Happiness tips

   Tips for Stress free life  >  Expert Zone   > Happiness

       Happiness Tips by experts


Red Balloon of Happiness


Just when you think you know it all, some 17-month old child comes along and teaches you another valuable life lesson.

Little Lady lost her favorite ball. There are few things that bring this 17-month-old more joy than playing with her favorite ball. And, of course, we want our daughter to have all the happiness she can get.

So we headed out to the store to replace the missing ball. Little Lady enjoyed the outing, since there were so many exciting things to pull off shelves. And when we reached the ball aisle, she nearly jumped for joy. (OK, more like raced to the bin and started covering the floor with her joy, one bounce at a time.)

As we left the aisle, Little Lady was happy and smiling. She held her replacement ball in her hands as we walked up to the cash. While waiting to pay, Little Lady caught sight of a red balloon that had obviously been used for some promotion, but was now wandering aimlessly around the floor like a lost puppy.

If you think a ball can bring happiness, wait 'til you see the sparkle in the eye of a toddler who has just found her very own red balloon. Pure joy! Of course, she adopted the balloon immediately and clung to it all the way back to the car. Did she want to hold the ball? No way. She had a balloon!

I couldn't help but marvel at how she valued the free, fragile balloon more than the sturdy ball I for which had just paid good money. Is there a lesson we can learn for self-actualization? Here are the possible lessons that immediately occurred to me:

  • Why bother having a thick skin, if your daughter prefers thin skins?

  • If you drift aimlessly long enough, you might get adopted.

  • Money can't buy the most important things in life (happiness, joy, smiles, balloons, etc.)

  • Your child can see value where you cannot, so listen to what she says.

    I figure at least two of these are valuable lessons that can add happiness to a person's life. Little Lady teaches me self-actualization lessons daily now, and I am learning to listen with head and heart.

    How often do we value the wrong things? The things that cost the most? How hard to we work to earn all that extra income to buy things we simply do not need. Anyone reading this probably has more than she will ever need, and yet don't we all want more anyway?

    Suppose we chose to have less of the things money can buy, and instead chose to have more time? More time to spend with our family? More time to spend with ourselves? More time to just be? What if we are giving up the red balloon chasing after the ball?

    My wife and I made a big decision a few months ago. We gave up the condo in the city for a big ol' house in the country. Our red balloon was space to raise a family in a much less noisy and stressed-out environment. The ball we gave up was the "glamour" of city living and a fancy condo.

    Assuming we can make a living from my book, my ezine, my web site and whatever other work-from-home projects I take on, we get to keep the red balloon.

    I invite you to look carefully at your life. Ask what truly brings you meaning. Then ask yourself if you could have more of that if you spent less time and effort on activities that don't bring you meaning but just fill your time.

    Enjoy your red balloon.

    About The Author

    David Leonhardt is the Happy Guy, speaker, author, and publisher of "Your Daily Dose of Happiness" at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html. Visit him at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com

    amabaie@phastnet.com


    MORE RESOURCES:

    See the complete list of Articles on Happiness here

    Have a look at Best Selling Books on Happiness

     

    Google

    See also : Other articles on

    Depression, Happiness, Humor, Inspirational, Motivation,
    Positive Attitude
    ,  Meditation, Spirituality


     

    Latest info on : Happiness

     


    Bud Withers Boeheim, Few have found happiness staying put
    Seattle Times
    Boeheim grew up about an hour from Syracuse, was a walk-on player there in 1962 — you know, about the time "Big Girls Don't Cry" was popular — and he never ...

    and more »


    Salem woman finds happiness through hard work
    Statesman Journal
    Most mornings, you can find Church, 52, at White's Restaurant. At times, she's greeting customers ...

    and more »


    Boston Globe

    Pursuit of happiness
    Boston Globe
    Nonetheless, they remain in hot pursuit of happiness. The vast majority of them tell pollsters they are “fairly'' or “very'' content with their lives. ...



    OregonLive.com

    NCAA Women's Tournament: Sherri Murrell finds happiness, success at Portland State
    OregonLive.com
    Randy Rasmussen/The OregonianPortland State coach Sherri Murrell talks with the media during Monday's NCAA selection ...

    and more »


    Happiness and Deep Conversations
    Huffington Post (blog)
    We talk about things like success and happiness, but, more importantly, I think we enjoy more of both as a result of having had the conversations. ...



    Why Happiness Research Has Critics Frowning
    The AtlanticWire (blog)
    According to The Politics of Happiness, a new book by Derek Bok, the relationship between personal contentment and ...



    Dr. Kestner: Happiness is free, but instructions cost $11.95
    Murfreesboro Post
    He didn't intend to become an expert on happiness. That just kind of evolved. He is actually an expert in the field of orthopedics. ...



    Achieving Happiness: Recovering from serious illness takes resilience
    Annapolis Capital
    Expressing appreciation and giving back are two of the most powerful mechanisms for creating happiness. The sixth step in So's resilience model is to ...



    Sun Star Courier

    Brecksville-Broadview Heights Parent School Organization honors Students in ...
    Sun Star Courier
    This year's Students in the Arts Competition had 188 entries, from 89 students, centered on the “Happiness Is … “ theme. Winners were awarded at a March 3 ...

    and more »


    Real Bollywood (blog)

    Happiness lies in earning more than peers!
    Times of India
    The secret to happiness lies in earning more money than your peers, according to a new study. Christopher Boyce, from the Department of Psychology at the ...
    Happiness Is ... Making More Money Than the Next GuyYahoo! Tech

    all 13 news articles »

    Google News

    Why not be an expert yourself  ?

     If you can write on any of the above topic, you are welcome to submit your
     articles in our database :

     Submit your article here   Our Article Area

  • You are here Home > Tips for Stress free Life > Useful articles on Meditation


    | Meditation Article Home | All articles on Meditation-complete list 

     Main Home | | Meditation Corner

                    |Health Tips  | Workplace Tips  | Soul Tips  |

    Recommend us  |

     Books, DVDs and accessories on meditation & yoga  |

    [About us] [Contact] [Privacy Policy]

    Copyright 2006, Meditation is Easy.com, All rights reserved