No Happiness Without Patience

Instant gratification is not the recipe for happiness. Let’s take a look at how cavemen searched for happiness, long ago…

I’m searching for modern happiness. The old-fashioned kind takes just too long. That happiness requires patience and I don’t want to wait. I want upgraded happiness. I want release 4.02, the “new and improved” version.

This is the 21st century and I demand instant gratification.

Once upon a time, you had to wait to eat your meal. Even when the Mammoth Burger walk-through was open, they offered only self-kill meals. And when you brought them home, you still had to get the fire started.

Patiently waiting for fire to be invented“What? Mammoth burger again? How you cook?”

“Put mammoth carcass on stove.”

“That thing rock.”

“Rock no want to start.  Must make fire for cave lady.”

“Hah. You probably burn cave down.”

“Hah you. No can burn cave down. Buy insurance policy.”

“How you start fire?”

“Rub two fingers together. Make big flame. Cook mammoth burger.”

“Last time you burn fingers.”

“Yummy.”

READ ALSO: How do you fill your time?

 

Nobody lights a fire these days. People don’t even light ovens anymore. It takes just too long to heat up a meal. It takes just too much patience. I’m hungry now, not 40 minutes from now. That’s why God gave us microwave ovens. Just pop the food in and whrrr –BEEP- out it comes, nicely warmed for immediate consumption. That’s how I want my happiness – toasty warm and right now!

“Ooh. No more burn fingers.”

Consider the Internet. You type “electric toothpicks”. You hit “enter”. Google responds: “Search took 1.02 seconds.”

“Seems kinda slow,” you think. “Google is ready for the geriatric ward.” You click on the first result – something about an electric eel eating a balanced breakfast – and a blank screen appears. You wait.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Did you know that Shakespeare once waited almost twenty seconds for a web site to appear, so he could find a word that rhymed with cardiologist? The web site finally appeared in 1997, but he had given up waiting by then.

Five seconds pass. Time’s up and still no site. Your instant gratification cells have been offended. You surf to another site.

“Ugh. No get Mammoth Burger web site. This thing no work.”That thing rock

“That thing rock.”

“Rock need reboot. Go to mammoth burger walk-through”

I don’t want to walk to get happiness. I want it delivered now. Not twenty seconds later, even if it does rhyme with cardiologist. Not 1.02 seconds later. I want happiness now.

Remote control happiness

Remember the olden days when you had to extract your posterior from the couch to change channels? That took such a monumental effort that most people sat through whole television shows without changing channels. Of course, that might have been because the other channel was playing Lawrence Welk.

Back in the two-channel universe there was always something on. Now we flip through 472 channels, which keeps us busy while wishing for something worth watching.

Thanks to the remote control, affectionately known by its technical term – the doodadder – we can flip channels at a relaxed pace of 15 to 20 per minute without even breaking into a sweat. Imagine our body odor if we had to extract our posteriors from the couch each time we change channels!

“Ugh. No like show. Change channels.”

“That thing rock.”

“Rock need more channels. This play only test pattern.”

READ ALSO: Stay grounded or reach for the stars

Happiness should be like television. If I don’t get instant gratification, I should be able to change channels with a zap.

The checkout clerk who doesn’t care…ZAP!

The driver kissing my rear bumper…ZAP!

The loudmouth yakking in the cinema…ZAP!

The telemarketer who calls during dinner…ZAP!

Come to think of it, all those annoying people in my way at the grocery store, at the ticket booth, in the parking lot, in the waiting room…ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

“Miss Wooly no give me mammoth burger.”

“What you do?”

“I zap her with club.”

“That thing rock.”

“I zap her with club. Take mammoth burger.”

“Ugh. You invent self-serve.”

Sigh. Happiness is not like a microwave oven. Nor like the Internet. Not even like a doodadder. Happiness does not run on the instant gratification system. Happiness takes patience. Lord, please grant me the patience I lack…and I want it now!

Tiger and the Three Pigs

A fairy tale about painting a positive self portrait and improving self-esteem and building body image

“Like hamburgers on the grill, teenage girls feel the heat and the pressure to squeeze every last ounce of fat from their bodies. If Claudia Schiffer can look so thin, so must they. If Naomi Campbell can be that slender, they can too. Why not?”
— David Leonhardt on improving self-esteem and building body image, from Climb you Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness

Somewhere in the land of low self-esteem and battered body-images …

tigerAfter years of terrorizing the countryside, hunting deer, poaching livestock, killing game, Tiger grew long in the tooth. Finally, he knew it was time to retire. So he packed his bag: “Poor self-esteem? Check. Poor body image? Check? Poor self-image? Check. Self-portrait? Uh … oh, well, three out of four ain’t bad.”

Tiger ambled into town and came to stand before the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. He rang the bell, and the first little pig appeared on the landing above. “What do you want?” asked the little pig.

“I come here to retire,” Tiger replied.

“Ooooh. I don’t think so,” the little pig declared. “You’re not like us. You’ve got big teeth. Very dangerous. We can’t let you in.”

Tiger, having poor self-image, went to the dentist to improve these apparent deficiencies, and had his teeth removed. The next day, he returned to the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. “What do you want?” asked the second little pig.

“I have no more teeth. I come here to retire,” Tiger replied once more.

“Ooooh. No, no, no. That just won’t do,” the little pig exclaimed. “You’re different. You have sharp claws. You scare us. We can’t let you in.”

No teeth, no claws, no self-portrait

Tiger took his poor self-esteem and even worse body-image to the manicurist and had his claws removed. The next day, he returned to the Three Little Pigs Retirement Home Inc. “What do you want?” demanded the third little pig.

“I have no more claws. I come here to retire,” Tiger repeated.

“Ooooh. Let me see,” the little pig muttered as he disappeared from sight. Tiger heard much whispering and commotion behind the big wooden doors. “Okay, come in,” said the little pig.

three little pigs

Tiger strolled through the doors, and there stood the three little pigs, grinning ear to ear. Suddenly they jumped on Tiger. Squealing with delight, they beat him up and sent him packing. No teeth. No claws. Yippeeee! Finally they got even with Tiger for terrorizing the animals.

Tiger should have known better. He should have accepted who he is and not try to conform to someone else’s image of him. What tiger in his right mind lets a pig paint his portrait? He should have painted a self-portrait instead.

Do you seek to improve your body or your body image? Do you seek to improve your claws or your nails, or do you improve your self-esteem? What do you see when you look in the mirror?

So, who paints your portrait?

Take this self-esteem test!

(Adapted from the motivational self-help book Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. The book includes two chapters dedicated to improving self-esteem and two chapters dedicated to building self-confidence.)

Self-esteem Test

Take this free self-esteem test by Karl Perera to determine how strong is your self-image

This free quiz is extremely quick and simple, just answer TRUE or FALSE to each question (if you cannot answer 100% TRUE then answer FALSE):

self-esteem1. Other people are not better off or more fortunate than me

2. I accept myself as I am and am happy with myself

3. I enjoy socializing

4. I deserve love and respect

5. I feel valued and needed

6. I don’t need others to tell me I have done a good job

7. Being myself is important

8. I make friends easily

9. I can accept criticism without feeling put down

10. I admit my mistakes openly

11. I never hide my true feelings

12. I always speak up for myself and put my views across

13. I am a happy, carefree person

14. I don’t worry what others think of my views

15. I don’t need others’ approval to feel good

16. I don’t feel guilty about doing or saying what I want

Read also: How to Boost Your Self-esteem Quickly

TEST RESULTS:
Total number of TRUE answers you gave

15-16 You have a high level of self esteem!
12-14 Not bad, but room for you to improve.
8-11   Low self esteem – it’s holding you back.
Below 8 your esteem is drastically low.

Self-esteem is a key component in happiness and self-actualization – so much so that two of the habits in Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness are devoted to self-esteem. This free self-esteem test is meant simply to give you an indication of what kind of improvement you might wish to make.

Stay grounded or reach for the stars?

You may have heard the saying that you should reach for the stars.  It comes out in different ways…

Leo Burnett said: “When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

Mike Tyson said: “I’m a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars, and if I miss a star then I grab a handful of clouds.”

Les Brown said: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

It has been said in many other ways, but the idea is that if you aim high enough, even failure is amazing. Even failure becomes a success.

But Emil Zatopek , a middle distance runner from the Czech Republic, has a different take on it: “You can’t climb up to the second floor without a ladder. When you set your aim too high and don’t fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to bitterness.  Try for a goal that’s reasonable, and then gradually raise it. That’s the only way to get to the top.”

So which is it do you set your sights on the stars and aim high?  Or do you keep your eyes just one step ahead and aim for the next step.  I know when I climbed Mount Washington, at a certain altitude we were in the clouds.  We kept climbing and climbing and climbing…and still all we could see was a few feet up.

The mountain seemed endless.  We could not aim high because we could not see more than a few feet ahead.  Did that work for us?  Yes.  Would seeing the top of the mountain have worked for us.?  I am sure it would have.

READ ALSO: Zig Ziglar (1926-2012) Motivational Quotes

What is the moral of the story?  I am not sure.  But I think it helps to have a lofty dream, to keep the big picture in mind.  I think knowing where you want to end up gives you motivation and inspiration to get up each day and get in the game.

But I also think that when it comes to actually putting your foot forward, you need to keep your eyes on the ground.  Each action needs to be measured on its own merit.

Big goals.  Small steps.  Why not have both?

 


Poetic Happiness

This poetic guest post is from Rodrigo Silva

HumanKind searches for happiness on things they can see and touch
when in fact happiness can´t be seen and is untouchable
and because of that , it can be stable and endless
but instead people have been building up illusions and putting their hopes on things that can end tomorrow .

 


if there´s one thing I learned , is that life will always find news ways to try to bring us down and make us feel hopeless and without strength
but I also learned that it´s from the most difficult obstacles , the hardest disappointments and the biggest problems that we can get a wide range of knowledge and courage ……
but if they´re not put into action , they become empty and so does hopes
wisdom is way more than only knowing , it´s about acting
strength is way more than having the courage , it´s about battling .

 

As unbelievable as it may seem to some people
peace can be achieved
but not without battling , running away only makes the emotions that destroy our chances of being happy  grow bigger and stronger while we get weaker , because happiness isn´t about having everything good in life , it´s about turning the bad things that appear on the way into opportunities to get the best we can from them , we should get  our wisdom and strength from them , instead of them feeding on our weakness and lack of faith .

There´s a wonderful world that can be built within
that can´t be destroyed by anything
but it must be built based on the things that really matter
the ones we can´t see or touch
but would get ourselves and our lives from the bottom to the top .

Rodrigo’s biography :

I´m a person who learned from my mistakes ,
built up strength during hard times
and found happiness where once was dark and void
Life was doing everything to make me stay on the darkest bottom
but I rose up and found light .

my blog is called Land of Glory : http://www.journeytoyourendless.blogspot.com

Three rebukes people eagerly give that you should ignore

Society has norms. That’s how we all get along. And when people around us break those norms, we sometimes feel a bit threatened, a bit uncomfortable. I am not talking about norms that are put into law for people’s safety, like murder or rape. I mean things that are simply considered by most people to be “inappropriate”.

And most of us are really quick to chide those who violate those norms. Oh, sure, most of us do so only in our heads. And when we do so out loud, we try to do so “good naturedly” so as to appear less rude than we really are being. But let’s face it, we all say or think such admonishments.

But sometimes, we reproach too hastily. Here are three very common, almost stereotypical rebukes that we would do better to keep to ourselves – and that you would be best to ignore if they are launched at you.

Get a job!

In many cases, this is more like a curse, an insult or a threat. I am not saying that nobody should have a job, but if God has graced you with the skills and opportunity and character to follow your passion without a job, so much the better.

By way of background, there are very few people with total freedom. A few people are almost self-sufficient in their homesteading and a few people are independently wealthy. The rest of us have to barter with other people to get the things we need or want.

I am self employed. I have am still dependent on other (my clients) and so much of what I do is governed by their needs. But I am much freer than someone who has a job.

Even amongst job-holders, there is a big difference one’s level of freedom. A teacher has no choice about what hours he works or what days he takes for vacation; his tasks depend on coordinating his schedule with everybody else. A clerk at a large store can usually choose shifts and co-ordiate vacation days with other people.

A freelancer can work whatever hours he wishes. What a cruel thing it would be to tell him to “Get a job!”

If you live to teach, if that is your passions and that is your fulfillment, you have no choice but to trade in some of your freedom, and you most likely feel it is totally worth while. But if you are doing something else that you find fulfilling, if you are following your passion, ignore the ill-advised advice of the get-a-job crowd.

Need a freelancer?  Click here.

Get a room!

I have no idea where this comes from. Two people are passionately kissing and everybody starts thinking “Get a room!” And often somebody will say it.

Why?

Are passion and love and romance and affection things we find distasteful? Apparently we do when it is done in our presence. I am not sure where our discomfort comes from. Perhaps it is envy or jealousy – that it is too vivid a reminder of how our own lives lack that level of passion and excitement.

I think public display of affection is a good thing. Rather than hide what we don’t do enough of, so that we can feel smug in our own comfort zones, why not be reminded of romance? Why not be reminded that we could be a little more passionate? Why not pull us out of our comfort zones and increase our own levels of affection?

Sometimes discomfort is a bad thing. Sometimes it is a good thing. Don’t get a room; share your affection with the world.

Grow Up!

This is perhaps the worst common rebuke I know of. It is typically launched when someone is acting silly or childlike. When someone is not carrying herself with sufficient dignity or maturity, often (but not always) in public.

The problem – and yes, this is a big problem – is that when we become adults we often stop acting silly. We stop kidding around. We stop joking. We are told that we have to carry ourselves with dignity. We are conditioned to believe we have to act reserved. We stop laughing. Don’t look at me that way; how many times do you actually laugh out loud in a typical day? Not nearly enough for your own basic health.

If anybody ever tells you to grow up, there is one thing I recommend you do: laugh!

Name Your Tune

Just in time for Wordless Wednesday, here comes a “scriptless” film. This film, co-staring Alison Postma and Chantalyne, comes with a message: the importance of making your work your own. Don’t just copy someone else’s work; build on it. Put yourself into it. Make it your own.

 


Please note that this video has also been cross-posted at http://www.seo-writer.com/writers/index.php/2013/01/09/scriptless-with-chantalyne/

 

Top 10 Hottest Psychologists of All Time

If you’ve read about the top 10 hottest poets of the 19th century, you may be wondering who the hottest great thinkers in other fields are. Psychologists aren’t necessarily known for their dashing good looks, but there have been a few rather attractive psychologists over the years. Here are ten of the hottest psychologists – male and female – of all time, in case you’re curious:

1. Virginia Johnson

One of the first psychologists to study human sexual response, we can thank Virginia Johnson and her former husband, William Masters, for much of what we know today about the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders. Ms. Johnson’s awe-inspiring beauty and depth of insight into human behavior easily make her one of the hottest psychologists of all time.

2. Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsy is one of the most famous and popular Russian psychologists. The research he did in the early 20th century in the fields of education and child development is still relevant today, and psychology students still study his theories regarding cultural-historical psychology. Not to mention, Vygotsky’s chiseled face is undeniably easy on the eyes.

3. Mamie Clark

In the 1940s, Mamie Clark and her husband, Kenneth Clark, founded a social service organization for children in Harlem and conducted groundbreaking research about children’s perception of race. Throughout her career, she worked tirelessly to help promote the psychological well-being of children in Harlem. Mrs. Clark’s kind heart and inquisitive mind weren’t the only things that stood out about her. Her stunning appearance was also known to turn more than a few heads.

4. Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis and is well-known for his theories about dreams and the human subconscious. Additionally, Freud’s distinguished appearance, innovative mind, and bravado made him swoon-worthy.

5. Anna Freud

Like her father, Sigmund, Anna Freud was a pioneer in the field of psychoanalysis. Much of her work specifically dealt with child psychology as it relates to psychoanalysis, and she devoted her career to promoting her father’s theories. Anna Freud didn’t just inherit her intellect from her father. She also inherited his good looks.

6. Dimitri Uznadze

Dimitri Uznadze paved the way for other psychologists in the country of Georgia in the early 20th century. He co-founded the Georgian Academy of Sciences and published several important books regarding psychology, pedagogy, and the nature of human thought. Pictures of Uznadze reveal his strikingly handsome face. It’s not difficult to imagine that Dimitri Uznadze was a lady-killer.

7. Sabina Spielrein

Sabina Spielrein stood out in the early 20th century as one of the few female psychoanalysts. Her work in the field of psychoanalysis is still discussed today, and she has been featured in a number of documentaries and historical movies about the advent of psychoanalysis. As a young woman, she caught the eye of Carl Jung, and the two psychologists had a torrid love affair. She is remembered for her intelligence and her graceful beauty.

8. Hans Eysenck

Hans Eysenck’s theories about race and intelligence were certainly controversial, but few can deny the influence of his theories in the realm of psychology. During his career throughout the 20th century, Eysenck published important books and research regarding smoking, intelligence, psychoanalysis, the media, astrology, and much more. In his younger days, Eysenck was quite handsome, with big brown eyes and a charming smile.

9. Margaret Mahler

Margaret Mahler is known for working with troubled children and attempting to heal their emotional afflictions with psychoanalysis. She published an extensive number of works dealing with child psychology and the cognitive development of infants. Mahler also possessed a sophisticated kind of beauty.

10. Philip Zimbardo

One of the few contemporary psychologists to make the list, Philip Zimbardo is tall, dark, and handsome, even at the age of 79. In the 1970s, Zimbardo’s controversial study of prisoners and prison guards illustrated the deleterious effects of prison on the human psyche and is often cited and discussed in academic communities. Philip Zimbardo is currently a professor of social psychology at Palo Alto University, and a post-emeritus professor of psychology at Stanford. We can assume that at least a few undergrads have had crushes on him during his tenure as a professor.

Each of the people on the list above should primarily be remembered for his or her contributions to psychology. However, there’s no harm in daydreaming about any of these psychologists when the mood strikes.

Casey Wheeler is a blogger and freelance writer for psychology news and education sites, including onlinepsychologydegree.net. When she’s not writing and researching psychology, Casey likes to spend time with her twins and go camping. Please leave your comments and questions for Casey below!

Life Instructions (Wordless Wednesday)

Shhhh… It’s Wordless Wednesday. Just follow the instructions below and you’ll make it through the day.