Oh Happy Day!

Happiness.

  It is written in our hearts.  We long for it, we commonly work towards it, and we ask ourselves and each other, “Are you happy?”, “How can you be happier?”. We live in a fast paced world that is “going, going, going”, with many of us believing that the more we accomplish, and the more we have, the happier we are going to be.

And yet, as David Steindl-Rast states in this TED talk, “many people would say, oh it’s easy; if you are happy, you are grateful.” But, he asks us to think again.

“Is it really the happy people that are grateful? We all know quite a number of people who have everything it would take to be happy, but they are not happy…and we all know people who have lots of misfortune…and they are deeply happy, they radiate happiness. Why? Because they are grateful. It is not happiness that makes us grateful, it is gratefulness that makes us happy.”

This was profoundly striking to me, because I’ve found it deeply applicable to my reality, as I know it must be to many who hear his talk. Ultimately he conveys the message that “the more grateful people there are, the more we will have a joyful world.” How simple, how obvious, and yet, how profound. Gratitude. It begets Happiness.

Thus this begs the question, what will it take for us to become more grateful? As your Dighu blogger, I’m compelled to be vulnerable and share something I’ve really discovered about myself recently. I feel that it goes hand-in-hand with his point, and is truly invaluable if we want to be more grateful, and thus more happy. 

Comparison. I compare myself to others too much.

While it is absolutely important for us to admire and learn from the example of the heroic, kind, and good souls around us, I’ve found that more than anything, comparing ourselves and our situation to others can absolutely poison our gratitude and thus our happiness. Often it leads to jealousy, which is truly the opposite of gratitude. One can have a life filled with the most beautiful gifts, but as soon as we begin to insecurely dwell on what others have (or appear to have), and what we don’t, an unfulfilled and unhappy life will be waiting around the bend for us.

As I’ve begun to really discover how much I compare myself to others, I’m beginning to notice when I’m doing it, and in turn, try to banish these thoughts. I’d invite you to join me if you’d like. :D If you find yourself comparing your reality to others and falling into an ungrateful mindset, I would encourage you to introduce an antidote or “elixir” as we like to call it here at Dighu, by countering one negative comparison with a thought or expression of gratitude. As a very silly example, I confess that I have found myself thinking bitterly, “Oh, those people are so lucky to have a washing machine and a dryer in their apartment when I have to walk a ways to the washing machine, and then hang all of our clothes to dry on a clothes line. ” If I were to catch myself thinking that, I could counter it with the thought, “But we live just up the hill from one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in Grenada, while most other people have to drive to get to this beach. I’m so lucky that I can go jump into the beautiful clear ocean any time I want.” 

See. I’m already feeling happier thinking about that.

:D

Give it a try, it really works!! Maybe in time it will even become a habit. At least, I certainly hope it will!

I hope you all have a grateful and happy Friday! 

Be Human, Be GRATEFUL, Be Kind, Be HAPPY

The Path to Forgiveness + Happiness =Taking (YOU)rself Out of Equation

We are thrilled to introduce guest blogger Elizabeth! She is currently entering her second year of an undergraduate degree in art, and days away from embarking on a semester abroad in Rome. Thank you for your perspective and wisdom Elizabeth! :D

A tremendous struggle in the discovery process of our own humanity is discovering our place in humanity.

Sound complicated? Allow me to rephrase. The individual’s human struggle to discover his or her role in society poses a huge difficulty.

By drawing both denotations of the word humanity together in the same sentence, one can juxtapose the linguistic beauty of the dualistic role of humanity in its singular form as “the condition of human nature” and as a collective noun as “the human race.” The linguistic complexity of the word humanity is appropriate in light of the beautiful complexity of the human discovery process.

As a young child, it seems that grownups have it all figured out. I smile at as I look back upon my own naivety, for as I’ve become a young adult I find that all these adults, who had perceivably a sense of control, are no different: We all seem to be grappling with our own humanity, regardless of age.  Ironically enough, as we grow we learn that our place in humanity lies in altruism, the property of forgetting about oneself for the well-being of others.

 Just recently in a conversation with Genevieve Kineke, an author and expert on the subject of forgiveness, she reflected back to one of the most difficult realizations of her life. She explained that in order to attain freedom, “You have to take yourself out of the equation.” Let’s parse this phrase in relation to our understanding of both meanings of humanity.

 For the individual: The path to forgiveness begins with the foundational understanding that human outward behavior is a response to wounds from suffering. Realizing that others’ propensity to wound has nothing to do with YOU, creates a new mentality towards the actions of others. To forgive is a form of selflessness. One might say, ‘you need to get out of your own head,’ and let go of that pride that allows you to feel entitled to being treated righteously. However, forgiveness is so beneficial to YOU – you’ll find that you’re no longer weighed down by the hurtful actions of others and that through incorporating this selflessness, you will find that your capacity to love grows with your ability to forgive.

In turn, your realization of an aptitude to forgive and to love becomes beneficial in spreading positive energy throughout humanity as a whole!

 Your homework: Seek to remember your ability to let go of those hurts by taking yourself out of the equation and LOVE! Have a beautiful day! 

  :D

  “If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens. At this point, your own problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big increase in peace of mind. So, if you think only of yourself, only your own happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more fear.”

― Dalai Lama XIV, The Wisdom of Forgiveness

Happiness is Contagious :D

We are excited to introduce guest blogger Eve! She is currently completing her last year of an undergraduate degree in psychology. It is so awesome to have your perspective here, Eve….WELCOME!

She writes….

Have you ever found your mood lifted after an act of kindness? Do you find the happiness of kind individuals both inspiring and even contagious? So evidently, does the rest of the world!

Humans are hard wired for kindness, and not only does this inherent goodness give joy to those around us, but it also improves our own health, happiness, and well-being.

A recent study revealed that preteens have higher self-esteem and happiness when engaging in acts of kindness. Likewise, a York University study found that a sample of individuals, most initially labeling themselves as “depressed” saw an exponential increase in their happiness and well-being when they completed small acts of kindness. Months after the study was completed, many participants continued their acts of kindness and reported a prolonged increase of happiness.

This goes to show the uplifting nature of an act of kindness and love! How beautifully the human spirit is designed, to find the greatest happiness in moments of selflessness! It may at first be tempting to perform acts of kindness in order to attain self-satisfaction, or in other words, to feel better about ourselves, but there is no denying that true kindness focuses on other rather than self and consequently, finds joy in the happiness of others.

As 2013 takes off to a rapid start, the world has been given an incredible example of the happiness experienced in selfless kindness through the character of Jean Valjean, the protagonist in the classic novel and new blockbuster film, Les Miserables.
In this quote from the novel, author Victor Hugo captures the essence of happiness when he writes:

“To be perfectly happy it does not suffice to possess happiness, it is necessary to have deserved it…You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness.”

So, get out there and spread some kindness and happiness around! Never forget, BeHuman BeKind!

DO Gratitude

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
― G.K. Chesterton

It is, according to the blogosphere, gratitude month! I suppose if we were as close to perfect as we’d all like to be, every day would be an opportunity for deep gratitude. However, I at least can speak for myself when I say that….I am not! Thus, I appreciate this little opportunity to refresh my perspective.

Saying thank-you doesn’t take much. It’s straightforward to write on someone’s wall or “tweet” a little bit of appreciation. It is harder to transform that sentiment into action…to allow those feelings of wonder to become happiness around us, in ourselves and others. It seems, though, that if we allow gratitude to be experienced as wonder and transformed into action it becomes a HAPPIER WORLD!

We won’t always write about the mission of Dighu, but while we are counting down to launch we will let you know, little by little, what we are all about. Dighu is about changing good feelings into good action. The digital realm is not going away, so why not humanize it? That is why we are called Digital Humanity. We are all about harnessing the energy of our digital revolution and converting that energy into positive action in a small or big way.

I challenge YOU to take a quiet moment and experience thankfulness. Let your heart feel happy, but then don’t stop there. Express, in how you live your day, gratitude to those around you through your actions towards them. Spread the joy.

Oh, and if you have a second hop on over to our facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/dighu?ref=hl and “like” us so that we can share the love.

Is there someone or something in your life that you want to be more grateful for?

:D Emily