Believe it or not, answering the question, ‘are you happy?’ or even ‘what makes you happy?’ is very difficult for most people. When you spend time with those questions, other questions seem to crop up that get in the way. Usually, it’s questions like, ‘why aren’t I happy’ or esoteric internal psychological inquiries like ‘what IS happiness?’. Here are the five ways I find to best determine your happiness level AND I believe it is a good barometer to help you know what to do to avoid prolonging unhappiness and even depression.
#005: 13 Things I Learned From 13 Years with Sunny
I admit that this post is mostly for me. Call it therapy… grieving or whatever you like but sometimes painful things feel less painful when you address them head on. That’s my experience anyway. If you have never had a dog in your life for an extended period of time, or you are not a dog lover, this post may seem silly but that’s okay. As I said, this one is mostly for me. Today, we said goodbye to Sunny, our dog of 13 years. I thought it may help to ease the situation for me to reflect on the things I learned over that period of time and perhaps you can relate. 
#004: How To Convert Fear Into Faith To Achieve Positive Results
Let’s face it. We have all had it. Perhaps it’s a conversation that needs to happen with a friend… Maybe it’s an audition, try-out, or job interview… it could be more serious, like a dreaded Doctor’s appointment or a public speaking engagement. Whatever the situation FEAR grabs you by the back of your neck. We know deep down that fear is our enemy. Left unchecked, it always produces negative results. So HOW DO WE CONTROL IT? Is there even a way to do so? I believe that you can convert fear into faith and always achieve a positive result. HOW? See these seven steps:
#003: The Complexity of Simplicity
Over the past few years, I have felt an urgency to simplify my life. I’ve talked to many others who feel that same pull. It’s amazing to me how many devices we have purchased to make life simpler while at the same time piling more on our plate. It’s no secret that lots of things have been simplified by the computer. In my own experience alone, using Excel for spreadsheets versus hand writing actually simplifies by saving lots of man hours. The complexity comes from having literally hundreds of spreadsheets, as a result of the simplification. Certainly, having a portable phone would simplify our lives… unless we become glued to it. The statistics for addiction rates to cell phone usage are staggering.
#002: Window Cleaner or Pointer — Which Do YOU Want To Be?
I was talking with my father earlier this week to get some of the details on the story I am about to share. Unfortunately, he didn’t remember telling me the story but it is one that had a profound impact on me as a child. It’s pretty funny but it also has a deeper meaning and it’s one of those things that caused me to want to make a decision. “Window Cleaner or Pointer?”
Here’s the story:
Back in the days of the depression, my grandfather, Albert Halford worked at a gas station. Back then
#001: The 3 Reasons I Began Blogging:
I have decided to begin blogging my posts rather than merely rely on Facebook for a place to record my observations and elicit conversations. On the chance that it leaves some of my friends and family scratching their heads, I want to give some explanation.
Here are the top three reasons I have decided to begin a Blog:
1. Anything I see on Facebook that is more than a few words generally has me going in another direction, while I have been known to spend hours reading the posts of Bloggers whom I appreciate and enjoy. Facebook is just not the place for extended copy. So, if I blog something and it is intriguing to you or you would like to share it, I would be thrilled, but I do not expect anyone to read a long post on Facebook. I will still comment and post short bits on Facebook and invite folks to my weekly posts but I will keep the lengthier posts on this Blog.
2. I can remark about posts that I have found either disturbing or offensive, without attacking the person or persons who have created or shared the post. By expressing my perspective