Got a few seconds?

Think about something - just one thing - that you're happy about right now. It can literally be anything. Maybe you really enjoyed breakfast this morning. Maybe you've had a stuffy nose for the past few days and today you can breathe freely again. Perhaps you're simply having a good hair day.

 Now think about a point in time when you really wanted it. That time when you had the thought "I wish I had..." or " One day I'll have..." Puts things in perspective, eh?

Oscar Wilde once said "There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." With some conscious effort you can completely eliminate this state of mind. Things you have right now (physical, mental, spiritual, abstract, etc.) are all things that you desired at some point. If you can't enjoy them right now then what makes you think you're ever going to enjoy the things you long for right this moment? It's a vicous circle, but it doesn't have to be. Everything in life is relative. You learn to truly appreciate something when you take a step back and see how lucky you are to have it.

This is why gratitude is one of my favorite concepts. It is so ridiculously simple, yet so overlooked by the majority of people.

I can make an endless list of things that I am grateful for. Every day I take a few seconds to go over a few things. Today I'm grateful for a gorgeous summer day (even from inside an office which I am grateful employs me), good music and the privilege of being able to hear it, my beautiful family and friends, and the opportunity to write this for both myself and for those who are open to reading it.

"Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon”

Alright - I know I'm not the only one who is kind of (really) excited about Winnie the Pooh the movie coming out on July 15th. Kudos to the person who decided to bring this classic back and into theaters. The world needs more genuine, old school cartoons. I'll drop a little knowledge in his honor. Pooh was born in 1924 as a character in a poem called "Teddy Bear" by A. A. Milne. By 1926 he had an entire book written about him and his buddies called Winnie-the-Pooh (what are the chances?).

When Milne died in 1953 his wife kept Pooh alive and gave him away to Walt Disney (in exchange for royalties), who released multiple animated productions beginning in 1966.

So he's been around for a while. A lot of us grew up with this little wise guy. Well, a lot of you grew up with him. As much as I love Winnie the Pooh, he was not the first bear I was introduced to. I grew up in Russia (and then in a very Russian setting when I came over to NY).  While you guys were hanging out with Pooh Bear, I was watching Vinni Puh (created by Soyuzmultfilm in 1969)... 

  

Balance

Anxiety has become entirely too common in our high-strung, survival-of-the-fittest society. In fact, you may be anxious about something as you read this right now. Anxiety has become such a norm, that many people (whether they consciously realize it or not) have come to accept it as a regular part of their every day lives.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to achieve your goals or obtain success (whatever that means to you), but the only way to truly do so is to relax and maintain balance. Easier said than done, right? 

Well - this takes a little work, but the results are long term and well worth the effort. The best strategy I've come across for this balance I speak of is derived from the works of the pro of inner peace himself - Buddha.

Basically there are 4 states of mind (Brahmaviharas) that you're shooting for.

1. Metta (Kindness)

I'm not talking about volunteering at a shelter or donating money (although you can still do so if you choose) This is a lot simpler than all that. You don't even need to go anywhere. Just appreciate the people around you. Don't be possessive or overly sentimental. Just respect those around you for who they are.

2. Karuna (Compassion)

Technically the direct translation of this means "to suffer with". Nah, you don't have to do that. You don't have to suffer with someone to shine some light on his or her situation. Just think good karma. If someone's having a bad day put forth a little effort to brighten their day. Throw in some insight and if you don't have any, a compliment never put anyone in a worse mood.

3. Mudita (Joy)

KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. Appreciate the absolute most basic things. I'm talking really basic - like a breezy summer day or a nicely brewed cup of coffee.

4. Upeksha (Equanimity)

This is by far the most difficult to achieve. Directly upeksha translates to indifference or disregard, but that's not what it's about at all. I'm not saying you have to be stone cold to be balanced. It's more about being able to take things with a grain of salt. It's being able to have the first 3 states of mind to the fullest. You could be kind to others and offer compassion without emotionally draining yourself. This state of mind allows you to enjoy something to the fullest without becoming obsessed with it. It's about being able to feel happy without crashing at the first sign of stress.

... just some food for thought. Don't stress over applying these to your life right away, right now. Maybe just start with appreciating that cup of coffee (or tea whichever you prefer).

Oh! The places you'll go.

I wouldn't say that I'm always looking for inspiration. That's because I don't like to say that I'm really ever looking for anything. Looking insinuates exerting a conscious effort which can end up putting me into a stressful situation, and that's not what inspiration is about at all. Inspiration should come easily.

Rather than looking for inspiration, I prefer to think that I am simply perpetually open to it. There are so many incredible people in this world and our prerogative is to take a little bit of perspective from everyone. Some of my most admired people who I can go on about for days on end include Buddha, Albert Einstein, Socrates - but today there is someone particular in mind who I'd like to dedicate a post to. His name is Theodor Seuss Geisel. Otherwise known as Dr. Seuss.

What I find so astounding about Dr. Seuss is not only his views on every day things, but his methodology of sharing them. He took some pretty powerful ideas and over time shared them via 46 timeless childrens books. Being able to relay such strong life lessons to little kids is truly a talent. Who hasn't heard "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."? Or "“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Good for kids, but enjoyable at any age because let's be serious - there's a little kid in all of us.

I've put together a few of my own personal favorites.

On Beginnings.

Beginnings are always really awkward. Take the first day of school for instance. You have no idea where you're going, who will be in your classes, what to expect from your teachers or what they expect from you. The first day of work is nervewrecking because all of a sudden you have to remember a bunch of new names and typically have no idea what you're doing. The beginning of relationships is pretty awkward. You're not sure what the other person is thinking and what's appropriate to say or do. Everyone has experienced at least one beginning to something.

However awkward they may be, one great thing about beginnings is that they always hold great potential. On the first day of school you haven't received any grades yet - so as far as you're concerned that A is yours. Your first day of work you are given tasks and deadlines - and the opportunity to get a jump start and impress your boss lays in your hands on this very day. In a new relationship you get the chance to discover another person and disclose things about yourself any way you'd like. Everyone gets to experience a fresh start that can end up miniscule on a greater scale, or could be lifechanging. That's the beauty in it. There's no way to know except to give it a try.

So here is the beginning of my blog. Kind of awkward, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt to become something amazing. Maybe it will interest a handful of close friends and relatives, maybe it will reach thousands of people on the internet, or maybe it will serve as an online journal solely for my own entertainment.

Why do people blog? Because they want to share their thoughts. Ergo....

the first link I'm going to share is called The Thought Project by Simon Hoegsberg. This guy walked down the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark, and NYC and stopped random people to ask what they were thinking about the very moment before he stopped them. He then snapped a photo of them and put this thing together. 

The Thought Project

Enjoy.