You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old

 

You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.

George Burns

On December 11th I turned 79. People ask me how I feel being 79. I say to them, mentally I'm still Kenny from South Philly. When I look in the mirror, I say to myself: 'who is that old guy." I believe you age physically, but you don't have to age mentally - Kenny Felderstein

My wonderful wife, Joyce sent me quotes from famous people I want to share with you:

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love.

Sophia Loren

Why are people afraid of getting older? You feel wiser. You feel more mature. You feel like you know yourself better. You would trade that for softer skin? Not me!

Anna Kournikova

The older you get, the more fragile you understand life to be. I think that’s good motivation for getting out of bed joyfully each day.

Julia Roberts

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

Les Brown

In youth we learn; in age we understand.

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Aging gracefully means being flexible, being open, allowing change, enjoying change, and loving yourself.

Wendy Whelan

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.

Mark Twain

We are always the same age inside.

Gertrude Stein

We turn not older with years, but newer every day.

Emily Dickinson

I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself.

Walt Mossberg

Why wouldn't I want to celebrate every crease in my brow, all that hard-earned wisdom that lives between the folds?

Cicely Tyson

The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.

Frank Lloyd Wright

A human being would certainly not grow to be 70 or 80 years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species to which he belongs. The afternoon of human life must also have a significance of its own and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage to life’s morning.

Carl Jung

How Do You Make Someone Happy

 How Do You Make Someone Happy

The first step in making someone happy is loving yourself. The second step to making someone happy is finding your happiness. You see, you will have a great deal of trouble making someone else happy if you're not happy.

Assuming you're happy, the following will put a smile on the face of someone you care about:

* Smile at them. A big smile is contagious. It's hard not to smile back when seeing someone's big smile. 

* When someone is giving you their "woe is me," change the subject and tell them about the great ham sandwich you had for lunch. You can also change the subject by asking them "what made you happy in the past. Giving them a "woe is me" back will never make them happy. "Misery loves company" is bullshit. No one wants to be miserable. 

* Surprise them with something. I don't mean give them something that costs a lot of money. The best surprises are something you know they love. Take them to the restaurant they always wanted to go. Give them flowers. Surprise them with a girls day out to a spa or surprise them with tickets to a ball game. I think you get the idea.

* Hug them. A really big hug is personal, loving and intimate. Every time you see someone you care for - hug them. Guess what, after a few hugs, they will hug you back. Maybe, they will like the hugs so much, they will hug you first. There is nothing negative about a hug.

* Complement them. The proverbial "pat on the back," will always make them happy. When someone has lost weight, make sure, they know, you notice. Always complement someone when first see them after a long time. Everyone has an ego. Some big - some small. Everyone loves hearing good things about them.

* Making them feel they matter. Never assume they know they matter in your eyes. Make a point to tell them they matter. When a person feels they matter their self-esteem is enhanced and that makes them very happy.

* Truly love them. If you truly love someone it will show in your eyes and body language. It's hard not to be happy when around someone that truly loves you.

Your Happiness Is Increased When You Make Someone Else Happy

You Have To Go Through Something To Go Somewhere

 You Have To Go Through Something To Go Somewhere

When I heard an NFL Coach say, "You Have To Go Through Something To Go Somewhere" all I could think of was my life. Two divorce disasters, two financial insolvencies because of the divorces, losing contact with my two boys, losing all of my immediate family to health problems, losing my great wife Ellen to heart failure, and not being able to do any sports because of my bad back.

However, the things I had to go through didn't stop me from regaining financial security, two loving marriages, finding and falling in love with Joyce after losing my Ellen, falling in love with and being loved by Ellen and Joyce's families, trading my sports active years with traveling, writing books and blogs, and mentoring people to find their happiness.

I know many people have gone through worse things than I have. I'm sure some of the people who read my blogs have gone through tough times. The point of the NFL Coach's saying is did you use the negative to go somewhere positive? Did you put the negative of the past and find a way to the positive?

If you're going through a bad situation now, do you have the fortitude to execute a positive plan for the future? Can you let go of your ego and let someone help you? If your today problem is a health problem, can you accept what's happening for now and find a way to be happy with the life you have now and will have in the future.

Remember, all you need to have a happy life is food to eat, air to breathe and shelter. Everything else is cosmetics. Remember, feeling bad for yourself, feeling angry and frustrated for what is happening to you now will never lead to personal happiness. Please, don't let your current problems stop you from loving the life you deserve.

If you have gone through something in the past and gone to somewhere positive, pat yourself on the back. Love yourself for dealing with the negative and turning it into something positive. Remember, 

Loving Yourself More Than Anything Or Anybody Else Makes You A Life Loving Person

Thanksgiving - It's Not About The Turkey

 

Thanksgiving

 

A few years ago, I wrote a blog called "Thanksgiving - It's Not About The Turkey." I read it again and it still rings home with me and I hope it rings home with you. This is today's edited version.

 

Thanksgiving - It's Not About The Turkey

 

 

Thanks for the times you have given me

 

Thanks for my health even though I ache all over

 

Thanks for the friends and cousins who wish me well, have been there for me through Ellen's death and want me to be happy

 

Thanks for letting me turn 78 soon with my brain intact even though I have CRS (Can't Remember Shit)

 

Thanks for the next 17 years (November 11 (11/11) 2038) I plan to enjoy with all my heart

 

Thanks for my beautiful (both inside and outside) wife Ellen who always had me feel mighty, mighty real

Thanks for being so lucky to have found my wonderful wife Joyce. Finding true love at my age is incredtable

 

Thanks for a dad who taught me about the importance of hard work, never to lie and a strong moral compass

 

Thanks for a dad who gave me a bright brain and a wonderful sense of humor even though he also gave me bad bumpers (bad back, bad spine). It was a great tradeoff - thanks dad 

 

Thanks for a mom who loved and hugged me all the time.

 

Thanks for a mom who taught me to be tolerant to every race, religion and sexual orientation

 

Thanks for the money I've made that has enabled me to have choices in our American way of life

 

Thanks for Bob who got me to believe I was in control of my happiness and could choose happiness over negativism

 

Thanks for me, because since 40 years old I've been making all the right choices

 

Thanks for me because I love what I've become

 

Thanks for the people around the world who read my blogs and my books because it makes me feel valued

 

Thanks for my mentored clients who have enhanced their happiness because of something I gave to them

 

Thanks to all the people who give positive energy out to the Universe so they and the rest of us could have a better life

 

Thanks to America for giving me and most others a chance to create a better life

 

Thanks to all the people around the world who believe love, tolerance and freedom will win out over totalitarianism and terrorism

 

 

To all of you on this wonderful holiday;

 

Focus On The Things To Be Thankful For - Not The Turkey

 

Anger - What Is It Good For - Absolutely Nothing

Anger - What Is It Good For - Absolutely Nothing

Are you angry with what is going on in the Middle East? Are you angry with our political situation? Are you angry with the high cost of living? Are you angry with one or more Presidential Candidates? Are you just Angry?

Never in my life have I seen and heard so much anger. Never in my life have I read so much anger in newspapers and the internet. Never have I watched so many angry people in the movies, TV and streaming shows. 

The fact is, Anger - What Is It Good For - Absolutely Nothing. 

How is anger serving you? Does it make you happy - NO? Does it lead to a healthier life - NO? Does it get you closer to your friends and love ones - NO? Do other people like you more when your anger shows - NO? Is your conversation with others any better when both of you are angry - NO? Does anger solve your problems - NO?

Sooo, Anger - What Is It Good For - Absolutely Nothing

The example I give to the people I mentor is: Your car is waiting for a light to change, and someone smashes into your car's back bumper. What do you do? Well, you can get very angry and scream at the driver or you can take a deep breath and think maybe the driver is not well. The bottom line is, you have insurance and anger and screaming will not fix the car. All the anger will do is make you upset and unhappy.

We can't change what is going on in the Middle East (although protest is a reasonable response). We can change our political situation or the people running, but only by our vote, not by anger. We can be better shoppers to minimize the impact of high cost of living, not by anger. We can stop being angry because:

Anger - What Is It Good For - Absolutely Nothing

Three Times A Lady

 Three Times A Lady

If you read my blogs, you know that I've been through a lot in my life. Most of my issues have been social not work related. Two devoices left me in financial straits, the stress they caused gave me stomach problems, hair loss and hives.

Then came my Ellen. At the time she was everything I hoped for and we had a great marriage. Then out of the blue she had a heart attack and died. Worst day of my life - you bet-um. 

If you read my blog "My Ellen" you knew I was not going to let my love of life stop. I went out looking for someone different realizing there could only be one Ellen. I never thought I could fall madly in love again. I never thought I would be loved better than I have ever been loved before. I never thought someone would come into my life and make me happier than I've ever been before.

Well, that person came as unexpected as Ellen's death. Her name is Joyce. If you've lost a loved one (even if it's just a friend), there is someone else that might make your life even happier. Go for it.

Sooo, as a tribute to my Joyce I just listened to a wonderful song by the Commodores.

"Three Times A Lady"

Thanks for the times
That you've given me
The memories are all in my mind
And now that we've come
To the end of our rainbow
There's something
I must say out loud
You're once, twice
Three times a lady
Yes you're once twice
Three times a lady

And I love you
When we are together
The moments I cherish
With every beat of my heart
To touch you to hold you
To feel you to need you
There's nothing to keep us apart
You're once twice
Three times a lady
And I love you
I love you

A Saying For Happiness

A Saying For Happiness

Every once in a while, I read a saying that reminds me what to focus on for happiness. This is today's saying:

'Happiness is not about getting what you want all the time, It's about loving what you have and being grateful for it."

I love getting what I want. Some of the things I want are just not in the cards for me. I would love being an executive of an American football team. However, what are my chances - NONE. What I learned in therapy was loving who I was, grateful for what I have and doing my best to make me better.

Some say: "how can poor people be grateful for what they have?" Well, I grew up poor and when I think back, I loved my friends,  I loved sports. I loved the very few dollars I made working because I had some money just for me. My parents were great (that's not true for many poor people, but finding others (like a grandmother) to nurture you can be just as rewarding.

I think growing up poor has made me extra grateful for what I have now. But, I remind myself that I made this great life for myself - nobody gave it to me. Since 40, all of my decisions were made for my happiness. Yea, some didn't work out, but, most did.

Sooo, what about YOU? Are you chasing happiness or are you grateful for what you have while striving for more? Do you look forward to another day or do you live in a shoulda - coulda world? Are you waiting for the outside world to make you happy or are loving yourself and the people around you? Are you unhappy in your job or do you see it as a means to get happiness outside of work?

I could go on and on, but living your life by accepting the statement above will add to your happiness today.

Love Yourself - Love Life

Too Crazy Too Crooked And Too Old

 Too Crazy Too Crooked And Too Old

Hi all, I've been receiving messages asking if I was OK. Their reason is because they haven't seen any of my blogs. I really appreciate their concern. To be sure, I'm alive and well. I have been very busy this summer and totally enjoying my dear friends, my wonderful wife Joyce and her great family.

Soooo, here is a blog I had to write after seeing the Republican debate, the lawsuits and old Joe. Let's start with the debate. 

Are any of them sane? They don't believe in climate change. One wants to eliminate 75 percent of the government. I guess he just wants a military state. They argued over how long the government should restrict abortions. Only one said the government should not have an abortion law and the states should decide. Did any of them even give a shit about women's rights? Did any of them remember the days when many women died getting illegal abortions? 

The most popular one after the debate, wants to start up more coal plants. One wants you to make him President because he found God. Only two said they would not vote for Trump because of his legal issues. The rest didn't give a crap about the rule of law. You probably think I'm a left winger. I'm not, because I'm one of the very few middle of the roaders. Therefore, hearing these Presidential Candidates say what they would do if they were President tells me they are Bat-shit-crazy.

Next, is the most crooked Ex-President ever. After his last indictment he collected more than seven million dollars from the far right. He's counting on becoming President so he can make all of his criminal acts disappear. If that doesn't work, he's counting on one of the crazies becoming President and pardon him. What does this say about the direction of this country if he is elected president? Does that mean the country has lost its moral compass.

Lastly, Old Joe. Joe is a decent human being. Joe really does care. Joe is trying his best in this very difficult political clement. However, Joe is old. Another four years of Presidential stress is not good for him nor the country. As a middle roader, some of his actions are too left wing for me. However, he is not anything like the crazies nor the Crook. 

I can't believe the Democratic Party can't put up a younger highly qualified candidate. They are out there, but nobody wants to fight the Democratic Party's stranglehold on who they want to run. 

Well, I guess it's going to be the Crook verses the old guy. 

I'm frustrated because I wont be able to vote for a middle roader

Pay Attention To What They Do Not What They Say

 Pay Attention To What They Do Not What They Say

Some say talk is cheap. Some say words can hurt. Some say words matter. All of that is true. However, it's more important to "Pay Attention To What They Do Not What They Say." 

Some people are talkers with stuff coming out of their mouths without them giving much thought. Some people are introverted and don't say much if anything. Sometimes people say something they wish they could have back. Some people say things that make them seem tough. 

Some people use words to manipulate. Some people say things to control others. Some people say things to hurt others. That's why it's so important to "Pay Attention To What They Do Not What They Say."

An immature person will not think through what they say. An insecure person will us words to hurt, manipulate, control or try to convince you they are wonderful people. Some people will use lies to get what they want (can you spell TRUMP). 

That is why I say: 

"Pay Attention To What They Do Not What They Say." 

Doom And Gloom By The Rolling Stones

 Doom And Gloom 

By The Rolling Stones

I had a dream last night I was piloting a plane
And all the passengers were drunk and insane
I crash landed in a Louisiana swamp
Shot up a horde of zombies
But I come out on top

What's it all about?
Guess it just reflects my mood
Sitting in the dirt
Feeling kind of hurt

When all I hear is doom and gloom
With all this darkness in my room
Through the light, your face I see
Baby take a chance
Baby won't you dance with me

We lost all that treasure in an overseas war
Just goes to show you don't get what you paid for
Bowing to the rich and you worry 'bout the poor
Put my feet up on the couch and lock all the doors

What's that funky noise
It's the tightening of their screws
Sitting in the dirt
Feeling kind of hurt

All I hear is doom and gloom
But when those drums go boom boom boom
Through the night, your face I see
Baby take a chance
Baby won't you dance with me


Fracking deep for oil but there's nothing in the sump
There's kids all picking at the garbage dump
I'm running out of water so I better prime the pump
I'm trying to stay sober but I end up drunk

We'll be eating dirt
Living on the side of the road
There's some food for thought
Gonna make your head explode
Feeling kind of hurt yeah

But all I hear is doom and gloom
With all this darkness in my room
Through the night, your face I see
Baby, take a chance
Won't you dance with me

Trying to be positive in this world today takes a great deal of mental fortitude. However, what are our choices. We can capitulate and take medication for depression. We can stop reading anything that's negative (lots of luck with that). We can get rid of anyone that lives in the doom and gloom world (that's a good start). We could just drop-out and live off the earth. 

OR;

We can focus on the beauty of life. Taking time to look at a sunset, smell the flowers, appreciate our love ones and the ones that love us. I could go on and on, but if you really want to live through this doom and gloom, focus on yourself.

You are the master of the world around YOU. You can be happy even if the world is going to shit. You can love yourself even if the outside world tells you you're not good enough. You can love yourself just a little bit more than anybody or anything else. 

As I have always been telling you, you are in control of your happiness. Don't let this fucked up world take that from you.

Why I Don't Want To Die

 Why I Don't Want To Die

Someone once asked me my thoughts on dyeing. My response was: "the reason I don't want to die is because I won't get to see it all. I'm a technical kind of guy and I love technology. Like it or not, technology has improved our lives.

Yes, there are negatives in any technological change, but overall, our life is better because of invention and technology. How would like to be without a flushing toilet? I have two toilets (called ToTo) that has a heated seat (think about that when you sit on your cold seat in the winter), washes and dries me when I'm done.

How would you like to have to hand wash your clothes, wring them out with a wringer and then hang them up outside so they can dry? That's what my Mom had to do when I was growing up. Today, even the poorest of us either have a washer and dryer or can go to a laundromat. My dryer can dry anything and even take out the wrinkles in my shirts and pants.

How would like to have to find a phone booth and carry change so you could connect with somebody? How would like to have a car that you had to crank just to get it started? I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the point that invention and technology has made your life better.

Some worry that technology will destroy us all. I'm calling bullshit. When technology (as we know it today) didn't exist, people still killed each other. People robbed each other. People told lies that hurt us all. Politicians were just as bad then as they are now. Technology doesn't hurt people - people hurt people.

Sooo, why don't I want to die? It's because I won't get to sit in a self-driving car, listening to the news and drinking a mai tai while the self driving car, powered by the sun, gets me to my destination. I won't be able to visit Amsterdam while sitting in my self-serving chair looking through regular glasses.

I won't have to worry about my hearing or my eyesight because implants into my brain, will fix those problems. A bio heart will replace my heart if it fails. A paraplegic will walk again. I'll be able to control my computer with thought not with a mouse and keyboard.

What I just described is not thousands of years from now - it's less than a hundred years from now. All of what I described will be because of technology. Sooo, why don't I want to die, it's because;

Sadly, I Won't Get To See It All.

When Was Your Last Vacation

 When Was Your Last Vacation

One of the pleasures of retirement is going on vacation - assuming you saved your pennies. I lived in California and now Las Vegas. Living in Philadelphia and then spending one year, one month and five days in Rochester New York (over 100 inches of snow), California and Vegas are vacation spots. However, going to someplace new for a few weeks improves my happiness.

I don't go to beaches because I've had enough of that in California. I don't go to places just for the sun because I have enough of that in Vegas. I go to cities, with my honey, to see the architecture, the people, the culture, the art and the food. Laying on a beach and getting burnt is not our kind of fun.

Those of you that are still working, it's important to get away. Your body needs a break. Your spouse needs a break. Believe it or not, even your kids need a break. Take it from me, taking your kids on vacation is not a vacation. I've been there and done that. Speaking to some of you - not all, going on vacation with relatives sucks the big one. It won't give you the happiness you deserve.

Where you go is not important. Your body and brain need something different even if it's only for a week or two. If you're working, you won't have a lot of vacation time. Soooo, pick someplace that you're sure will make you happy. Pick someplace that when you see the pictures of your trip, you'll have a big smile on your face.

Saying: "I love where I live so I don't have a desire to go someplace else" is just wrong. Saying: "I'm afraid to travel" is wrong for so many reasons. Saying: "I'm too busy to take a vacation" is so wrong and will negatively affect your body and mind.

Some don't have the health to take a vacation. Some don't have the financial means to take a vacation. I say: "get in the car or have a friend or family member take you to the next state and stay in a less expensive motel." Going from Philadelphia to Baltimore is a vacation. The people are different. The food is different. The culture is different. Most everything is different from the life you have now.

Do it because you need a break. Do it because your body and mind need it. Do it because you'll have something new to say to your friends and family. Do it because you'll have fond memories. Do it because it will make you happy. 

Most Of All, Do It Because You Deserve It

Time To Move On

 Time To Move On

The Wedding went off perfectly and everyone had a great time. Our Honeymoon was the best ever. Joyce and I are a fantastic match and we love each other greatly. However, this is not a blog about how to you find your perfect match. This is a blog about moving on with your life.

We both lost a loved one. I lost my Ellen about a year ago. Joyce lost the love of her life Richard about two years ago. We had a choice. We could cry, morn and become depressed for many, many months or even many, many years. However, we both decided it was Time To Move On.

Now we're living the dream. We have seen too many friends and family who have lost someone or even a way of life. Some of them can't get over their loss. Some of them become depressed. Some of them stop living the wonderful life they deserve. I say;

Time To Move On

Many have said to me that it's OK to grieve. Many have said that it's natural to feel bad. A few have taken me to task for moving on too quickly. I say;

Grieving is negative energy and if you don't come out of it quickly, you'll lose the happiness you deserve. That happiness is called - LIFE. Is it OK to feel bad? Yes, we are human. But, feeling bad for months is unhealthy. It will lead to mental and/or physical problems in your life. 

As for those who say you're moving on too quickly, I say;

Bullshit

Am I being inconsiderate? Am I being insensitive? My answer is a resounding NO. Life is already too short. If you want to believe you'll be going to a better place after this life - that's a big risk. The only life we really know for sure, is this life, here on earth (well, maybe Mars someday).

If you have lost loved ones or your way of life, please don't let those negative events pull you down. Deep down you know what you need to do - it's called;

Time To Move On

I Want To Be Somebody

 I Want To Be Somebody

After over a year with my Therapist Bob, he felt I had the tools I needed to live a happy life (and he was right). He suggested I should I go to a group called Life Spring not to get fixed, but to watch other people struggling with unhappiness in their life.

At Life Spring, I met a movie Producer. I asked him why he was here. He said he always wanted to be somebody and believed if he made a lot of money, he would be the happiest man in the world. Well, he became rich, and he still wasn't happy.

He then told me that he thought if he became famous, he would be happy. Well, he became a well-known Producer with lots of power, but still not happy. I suggested he go see Bob.

My sister was never happy. She was always angry at my father because he wasn't a rich businessman and she wasn't famous. All she read were books about famous people. I believe that led her to drinking and even more unhappiness.

Sooo, I thought about being Somebody. What I realized was my Dad was somebody. He was a great father and husband. He owned a very small store that didn't make a lot of money but was loved by the neighborhood. He worked hard to put food on our table and shelter over our heads and I loved him for it. He Was Somebody.

One of the tools Bob gave me was to love myself. I believe I am Somebody even though I'm not famous. What about YOU? Have you spent any time patting yourself on the back because of the things you've accomplished? Can you look at your life and believe You Are Somebody?

You don't need to say: "I Want To Be Somebody because;

YOU ARE SOMEBODY!!

Strong relationships are what make for a happy life

 

Strong relationships are what make for a happy life

 

In 1938, researchers at Harvard set out to learn what makes a person thrive. They recruited 724 participants, a combination of students at Harvard College and low-income teenage boys in Boston. All were willing to let the researchers track their lives, from childhood troubles to first loves to final days. Now, 85 years later, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has expanded to three generations and more than 1,300 descendants of the original subjects; it is, according to the researchers, the longest-running in-depth study on human happiness in the world. From all the data, one very clear finding has emerged: Strong relationships are what make for a happy life. More than wealth, I.Q. or social class, it’s the robustness of our bonds that most determines whether we feel fulfilled.

People in isolation are usually unhappy people. People who know others but never get to know or share their feelings are not getting all the happiness they deserve. People who get to share friendship, love and affection with others and get that love back, are usually happy people.

How do you get strong relations with others - get rid of your barriers. Barriers hold you back from sharing your true feelings. You put up barriers - they put up barriers. I know it can be scary, but what do you have to lose? I promise, nobody will send you to North Korea. 

Another way to get Strong Relationships is to love, cherish and appreciate the friendships you have now. Don't take those relationships for granted. You make the first call. You be the first one to say I appreciate you. You be the one to say: "I Love You."

Lastly, don't have relationships with friends, family, lovers and spouses who don't give you back your love or appreciation. A friendship, a lover or a spouse who has put up barriers and doesn't, have it in them, to give you back what you give them will never make you happy.

The problem with this World is there's not enough love going on. Remember the Beatles song - "All You Need Is Love." There are people who will love you. Put yourself out to find them and when you do, give them all the friendship, love and affection you have in you.

The Who

The Who

I watch old CSI New York almost every night. The lead-in song is"

"Baba O'Riley 

 By The Who"

The lyrics I like the most are:

"I don't need to fight

To prove I'm right

I don't need to be forgiven"

I feel that way - do you? It all comes down to how you feel about yourself. If you love yourself, trust yourself and can stand-up to those who try to bring you down, then:

"You don't need to fight

To prove your right

You don't need to be forgiven"

When someone says something you don't agree with or they call you out on something you did (that you had good reasons to do at that time), do you defend yourself to the death or do you say: "that's your opinion - I have a different opinion." If you say the latter, then:

"You don't need to fight

To prove your right

You don't need to be forgiven"

Do you get upset, angry or even pissed-off when others challenge you? If so, do you feel the need to attack back? If you do so, you're insecure. However, if you believe in yourself and know you are a good person and a trusted person with a great moral compass, then:

"You don't need to fight

To prove your right

You don't need to be forgiven"

Optimism

 Optimism

My many, many blogs have been about Happiness The Forgotten Ingredient In Life. The fact is you can never be truly happy if you're a pessimist. Some say it's too hard to be Optimistic in this negative world. I'm calling Bullshit!

Happy people are mostly Optimistic. People want to hang out with Optimistic people. Optimistic people are mostly happy. The only people who like to hang out with a pessimist are depressed people. Some will say my wanting to be an Optimist all the time is not realistic and bullshit.

Well, I just read an article that says: "studies link optimism to reduced risks and longevity." Below are excerpts from this study.

" When you think about the future do you expect good or bad things to happen? If you weigh in on the good side, you're an Optimist and that has implications for your health in later life.

Multiple studies show a strong association between higher levels of Optimism and a reduced risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke and cognitive impairment. 

Several studies have also linked Optimism with greater longevity. One published this past year comes from researchers who found that older women who scored highest on measures of Optimism lived 4.4 years longer, on average than those with the lowest scores.

Expert explanations: People who are Optimist cope better with the challenges of daily life and are less likely to experience stress than people with less positive attitudes. They are more likely to eat well and exercise and have stronger networks of family and friends.

Also, people who are Optimist tend to engage more effectively in problem-solving strategies and better regulate their emotions."

Sooo, as Uncle Charles always said:

Always Make Something Good Out Of Something Bad

Dear Abby

 Dear Abby

I read Dear Abby every day. Most of the people who post there are not happy about something. New Years day, Abby wrote resolutions which were adapted from her late mother:

JUST FOR TODAY 

I will live through THIS DAY ONLY. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow.

JUST FOR TODAY

I will decide to be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me.

JUST FOR TODAY

I will accept what is. I will correct and accept those I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY

I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

JUST FOR TODAY

I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path.

JUST FOR TODAY

I will do something positive to improve my health.

JUST FOR TODAY

I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

I guarantee you will be a happier person if you live your life with these resolutions,

NOT JUST FOR TODAY BUT EVERYDAY