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I think exactly the same, but it is very hard to achieve this "sense of purpose", I was searching some information about it and found some great articles, you may check it below, my favourite one is "Money vs Hapiness" https://studyhippo.com/essay-examples/happiness/

Gross Domestic Happiness - where did it come from I was reading some of the forum posts under the Happiness topic and thought what can I contribute to members and I was reminded of an encounter I had in 2009 at the Travellers Club in London. I had been recruited by a large Global Advertising Agency that was in financial rankings one of the Top 5 in the world. It had grown largely out of pan-European acquisitions. Unlike it's competitors at the top it's characteristics were less defined. Nothing especially unique about what the business stood for had emerged as a point of difference within the group other than being broadly very good and successful in and of itself and on behalf of its clients. After some big shake ups at board level, such as its long standing French CEO being axed in a shareholder coup, that had planned and plucked a young British Executive Director who had recently won the single most lucrative full service accounts from the biggest consumer goods corporations in the world would now be tasked and steered to change the reputation of the company. He had the blessings of the majority shareholder who had seized control at the board known for his aggressive raider approach. They had the power but they also faced an uphill march. The trouble with a young former Executive Director is that outside of his stellar performance in New Business, journalists and PR decision makers had never heard of him, he had no track record for leading a Global Company. When you Googled his name the first search results yielded a retailers in Australia, former professional Rugby Players, Textiles companies and a myriad of Welsh males who may or may not be connected to our boss. Where I am in England the name John Smith was for years assumed to be the most ubiquitous name you could have been given at birth, our man was about the second most common name you could have so we had work to do on the substance. What you could attribute to him after 6 months in the post was the entire output of the London and NY PR agencies the group held and this soon stretched to Asia and Australia but it took 3 years to build the new bosses public profile to the point where it had enough traction and people began calling us for his interviews and a world became receptive to hearing his philosophy of the challenges facing his sector and his group of companies opportunities in the present marketplace as it was then. His youth did become his advantage. This is where he did have a significant edge. Social media like Facebook was by todays standards still in its early days. it had not floated as a public company, it did not have its weight and revenues that it sees today and frankly most people were still figuring out its purpose other than being an address book of friends you could share videos and comments with in real time. Brands were not advertising on them as they do today and it was not even a marketplace where its users could trade goods or sell tickets to events. We are going back a bit. The world was in a real mess, the Global Financial Crisis was only one year behind us. World leaders would soon see the Arab Spring, everything it seems that was once a stable pillar of human Civilisation had deep fissure cracks about their foundations from Politics and its practices with the Estate of media, to the Role and activities of Global Business, to the food system, health, religion, education, human rights. We had many concerned faces and many important questions, what the world lacked it appeared to many, at the time was sufficiently skilled leaders to navigate the world into a sustainable future, a world that felt more secure about its prospects than less. Corporations with activities that harmed their reputations from environmental pollutions, human rights abuses, low pay, underage work forces, were increasingly getting caught in exposing situations where they would be advertising it's green credentials on TV's and billboards, and yet when an oil pipeline ruptured in the Gulf of Mexico and it tried to set up a twitter account to act as a means of broadcasting news updates, by which I mean very heavily censored news updates. Another twitter user called Leroy Stick set up a dopple-ganger handle that matched the look and tone of the official PR mouth piece and each tweet he put out lampooning as the PR team behind the big oil company was hilarious satire that exposed what most considered true of the companies actual ethical standards and the actual PR handle fighting a losing battle of trying to prove his satire false. No if you were the boss of a major corporation the phrase 'you are not in Kansas anymore' would seem true. The idea was to look at the worlds big conferences where we all look for driving strategies to emerge from and analyse the gap between the internal reality that they actually achieved and the external perception of their policies and efforts in communities and countries. It was pretty clear much like the slow progress on human rights, anti-corruption, escalated armed conflicts etc etc that when it came to the world leaders being effective on behalf of the world, by and large the worlds citizens had begun to doubt in the capabilities. What do you do, how can you help bring about positive changes faster, how do we open up the major challenges facing the world today and encourage universal action to mitigate the threats people face and support examples of progress is being made that resolves human activity that is causing harm. The concept was to flip the model of the G7, G8, World Economic Forum. And ask if the worlds elites can't leverage their influence and financial might positive change what if we brought together the best and most inspiring young leaders who are just emerging in enterprises contributing and enhancing life in their communities, disrupting old business models that cuts out the waste, have social policies that pledge to act and stand for activities that nurtures progress and purpose and ask them what decisions need to be taken today to address the challenges they will undoubtedly face 15-20 years down the line. The concept would fly that we were certain of but it too had no track record and of course it was a brainchild on paper only those in the office tasked with getting it off the ground were the only ones who actually knew about it. My job was to bring in and reach out to the thousands of applicants that we hoped would want to attend. That is not too difficult I hear you say. We aimed from the very start to have a representing delegate aged approx 25 who stood out for their achievements from every single country in the world. The first thing I bought for my desk was a Debrett's guide to Social etiquette and built a database of all of the foreign embassies in London. The benefit of having been an Imperial Empire London houses an Embassy for literally every country pretty much that is recognised by the United Nations. From summer of 2009 and spring 2010 I almost visited them all. I shared tea and tears with the Ambassador of Afghanistan who was personally desperately concerned as he and his wife's children were all daughters and he was acutely aware how the education of women was essential to liberating their lives but also boosting the social and economic prospects of his nation. I visited a very ordinary residence on a regular suburban ring road and sat with the Ambassador for North Korea, never for a moment imagining before meeting him that he regarded the inevitable outcome for Korea would be reunification, as he told me this I looked about the drawing room we were in,supposing cameras and microphones would be relaying our talk back to PyongYang. The gentleman I met over tea and crumpets with at the Travellers club building on Pall Mall in London was the Honoury Consul for the Kingdom of Bhutan, a British Man who lived way outside of London so we agreed to meet here which is where he met many of the people here with various national interests with the Kingdom of Bhutan. During our conversation I asked him to tell me about Bhutan's Gross Domestic Happiness, by know it had appeared across the business and social interest media and other countries had since published their Happiness audit results and a pipelines of new ones underway. I was curious and wanted to know how they went about assessing it, why and what happens when they see the figures what is the strategy to improve the levels of Gross Domestic Happiness. The Honorary Consul leaned towards me from large dark Chesterfield armchair embracing him towards mine glanced left then right to see if anyone was eves-dropping and said to me in a quiet voice "Now here's the thing about Gross Domestic Happiness". Bhutan is not by global standards a very wealthy country, it is largely agricultural and very mountainous so it has geographical constraints. But it has a rising economic power as its neighbour in India . India has increasing needs to generate electric power and Bhutan secured substantial investments in return for Indian infrastructure an it's power companies to be granted high altitude water deposits and rivers to be dammed and enormous hydro-electric dams built to serve India's surging demand for electricity. This kind of infrastructure takes a long time to build and there were setbacks and delays due to difficulties with bureaucracy on both sides, logistical blunders and one thing or another and the investment support on India's side was becoming increasingly impatient and hostile towards Bhutanese representatives at AGM's and the like where arguments became quite common and on both side tensions were being expressed. At one important news briefing the King of Bhutan was in attendance and naturally he gave an address to the cameras and reporters following developments. A journalist from the Economic Times of India raise his arm as soon as the King had finished speaking. He asked the King of Bhutan how the countries finance ministers were aligning its fiscal policies so that Bhutan would not is a year or two's time begin defaulting on the loans and repayments it had agreed in advance with Indian investors. In short his question was "How are you going to boost GDP your Royal Highness" to which the King looked at the journalist who asked him to respond. Looked down at his notes and stepped out in front of his podium and replied "Young man, I have no interest in Gross Domestic Production, I am interested in Bhutan's Gross Domestic Happiness" and soon after the briefing wrapped up. Perplexed the audience discussed among themselves curious as to what the King had meant. Gross Domestic Happiness. Such a thing had never been heard of before. When the King rejoined his national delegation there were some anxious looking advisors keen to speak with him. "What did you go and say a thing like that for, now the whole room of journalists have requested that Bhutan releases to them the Gross Domestic Happiness report, and the trouble is Your Highness we have never conducted one" The king said to his advisors "Well you had better get on a find out how Happy the Kingdom actually is seeing as you have promised the people in that room that you would supply one." And today out of a Kings quick thinking is the report and its findings https://ophi.org.uk/policy/national-policy/gross-national-happiness-index/

Good morning everyone The best thing about this last weeks practice was being told I could choose to either sit or lie down at the beginning of the meditation I chose to lie down and did not fall asleep progress.. Im fairly comfortable with physical unpleasantness as I know my body is telling me something and it’s often the only invitation I take to slow down as I am usually super active and feel like I’m not doing enough when I’m not. I’m lucky to think of housework as good exercise and take that attitude into most movement, but when I have real pain, I give my self permission to stop. Saying that, the mind is tricky and can tell me, ‘You didn’t get enough sleep last night, you could do nothing today’, when doing nothing is not necessary. I try to find a good balance to honour my energy. The meditation on emotional pain was timely though. I’ve moved home to be closer to my 94 year old grandmother who lives alone and has done for 36 years so while she needs a hand with some things, she doesn’t really want me around full time and there’s a sense of not being needed or useful. I notice after I finish my breakfast in the sun which I enjoy so much, I immediately think, ‘Right, I should get up and do something’ and then I wonder why sitting enjoying the sun is not something? Having a sense of purpose and what the purpose needs to be is something I’m looking at at the moment. Coinciding with this week’s meditation was a visit from my aunt who comes to stay with my grandmother for a few days every few months and who tells me that she is the only one who can live with and care for my grandmother and I don’t need to think that I need to be here. Her words and actions have been a real challenge for me throughout my life and I’m really working on trying to understand what experiences have shaped her and made her the person she is today. As I write this I’m aware of tears forming behind my eyes, of a sense of tightness in my chest and I’m taking long, deep breaths. As I pause and look out the window at the gum trees and the backdrop of the vast blue sky I also know that I can choose to focus on something else and come back to working on compassion when I’m not feeling the emotions so strongly in my body. That said I will get of the internet and go outside into the garden. and the journey continues .......

Happy belated janmashtamy everyone.. Janmashtamy known as the birth of Lord krishna.. Krishna is the one of the reincarnation of Lord vishnu who came to the land for the main purpose of teaching the real love and second is for killing his evil uncle kamsa who had prisoned his sister and brother in law. It has believed that kamsa came to know that this sister's son will kill him so he used to kill all the babies which his sister gave birth and during the time of birth of Lord krishna ;the prisoned parents got the opportunity to hide him from the evil kamsa.. It has been saying that the doors has been opened and his father took him through the rain in rivers and snake God's acted as an umbrella .. Lord krishnas father replaced his child with his friends child.. When he came back he brought his friend child a girl. As usual kamsan came and tried to kill the baby she became the Goddess "Durga".. And told kamsa that his opponent has born and get ready for the death....

I do hope i have added this in correct area of the forum If Admin feel it is in wrong thread it is of course ok to move this thread Brief Introduction to Falun Dafa Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) is an advanced practice of Buddha school self-cultivation, founded by Mr. Li Hongzhi, the practice’s master. It is a discipline in which “assimilation to the highest qualities of the universe—Zhen, Shan, Ren (Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance)—is the foundation of practice. Practice is guided by these supreme qualities, and based on the very laws which underlie the development of the cosmos.” Master Li’s teachings are set forth in a number of texts, among which are included Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun, The Great Perfection Way of Falun Dafa, Essentials for Further Advancement, and Hong Yin (The Grand Verses). These and other works have been translated into over forty languages, and are published and distributed worldwide. The focus of Falun Dafa practice is the mind, with the cultivation of one’s mind and thoughts, or “Xinxing,” being singled out as the key to increasing Gong energy. The height of a person’s Gong is directly proportionate to that of his Xinxing. The concept of “Xinxing” encompasses the transformation of virtue (a white form of matter) and karma (a black form of matter). It also includes forbearance, discernment, and abandonment—that is, forsaking ordinary human desires and attachments, and managing to endure the most trying of ordeals. Much is encompassed by the concept. Falun Dafa also includes the cultivation of the body, which is accomplished by performing specific exercises. One purpose of the exercises is to strengthen the practitioner’s supernatural abilities and energy mechanisms by means of his or her powerful Gong force. Another purpose is to develop many living entities in the practitioner’s body. In advanced practice, the Immortal Infant will come into being and many abilities will be developed. The exercises of Falun Dafa are necessary for the transformation and cultivation of such things. A comprehensive mind-body cultivation system such as this requires both self-cultivation and physical exercises, with cultivation taking priority over exercises. A person’s Gong simply will not increase if he or she merely does exercises while failing to cultivate Xinxing. The exercises are thus a supplemental means to achieving spiritual perfection. Falun Dafa involves the cultivation of a Falun, or “law wheel.” The Falun is an intelligent, rotating entity composed of high-energy matter. The Falun that Master Li Hongzhi plants in a practitioner’s lower abdomen from other dimensions rotates constantly, twenty-four hours a day. (True cultivators can acquire a Falun by reading Master Li’s books, watching his 9-session lectures on video, listening to recordings of his 9-session lectures, or studying together with students of Falun Dafa.) The Falun helps practitioners to practice automatically. That is, the Falun refines the practitioner at all times, even though he or she isn’t performing the exercises at every moment. Of all practices made public in the world today, only Falun Dafa has managed to achieve a state in which, “the Fa refines the person.” The rotating Falun has the same qualities as the universe, and is the universe’s miniature. The Buddhist Falun, the Daoist Yin-Yang, and everything of the Ten-Directional World are reflected in the Falun. The Falun provides salvation to the practitioner when it rotates inward (clockwise), since it absorbs a great amount of energy from the universe and transforms it into Gong energy. The Falun provides salvation to others when rotating outward (counter-clockwise), for it releases energy that can save any being and rectify any abnormal condition. Being in the presence of someone who practices thus benefits a person. Falun Dafa “brings a person to a state of wisdom and harmonious existence. The movements of the practice are concise, as a great way is extremely simple and easy.” Falun Dafa is unique in eight ways: 1. A Falun is cultivated, rather than an energy elixir. 2. The Falun refines the person even when he or she is not doing the practice’s exercises. 3. One’s primary consciousness is cultivated, such that it is the person him or herself who obtains Gong energy. 4. Both mind and body are cultivated. 5. The practice consists of five exercises, which are simple and easy to learn. 6. The mind is not used to direct anything, there are no associated risks, and Gong energy increases quickly. 7. Location, time, and direction are not of concern when exercising, nor is how one concludes one’s exercise session. 8. Protection is provided by the master's Fashen, so one needn’t fear harm from malevolent entities. The teachings of Falun Dafa are thus completely unlike those of conventional practice methods or those that are based on the development of an internal elixir, or Dan. Falun Dafa practice begins at a high plane right from the outset, thus providing the most expedient, fast, ideal, and precious means of practice for those with a predestined connection or who have been practicing for years using other means but failed to develop Gong. When a practitioner’s Xinxing and the strength of his Gong reach a certain height, he or she can attain an imperishable, adamantine body while still in the secular world. A person can also achieve the “unlocking of Gong,” enlightenment, and ascension of the whole person to higher planes. Those with great determination should study this upright teaching, strive to achieve their ultimate rank, elevate their Xinxing, and forsake their attachments. Only then is spiritual perfection possible. May you cherish it—the Buddha Fa is right before you. Since I, Amanaki adding this info that come from the Falun Gong official site, this thread is not my own Words. and when questions is asked, it would be good if they are asked in a respectful manner, and letting me be able to answer Your question in a respectful manner back to you There are many rummors out there about Falun Gong, But if you want more true answer about this form of practice i would advie to read about Falun Gong or Falun dafa as it is also know as. on this two sites (hope it is ok to add website links here, if not Admin can remove the links) https://en.falundafa.org/index.html https://en.minghui.org/

Hello I’m new to happiness and I’m sure this is where I need to be to work on finding happiness. I’ve just within the last year or so been getting into the spiritual side of life. I’m trying to find out my life purpose and I feel like I’m just going in circles. I’m hoping to find some guidance in this group and learn as much as I can so maybe then I can figure out the path I should be on. I’m excited to be a part of this group!😁

Thanks both I'm at the beach at the moment with Charlie my Pitbull. Whole day ahead of me.....I just feel aimless.....no purpose.... which causes low mood.... although I enjoy company I prefer to be alone most of the time. I'm not very creative.there is a huge void in my life that I don't think anything will fill and that scares me....I don't know my concept of god anymore... I don't mean to be so negative I'm just being real and honest xx

You are happy when you feel the emotion of love. When you realize (or more accurately feel) that that is the case, it is as if your soul has reached home. Many people have said exactly this before, and some of us find this description too simple and insufficient. If you disagree with me, I would like you to perform an experiment. A good way of realizing the importance of love is to find out how life would be without any love whatsoever. Pretend that you live in a world where no-one is liked. You don’t even like yourself. What would make you happy in that world? Reflect upon this for a while. You maybe insist that you, after all, still will be able to enjoy the taste of a cake directly taken out from the oven, or enjoy things like good music or a beautiful sunset. After all, our bodies give our brains signals of sounds, pictures and sensations of taste. In order to better understand what this loveless world is like, you have to regard your mind as a radio receiver, with the ability to process several frequencies simultaneous. If your mind is set to only process signals of sensory input, but will discard any signal of love, you will of course still be able to hear the music, feel the taste and see the sunset. But your brain will not register any feeling of enjoyment, simply because you will filter out such signals (or frequencies, to go on with the radio metaphor). Well, it’s high time to change our point of view. Now, I wish you to add love to your imaginary world. Everybody in this world like each other, and everybody are united as one big family. Now, you probably realize how the cake will taste, how the music will sound and what it will feel like when the sunlight is fading out behind the trees. Later on, you will be guided through this experiment in a more direct and concrete way. But in order to prepare you, I will let you examine what love is, and make you understand the keys for enjoying such emotions. To put it simple, you choose if you like or dislike someone. That choice, of liking or disliking, is based on your opinions about how you should live your life. Your opinions about how you should live your life are in turn based upon your understanding of living. So whereas love in itself is a feeling, the reason for liking someone is based on understanding. You like someone because that person cares about someone. Consequently: the more someone cares, and the more people that person cares about, the more you are able to like that person. If you reflect upon this, you will understand that this is the case. If this seems to simple and insufficient, imagine this scenario: Your neighbour’s cat Missy has climbed up a tree, and cannot come back down. You are ill and feel really sick, so you can’t be of any help. However, you do your best, and make an emergency call. This emergency service lets robots do the work. These robots are accurately programmed to give their help the right way, taking into account how the patients seem to feel. Soon a robot named Tommy arrives. He gently brings Missy down to the ground. When the mission is over, he scratches Missy between her ears. She purrs in contentment. After all, Tommy is a machine. Well, he saved Missy’s life. But he doesn’t have any emotions, and he only did what he is programmed to do. It is you, who did what you could do (taking your illness into account), who deserve to be liked. This story shows that caring is the reason for love. Moreover, it shows how important it is to be aware of the emotions that lie behind a person’s behaviour. The more you understand someone (in other words, the better you know someone), the more you are able to like that person. I explain further: the more you know about how a person is feeling during different stages of life, the better you understand of how much caring there is in that person’s soul. And as I explained earlier, the more caring a person is, the more you are able to like her or him. Getting to know someone better, of course might give you insights that makes the love for that person decrease, or even fade out completely. But anyway, love that is based on false assumptions, isn’t real love after all. It is of course the case, that the more people you know, the more people you are able to like. Moreover, you may pay your attention to several things (in this case, persons) at the same time. Consequently: if more than two persons spend time together, it is possible to feel love/friendship for everyone in the group at one given moment. However, if you have lots of friends or a large social network, you might face difficulties achieving deep, meaningful social contacts. The important thing here is to feel what is right for you. The more people you care about, the more emotions of love you are able to enjoy. I explain this with a story: Claire is your best friend. You have empathy with her to such a degree, that you care as much about her as you care about yourself. One day, when you go for a walk in the woods, you suddenly get the sight of your friend from a distance. She tenderly looks at a deer that curiously looks back at her. At this moment, you don’t enjoy your own love. In this case, you enjoy Claire’s love for the deer. As you care as much about your friend as about yourself, it doesn’t matter that you aren’t involved. You are happy because Claire is happy – you are happy because you enjoy the love that she is feeling. However, to reverse the reasoning from before: if you have few friends, who you know very well, you might find yourself with a relatively small social network. But as I said before: the main thing is that your way of living feels right for you. The more you care in general, the more love you are able to enjoy. I will reconnect to your friendship with Claire. In this case, you are on your way to work. You are late, so you are in a hurry. On your way to work you get the sight of Claire, playing with her dog. Just by watching them, you realize their strong bond to each other. However, you don’t give this much attention. Instead, you worry about getting late for work. Love is an emotion – not a thought. You don’t have an experience of love when you think to yourself: I like Claire”. You have the experience of love when you feel how you like Claire, because she is the way she is. As I said before: That experience is an emotion – not a thought, that might be expressed with words or other symbols. Now, that you know more about love and about what makes you enjoying these emotions, it is time to put the pieces together. Now, you will perform the experiment that shows that love is the reason for happiness. But this time, you will perform the experiment in a more direct and tangible way. Do something that you normally enjoy: play music, and/or make yourself something nice to drink. While you listen to the music, sip on your drink, or whatever you feel like doing, you have to devote your attention to something that is completely meaningless. You might for instance spend your time counting the dust balls in the room. If you have cleaned so carefully that there aren’t any dust balls, you might try to figure out where the first dust balls will be vissible. You still have to listen to the music, and feel the taste of the drink. The purpose of this part of the experiment is to pay attention to your sensory input, while you are engaged in your meaningless activity. Now, take a break and just let go of your thoughts. If you like, you might wait until the next day. Now, it’s time for the second part of the experiment. Now, you have to do the same as before: turn on the same playlist as before, and have the same drink as last time. But this time, you will not count dust balls. Instead, choose someone that you like. Maybe it’s time to appreciate yourself for being the fantastic person that you really are. You also may choose a friend, a family member, a partner or a pet. Of course, you may choose several people. It is even possible to perform this part of the experiment with others. In this case, you have to agree upon a time for this part of the experiment, which ensures that all of you really know and feel that you are sharing this experience. While you listen to the music and feel the taste of the drink, pay as much attention as possible to the love that you feel for the person or persons that you have chosen. It might feel better to use words like friendship or devotion; that doesn’t matter, those words are after all words for some form of love. Let the emotion of love get stronger, by memorizing what this person has said and done, that makes you like him or her. And don’t forget to follow the flow of the music and to sip on your drink. Let the second part of the experiment last as long as the first part did. Then, it’s time to finish. Now, it is time to compare: How did it feel to do something that you like, while paying attention to something meaningless? How did it feel to do the same, while paying attention to love? In love and light, Pelle

Embracing our oneness with nature be key to our survival. The unity is the invisible Intelligence and is embedded in the rhythms and relationships that observed in nature, we are the work of this cosmic intelligence. What is good for the whole system? On Earth, to the web of life on the planet, what is good for the whole system is good for us all. However, what may be good for a few of us in the short term is not necessarily good for the whole system. Because a few can distort the dynamic, the structure of the whole, by biasing it to work for their immediate benefit, for greed, selfishness and vanity. So, let’s look at the whole system, let us act as if we are part of it—because we are. We are part of nature, and nature is part of the universe. This recognition is probably the deepest guidance we can have. AMAZON, alexis karpouzos official site The open Oneness doesn’t mean that we lose our individuality. The open Oneness means that we are joined together, each of us bringing something to the whole system, we are the whole system, we are all the others. This is what we need to understand; that we can, we must be, one with nature, without losing our individuality. We are not separate mechanical elements outside of nature. Every individual is a complex system running on the same information that orients all of nature. By following the intelligence implicit in the laws of nature we are not losing anything. We are gaining everything, because the secret of our health and wellbeing is to be one within ourselves, and to be one with others. Every event, every action impacts the whole system. If we know that, then we can freely choose to act as part of the whole. Every living system is alive and healthy when all its elements, every one of the trillions and trillions of cells, are working together with and for the whole system. If in the human body there is a group of cells that is out of step, moving on its own, if it just grows and multiplies on its own we have the condition of disease. Every disease is basically a condition where some parts of the body do not cooperate with, are not fully aligned with, the whole. All of us, all of the web of life on Earth, on Universe, must come together to form the symphony of oneness. That is the purpose of our existence. It is our contribution to the world. When we use our mind, our spirit, our consciousness the natural way, the way they were born to be used, we will find our way to oneness in our family and community, on Earth, and in the universe. Alexis karpouzos alexis karpouzos, iam the universe (1).ogg

If we make the purpose of our life to help others. I believe we can find the true meaning of life and true sense of our existence .Do you agree ? Link below discuss and provide the benefits of helping selflessly https://sites.google.com/view/secrettohappiness/home

Interesting topic! It is definitely important to start with defining 'meaning' and I agree with the close link to purpose too. Thank you for sharing ✨

Years ago I began to struggle with recurring depression. I read books, went to therapy, and tried many things to get myself out of it. Over time, I discovered that there were many things I could do to feel better, but I would often just forget (or not want to do them). So I made myself the "I don't feel good and want to feel better" checklist which I could refer to when I felt badly. I've never shared it before, but figure this might be a good place (sorry it's super long - I was going to attach it as a pdf, but couldn't attach pdfs here) The "I Don't Feel Good and Want to Feel Better" Checklist Oftentimes, when you don’t feel good, you have a hard time listening to the positive voice. As a result, you may be tempted to think that "something is wrong” - with your life, with your relationships, or maybe even with the world. Before jumping to the conclusion that you need to quit your job, abandon your partner, or go hide in a bunker, review this list to see if there’s something more internal that you can do first. * Have I had good posture recently? (TED talk Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are) * Has the rest of my physiology been positive? (facial expressions, type and quantity of movement) * Have I done anything that gets me moving in an excited / animated way? (dancing, a sport I like, etc) * If I’ve been doing anything that’s been negatively stressing myself, can I be a little kinder or more gentle to myself in some way? * Are there any things (responsibilities, etc) that I’ve been taking on myself that really aren’t mine (either because they’re unnecessary, impossible, or belong to someone else)? * Have I gotten enough sleep? (quality and quantity) * Have I eaten mostly healthy food recently? (lots of vegetables and low sugar) * Have I had enough water to drink? (impacts mood, fatigue, etc) * Have I exercised recently? (worked up a sweat, did some resistance training) * Do I have any physical pain or soreness that I need to handle? (foam rolling, other) * Have I been meditating regularly? (or doing a meditative activity) * Have I regularly been doing an intentional gratitude practice? * Have I been outside in the sun and fresh air? * Do I remember Why I want to be positive and have I pondered that regularly? (Simon Sinek - Start with Why) * Even if I am planning to leave or change my current situation, have I fully accepted the present moment exactly as it is? (Eckhart Tolle) * Have I been doing breathing exercises regularly (Wim Hoff)? * Have I chosen an exciting purpose or a goal that I’m moving toward? * Can I just consciously make the choice to be positive? * Have I been having fun and enjoying things without being too serious? (Listen to music, eat good food, etc) * Have I remembered that challenges are actually good in the long run, and therefore not allowed myself to get upset by things I perceive as making the world worse?

Hello everyone. My name is Navy and I just joined this community. I am a seeker of light, and all things spirituality. If anyone likes a good read, I would check out, “The Power of Now,” by Eckhart Tolle. its important to be present, and I can’t stress that enough. We are so stuck in our heads about the past and future. But all we have is now. If we aren’t creating the lives we keep envisioning for ourselves now, the future will always be just these thoughts without the actions of putting what we want into action now. Time is an illusion, and we are more powerful then this illusion. we must be mindful of our thoughts and actions. Enjoy the little things in the now. Look at what is around you. Focus on your senses, be full of gratitude. if anyone is interested in having deep conversations, wants someone to talk too, whether it’s just to vent, or for advice, or just to explore ideas back and forth, I am here for you all. stay mindful. Focus on your life path. Find yourself. You are not alone. We can do this together. Stay present, and always be the best version of yourself, for you should want to be the change you want to see in the world. You have a purpose. you are more than your thoughts. Let’s embrace our inner soul and manifest the life we desire. all love, Navy☮️

Yeah, forums seem a bit antique. ? Yet for the purpose of long and deep conversations they are probably still the best option. I remember that in forums and newsgroups I used to get much deeper into a topic than social media these days allows.

Dear Izzy, Thank you for reaching out! I do not know your circumstances what I know is that it's in general already really trying times, so focusing on unpleasant events is easily overwhelming. Usually journaling when going through hard times can be beneficial as you are processing what is going on and you get to create some distance between the event and yourself. How about writing the events of your bad week down as a way of acknowledging them? Then for the calendar picking something small amongst them. Something that you can feel, investigate and let go of easily. You could also choose a bodily sensation you had during the formal practice. Maybe it was a bit too cold, something was itching, or there was a little pain. Either way, my advice is to be gentle with yourself. You do not need to hold all the unpleasantness at the same time, just one small thing. The purpose is to investigate what happens inside us, with our thoughts, emotions and bodily sensation during and after an unpleasant event. This way, we learn to read ourselves better and with that knowledge get more freedom in choosing our response rather than being washed away by our auto pilot. To investigate and train this ability, it's easier to start with something small and manageable and by that building our ability which will then also support us during bigger challenges. Take your time. What do you recognize when you pay attention to just one thing?

So that link doesn't work and his site is about 5G or something. I think people check in to things without a purpose. We all have our "jerry maguire" moments. lol If you want happiness to STICK - you need only to pay attention to your experiences on a daily basis. Start there. It's not rocket science. We don't "attain" happiness. We live it.

Wow. First, let me say that reading the different responses is exhilarating. The differences of what "happiness" is - just shows how we are all so different. I'll break this down from my perspective. Dare I say, a good cup of coffee...such joy! Lol. A joyful moment with someone I love (and who shares that love for me) - both intimate, friendship love, human "love", and family love. Working toward a purpose-driven outcome. MY FAVORITE. Every single day is such a gift. No matter the circumstance or problems in life. My goodness, the opportunity that surrounds all of us is simply magnificent. We were BLESSED (not cursed) with the ability to share THOUGHTS and FEELINGS. They are the only 2 things that I am aware of other than the phenomenon of a SPIRITUAL nature that cannot be measured, broken down into atoms and cannot be seen, or touched physically in this world. Yet, most of us treat them with absolute indifference or just a general lack of acknowledgment. Happiness - to me - is NEVER an escape from reality. It is my OPPORTUNITY to dial it up whenever I desire. Fortunate for me - that's very much an often occurrence. By the way, I'm a "Recovering Human" who used to not tap into the TRUE HAPPY REALM as often as possible (if ever really). P.S. If COVID19 has you down, no matter the circumstances, think of it this way: Would it be better to whine about it and wallow in despair (about anything) or face it, rise above it, and conquer it (even if death be the result)? If you did, well then I'd say you had a pretty damn good day. Thanks for letting me share.

happiness for me means to be in the flow, connected with myself and others, feeling a sense of purpose.

ME : If I am determined to seek the truth.. am I stubborn. GOD : being stubborn is good at times when u want to reveal something or doing it without harming any one. ME : God how can i see you and feel you GOD : You have already felt me and seen me that's why we both interacting. me : God how to find my real strengthGod: real strength is within you and more you realize the purpose of pains in life .. more you will have the real strength.

Life is extremely hard to understand... were did we come from, what started, the big bag, why would God make us and put a forbidden tree in our mist...how can God be good if he allows bad things to happen...how can God be good if were predestined.... I have to tell you the list Goes on... I was raised to follow God....I have known he's real for a long time... honestly I think everyone deep down knows he exist... Though there are alot of question welling up in not only those who choose to deny his existence because they can't understand how he is Loving with all this terrible stuff going on around us... and who can bear believing in a God that is not Love.... Well i have, and i can honestly that God i am here now because I've attempted suicide a few times... but you know why i stopped because deep down i knew God cared or because God gave me the desire to not hurt others by ending my life. Why i was so hopeless is because i thought that God would not forgive me of my sins after being baptised... Also because of predestination and God knowing everything. Well i dont have all the answers it truly is a matter of faith trusting in something you can't see and possibly dont understand and praying.... I have been learning that God who created us in his image and breath his breath of life in us... is alot more like us. I've also learned the hard way that the devil can take Gods word and twist it around to confuse you and take away nearly all if not all your confidence and faith. Reading the bible can be dangerous if you dont take in the full message front to back meaning other areas you've read... and if you dont pray about what your reading... now there is a reason we are not to lean on our own understanding... my husband suggested to me if i dont understand something the word says and it is bothering me to pray, take whats good, and give it time. Also think on things of good report Philippians 4:8. God helped me to memorize that i asked him to I've never been good at rendering scripture. Some things I've learned and believe about God... 1. God has felt sorry for making us and has grieved his feeling that way. Genise 6:6 If you have ever felt sorry for bringing a kid into this world, and also felt bad for thinking of them not existing... you can relate. God is our Father... 2. God made us for company.... just like we get lonely he does... he wants a relationship with you. 3. Also God gave us free will... so we could willing have a relationship with him.. Think its no fun forcing someone to be with you... you want them to want to be with you. It says if you keep my commandments you love me... When we are falling in Love we often do things to please the other person. When you where a kid did you ever do something your mom or dad asked you to before because you knew it would make them happy. 4. God gets jealous like us... read Exodus 20... i am a Jealous God. 5... this one i am still unraveling with Gods help I've read of about God repenting for thinking to deal wrongly with mankind. 6. God is slow to anger so God can feel angery too.. but he is mercifully So be merciful in how you view God he has far more control over his emotions then you can imagine.. i am glad he truly understands what we go through and ive also read somewhere he would have no one perish... also he has given us a spirt not of fear but of power and a sound mind. God truly is Love choosing to do what is right. When reading Hebrews i was derail from hope and failed to finish God say i will never leave you or forsake you... I found Hebrews warns about faith... never get so down that you fail to trust that God will forgive you your sin and then get yourself trapped believing well it does not matter i allready going hell then continue in sin and dark believing that God hates you nothing can separate us from Gods Love. He hates sin not the sinner. So what question do you have about God? Pray about ask and you'll receive seek and you will find in Gods time. And dont give up on living because your lost in the question God made you and the plans he has for you are God. Your purpose in life is to be Love and Love

Spreading and stretching my colorful wings, forethought's of mounting tempered skies it brings. The wind in my face lifting me into the stream, with a few powered moves gliding with the warm beam. Height in spectrum of little matter and prolong vision, sensing moves by freedom of subtle decision. Imprints of bodies from without, that discern and seeing all about. Invisible evolution by progress at will, into purity of live precedes the calling still. Stirring the power of mind when light strikes the eye, spirits of the matter to motions attract the eternal sky. Where all the waters of purpose unite and rest, taken the constant change of maturity to test. That concord governs all the elements, in which all order sustains and protect outcome events. The rising comes by season again with haste, the calling for the home as the tired mind has its taste. Bringing the wandering thoughts that what it seeks, the living treasure within by truth as seeds. Framing the laws in captured providence, making the heart of compassion all sense immense. All things rejoices when this is retrieved, taken forward what is already received.

Life After Death After death every soul who comes toward the Light when they leave the body is welcomed with Unconditional Love. After death each soul goes through a review, like a holographic experience, in which they experience the feelings of those who came in contact with them - the ones who felt love and the ones who were hurt, and they will feel those feelings exactly as the other people felt them, in real time. This teaches a profound lesson in empathy, compassion, understanding and forgiveness and so on. The soul, set free of the bounds of a constricting material container, is able to expand as it rises gently toward the Light, which is the Light of Unconditional Love, generated and sustained, with the help of our Legions of Angels and Master Guides, for the purpose of welcoming and enveloping the Homecoming soul. Each soul is welcomed, as the prodigal son was welcomed in the Bible story, regardless of the quality of the life lived. Every one of God's Precious Creations is welcomed with celebration and joy. After a period of rest, as needed depending upon the circumstances surrounding the departure from the body, the individual soul will go through a process of review which encompasses all the events and emotional connections which were made during the past life, under the mentorship of a highly evolved Guide. This process includes a reversal of roles, in real time, so that the soul may experience the feelings and thoughts of all the others who came in contact with him/her in any important way. S/he will feel all the disappointment, pain, anguish and anger which resulted from his/her own actions, as well as the actions of Love and community, compassion and forgiveness which led others to positive turns in their paths. The process of reviewing and feeling the darkness one has caused leaves the soul with greater understanding of the effect of dark actions on others, and inspires deeper empathy, compassion ad forgiveness. It also encourages the attitude of taking responsibility for one's actions, which tends to carry forward into subsequent lives. You can see now why the experience of living many lives, in many different circumstances and historical periods, would tend to hone a soul of greater integrity, depth and virtue. The optimal soul path is one which carries the person along a trajectory toward greater and greater challenges, by living lives of greater degrees of difficulty as the soul grows in stature and confidence. "If it doesn't kill you (or even if it does) it will probably make you stronger" From Spirit's perspective, "death" is just a familiar transition from one plane to another, characterized by great learning and evolution of the soul - a thing to be celebrated. Of course, there are sometimes occasions where an ambitious soul takes on more than s/he can bear, or unforeseen shifts in the trajectory of a life may bring devastating hardship. Because of our free will contract, nothing is absolutely predetermined, although possibilities can often be seen in advance of an event. Therefore, a lifetime on Gaia has always held a sense of mystery, anticipation and great excitement for the brave souls who venture here. There is nearly unlimited variety in the possible choice of experiences - rich or poor, male or female, black, white, yellow or red - all options are encouraged as the soul works their way along the Ascension path through hundreds, even thousands of lifetimes. Many of those souls who were born in the early days of Planet Earth are now working their way up the Ascension ladder to positions of responsibility as Ascended Masters in the higher realms of the 7th through the 13th dimension. Although inexperienced souls do not have access to the higher realms because the frequencies there would not be tolerable for them, souls from higher dimensions can descend to be of service to those who follow, as they most often do in some form. God, Holy Spirit, Ascended Masters, Spirit Guides, Angels and Archangels of the high realms oversee with compassion and deepest love as their dear children struggle through enormous challenges which test their valor, their integrity and their capacity for Love and Forgiveness. Some lifetimes may be more successful in one area or another, but all are fodder for learning and advancement, and all are looked upon with the utmost respect, because those in Spirit Realm are well aware of the inherent level of difficulty which is inevitable in a life on Gaia in 3D, where even the privileged and well-loved individuals encounter difficulties. The goal of this process is to elevate yourselves to higher expressions of Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, Gratitude and Empathy, nothing else. In terms of soul evolution, it matters not at all whether you achieve great wealth or fame. Money, awards and accolades may make the journey more pleasant for a time, but they are not a measure of soul value or progress at all, in spite of the way you have pursued those things in your Western cultures above all else. These pursuits are unfortunate distractions, except in rare circumstances where the individual uses their position of wealth and fame to lift others from despair, poverty, and injustice. As you can probably discern from this description, the process of soul evolution is largely reviewed and understood at the end of a life, in the Bardo, that place in the 4th dimension where planning and evaluation has taken place in the past. From there, souls have had the option to pursue training, teaching and learning in progressively higher realms, with or without further sojourns to "Boot Camp" on Gaia. However, it is understood throughout the Multiverse that soul-training on Gaia is the most perfectly-tailored testing ground to develop the higher frequency Light-filled qualities of Love and other virtues, which are considered the God qualities. Consider yourselves courageous, no matter how bogged down and confused you might be feeling at present. Please ponder this carefully and pass it on to your family members and acquaintances. Many will find this information enlightening, since it has been largely unavailable to those who are still in a body. Thank you for reading, God Bless You, Enjoy the ride, Love & Light, Namaste, OM Ω

Some less personal things I shared in PM with another friend: As to labels, I am a mental health counselor, and talk with patients about their diagnoses. Some feel that they are labels or self-fulfilling prophecies, but I explain that the purpose is to help doctors and counselors to understand what is going on with a person and know how to treat them. I wish there were a word for what I am that would help me and others understand with no underlying implications. No judgement to anyone else, but for me "assigned male at birth" implies that I'm upset in some way that my body is male. I understand that some people are upset about their body's gender, but I am not. I am happily married to a woman, and we have wonderful children. I love the fact that my body and the gender to which I am attracted can make children together. I am jealous of my wife, however, for having been so close to our children that they were INSIDE her for 9 months each. I had a relationship with my mother which was too close called "codependent", but my relationship with my father remains distant no matter how much we talk or honestly try to relate. I am very afraid of this happening between my children and me, but perhaps my body has nothing to do with it.

I had to look it up.. I would say mostly with friends.. or researching others "less fortunate" and becoming inspired by them.. or through learning, for example SI coaching program and fellow students.. and falling back on my "higher purpose" intentions... solace /ˈsɒlɪs/ Learn to pronounce noun comfort or consolation in a time of great distress or sadness. "she sought solace in her religion"

I have been involved in an occasional meditation group who meet in a local venue and send healing around the planet. When we did the first one I had a sense of others doing the same at the same time. It turned out later that someone in our group is Scotland mentioned it later to a friend abroad and they had also had a meditation session,for the same purpose, at the same moment. I suppose you can say that's co-incidence...but I dont think I really believe in co-incidence