The Side Road to Happiness

I kept on surfing the net tonight. I opened almost all my accounts in: Friendster, Facebook, and YM. Then when I browse my e-mails. I happen to receive this article: The Side to Happpiness. This caught my attention. I got curious how really to have the real happiness. These past few weeks, days and nights--I've been so busy and depressed. All stuffs were mixed-up into one package! Imagine that?! Oh my! O.o

So le'me share to you what I got out of this article. I haven't read it actually but I know--its a good topic to blog. :) Since, it had been long time then since the last time I blogged.

Read it please...

The Side Road to Happiness

WebMD Feature from "Psychology Today" Magazine

By Lybi Ma

You may wonder why it's so important to loosen your creative juices, but diving into innovative pursuits can be your ticket to a healthier, more joyful life. When a painter paints, for example, he becomes utterly immersed in what he is doing. This focused engagement takes deep involvement where time seems to move effortlessly. The fulfillment that provides is at the heart of happiness. Forget money and worldly possessions. They're not even close. Instead, plunging yourself in work, a hobby, or craft will get you to the bliss you're looking for.

Go With the Flow: Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi conferred the label "flow," on the mental state in which you are fully engaged in creativity. In his research on happiness and well-being, he learned that people can become so absorbed that they feel they are outside of time. Other researchers have found that the passion of such pursuits can keep you physically healthy and out of the doctor's office.

Up to the Challenge? Psychiatrist Gregory Berns of Emory University takes the idea of engagement even further. He has found that experiencing discomfort is necessary to get you to contentment, arguing that satisfaction is to some extent generated by the stress hormone cortisol's effects on the dopamine system. That's why some people derive joy from extreme challenges. Think about the marathon runner who slogs through 26 miles of pain and suffering or the crossword puzzler who gets that same feeling when everything falls in place in "Aha!" clarity.

I'm Not That Creative: Yet, you wonder, isn't creativity reserved for the likes of artists, writers, and inventors? Not so fast. We all know that kindergartners are bundles of creative energy. But all of us were once in kindergarten, weren't we? So where does this early innovation go? The truth is: We are all creative, but somewhere along the way it was beaten out of us. Finding your passion is the key; think about what moves your motor and start small. But whatever you do, start somewhere.

Creative Thinking in Suits: Granted, you may not play the cello like Yo-Yo Ma or paint like Picasso, but creative thinking can be deployed in any profession. Take sales and marketing: Each new sale requires a different approach. "If that doesn't work, I'll try this..." Corporate America knows a good thing when it sees it. Companies like Microsoft and Toyota are using the idea of flow to get the best out of their workers—with employee satisfaction and productivity in mind.

Got What It Takes? To be creative you have to be passionate about what you are doing. This passion will lead you to a more joyful life. What helps? Creative people do not live by rules, they know how to do their own thing. These people are also more open to experience and fantasy; that's why they are happy to take more risks. And remember, genius does not require a tortured spirit—Van Gogh is not the epitome of the creative soul.

Showing Up: Sometimes just showing up is all it takes. Make a time and place for your pursuit, and your body will slip into the moment as soon as you allow it. If you follow a pattern, it will become somewhat automatic. You might even find yourself pining for your easel when that time of day comes. Beyond that, stick with the program; nothing will happen if you quit in the thick of it.

Work Is Play: And play is work. Don't worry about the end product, just concentrate on the process. Fussing over finished results will get you nowhere. And don't fret over what other people might think. You're doing this for you, not for them. Think about the knitter who pulls apart a sweater just because she wants do it all over again. Sounds crazy, but it can be worth it.

Originally published on: May 7, 2007

--I'll gonna read this when I blogged this already. :) I really need this.. Good thing I subscribe to webmd. Interested? Click here to go to this site. It's really a good one. You'll never regret if you subscribe to it.

What Does my Dream Means?

Last night, I slept at 7:30P.M. It was too early with the usual time I slept the past few weeks and days which took me awake until 12mn until 3 in the morning(sometimes during school days and even weekends).

Then, at the midst of the night. I dreamed of my boyfriend(Rainuel Carlo). Honestly, I dreamed of him many times already, and sometimes consecutive 3 nights. But last night was different. It was somewhat a bad dream. :( It was like this......

I dreamed that...

He went here on our home(which he had really planned). Of course, I was so happy that he really did his promise to me. I let him stayed in my granny's house--at my cousin's(Kuya Daboy) room specifically. He saw what was my real situation at home. He saw me taking care of my niece--Baby Kaycee. I made her milk. I carried her then sang her song until she fell to sleep. I cleaned the house and he also helped(which was a good thing for me(smiled). He understood why most of the time, I wasn't able to text him--it was because I was too busy at home--with my family and studies.

I couldn't explain well why the ambiance of our place in my dream was dark. It seemed like a lonely place.

Let's go back to the story telling...

One night(on my dream), I went to my granny's house to see him but my cousin told me he went to my neighbor's house somewhere up on our place. So i went to the roadside to have a look where I could possibly see him. Then I heard music and saw disco lights not far from where I stood. I wanted to go there to fetch him since he doesn't familiarize our place but the sky was soo dark that caused me not to go but it made me worried of him.

The next morning, at 9 AM. I looked for him on my granny's house again to have a conversation with him. But I was told that he went with Kuya Daboy somewhere out. I don't know where they went. I felt sadness because I must be the one to tour him around(as a sort of bonding together). I thought maybe kuya toured him to the beautiful scenic place in our barangay. I remembered that I once told him about the view of the vast ricefield from a certain place here where the sea is soo obviously seen surrounded by the mountains of Caramoan Penninsula(which I really love to see and I wanna share to him how I really appreciate the place).I wanted to make time for him but it seemed so impossible. Yea, we might be at same place and near with one another on my dream--but why it seemed soo different? :((

On the afternoon of same day, I was on the roadside with an umbrella on my right hand. I asked again my cousin where is Carlo. Then, he told me that he was bicycling around our barangay WITH ANOTHER GIRL. They jammed together. Oh goodness! that made me soo mad! X/ Kuya told me that the girl with him was one of our neighborhoods. errr!!

So, I waited there on the roadside until I saw them with my very eyes. I saw the girl riding on a bicycle then Carlo on another bicycle. Carlo was behind her while busy pushing the pedal going up. But still I saw him smiling. He wore a blue jacket, white shorts, and rubber shoes. I really, really felt bad about it. And so, I slowly turned my head back. When I had a look at him, he saw how was my facial expression---frowned forehead, closed fists cause of anger, and confused eyes--still in disbelief on what my very eyes saw. When he turned the bicycle on the another way, he had just a look at me..then IGNORED ME. I turned my head back again with aching heart. I heard the brake on his ride on my back--sound that made me think he stopped the bicylce. I turned again but saw NO ONE behind me. No one running behind to pull my hand and face him. No one said sorry for what I saw. No one hugged me on the back..No one.. He just stopped but didn't get out of it to run after me. But rather, he put on his feet on the pedal, continued to move it, riding around..:(( I also heard that he hated staying with us and he wanted to go home in Pasig. He even made fight with my other cousin.

It was soo painful that awakened me at 3AM. It was soo heavy bearing it. It was not the Rainuel Carlo I knew and loved before. I decided to fall asleep though I felt so hard. Until, I finally lost my conciousness then fell to sleep.

I slept at mt granny's house(which at reality I really do--on my uncle's room--alone). Then, I decided to have a look on my cousin's room. I opened the door and saw my cousin soundly aslept. I turned my head to Carlo and saw him chilling from cold. I got worried and went back to my room to get my blanket then got back at my cousin'd room. I slowly put it on him, close around him to give him warm. Then, I saw him moved and he opened his eyes. I thought it was my turn after looong moment of waiting to make him near me. I asked him. "Kumusta ka na, baby? Sory nagising kita. Sige matulog ka na ulit." He answered nothing. I sat near his head and placed it on my lap. I touched his hair then sang him a love song. All I felt on that moment was---I wanted you near me, baby. Though pain was slowly killing me. Then he turned his head back facing toward me. What I saw was a real baby--a 1 year old baby. He talked to me and called me ATE BHEY. Oh my!

Finally, I woke up at 7:30 in the morning with heart breaking, with mind confusing and asking. Why was my dream like that? Why it was soo lonely? So painful having him near me? and soo different? I never think of that in reality that my situation will be like that whenever he'll be here. I never stop myself from crying while am alone in my room. I am starting to feel fear again. I am starting to think of many things. How is he going there in Baguio? How does he feel toward me at present? I never know...HOW SAD that dream made me.

I still believe that it depends upon the person. I don't know what's the reaction of my boyfriend toward this dream. It could be true or not(in some instances but not exactly as is). I trust him but I believe also that dreams have reasons. For my mysterious dream, I don't have the answer yet to all the questions running down my head. I'm soo bothered by this thought.

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