If you could just pause for a moment.....

Hectic. Rat race. Stress. 24/7. 10-hour day. On-the-go. Express lane. Fast lane. Speeding. Traffic jam. Rush hour. No time. Too busy. Can't wait. Burn out.
No wonder we have no time for ourselves. Nor for those around us. If we would only pause for a while...to stop and listen- listen to the raindrops, listen to the birds, listen to a child say his first words, listen to a colleague or a friend, listen to our hearts. If only we would listen with our hearts. If we would only stop and listen, we would be enriched. Life would be more meaningful. Life would be fuller. There would be happiness and joy. The world has so much to tell us- the people, the surrounding, the sounds, the music, the voices.
Today, I tried telling something very important to my boss but he was in a rush. Didn't even give me a glance- "Sorry have to rush". I was sure what I had to say was important and would have stopped him in his tracks but he did not even pause, not for a second. I wanted to tell him that a grave error had been committed...but he didn't pause, I hesitated and he was gone- opportunity lost.
It suddenly dawned on me that I may be doing unto others what my Boss did to me today. How many times have I rushed through from one meeting to another with nary a thought for those important people in my life who wish to tell me important things in their lives which may impact my own life? Life goes one full circle.
Today, I have decided that no matter how busy I am, I will pause and look at the other person in the eye and listen for that 2 seconds...those precious seconds when two hearts and two minds connect....an encounter in time when lives might change just for that brief moment or perhaps for ever. Then this world would be less lonely and people will be humans once again as they journey in time and space, on this Little Red Dot.

The Mind's Eye

The mind is what makes a personality. Some say that the mind is the seat of the soul. With the mind, one is able to travel through space and time. It is what that is perceived by the mind that is most important. A danger real or merely perceived is a danger as long as the mind thinks so.
With the mind's eye one is able to travel back in time to one's early childhood and growing years. If you miss someone dearly, just close your eyes and you would be able to see that person vividly in your mind's eye- the happy moments, the smiling face, the joy, the happiness. You see, you are what you choose to be with your mind. If sadness is what one wished for, then think of all the missed opportunities, the lost frienships, the hurts, the injuries...think of the past. If you wish to be happy, then see with your mind's eyes the happy moments that brought joy to your heart, the first love of your life, the first newborn of your marriage, the first home, the first car and look towards the promising future...the bucketloads of joy, happiness and love that is yet to be.
A strong mind is a positive mind. A strong mind is a happy mind. A strong mind has control over itself. Self-mastery, self-control just means that one has control of one's mind so as to achieve his or her goals in life. A person is what he thinks and perceives with his mind.

Lessons Learnt From the Stars on the Beach

We all remember the story of the little boy walking along the beach strewn with beached star fish and how he made a difference to a handful of the latter. Life is such isn't it. So many lives are on edge, so many at risk. Countless souls are trudging this world aimlessly. There is just too much to do with so little of us to share. It seems almost futile. What is one life in this sea of human misery?
Yet as much as we want to carry the problems of this world on our shoulder, we just cannot. It is not humanly possible. We cannot be everything to everybody. Just humanly impossible. But we can be something to somebody, perhaps everything to somebody in this world. This could be our spouse, our child, our parent. If we could just touch that one precious life and make a difference for him or her, life would have been worth living. Just one heart, one soul, one mind, one fellow human......just one moment in time.

Happiness is a Decision

Happiness is a state of mind. It is a decision that we make each and every day of our life. We DECIDE to be happy. Happiness in other words is not merely a feeling. Even in the darkest moments, one who is 'happy' will be able to see the light at the end of the longest and darkest tunnel. This is what we regard as optimism. Happy people are optimists. Optimists are those who look at the bright side of things, people and circumstances. They make the most of what they have, no matter how little these may be. Their spirits are indomitable. They have a never say die attitude. They take on the challenges of the world. They are brave. They are idealistic. They never blame the stars nor others for their failures. They seize life and what it has to offer- success, failure, good, bad, nice, nasty, happy events, sad events....They are fully human and fully alive.
They wake up each morning and thank God for a new day and live it like their last.
Happiness is the key to success and success is the key to happiness. One begets the other and vice versa. Happy people are successful people. Successful people are happy people. Isn't this so simple. People want to be around happy people. Happy people want to be around people.
And so why do we find so many unhappy people around us- at work, in school, in the department stores, in the supermarkets? And we're not even talking about the hospitals, the nursing homes, the prisons, etc.
It might have to do with the culture that we're breeding in Singapore- materialism, self-centredness, the 'me-first' mentality, kiasu-ism, kiasi-ism. Because once we become introspective and self-absorbed, we will not experience happiness because happiness is also relational. It is about the other. It is about giving and touching another life. This could be our spouse, our friend, our child- just about any other human.
Perhaps, in this current race which we call the rat race, we have not been able to stop, pause for a while to reflect and ponder about where this race is leading us to. In looking at the mud and dirt on the ground we get distracted; we forget to gaze up towards the moon and the stars, our ultimate destiny, HAPPINESS.