfulness can really help us learn what we really need to do in order to feel that inner joy and peace we so desire. Once you stop and blatantly ask yourself “what do I really WANT?” the answer might surprise you.

It’s important to live accordingly with what your body and mind are telling you. Your body never wants to do you harm. So why not just surrender to its well wishes?

You’ll be surprised what you’ll find out about yourself in the process and how much happier you’ll feel in return.
Easy day

I needed some context for such a bold statement, so I flipped to the introduction and found the actual quote.  The full paragraph reads:

“Never do I fish as attentively as when I’m on the North Umpqua. I feel I owe the river the very best I have to offer, after all, the river has given its very best to me.  The North Umpqua makes me want to be a better fly fisherman.”

Have you ever felt this way about anything? Do you have any things in your life that make you want to be a better person?

Does the special person in your life make you want to be a better partner?
Does your job make you want to be a better employee or your company make you want to be a better entrepreneur?
What about your car? Does it make you want to be a better driver?
Is there anything in your life that would make you say: “I owe this the very best that I have to offer!”

In my role as a life coach for personal development, I frequently meet people who think they are “stuck”.  Often, the truth of the matter isn’t that they’re stuck, it’s that they just haven’t found something that demands the very best they have to offer – something that makes them want to be a better person.

Well, what if the answer isn’t something outside of yourself?  What if it’s not a person or a thing?

What about your life itself?

Please humor me for a minute… just for fun – imagine that you woke up tomorrow with the feeling that you owe your life the very best you have to offer!

What would that day look like to you?

What would it sound like?

Imagine living like that for just one day! How would that feel?

How To Be A Better Person – An Experiment

Now I’d like to propose something.  I’d like to propose that you make up your mind, right here and now, to actually do this tomorrow – just as an experiment.  You don’t have to tell anyone what you’re up to, you don’t have to recruit others to do it with you and you don’t need to make a big deal out of it.  Just wake up with the attitude that no matter what happens throughout the day, you are going to give your life the very best you have to offer! You are going to live your life in a way that makes you want to be a better person.

Be forewarned, this new approach could change everything!


Easy day

Kefi is a Greek word that can be described as a feeling of pure exhilaration where you have bliss, excitement, and euphoria. During moments of Kefi your entire being experiences a rush that you want to share with others. You smile, laugh, dance, or sing. You do whatever it takes to release this joy. Hard to translate since words cannot completely explain the feeling when one does experience it. While Greek dancing at the full moon party in Folegandros’ port, I had it, and this is when my friend explained the word to me. It was beautiful. My journey is about finding Kefi and I know that all of us can find it if we just let it in.

My life prior to May was not about living Kefi.  It was about achieving, climbing corporate ladders, making more money, getting more degrees, working long hours, thriving on stress, buying homes, saving for retirement, etc.  You get the picture.  I was doing everything right; the way society accepts and defines ‘how to live a successful life’.  I am very gracious for the abundance that 11 years of working brought me and the experience gained while working in top consulting firms, travelling the world, and engaging with some of the world’s largest corporations. For me, it became a living nightmare as I dragged myself out of bed each morning to go into the office and sit in my dark cubicle.
I was not living my life; I was only existing in this life.  Actually, looking back, I really did not know how to live life, how to do nothing, how to have hobbies. I buried myself in work to avoid figuring out what made me happy. I sat in my backyard and realized I had no idea what I liked to do and what made me happy.  To avoid this dreadful feeling, I started to run again and searched for projects overseas. I was on my way to Afghanistan. The universe intervened.   Since I kept repeating the same things over and over, the lessons got harder and harder.   I was forced to sit alone with myself and begin the journey to transform my life and to create the life I wanted to live.  It was painful, but looking back, I would not change any of my life experiences.  They all weave together to create the amazing life that I am living.

I started to experience and feel ‘deep down’ truly blissful moments while away from work and on vacation.  I started to travel alone to remote places, met wonderful people along the way, sat in the park with Ingrid, did a lot of yoga, learned tango, opened up to the flow of life.  Time and time again, I experienced that when one slows down then situations are presented and we have what we need if we just listen and see the signs.

Dear life….where are you taking me next?  I am on a journey.  Destination unknown and I don’t need to know.  As long as I am on the path that feels right then my journey will be more worthwhile than the destination.  I know it will not always be easy, but I am prepared to welcome the experiences – good and bad.  My life is now about letting go of the control, letting go of the plan and just being open to people, places, and events.  I want to see what happens when I let go of the control.  I lived a structured life, used my logical left brain, did everything by the books and now I am free to do the exact opposite.  That is what I am doing now.

I am allowing myself to not plan and to travel to places where I have never been and to have an open mind.  I don’t make decisions as fast as I used to, I use my intuition to decide where to go next, book plans a few days before and try to do what feels right.  TRY…since I cannot rewire myself in a few months.  My logic kicks in all the time, I lose living in the present moment, I bring in past stories, I worry about what I will do when I get back to NYC, I worry I am spending too much money, I don’t always follow my heart and intuition and I end up back to square one- stressed, frantically running around.  I pull myself out of that frenzy and am back again on track.

“When the bird and the book disagree, always believe the bird.”   The bird is my heart and the book my logic.  Know your mind. Know your heart.  Know your courage.  My purpose now is to learn to always follow my heart.  If one lives with an open heart and follows it, then one can never go wrong. Following my heart fills me with joy and by doing things each day that make me laugh and bring joy, only then can I give that joy back to others.

The more we live our Kefi the more Kefi we attract into our lives.  My life is uncertain now, but I embrace the unknown and trust that if I create and live the life I want then all will be well.  I have no fear.  Since I left ‘corporate america’ and started my journey, I have felt so free.  I am free as a bird and I am able to see a happiness that I never really knew.   It is my Kefi.
Easy day

compassion



"To bring about a better world, let us all strive together with vision, with courage, and with optimism."


I will readily admit that I haven’t always been a particularly positive person. I think cynicism is in my genetic code and I used to genuinely believe that it was better to expect the worst in order to be prepared than to allow high hopes be dashed.
I’m also the biggest chicken imaginable. There was a time when I was truly scared of everything and the thought of acting courageously seemed impossible. I still find myself fearful and anxious at times but I’ve come a long way.
To top off the “Negative Nelly” trifecta – as if you weren’t already convinced that my redeeming qualities might be lacking! – I often tend to be driven by logic versus emotion and struggle with compassion at times. It has occurred to me that all of these aspects of my personality are likely interconnected and probably support and feed off of each other.
But, whether cynicism leads to lack of compassion or lack of bravery is irrelevant. The real answer is not in the analysis but in the remedies for negativity, judgment and fear.
I feel that compassion is critical to maintaining a positive attitude. Compassion is about sidestepping your own concerns for a moment. Without it, my ego stays in charge and my glass tends to remain half empty.
Unwavering compassion comes easily for many people, yet can be highly challenging for some of us. And this has been a source of sadness for me.
It’s often simple to be compassionate about the things and people we care about. If a friend, family member or pet is in pain, we easily feel compassion. But what about difficult people? Or unkind people?
After many conversations with myself, I found one helpful analogy in my own life to help me develop feelings of compassion more easily.
While I was in labor with my son, I remember thinking it was the most difficult and painful thing I’d ever faced. But the thing about labor is, you can’t turn back. You push through the pain because it results in something wonderful.
When faced with the choice to be compassionate or judgmental of another person, I remember the day my son was born. When I feel myself judging someone, instead of feeling compassion for them, I remember the joyful reward that followed intense difficulty.
Even if you’ve never given birth, there is surely something in your own life you can draw a parallel to. Some situation that was difficult but which had a light at the end of the tunnel.
For me, that’s how it ultimately feels to let go of judgement and allow myself to feel compassion for someone who seems undeserving. Maybe it’s selfish. But the sense of satisfaction that comes from pushing past a barrier of dislike and finding the warmth of compassion is a wonderful thing.
The interesting part of this practice is that eventually, I don’t need the analogy. I’ve started to develop a muscle memory for feeling compassion under trying circumstances and it comes to me with a little more ease.
Courage is another story. It seems like for each instance of bravery in my life, there are a dozen times when I haven’t had the guts. Times where I’m sad to say I’ve quietly bowed out and there didn’t seem to be a heartwarming analogy for “next time.”
For me, there is no warm feeling at the end of pushing through terror. In fact, even the reward of taking a chance isn’t physiologically comfortable. Exhilaration makes my heart pound, my palms sweat.

However, the curious thing about taking chances is that it’s also possible to develop a habit for it. I may not bask in the glow of heart-pounding dread, but I have found that I can respond to a “just do it” attitude.
I’ve begun to push myself off the cliff, so to speak. Now, I’m not talking about driving race cars or base jumping, here. I’m talking about speaking my mind, standing up for what I believe in, not allowing fear to compromise my convictions.
I think we all have the ability to take a leap and be courageous. Even when our lizard brain tells us a situation is too dangerous. As evolved humans we have the power to decide our fears are preposterous and forge ahead anyway.
Do you know what the best part of all this is? The most incredible side effect of feeling empathy for people I find difficult and pushing past fear over and over, no matter how faint it makes me feel, is that negativity fades.
Cynicism, judgement and cowardice aren’t my go-to responses these days. And I’ve realized that by focusing my efforts on compassion and courage, my glass is not only no longer half empty, it’s looking pretty darn full!

Easy day


Oh, comfort. My life has not been comfortable in some areas lately. I'd rather not go into detail, but trust me on that one. There have been moments where everything comfortable for me has been threatened, has felt destroyed, has been in question. But so far I’ve learned that the times I’ve been most uncomfortable have also been the times I achieved the most growth in my life and in my relationships. Comfort is not something we should seek exclusively. Where is the adventure in that? Where is the becoming-better? If you find the only decisions you’re ever making are comfortable ones, there may be some reevaluating in order.

It’s interesting that I would pick this particular prompt for this particular day in September, some weeks ago when I made the list. Interesting, indeed.


Comfort is a nice feeling, but you’d never know what it means to lie in a truly soft place unless you’d also experienced the opposite. Be grateful for discomfort in your life, as well as comfort, because they really are two sides of the same coin, you know?
Easy day

When my sister was one year old, I used to play peek-a-boo with her. We’d both put our hands over our eyes when I said, “Peek!” And when I would say “a-boo,” she would keep her hands over her eyes until I said “a-boo” multiple times in rapid succession. It was the cutest thing.



my childhood was the time when i was innocent
when the world seemed to be fair
when my universe was around my toys

my childhood was the time when 9i lived in dreams
when everyone was selfless 
when everyone appeared to be a friend

my childhood was the time when my life was full of colours
when sorrows never knocked my door
when smile was gift presented to everyone 

my childhood was the time when love was pure
when there were no obligations
when tenderness prevailed

my childhood was the time which is long gone
tears flow from my eyes when i go back in my childhood
my childhood will never come back but 
the child in me will never go 





Easy day

What do we mean by conscious living?

I suppose having greater self-awareness, and operating from a state of presence for longer periods, generally describes the term.
A state of enlightenment even.
Now becoming enlightened is one thing, maintaining this state in a world of ever increasing distractions is quite another.
Take some time out of each day to be alone. You can do this anywhere. Some people like to go off into nature, but you can do it just as effectively in your bedroom. When you allow stillness to develop you come to realise that your thoughts are not you, only the content of your mind. This in itself is transformative, and loosens the grip the busy mind.

Here are 5 steps to keep you on track.

1. Get in touch with your inner stillness


Inner stillness is one of the most important things you need to cultivate higher consciousness. It is essential you take some time out of each day to be alone. You can do this anywhere. Some people like to go off into nature, but you can do it just as effectively in your bedroom. Sit for a few minutes with no stimulation only your thoughts. Be quiet. Listen to what your thoughts are saying. Hear the background noise they make. Do not judge them or make them wrong. Try not to engage with them either, as in reviewing tomorrow’s work schedule. Simply watch them as you would a movie on a screen. Realise your thoughts are innocent. Be kind to them. It is not even necessary to practice meditation as a discipline, only that you sit for a few moments each day and listen to the stillness of your being. It will have a profound effect on everything else you do.

How will this make me more conscious?

When you allow stillness to develop you come to realise that your thoughts are not you, only the content of your mind. This in itself is transformative, and loosens the grip the busy mind has on you.

How will it benefit others?

You become like a tuning fork. As you start radiating peace and calm those around you will resonate to that frequency, and to a lesser extent, do likewise.

2. Give praise for a job well done.


Taking things and people for granted is a sign of unconscious or automated living. Often we sleepwalk our way through the day, murmuring a barely audible ‘thank you’ to those who serve us. However, by showing genuine appreciation to others we are keeping our minds alert to the good they do. We don’t exist in a vacuum. A fact spiritual people sometimes forget. When someone cooks you a meal, or serves you in a shop, or cuts your hair, they have dedicated part of themselves, their time, their energy specifically for you. Appreciate that. And let them know. Do this by thanking them graciously. Share a few moments of informal chat with them. Make them feel they have genuinely added to your day. Obviously do this sincerely. I’m not talking about flattery here. Deliberately cultivate giving sincere praise.

How will this make me more conscious?

By actively seeing the good in others we become less wrapped up in our own concerns. We create states of gratitude. Feeling gratitude is good, expressing it aloud makes it permanent.

How will it benefit others?

It makes them feel worthwhile and not taken for granted. People who feel appreciated go on to develop good self esteem.


3. Do a kindness for a stranger


Recent studies have shown that kind acts can help raise levels of consciousness. Now it’s easy to be kind to those we love. However, going out of your way to be kind to a total stranger requires effort. It could be visiting people who are alone, volunteering with the elderly or disabled. Just letting someone go in front of you in a queue at the store. How about giving up your parking space for someone you don’t know? There’s a lot of anger and negative energy around parking spaces it seems. Change that. Every kindness you do for a stranger is a genuine act of altruism. Think about it, they can’t return the favour, they don’t know you. Sometimes giving comes with a lot of unconscious hooks. A gift can become an exchange. But when we give freely from the heart we expect no return. Ironically, this is the very time we often receive something back.

How will this make me more conscious?

By becoming aware of the needs of others we grow in compassion and love.

How will it benefit others?

Nine times out of ten those you show kindness to will pay it forward. Maybe several times. And those in turn will do likewise. You could start a chain reaction of kindness!

4. Get physically fit


A healthy mind in a healthy body is the best recipe for being conscious. If we’re tired, sick, or run down it’s very hard to maintain optimum performance. I’m not talking about tedious sit-ups here, but a little work out goes a long way. The benefits of yoga have been well documented. Its combination of stretching and breathing releases the body’s subtle energies. Tai chi, often described as meditation standing up, keeps the mind in an alert state for hours. Qi gong works by awakening your innate energy. Doing any kind of kundalini awakening can have the same effect. Even a run in the park will leave you feeling better both in body and mind. When we stimulate the body we release peptides in the brain that create balance in the endocrine system and blood sugar levels. This doesn’t only lead to feeling better, but to greater awareness too.

How will this make me more conscious?

A body that is well nourished and reasonably fit is better able to achieve, and retain higher levels of consciousness.

How will it benefit others?

By showing others the benefits of being healthy you lead by example.

5. Keep a gratitude journal


This has been around for a while but it’s still one of the best self awareness tools I know. At the end of each day write down five blessings you had that day. It can be a particular event, someone you met, or an insight you had. Something that opens the mind up to the beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed. Start with three to five to get you going, however, you may find this increases as the days pass. The more you prime your mind to see and experience wonderful things, the more you’ll find them popping up in your life. Do it every day and see what happens. This is magical!

How will this make me more conscious?

Creating an attitude of gratitude is reason enough. But this goes further. After some time the mind doesn’t just see rich blessings, it actively goes seeking them out. Soon a river of good things will start flowing your way. How cool is that?

How will it benefit others?

We all radiate the state we’re feeling. So if you’re in a constant state of gratitude that’s what you’ll give out. And it’s infectious. Others can’t help feeling good around you.

By practicing the above you will begin to live your life with intention, and this is what creates permanent states of higher consciousness. And a happier world too.
Easy day


"Once you can look yourself in the mirror, and smile at the reflection, that’s when you know you are being who you are at the core "

Words are puny to describe your beauty and the beauty that you can create in the world. When we try to make sense of ourselves in the world through words, it is inadequate. There are no words to describe how special you are to the world. There are no words to describe the sheer beauty of kindness, giving, friendship and love in action. What does this mean for us as an individual? As a community?

Beautiful is rooted in action. It is rooted in seeing beautiful in yourself and others. It stems from belief and grows as it's acted upon. It blooms when it is given and received.

You will never grow your identity of beautiful in the glossy pages of a pop culture magazine or see it reflected in the air brushed models plopped on billboards. The words to describe these "sells" of beautiful are short-lived and come up short - way short. The only person who can grow your identity of beautiful is you and that happens in the way you see and create beautiful in your own life.

See beautiful - but in those two words, understand they fail at describing the beauty reflected in the mirror and through your own experiences in the world. That beauty, the beautiful you see, has no words. All the 
beautiful words in the dictionary cannot reflect the gift you are, and you create, in the world.


Sweet Memories

As I stare into the beautiful sunset, birds whoosh past my ears and the noise of the crashing waves batter my ears. The smell of the salty sea intoxicates my lungs. It is only here that can you truly appreciate what you have. As I sit on the cliff top looking over the valley I can hear the kids playing by the beach and the paranoid mother shouting at them to come back home so that they don't get lost at night. It's the end of another day and the start of another as soon the enlightening fireflies light up the sky along with the owl singing in the moonlight. I thoughtlessly stare at the forest. Packed to the brim with wildlife and kids playing hide and seek, what fun it is to be a kid, no work all play. Ahh yes I remember those days when we would walk on the soft but crumbly sand trying to dodge the cold, icy waves on top of that a stranded dolphin washed up on the beach . With its smooth but drying skin and its glimmering fin making it an absolutely stunning creature, I remember how it groaned in.
Easy day

All the great people in history have lived for a strong purpose. It may be religious, political, for civili rights, or for any cause. Great people, the ones we remember, are those who made great personal sacrifices for what they believed to be a great cause. 
It’s not just about making the world a better place. Living for a cause makes your life better.
This does not have to be something massive or earth changing or even particularly charitable. You do not have to be Ghandi. It just has to be something that you are living for beyond your immediate circumstances.
However I believe that in it are some of the best solutions to all the modern day crises such as economic, environmental and energy. That one book holds the key in my opinion. I am supremely passionate about it and I make sacrifices and work hard to spread its message. I get excited by it and find great satisfaction. I feel like if I died tomorrow I would die having contributed something to the world.
Even if you are not Ghandi your passionate promotion of a cause may be the spark that ignites someone else who then goes on to become the next Ghandi. There is a butterfly effect going on here, and you can have a profound impact on the world unintentionally and without realizing it.
Anybody can live for a greater cause. We are all great in our own way. And there are personal benefits. It makes you humble, it connects you to others and it builds empathy. If makes you passionate and inspiring. It makes you interesting. Most of all it makes life more fun and worth living.
Living a purpose driven and goal driven life is more exciting that sleep walking through life. You can shape the direction and shape the purpose rather than living on someone else’s whim.
Easy day

A little over a year ago I commenced a new quest in life to satiate my need to teach and help as many possible to achieve their full potential.. if you want more joy and fulfillment out of life, here are 7 qualities that, for me, have made all the difference:

1. See the World in the Form of a Question

Whether you are looking to make new friends, achieve success with a client, or even raise your general awareness—the skill of asking questions has in many ways been lost in our society. We’re so busy to tell, tell, tell that we forget to ask, ask, ask. And as we all know, the only way to become a great ‘learner’ is to ask questions. Questions resolve concerns. Questions elevate personal relationships. They also at times force us to take a different perspective and possibly stretch ourselves to unchartered waters. So learn to have an ‘ask first tell second’ personality and I can promise you the results will be profound.

2. Give Specific Feedback/Compliments

We’ve all heard that learning to give compliments to others has a powerful impact on personal relationships. But for those that truly want to take compliments to another level the key is to learn specificity. For example, which statement would you rather hear from someone else?

I really enjoyed your blog article today.

Or

I was blown away with the story you shared in your blog article about the time you……That story very much resonated with me and I’ve decided to take action because of it!

See the difference? Both statements expressed approval of a blog article, yet the first statement likely made the author smile a little while the second brought about a huge grin. This is the power of specificity and is a critical key to happiness, especially in dealing with friends and loved ones.

3. Don’t Just Let Go of Your Physical Health

I see it all the time. Guys and gals (including many bloggers) attain great monetary success in work but all of the sudden they’re out of shape, overweight, and struggling with self-image. Knowing my busy schedule as a business owner and father of 4, a year ago I bought an elliptical and put it in my basement so that I wouldn’t have to include ‘going to the gym’ into my extremely busy schedule. The results? I’ve worked out 1 hour a day since buying the machine, never missing a workout, and I weigh less now than I did in high school. (and feel great too!)

4. Give Value to Others at Every Turn


Wow has the internet been a blessing in this area. Now, more than ever, you and I can meet and help people on a large-scale basis because of the beauty of technology. Some of the greatest success I’ve been able to achieve in these last year has come because of stories, articles, and mentions I’ve made praising other people and companies. As Chris Brogan says, we should mention (talk about) other people 12 times to every 1 mention of ourselves if we really want to give value and build relationships.

5. Smile Unrelenting

I know, I know, we’ve heard it before: We should smile often. But as the old saying goes, ‘common sense is often quite uncommon.’ Seriously though, are you the person in your group of friends or workplace that is known as ‘Mr. or Ms. Positive’ or are you the person that everyone sees as having a cloud over your head 24/7? I used to have a problem of not smiling enough. For me, it wasn’t that I was unhappy, it was just that I have the tendency to look serious when I’m focused on a task. Since identifying this problem (people kept telling me to lighten up) I try to carry a smile with me in all situations, and wow has this made an incredible difference. So smile often. Lighten up every room you enter. Not only will you be happier, but many will file in line with you as well.

6. Stop Trying to Find Your Passion

Let me be the first to say that I’m all about ‘finding your passion’. But the problem with most people is that they get so wrapped up in ‘finding themselves’ or ‘finding their passion’ that they forget how this discovery is actually made: By Living Passionately. In other words, if you want to find out where your true passions lie, stop looking and simply start living everything you do throughout the day with passion and zeal. By so doing, self-discovery will come naturally and easily.

7. Surround Yourself with Greatness

I simply can’t stress this one enough. Everyone needs a mentor. And we certainly all need great friends. I would be a completely different person and be on a completely different path than I’m on today had I not had people and friends in my life that helped correct my course when I got off track. I’ve learned over the years that it’s important that we not only find these friends but we learn to depend and lean on them when necessary. As others lift us up, and as we reciprocate this action, the friendships we’ll form will truly be amazing.

So there are 7 keys to health and happiness that have completely changed my life over the past year. But what about you? What are your thoughts and what would you add to the list? C’mon, let’s talk about it……
Easy day




Happiness is always there with us in the moment. We just have to make the shift and choose to see it. When you’re at the very beginning of the journey to creating a life you love, things can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Once you’ve taken responsibility for your life it’s easy to start blaming yourself. We beat ourselves up and try to force ourselves to work harder, because we feel like a failure the minute we stop and look around.

But what is the purpose of this kind of lifestyle? Why did we choose to live our dreams in the first place? Because we wanted to be happy. But being happy doesn’t come from the things we achieve or how far we’ve come. It comes from being present and enjoying the journey.

If you think about it, why should you be more able to experience happiness once you’ve reached your goals? If all you’ve ever done was push yourself harder to succeed, it will be almost impossible to be still and worship the moment. If you can’t appreciate the journey, then you won’t appreciate your successes either.

Sometimes it’s a little mind shift that can make all the difference. So be still, breathe and reconnect with yourself.


Sometimes a small mind shift, one little realization can make all the difference.

How about you? Have you been chasing happiness? Can you be still for a moment, reconnect with yourself and focus on happiness from now on?
Easy day
I live in Bahawalpur City located in Punjab,Pakistan. I love Bahawalpur because it is where I was born and grown up. My memories, families and friends from the childhood. Bahawalpur is a special place to visit. It is surrounded by farms, National Park and sand desert. Farms are famous with different types of vegetables and fruits…etc. The National Park is a good place to visit and enjoy your time.


The city was home to various Nawabs (rulers) and counted as part of the Rajputana states (now Rajasthan, India). The city is known for its famous palaces such as the Noor Mahal, Sadiq Ghar Palace, and Darbar Mahal, as well as the ancient fort of Derawar in the Cholistan Desert bordering India. The city is located near the historical and ancient cities of Uch and Harappa, which were once a stronghold of the Delhi Sultanate and Indus Valley Civilisation. The city is home to one of the few natural safari parks in Pakistan,Lal National 


The main crops for which Bahawalpur is recognised are cotton, sugarcane,wheat, sunflower seeds, rape/mustard seed and rice. Bahawalpur mangoes, citrus, dates and guavas are some of the fruits exported out of the country. Vegetables include onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes and carrots. Being an expanding industrial city, the government has revolutionised and libertised various markets, allowing the caustic soda, cotton ginning and pressing, flour mills, fruit juices, general engineering, iron and steel re-rolling mills, looms, oil mills, poultry feed, sugar, textile spinning, textile weaving, vegetable ghee and cooking oil industries to flourish.

Bahawal Victoria Hospital


Entrance of Dring Stadium


Noor Mahal

Darbar Mahal

Gulzar Mahal

Sadiq Dane High School, Bahawalpur

Madical College



Govt. Central Library

Fawara Chwak


Fareed Gate

Saraiki Chwak


Easy day



I love the tiny pitter-pattering sounds that make everything seem so huge, so endless. Listening to those sounds, trying to find them while walking along a misty path is magical.
Rain makes puddles, puddles make reflections (and illusions of parallel universes), and reflections make good photographs.
I love the wet, too. It's just refreshing and easier to think. Rainy days ar perfect for music.
Rain makes me smile, when I'm walking home after a bad day. It starts puring, puring endlessly... And the sky is always beautiful and dark; if there's sun, the rain glitters against it. aaaaah.....!

I love music that has snipets of recorded rain in it.







Easy day

"Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things” 

You have the power to change your life. Whether you realize it yet or not, you can do it. Further, you are only one who can do it. Others can help, but the bulk of the work is up to you. Don’t look at that as a negative—realize that you are in control of your own life, and how important it is that....


To some people, life is hard, cruel and merciless. These set of people see life as punishment throughout their entire lives. They therefore resigned themselves to fate, believing all is finished. To them, nothing that they do can ever be good. They take delight in committing crimes and maiming others to avenge their ill-fortune. They lost every sense of direction and most times, some of them go as far as committing suicide, just to escape the injustice life has meted out to them.

But there are those who see life as a challenge, a channel of discovery and innovation, a prospect for success and a gateway to wealth. To them life is sweet, colourful and kind. No matter the situation these people find themselves, they keep pressing on, believing in a cause, a cause to succeed and get the most out of life. No wonder an adage says, “Where there is life, there is hope.”

The will to succeed or fail lies within an individual jurisdiction. You can live life to the fullest with utmost satisfaction and fulfillment if you determine with all your mind, body and soul to succeed. On the other hand, life can be miserable to you if you take everything for granted and wait on fate to play itself out.

Setting of goals and strategic plans that will strive no matter the odds which may move against you is one of the basic things needed to get the best out of life. These goals which must be result oriented, should be followed up consistently even if things seem blurred or unyielding at first.

Also, the mind is the centre of everything. It controls your thoughts and beliefs. A focused mind has never fail. A positive mind helps one to discover his talents and potentials. Great men and women, both living and dead, had their minds focused on something and nothing deterred them from achieving their dreams. Each of them had a belief, should I say faith, which they held onto, they nurture the belief, focused all their attention and live on it. And today, we have benefited in one way or the other from their inventions and great ideas.

Life is a challenge. And for anyone to succeed in life, he must be ready to show the stuff he is made of. He must be ready to sacrifice his time and build up his mind frame toward success. What is happening in our environment should not influence or affect us in our daily quest for success in life. Instead, we should control the happenings around us.

Life is so easy, yet many people rush and miss what they want to achieve in life. Don’t rush in life. Take one step at a time. Each step should be properly planned before being launched. Steady, balance, mark and shoot. And before you know it, the sky will become the beginning of your success.

All the great men of today, has one way or the other tasted the other side of life but they did not cower. Instead, they were renewed to redefine their goals; they ride on with faith, believing in their potentials, focusing their mind on something, knowing fully well that in every black cloud there is always a silver lining.

I take life to be very simple and do you know what? Life is to be enjoyed. What about you?
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Beauty of my country



The Shalimar Gardens (Urdu: شالیمار باغ), sometimes written Shalamar Gardens, were built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Lahore, modern day Pakistan. Construction began in 1641 A.D. (1051 A.H.) and was completed the following year. The project management was carried out under the superintendence of Khalilullah Khan, a noble of Shah Jahan's court, in cooperation with Ali Mardan Khan and Mulla Alaul Maulk Tuni.



The Shalamar Gardens are laid out in the form of an oblong parallelogram, surrounded by a high brick wall, which is famous for its intricate fretwork. The gardens measure 658 meters north to south and 258 meters east to west. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Lahore Fort, under the UNESCO Convention concerning the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage sites in 1972.

The three level terraces of the Gardens
The Gardens have been laid out from south to north in three descending terraces, which are elevated by 4-5 metres (13-15 feet) above one another. The three terraces have names in Urdu as follows:

The upper terrace named Farah Baksh meaning Bestower of Pleasure.
The middle terrace named Faiz Baksh meaning Bestower of Goodness.
The lower terrace named Hayat Baksh meaning Bestower of life.

Shah Nahar : Irrigation of the Gardens
To irrigate the Gardens, a canal named Shah Nahar meaning Royal canal, later also known as Hansti canal, meaning Laughing canal was brought from Rajpot (present day Madhpur in India), a distance of over 161 kilometers. The canal intersected the Gardens and discharged into a large marble basin in the middle terrace.

410 fountains
From this basin, and from the canal, rise 410 fountains, which discharge into wide marble pools. The surrounding area is rendered cooler by the flowing of the fountains, which is a particular relief for visitors during Lahore's blistering summers, with temperature sometimes exceeding 120 degrees fahrenheit. It is a credit to the ingenuity of the Mughal engineers that even today scientists are unable to fathom how the fountains were operated originally. The distribution of the fountains is as follows:

The upper level terrace has 105 fountains.
The middle level terrace has 152 fountains.
The lower level terrace has 153 fountains.
All combined, the Gardens therefore have 410 fountains.

Water cascades
The Gardens have 5 water cascades including the great marble cascade and Sawan Bhadoon.

The buildings of the Gardens include:

Sawan Bhadum pavilions
Naqar Khana and its buildings
Khwabgah or Sleeping chambers
Hammam or Royal bath
The Aiwan or Grand hall
Aramgah or Resting place
Khawabgah of Begum Sahib or Dream place of the emperor's wife
Baradaries or summer pavilions to enjoy the coolness created by the Gardens' fountains
Diwan-e-Khas-o-Aam or Hall of special & ordinary audience with the emperor
Two gateways and minarets in the corners of the Gardens

Some of the varieties of trees that were planted included:

Almond
Apple
Apricot
Cherry
Gokcha
Mango
Mulberry
Peach
Plum
Poplar
Quince Seedless
Sapling of Cypress
Shrubs
Sour & sweet oranges

Numerous other varieties of odoriferous (fragrant) and non odoriferous and fruit giving plants

The site of the Shalimar Gardens originally belonged to one of the noble Zaildar families in the region, well known as Mian Family Baghbanpura. The family was also given the Royal title of 'Mian' by the Mughal Emperor, for its services to the Empire. Mian Muhammad Yusuf, then the head of the Mian family, donated the site of Ishaq Pura to the Emperor Shah Jahan, after pressure was placed on the family by the royal engineers who wished to build on the site due to its good position and soil. In return, Shah Jahan granted the Mian family governance of the Shalimar Gardens. The Shalimar Gardens remained under the custodianship of this family for more than 350 years.

In 1962, the Shalimar Gardens were nationalised by General Ayub Khan because leading Mian family members had opposed his imposition of martial law in Pakistan.

The Mela Chiraghan festival used to take place in the Gardens, until President Ayub Khan ordered against it in 1958.

The Shalimar Gardens are located near Baghbanpura along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometers northeast of the main Lahore city.
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Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress.

People tend to take for granted the good that is already present in their lives. There’s a gratitude exercise that instructs that you should imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything that currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and every one. In addition, you need to start finding joy in the small things instead of holding out for big achievements—such as getting the promotion, having a comfortable nest egg saved up, getting married, having the baby, and so on–before allowing yourself to feel gratitude and joy.

Another way to use giving thanks to appreciate life more fully is to use gratitude to help you put things in their proper perspective. When things don’t go your way, remember that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit.
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"The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking."

When depression hits, it hijacks your thoughts and feelings. It whispers seductive lies into your ears; lies that gradually start sounding like the truth. I know how that feels, because I have struggled with it too. If on the other hand, you knew the lies depression commonly uses, then you can ignore or replace them with your own inner truth. And every time you do that, you have healed a little bit.
This is what happens when we focus solely on the negative things. I’m not saying your difficulties are just dot sized. Not at all. All I’m saying is: Don’t forget to enjoy the beautiful expanse of white in your life. Because it’s there.
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There are some people who seem to think that happiness is the result of all the right wheels turning at just the right time.It’s easy to be happy when everything seems to be going your way, but I think that defining happiness that way reduces it to a byproduct of luck, or an accident, which it is not. In fact, I might even argue that luck is a byproduct of happiness, if I was in a particularly feisty mood.

That’s right, a choice. Not an accident, not a charitable gift from the universe. Of course, it’s nice to receive those gifts, and easy to be happy when you do, but happiness is about choosing to see the adventure in every moment, choosing to understand that there will always be a light after the dark, that there is always good in every situation and every person, no matter how grim things may seem.

That’s the key to happiness: choosing it. It’s not an easy choice all the time, and it very well may be the last thing you want to do sometimes. When grief strikes, or when you just can’t seem to catch a break, sometimes you just want to sulk and stay upset, perpetuate the sadness. It’s a natural response, but it isn’t a required behavior, it’s a choice. And choosing to be happy will make you a better, stronger, wiser, more longsuffering person.
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Are you feeling stuck? So many people feel trapped and unfulfilled in their current situation. I know because I have been there myself.
If you feel stuck, I’m here to tell you that it is possible to leave behind this pain and frustration and live a life of meaning and happiness. Little decisions can, over time, cause stunningly wonderful results. Tiny changes lead to real and sustained transformation.
Are you ready to take the first steps?

"The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value.”

Easy day

Enjoying in the rain forest ....



A tropical rainforest is a type of biome found in hot, humid environments in equatorial climates,The tropical rainforest is a unique with a constant temperature and a high rainfall.
The temperature is warm because of it bring close to the equator. Also the average temprature is about 25 degrees celcius. Words to describe it are: Dark, Damp, Humid, Lively, Populated, Green, Vegetated, Amazing, and Beautiful.

The beauty, majesty, and timelessness of a primary rainforest are indescribable. It is impossible to capture on film, to describe in words, or to explain to those who have never had the awe-inspiring experience of standing in the heart of a primary rainforest.



Rainforests have evolved over millions of years to turn into the incredibly complex environments they are today. Rainforests represent a store of living and breathing renewable natural resources that for eons, by virtue of their richness in both animal and plant species, have contributed a wealth of resources for the survival and well-being of humankind. These resources have included basic food supplies, clothing, shelter, fuel, spices, industrial raw materials, and medicine for all those who have lived in the majesty of the forest. However, the inner dynamics of a tropical rainforest is an intricate and fragile system. Everything is so interdependent that upsetting one part can lead to unknown damage or even destruction of the whole. Sadly, it has taken only a century of human intervention to destroy what nature designed to last forever.



Easy day

I love sea view 



Karachi is widely famous for its outclass and attractive beaches, and rightfully so. The beaches in Karachi are incredibly beautiful, and surely there is nothing better than a day at the beach. There are many beaches in Karachi; names of some of them are as follows:
  • Clifton Beach
  • Hawks Bay
  • Sand Spit
  • French Beach
  • Paradise Point
CLIFTON BEACH
Because of its appealing feature, that it is the only beach that is in the metropolitan, this is the most travelled place by the people of Karachi. Rests of all the other beaches are more distant away. Although it is so polluted, it is still attractive, and is a pleasant location to visit and enjoy, for a tranquil walk on the beach.
clifton beach see view karachi
HAWKS BAY
It is magnificently sunny and sandy beach, the water is cleanly fine and if you require a tan, it is the place to have a visit. The huts possess total privacy and the outlook is so appealing. If you don’t own a hut there is no issue, here you can find huts for rent. It is decisively worth it. It is a non rocky area of our coast so it is the best beach to take the family.
Hawks bay Karachi
SAND SPIT
Quite beside hawksbay, it is a good location for turtle observing and a good view. A totally immaculate and positively admirable area, if you visit it at evening there are turtles there everywhere. If you are very careful, you might even get a enjoying ride on one of them.
SandsPit Beach Karachi
FRENCH BEACH
French beach is one of the finest beach in Karachi here the water is clean and the air is fresh. The magnificent rocks embedded in the ocean making its view more attractive for its visitors. The waves splashing contrary to these rocks are no doubt a beautiful sight. Right down the road from there is Paradise Point, which sports an impressive outlook of the sea from an abraded hill. A remarkable location to visit for a blend of attractiveness and excitement!
French beach karachi
PARADISE POINT
Almost at the limit of the Sindh province, Paradise point beach is a unique place as its name. It is a rocky area, so no swimming is allowed here; more over it has many other things going for it. Here the water is very clear and you can glimpse to the base of the rocky pools there is just one of them. Because it is so rocky it can be unsafe so be very careful if you are heading down there.
beach at Karachi Beach in karachi Clifton Karachi Karachi beach
Groupin.pk is offering its esteemed customers who are planning to visit these places or one of these places that groupin.pk can help you by offering you discounts on the expenses of your trip. Just let groupin.pk know about your suggestions and we will provide you huge discounts on your choices.
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