Challenge yourself.

There is this old guy that lives at one end of my street. he is either very very old -he does look like he's 90 or something- or he has some sort of a disease, because when he walks, a snail is considered a sprinter next to him. He moves very slowly, one step after the other, holding his trusty cane with him, not caring for how slow he is, letting the world move along around him, not giving it an inch of importance or care.

Every morning at about 7 am, he walks from his house -climbing down three flights of stairs since they don't have an elevator- at one end of the street, all the way to the bakery at the other end of the street. a walk that would probably take me about 10 minutes to make, 15 if i'm being lazy, but at the speed he walks, it probably takes him about 3 or 4 hours -if not more-. he buys exactly 5 loafs of bread, then goes back home. then at around 2 pm, he makes a slightly longer trip over to the grocer's buys some vegetables -salad stuff mainly- and goes back home. and at around 7 pm, he makes another, much longer trip to the dairy shop, and buys 2 portions of yogurt.

Astonishing isn't it. that man spends around 11 hours every day walking down the street, doing errands that would take any of us 20 minutes to do. when i look at him, i can't help but admire his persistence, perseverance, and courage. He understands that he is old, he accepts it even, but he doesn't give in to his weaknesses, he challenges himself daily, pushes his body that has grown too feeble and weak to contain his amazing soul and fiery spirit.

Whenever i see him walking down the street, i always wonder what he was like as a younger person. Has he always been so full of life ? was there a time when he used to run for several kilometers daily ? is what he is doing now just a continuation of his normal lifestyle ? or was there a time in his life when he understood that he needed to change certain things about his personality ? a time when he realized that no matter where we are, no matter what life has done to us, no matter the obstacles or the amount of times we fall, he must never surrender, he must never give in to his weaknesses, and that he must always challenge himself to be who he wants to be, and do what he wants to do.

We all have our weaknesses and our shortcomings. some of us get nervous around people they just met, some of us are afraid of the unknown, of trying new things, or new experiences, some of us are afraid of heights, some of us are afraid of insects (ehm!!!). But no matter what your weakness is, know that you can always over come it, our body is a tool that we use to live our life on this world, who we really are is in our mind, and in the mind, anything is possible, don't think you can do the things you want to do, know that you can. every time there is an obstacle that stood against you several times before challenge yourself  into overcoming it, challenge yourself into doing what you fear the most.

Whether you believe in an eternal life after death or not, this world is just a temporary stop, there's no point in being afraid of what happens in it. just do what you want to do, and have fun doing it :)

The impossible dream.

At one point or another in all of our lives, we fall prey to the paws of our minds and imagination, they start playing tricks on our feeble spirits. giving us pictures of -what we presume- to be the perfect match for us, and filling us with hope that someday we would actually find that person and live happily ever after with them. most of the time -if not always- those fantasies are a little less than unrealistic. Blondes, brunettes, muscular, fit, thin, plays sports, extra smart, great skin, awesome sense of humor. and the list goes on.

All of us had had this happen to them, but if you still deny it, then i would have you consider the following. if you have ever liked someone, and said "if they change that one aspect about their life, they'd be perfect for me" then you're still guilty. It's happened with all of us, and it's nothing to be ashamed of, humans are gifted with their imagination, and hopes. hopes for a better brighter future with someone that is perfect for you, and you love, is not something to be ashamed of.

Of course, as i have already said, the requests are more often than not quite extreme and unrealistic. but none the less, quite amusing, and enlightening. I had a talk with a friend of mine lately and we discussed this. thus the following is what my mental image is, on my future life partner.

A silver head of platinum, that shines like the stars,
or fiery red, as a twilight sun, out far.
Skin so silky and smooth,
and eyes so dazzling, of emerald and hazelnut dyes.
A soul as gentle as a tulip,
and a spirit as free as the butterflies.
A heart that has no fear of the unknown,
and a mind that yearns for knowledge, beyond the earth and the skies.


I know i'm no gallant knight.
No shining armor or horse of white.
No golden hair or a heart so bright.
But perhaps one day i'll meet my dream,
Perhaps one day i'll find her in my sight.

Being happy 4.0

This is the last post in the being happy series, and as such, it is by far the most important one.

Learn to let go, learn to move on. I've said this earlier in the series, but i'll say it again. "what happened happened and couldn't have happened any other way.". this time, there is no single concept that i will tell you about, there is no new idea, whether difficult to implement or easy. this is simply the accumulation of everything i told you, and condensing it into one simple idea. the past is the past, it happened for a reason, whether we like  that reason or not, whether we accept it or not. it already happened, nothing can change it. what can change however is the future.

Yet the future is still to come, we can't just keep looking ahead at a mirage, a shadow of what we want in life, that may very well not come into existence.  No, the future is as useless as the past. we are not alone in the world, let alone the universe. everything that everyone else does will affect your decisions, actions, and life. how can you rely on a future that you can not control all by yourself. The future is as useless as the past.

Now is what matters. your actions now are the ones that will affect both you, and those around you. the present is all we can rely upon, it's what we can change, what we can affect, what we can reach out and grab, to hold or to dispose of, but the present is ours. it is called the present for a reason.

I have had three life changing experiences. two of them were full of fear, doubt, and a sense of defeat. the other, full of joy and delight. and although the feelings i had during each one was very different, i still remember my feelings during those periods. even the feelings of fear and doubt, and i love them. you might say this is sadistic, but it isn't. i simply love how these events have shaped me into what i am, how can i hate the very thing that made me who i am today. but in anyway, that was the past, toiling in it will not change anything. and thus, i use those feelings to push me forward, keep me afloat, and learning from my mistakes. it is the love of the things that hurt you, that will set you free from their grasp.




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and by that, we reach the end of the being happy series. i hope you have enjoyed it, and i hope that you were affected by it, or learned something new from it. even if you disagree with what i said, at least now you know why i do what i do.

Being happy 3.0

If you want to do something, then go do it. very often do i meet people that want to do things, but opt out of doing them due to constraints or some excuse or another. you will never be happy in your life unless you do what you want to do. society will only ever slow you down and hold you back, don't listen to the voices around you, listen to the voice within you. we have a consciousness for a reason.


I mean, come on. what's the worst that can happen ? I've talked about this in my last post. worst case scenario, you will learn something new, you will experience a new feeling. or strengthen an old one, get to meet new people, or delve deeper into the understanding of the human personality, in my opinion, nothing bad can ever happen from trying something new -and crazy-. personally, i try to do or try something new each day. yes, every single day. it doesn't matter whether it's big or small, it can be a type of food, using a transportation method you never used before, reading about something weird and exotic. as long as it's new, it will enrich your life.

Doing the things you want to do might sometimes prove to be regretful. however, not doing them will always prove to be regretful. if there is something you want to do, then do it. as long as you know what the consequences are, and more importantly accept them, then go for it. no one should ever have a saying over yours.


Be honest. again, this one might seem overly simple, but again, very few people actually practice it. being honest is somewhat linked to telling people when you're annoyed with something they did. but generally it's slightly more fun. you see, most people treat others with caution -even if subconsciously- because as humans, all of us have lied at one point or another -don't deny it- and thus, we innately expect others to do the same.

Always be honest and straight forward, people will get confused, and it'll be funny as hell. if some people can't accept the truths you are saying, whether it's about their person or otherwise. then you shouldn't be talking to those kinds of people in the first place. say your opinion without fear or hesitation. a single word of honesty is always better than a poem of flirtation.