What is the meaning of faith?
On occasions our faith can be in need of strengthening. Life has a habit of sometimes throwing doubt at us when things don’t quite go as smoothly as we would like.
So where can we gain our inspiration from?
Where can we turn to regain that absolute faith that we have so relied on before?
The answer is quite simply all around us. For a start Gods creation is wonderfully inspiring. Despite the scientist great efforts to explain the origins of the universe, there are always more questions than answers and one can only conclude that some kind of super force is the creator of our world and the planets and stars beyond.
But just by purely observing nature we can see how creatures rely on faith to progress. Imagine being a chick in a birds nest. Eventually, one day that chick will have to flee the comforts of that nest to make its own way in the world. But first it must learn to fly.
But how does a bird learn to fly?
It’s not exactly one of those skills that can be practiced before hand. That chick has to take one almighty leap of faith and jump. Instantaneously that chick becomes a fully fledged bird with the instinct to fly.
Mother Nature provides many other instances of faith, but we can also see this happening naturally in our own children.
My son Charlie was up on his feet quite early; about seven months. He practically skipped the crawling stage. However once he was on his feet he would hold on to every piece of furniture to guide himself around the room. This he did for about another nine months until one day we were sitting on the patio at my parents’ house. My wife and I were sitting on one side on a concrete bench linked to the patio table and my mum and dad were sitting on a wooden bench on the other side of the patio. Charlie was eager for his grandparents’ attention and was stretching out for them to come and get him. I made to take him over to them but after a couple of steps I let go of his hand. He was left stranded in the middle of the patio.
What should he do?
For a second we could see the bemusement on his face. But he looked at my mum and dad and then went for it. His faith became instantaneous as he toddled over to nanny. From that point on there was no stopping him. His faith had provided him with a new found confidence and freedom.
We can see this faith and self confidence naturally and unquestioning in children.
But what happens to us as we grow older and our faith tends to weaken?
With life’s many ups and downs, the downsides can test our faith and self confidence if we let it. But if we take the trouble and time to look around us we can see the miracles of God all the time, and we should easily be able to recall the many times that God has helped us in our lives.
In children faith is unquestioned. They don’t think about it, they just practice it, even if they are unaware of it. This is how our faith in God should be; unquestionable.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
Showing posts with label confidence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confidence. Show all posts
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Friday, 6 November 2009
Why Do We Question the Lord?
What is the meaning of faith?
I had a cousin, Stephen, who was a larger than life character. He was the proverbial gentle giant. Always full of laughter, always full of stories. He was loved by everybody.
He was a lorry driver and revelled in the open roads. He eventually found his soul mate and settled down to become a step-dad to five children who all adored him. Through his new family he was introduced to God. You could not find a more enthusiastic follower of Christ through his local Baptist church. He really had faith; the deep faith that meant he could enjoy life, make the most of God’s creation without any signs of worry or woe.
Stephen could always exercise a childlike quality and he really took great pleasure in bringing the other love of his life, his lorry, and parking outside the front of the church. I guess the congregation always new when he was about.
As I said he was a larger than life character.
So why do I refer to him in the past tense?
Unfortunately he never made it to his fortieth birthday. One night his next door neighbour was playing his music aloud at 1.00a.m in the morning. Stephen knocked on that neighbours door to kindly ask to turn the noise down. That neighbour saw fit to draw a knife on Stephen and he was killed.
So why did God allow this to happen?
Why did God let one of his true faithfuls die in such a way?
Perhaps God recognised Stephen’s devotion and decided he wanted him near to him. Perhaps Stephen was ready to experience heaven.
The truth is that whilst we are here on earth we will never know the answers to questions like this. Many times we hear the dissenters ask the question, “If God is so good, if God is so mighty, why does he let all the atrocities happen in this world?”
As it is said, God moves in mysterious ways. Us humans create machinery, develop computers. The inventors, the computer programmers understand how these pieces of equipment work. If computers could understand how we humans work, how we think and how we behave, we’d be in a whole host of trouble. Computers and robots would then have the upper hand and would be able to control us.
Likewise, as our creator we are not supposed to understand the workings of God. We accept and believe that everything he does is for the benefit of the greater good and we all play our part in the progress of God’s universe. There isn’t the need to question why things happen, why tragedies strike; we just have to have faith that God hears our prayers and provides us with the tools to live a good and wholesome life.
At Stephen’s funeral, one of his life long friends commented that he would act his shoe size not his age. That child like innocence was the evidence that he enjoyed life and could trust in the lord. With a deep and absolute faith in God we know that God will look after us and guide us along the right path through our journey in life, however long or short that journey may be.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.com
I had a cousin, Stephen, who was a larger than life character. He was the proverbial gentle giant. Always full of laughter, always full of stories. He was loved by everybody.
He was a lorry driver and revelled in the open roads. He eventually found his soul mate and settled down to become a step-dad to five children who all adored him. Through his new family he was introduced to God. You could not find a more enthusiastic follower of Christ through his local Baptist church. He really had faith; the deep faith that meant he could enjoy life, make the most of God’s creation without any signs of worry or woe.
Stephen could always exercise a childlike quality and he really took great pleasure in bringing the other love of his life, his lorry, and parking outside the front of the church. I guess the congregation always new when he was about.
As I said he was a larger than life character.
So why do I refer to him in the past tense?
Unfortunately he never made it to his fortieth birthday. One night his next door neighbour was playing his music aloud at 1.00a.m in the morning. Stephen knocked on that neighbours door to kindly ask to turn the noise down. That neighbour saw fit to draw a knife on Stephen and he was killed.
So why did God allow this to happen?
Why did God let one of his true faithfuls die in such a way?
Perhaps God recognised Stephen’s devotion and decided he wanted him near to him. Perhaps Stephen was ready to experience heaven.
The truth is that whilst we are here on earth we will never know the answers to questions like this. Many times we hear the dissenters ask the question, “If God is so good, if God is so mighty, why does he let all the atrocities happen in this world?”
As it is said, God moves in mysterious ways. Us humans create machinery, develop computers. The inventors, the computer programmers understand how these pieces of equipment work. If computers could understand how we humans work, how we think and how we behave, we’d be in a whole host of trouble. Computers and robots would then have the upper hand and would be able to control us.
Likewise, as our creator we are not supposed to understand the workings of God. We accept and believe that everything he does is for the benefit of the greater good and we all play our part in the progress of God’s universe. There isn’t the need to question why things happen, why tragedies strike; we just have to have faith that God hears our prayers and provides us with the tools to live a good and wholesome life.
At Stephen’s funeral, one of his life long friends commented that he would act his shoe size not his age. That child like innocence was the evidence that he enjoyed life and could trust in the lord. With a deep and absolute faith in God we know that God will look after us and guide us along the right path through our journey in life, however long or short that journey may be.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.com
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Give Thanks
What is the Meaning of Faith?
It’s that time of year again to give thanks. The church was full today as the people brought in their gifts of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and many other types of food. Yes it was the harvest festival. Being also in conjunction with the family service my two boys took up our gifts of a packet of rice and biscuits. I’m sure someone somewhere in our community will be enjoying a chocolate digestive curry anytime soon.
It got me thinking though about how grateful we are for the good things we have in life. How many of us appreciate all the good we have in life and give thanks for that?
Do you see life as a glass half full or half empty? Do you see this world as being a wonderful place, a true gift from god, or somewhere filled with doom, fear and misery?
If you view the world as the latter you are likely not to see anything worth being thankful for. You cannot see passed the next day, never knowing where the next penny is coming from.
On the other hand, if the glass is half full, it is seen to be half filled with champagne. This in its self is worth being thankful for; a positive outlook on life. Despite all the doom and gloom that goes on you see and smell the roses, appreciate the food on the table, enjoy the company of good friends and family.
Even if finances are hard, having faith, trusting in god will see you through to the next day and the next harvest.
After the church service I took my wife and two boys over to my parents. Every two or three weeks we visit and they are generous enough to cook the Sunday lunch, again for which we are truly grateful. My father particularly is deeply interested in politics and will create heavy debates based upon his points of view.
Today he rambled on about the credit crunch and the financial mess that most parts of the world seem to be experiencing. He complained about the banks and bankers that reportedly have conjured up this situation. A downcast picture was painted which could very easily depress any of us. My stance however was to ask what he could do about the situation to make it better? The answer of course was nothing. Other than to vote for the other lot cometh the next general election and even then they probably won’t do any better.
Having now made him understand he could not personally do anything about the current circumstances I asked him why he was worrying about it? My point was that we all should be concerned with the things we can control and not the things we can’t. Given where we are we need to be looking at how we can progress forward, making the most of our lives and continue to grow and achieve our ambitions. It is so easy to fall into the negative trap of bad news that is constantly dished out by the media that focussing on the good becomes very difficult.
Life is full of wonderful things. Observe these and view these with gratitude.
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
It’s that time of year again to give thanks. The church was full today as the people brought in their gifts of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and many other types of food. Yes it was the harvest festival. Being also in conjunction with the family service my two boys took up our gifts of a packet of rice and biscuits. I’m sure someone somewhere in our community will be enjoying a chocolate digestive curry anytime soon.
It got me thinking though about how grateful we are for the good things we have in life. How many of us appreciate all the good we have in life and give thanks for that?
Do you see life as a glass half full or half empty? Do you see this world as being a wonderful place, a true gift from god, or somewhere filled with doom, fear and misery?
If you view the world as the latter you are likely not to see anything worth being thankful for. You cannot see passed the next day, never knowing where the next penny is coming from.
On the other hand, if the glass is half full, it is seen to be half filled with champagne. This in its self is worth being thankful for; a positive outlook on life. Despite all the doom and gloom that goes on you see and smell the roses, appreciate the food on the table, enjoy the company of good friends and family.
Even if finances are hard, having faith, trusting in god will see you through to the next day and the next harvest.
After the church service I took my wife and two boys over to my parents. Every two or three weeks we visit and they are generous enough to cook the Sunday lunch, again for which we are truly grateful. My father particularly is deeply interested in politics and will create heavy debates based upon his points of view.
Today he rambled on about the credit crunch and the financial mess that most parts of the world seem to be experiencing. He complained about the banks and bankers that reportedly have conjured up this situation. A downcast picture was painted which could very easily depress any of us. My stance however was to ask what he could do about the situation to make it better? The answer of course was nothing. Other than to vote for the other lot cometh the next general election and even then they probably won’t do any better.
Having now made him understand he could not personally do anything about the current circumstances I asked him why he was worrying about it? My point was that we all should be concerned with the things we can control and not the things we can’t. Given where we are we need to be looking at how we can progress forward, making the most of our lives and continue to grow and achieve our ambitions. It is so easy to fall into the negative trap of bad news that is constantly dished out by the media that focussing on the good becomes very difficult.
Life is full of wonderful things. Observe these and view these with gratitude.
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
Thursday, 29 October 2009
The Lion, The Hedgehog and The Case of Missing Self Confidence
Self confidence at times can be a fragile quality. Many other people can destroy our self confidence particularly if our actions are driven by the desire to please them at the expense of what we believe to be true.
Here is the tale of the lion and the hedgehogs.
Once upon a time there was a lion living in the jungle with all his lion friends. One day he grew adventurous and decided to go and see the wider world. He stumbled on the home of the hedgehogs. This was a nice place; a place he liked very much. He asked the head hedgehog if he could stay with them.
“Sorry, you can’t stay here you are too different. Cut off your tail and become like us” said head hedgehog.
With some deep reservations the lion took the advice and cut off his tail. On his return to head hedgehog he was told
“No, still too different. Shave off your hair and come back to me.”
Although he thought this rather drastic, he was eager to please so he shaved off his hair.
“Your claws are too long” retorted the head hedgehog. “You’ll have too chop them off”.
Desperate to gain the acceptance of the hedgehogs he clipped his claws back to nothing and returned to the head hedgehog once more.
“No still not right. Look no matter what you change about yourself, you are still different. It must be your personality. It’s in your nature to be a lion. You will never be a hedgehog so please go away and leave us alone”.
The lion set off to find his old lion friends in the jungle. But once there he found more rejection.
“You’ve lost your identity” cried out one of the others. “You’re no longer a lion”.
No longer a lion and didn’t get to make it to hedgehog status either, whom or what had he become?
The lion had sold his identity in exchange for acceptance by the hedgehogs. He had sold his true self for the approval of others. People can be like this lion too. Perhaps we change the way we dress or do things that other people want despite this going against our better judgement, purely to gain acceptance. This results in either acceptance but no self confidence or rejection and a loss of identity.
Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate but other people do respect others with differing opinions, ideas and interests. By discarding our identity for the acceptance of others we lose our true selves. Yes we can change ourselves for the better but we should do it for ourselves and not for other people.
Although I believe that believing in God is becoming fashionable again it was not that long ago that having a faith deemed us as not conforming. It was not “cool” to declare our belief in God. Yet having our faith, no matter how we choose to follow that faith, forms part of our personality. We must never deny God just to appear to be “cool” in the eyes of others.
Unto thine own self be true.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
Here is the tale of the lion and the hedgehogs.
Once upon a time there was a lion living in the jungle with all his lion friends. One day he grew adventurous and decided to go and see the wider world. He stumbled on the home of the hedgehogs. This was a nice place; a place he liked very much. He asked the head hedgehog if he could stay with them.
“Sorry, you can’t stay here you are too different. Cut off your tail and become like us” said head hedgehog.
With some deep reservations the lion took the advice and cut off his tail. On his return to head hedgehog he was told
“No, still too different. Shave off your hair and come back to me.”
Although he thought this rather drastic, he was eager to please so he shaved off his hair.
“Your claws are too long” retorted the head hedgehog. “You’ll have too chop them off”.
Desperate to gain the acceptance of the hedgehogs he clipped his claws back to nothing and returned to the head hedgehog once more.
“No still not right. Look no matter what you change about yourself, you are still different. It must be your personality. It’s in your nature to be a lion. You will never be a hedgehog so please go away and leave us alone”.
The lion set off to find his old lion friends in the jungle. But once there he found more rejection.
“You’ve lost your identity” cried out one of the others. “You’re no longer a lion”.
No longer a lion and didn’t get to make it to hedgehog status either, whom or what had he become?
The lion had sold his identity in exchange for acceptance by the hedgehogs. He had sold his true self for the approval of others. People can be like this lion too. Perhaps we change the way we dress or do things that other people want despite this going against our better judgement, purely to gain acceptance. This results in either acceptance but no self confidence or rejection and a loss of identity.
Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate but other people do respect others with differing opinions, ideas and interests. By discarding our identity for the acceptance of others we lose our true selves. Yes we can change ourselves for the better but we should do it for ourselves and not for other people.
Although I believe that believing in God is becoming fashionable again it was not that long ago that having a faith deemed us as not conforming. It was not “cool” to declare our belief in God. Yet having our faith, no matter how we choose to follow that faith, forms part of our personality. We must never deny God just to appear to be “cool” in the eyes of others.
Unto thine own self be true.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
The Wonderful World of Faith and Creativity
What is the meaning of faith?
Very often we can be bogged down with a problem and really struggle to find a solution. The creative juices fail to flow and we become totally frustrated at our total lack of creativity.
So do we resign ourselves to the fact that we are obviously not the creative sort?
Or can we train ourselves to think with creative spirit?
Firstly let’s define creativity. Creativity is the ability to solve problems with new methods to accomplish daily tasks. This can also lead to new insights and visions to help achieve goals and obtain success.
So is creativity inherited?
If we look at children at play we can see tremendous examples of creativity. They can take every day objects and create totally new games to play. The playground is full of wild imagination and creativity.
So where did we loose it all?
Routine
As we have seen, children have an inexhaustible ability for creativity. But as we get older life becomes full of instruction. Restrictions are placed upon us and we lose a lot of the ability to think for ourselves. Creativity flies out of the window. Systems and repetitiveness stifle creativity. Strict time tables, daily routines, working in closed areas and desk jobs all hamper our imaginations.
Free time
It is virtually impossible to avoid all routine but what we do need is to develop some free time. Put aside one day per week where nothing is planned. Just let the day unfold and “go with the flow”. Spend time going to places like the seaside or strolling through the woods; places of natural interest with open spaces. At work create a few minutes of free time. There are some people who spend their free time alone and then spend that time thinking of work. They even take that work to bed and dwell on work issues as they fall asleep. These people need to develop free time un-associated with work for the sake of creativity and also for the sake of their sanity.
Left brain – Right brain
Our brains are divided into two hemispheres- the left brain and the right brain. The left side deals with our logical and reasoning thought patterns. Our right side of the brain handles intuition and creativity. Much of our work life today asks us to use logic and reasoning and therefore our right side of the brain becomes somewhat redundant. Ideally we need to exercise both sides of the brain to get the most of our cerebral abilities.
How’s best to develop creative thinking?
1. Understand that there is no exact solution to a problem, but there will always be more than one solution to that problem.
2. Don’t give in to false beliefs. If we believe there is no solution to our problem then there won’t be. Have faith.
3. Never restrict or dismiss thoughts. Two silly thoughts may well lead to a third good thought.
4. Break away from routine when thinking of solutions. This allows for a better flow of creative thoughts.
5. Brainstorm. Ask others. Again two ideas that may seem ridiculous may lead to a third, sensible idea.
6. Take time occasionally to do something not done before.
7. Put aside some time as free time.
8. Spend time with creative people. Creativity is infectious and we may be pleasantly surprised as to how creative we really are when we compare ourselves to these people.
We needn’t be restricted to a path of logical thinking. We all have that wonderful ability to be creative. Breaking away from routine and giving ourselves time to think will stimulate creative thinking and then we will find that no problem will ever be without a solution.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
Very often we can be bogged down with a problem and really struggle to find a solution. The creative juices fail to flow and we become totally frustrated at our total lack of creativity.
So do we resign ourselves to the fact that we are obviously not the creative sort?
Or can we train ourselves to think with creative spirit?
Firstly let’s define creativity. Creativity is the ability to solve problems with new methods to accomplish daily tasks. This can also lead to new insights and visions to help achieve goals and obtain success.
So is creativity inherited?
If we look at children at play we can see tremendous examples of creativity. They can take every day objects and create totally new games to play. The playground is full of wild imagination and creativity.
So where did we loose it all?
Routine
As we have seen, children have an inexhaustible ability for creativity. But as we get older life becomes full of instruction. Restrictions are placed upon us and we lose a lot of the ability to think for ourselves. Creativity flies out of the window. Systems and repetitiveness stifle creativity. Strict time tables, daily routines, working in closed areas and desk jobs all hamper our imaginations.
Free time
It is virtually impossible to avoid all routine but what we do need is to develop some free time. Put aside one day per week where nothing is planned. Just let the day unfold and “go with the flow”. Spend time going to places like the seaside or strolling through the woods; places of natural interest with open spaces. At work create a few minutes of free time. There are some people who spend their free time alone and then spend that time thinking of work. They even take that work to bed and dwell on work issues as they fall asleep. These people need to develop free time un-associated with work for the sake of creativity and also for the sake of their sanity.
Left brain – Right brain
Our brains are divided into two hemispheres- the left brain and the right brain. The left side deals with our logical and reasoning thought patterns. Our right side of the brain handles intuition and creativity. Much of our work life today asks us to use logic and reasoning and therefore our right side of the brain becomes somewhat redundant. Ideally we need to exercise both sides of the brain to get the most of our cerebral abilities.
How’s best to develop creative thinking?
1. Understand that there is no exact solution to a problem, but there will always be more than one solution to that problem.
2. Don’t give in to false beliefs. If we believe there is no solution to our problem then there won’t be. Have faith.
3. Never restrict or dismiss thoughts. Two silly thoughts may well lead to a third good thought.
4. Break away from routine when thinking of solutions. This allows for a better flow of creative thoughts.
5. Brainstorm. Ask others. Again two ideas that may seem ridiculous may lead to a third, sensible idea.
6. Take time occasionally to do something not done before.
7. Put aside some time as free time.
8. Spend time with creative people. Creativity is infectious and we may be pleasantly surprised as to how creative we really are when we compare ourselves to these people.
We needn’t be restricted to a path of logical thinking. We all have that wonderful ability to be creative. Breaking away from routine and giving ourselves time to think will stimulate creative thinking and then we will find that no problem will ever be without a solution.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
The Battle is Not Ours
What is the meaning of Faith?
So many times in life things get on top of us. Things don't seem to go right and other people demand so much that we wonder how we can cope with it all. We brood over our problems and dispair at the magnitude of everything. At this point our faith in God can very much be tested.
Amongst all our problems we can easily forget to turn to God. The hussle and bussle of everyday life creates no time to sit and allow God to give us answers.
Yet amazingly, if we can just switch off for a few minutes, think about God and re-affirm our faith and belief in him, suddenly a peace of mind washes over us. This allows us to see the problems from another perspective and helps us to prioritise the things that are really important.
If we turn to God and ask for the help that accomplishes good works, we get answers. To do good works is not our battle but that of God. We are merely the tools for which God's work can be completed. God will take on the burdens and relieve us of the pressure if we allow him to.
Heb. 11 : 1 Faith means that we have the full confidence in the things that we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see.
Joshua 1 Verses 2 and 5. Arise, go over this Jordan...I will not leave you or forsake you.
2 Chronicles 20 : 15 Do not be afraid nor dismayedbecause of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com/
So many times in life things get on top of us. Things don't seem to go right and other people demand so much that we wonder how we can cope with it all. We brood over our problems and dispair at the magnitude of everything. At this point our faith in God can very much be tested.
Amongst all our problems we can easily forget to turn to God. The hussle and bussle of everyday life creates no time to sit and allow God to give us answers.
Yet amazingly, if we can just switch off for a few minutes, think about God and re-affirm our faith and belief in him, suddenly a peace of mind washes over us. This allows us to see the problems from another perspective and helps us to prioritise the things that are really important.
If we turn to God and ask for the help that accomplishes good works, we get answers. To do good works is not our battle but that of God. We are merely the tools for which God's work can be completed. God will take on the burdens and relieve us of the pressure if we allow him to.
Heb. 11 : 1 Faith means that we have the full confidence in the things that we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see.
Joshua 1 Verses 2 and 5. Arise, go over this Jordan...I will not leave you or forsake you.
2 Chronicles 20 : 15 Do not be afraid nor dismayedbecause of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com/
Friday, 9 January 2009
Get Happy and Live a Life Full of Motivation and Inspiration
Are you feeling full of inspiration and motivation?
No!! Then perhaps you aren’t happy.
What is happiness?
What makes us happy, confident and bubbling with self esteem?
How can we be happy?
Happiness is the feeling we get when the body releases the hormone Serotonin. This hormone helps to prevent depression, raises our spirits and provides us with energy. Exposure to sunlight is a great way of increasing levels of Serotonin which is why so many people feel bright and happy during the hot, sunny days of summer and consequently feel far more miserable during the cold, dark days of winter. Many people comfort eat to make them selves feel happier. This is not surprising when it is known that carbohydrates, protein and famously chocolate raises levels of Serotonin within the body.
With regards to nutrition and a healthy way of living, vitamins B and C plus exercise all increase the “happy hormone”, which probably explains why exercise can sometimes feel like a chore but after completing a workout there is an overwhelming mood of exhilaration.
Do you deserve to be happy?
If the answer is no, your belief system is telling you that you and happiness don’t belong together.
But why should anybody feel this way?
This belief needs to be challenged. Look around you at all those successful and happy people. Do they deserve to be happy?
They, like us all, have made mistakes and probably make many cock ups on a daily basis. Without a doubt some will have cheated, lied or even broken the law. So why should these people deserve happiness any more than you?
Are they really any better a person than you?
If these people believe that they deserve happiness than so should you. God created us to experience joy and abundance and to live our lives to the full. Being depressed and miserable was not his intention.
So what is the definition of happiness?
This has been a question open for debate among many a philosopher. Some believe this is a feeling one gets when everything in life is as it should be. Others express it as the feeling you get when you achieve a goal. The problem with viewing it this way is that happiness can be very short lived. Once a goal has been reached the feeling of happiness wears off when the next target presents itself.
My favourite definition is that of inner peace. Once inner peace has been experienced, it can last forever despite all the problems that manifest themselves as time goes on. The word contentment springs to mind at this point.
Happiness is a perspective dependant on ones emotion. What makes one person happy will not necessarily make the next man happy. So how can we make ourselves happy?
The mind can only experience one emotion at a time. If we are stressed we cannot be happy. If we are depressed we cannot be full of motivation and inspiration. Happiness is the absence of bad emotions. Identify the bad emotions we feel and try to substitute them with feelings of self confidence and positive ness. Happiness and self esteem will shortly follow.
Know what it is that makes you happy. Once this has been identified, visualise it, believe that you can have it and make great strides to achieve it.
Strive to create a feeling of optimism. When problems and obstacles have to be overcome, self confidence, positive thinking and optimism are fantastic tools to help you hurdle over those barriers.
Without getting to deep, religion is a tremendous source of happiness. The belief in a higher power that is there to assist in all our problems gives great strength to our optimism, hope and happiness.
Have a purpose in life. By having something to get up for in the mornings, and then achieving our purposes, again boosts self esteem, confidence and happiness.
Undoubtedly having deep and meaningful relationships is a great source of happiness. We all have the need to be wanted and finding a loving partner and family provides so much joy. And when there are times of trouble, sharing these woes with another certainly halves the burden.
Ultimately happiness comes from within. If you can be happy and contented despite all life’s problems then you have truly found happiness. If you can enjoy everything that surrounds you then congratulations, you are a happy and contented man (woman).
Finding happiness is a great target to aim for. Happiness lies at the heart of inspiration, motivation, self esteem and self confidence.
Terry Norrington
www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index#terryn1
www.getselfconfident.com
No!! Then perhaps you aren’t happy.
What is happiness?
What makes us happy, confident and bubbling with self esteem?
How can we be happy?
Happiness is the feeling we get when the body releases the hormone Serotonin. This hormone helps to prevent depression, raises our spirits and provides us with energy. Exposure to sunlight is a great way of increasing levels of Serotonin which is why so many people feel bright and happy during the hot, sunny days of summer and consequently feel far more miserable during the cold, dark days of winter. Many people comfort eat to make them selves feel happier. This is not surprising when it is known that carbohydrates, protein and famously chocolate raises levels of Serotonin within the body.
With regards to nutrition and a healthy way of living, vitamins B and C plus exercise all increase the “happy hormone”, which probably explains why exercise can sometimes feel like a chore but after completing a workout there is an overwhelming mood of exhilaration.
Do you deserve to be happy?
If the answer is no, your belief system is telling you that you and happiness don’t belong together.
But why should anybody feel this way?
This belief needs to be challenged. Look around you at all those successful and happy people. Do they deserve to be happy?
They, like us all, have made mistakes and probably make many cock ups on a daily basis. Without a doubt some will have cheated, lied or even broken the law. So why should these people deserve happiness any more than you?
Are they really any better a person than you?
If these people believe that they deserve happiness than so should you. God created us to experience joy and abundance and to live our lives to the full. Being depressed and miserable was not his intention.
So what is the definition of happiness?
This has been a question open for debate among many a philosopher. Some believe this is a feeling one gets when everything in life is as it should be. Others express it as the feeling you get when you achieve a goal. The problem with viewing it this way is that happiness can be very short lived. Once a goal has been reached the feeling of happiness wears off when the next target presents itself.
My favourite definition is that of inner peace. Once inner peace has been experienced, it can last forever despite all the problems that manifest themselves as time goes on. The word contentment springs to mind at this point.
Happiness is a perspective dependant on ones emotion. What makes one person happy will not necessarily make the next man happy. So how can we make ourselves happy?
The mind can only experience one emotion at a time. If we are stressed we cannot be happy. If we are depressed we cannot be full of motivation and inspiration. Happiness is the absence of bad emotions. Identify the bad emotions we feel and try to substitute them with feelings of self confidence and positive ness. Happiness and self esteem will shortly follow.
Know what it is that makes you happy. Once this has been identified, visualise it, believe that you can have it and make great strides to achieve it.
Strive to create a feeling of optimism. When problems and obstacles have to be overcome, self confidence, positive thinking and optimism are fantastic tools to help you hurdle over those barriers.
Without getting to deep, religion is a tremendous source of happiness. The belief in a higher power that is there to assist in all our problems gives great strength to our optimism, hope and happiness.
Have a purpose in life. By having something to get up for in the mornings, and then achieving our purposes, again boosts self esteem, confidence and happiness.
Undoubtedly having deep and meaningful relationships is a great source of happiness. We all have the need to be wanted and finding a loving partner and family provides so much joy. And when there are times of trouble, sharing these woes with another certainly halves the burden.
Ultimately happiness comes from within. If you can be happy and contented despite all life’s problems then you have truly found happiness. If you can enjoy everything that surrounds you then congratulations, you are a happy and contented man (woman).
Finding happiness is a great target to aim for. Happiness lies at the heart of inspiration, motivation, self esteem and self confidence.
Terry Norrington
www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index#terryn1
www.getselfconfident.com
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