Category: Inspiration

7 Things Happy People Do – They Are Grateful for What They’ve Got (Part 7 of 7)

Published on by Janet6 Comments

If gratitude makes you yawn then come with me :- )

If you want to get excited about life,  gratitude is your key. Let’s go deeper.

This is part 7 of a 7-part series: Things Happy People Do.

Today is Key #7

…possibly the most powerful of all.

3 Simple Steps to Get Excited About Life – see later in this article.

Key #7:

Happy People Are Grateful for What They’ve Got

Whatever You Focus on Becomes Greater

Focus on what you “don’t have” and you make a huge HOLE in your life.

Focus on what you “do have” and you get even more of that… and then more fabulous stuff gets heaped on top.

It has to do with flow. “Don’t have” blocks the flow, “I love what I already have” keeps it going.

Gratitude has a magical way of moving you deeper into the fabulous. (note: striving for magnificent goals is a focus on becoming greater and not on obstacles. An important but different piece of this puzzle.)

Once you’ve got the gratitude habit, trust me your list grows… it becomes infinite.

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”

Earl Nightingale (Motivational speaker – on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. 1921 – 1989)

When did you last acknowledge that you can walk or see or hear? Hoping of course you can do all three.

Seldom do we contemplate these monumental blessings. Just ask someone who can’t. Don’t let these blessings fade into the background.

Is Your Happiness Part of the Background?

The reason gratitude is a challenge is this background thing. Beauty is in the detail. Those smallest aspects of life are overlooked yet so vital to our enjoyment of life.

Stay with me. Let’s take another one of our precious senses.

TASTE – one of my favorite “background beauties”.

A friend of mine lost her sense of taste, and she’s often on my mind because of this. It had never occurred to me not to taste a juicy, sweet orange, my favorite chocolate… luscious and delectable or my rich full-bodied red wine.

Hard to imagine. Taste is underestimated.

And this: Do you value your husband, wife, partner in your life? If so, appreciate them every day. I mean really hone in on it every day. Make each day count. You wouldn’t want to wish you had, once they’re gone.

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

Frederick Keonig (German inventor best known for his high-speed printing press. 1774 – 1833)

I’m Happy… I’m Big on Gratitude

Every day I focus on gratitude before I focus on my goals. I contemplate and acknowledge how fortunate I am. I’m also fortunate to have written a book I’m proud of, one that is getting magnificent reviews, and awards. It gives me more opportunity to live and write about my passion – sharing with others how to be excited about life. And connect with so many inspiring people across the world.

My gratitude attitude has moved me into a life I love.

Take Yourself into a Life You Love

We live in an age of incredible opportunity. A formal qualification is not a requirement to get what you want. Please remember that. The question is “Do you want to?” and “Are you willing to put in a little effort to get what you want?” There is a lot of hardship in the world, but opportunities abound for all who are interested and willing.

How Does Gratitude Help You?

Appreciation makes you euphorically happy. As a child I loved pencil crayons, my favorite being the Colleen brand of crayons but crayons were expensive then and not freely handed out as they are now.

When I eventually received my own set of Colleen pencil crayons at about age 10, I was beyond delighted. Ecstatic! Not only did I relish the feel of coloring with them, I also carefully sharpened them and ordered them according to color. (trying to get order into my life perhaps : -) You’ve no idea my joy at seeing this picture. I’m thrilled to say the packaging is still the same !

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”

 Aesop (A Greek writer credited with a number of fables – Aesop’s Fables)

Rarely do I see a child (in a Western country) go ape over crayons today or even enjoy sharpening and arranging them. A little sad for our kids. Things have changed quickly. We must evolve but not go south. Even more concerning is that the replacement toy – video games – doesn’t give any kind of satisfaction – it increases children’s anxiety, impatience and aggression.

I know this first-hand from my own young children, who started to change personality and so no longer “play” video games. It fuels displeasure – nothing “happy” about that. That’s another issue I may soon write about.

For the most part we, adults and children alike, rarely appreciate anything anymore, we just want more. We have no appreciation.

So we lose that opportunity for happiness.

How to Become More Aware Continue reading “7 Things Happy People Do – They Are Grateful for What They’ve Got (Part 7 of 7)” →

7 Things Happy People Do – They Create in Their Own Unique Way (Part 6 of 7)

Published on by Janet

Let’s stop…

… trying to be like everyone else.

Trying to fit in, being seen as successful
– according to other people’s opinions of success!

Advertising and the media hypnotize us into wanting to look like others, do what others are doing, be like others.

You are unique – celebrate your uniqueness.

Keep it that way. Don’t become beige.

One trap is we consider other people’s ideas, stories and achievements noteworthy, but not ours.

This is part 6 of a 7-part series: Things Happy People Do.

Key #6:

Happy People Create in Their Own Unique Way

People especially love to hear about others facing and overcoming adversity.

It’s inspirational.

And who hasn’t overcome adversity – we all have, and our stories are all unique.

To be honest, for me it’s a relief to know our personal stories are an ideal way of illustrating a point, because it means I don’t have to go far to get one.

And remember truth is stranger than fiction!

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again.

And what do we teach our children?

We teach then that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France.

When will we also teach them what they are?

We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are?

You are a marvel. You are unique.

In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you.

Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move.

You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.

You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.

And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?

You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”

Pablo Picasso

I urge you to read (aloud) the above quote. Don’t just skim it.

At heart we are all still children, each with a fabulous future ahead of us.

If you want it. If you allow it.

You Have Something Unique to Create

Just as your past is unique, you have something unique to create in your future too. This time you’ll do it with intention. I’m ready and waiting to see your product, service or hear your story. There are infinite ways in which you can be creative. Let go of the mind-set that only an artist or a dancer is creative. If you are passionate about something it’s highly likely you already have your audience ready and waiting.

“The happy people are those who are producing something.”

William Ralph Inge (British Professor of Divinity 1860 – 1954)

When you are creative you create new experiences for yourself. Your soul thrives on new experiences. New experiences are a vital key to happiness. Embrace the 7 keys of this blog series and you’ll start getting a sense of your real worth. Your own unique natural creativity will start to effortlessly wash over you.

Another New Unique Opportunity For Me

While shopping and walking my 18 month old son in his stroller, a book caught my eye.

At that point I’d never heard of Robert Kiyosaki, yet his book “Retire Young, Retire Rich” grabbed my attention.

A great title don’t you think? I bought it.

On reading it I was thrust onto a new and exciting path in life.

I became a successful real estate investor. That’s all it took!

As a stay-at-home mother, I was a little bored and struggling to find a solution. Returning to work was not an option for me – all I could imagine was increased stress levels.

Looking back I sense I didn’t want to return to the IT field, and wonder now if I had done so, would I have become too busy for all my other endeavors, including writing my book “How to Get Anything You Want – Just Like That!”.

Because of “Retire Young, Retire Rich” the idea instantly ignited me and I devoured the book.

As I said in key # 3 Put Yourself First, if you feel entitled to put yourself first, opportunities will arise for you to do so.

Real estate investment is an ideal occupation for a SAHM. Robert Kiyosaki gave me all the motivation and reasons that I could do it.

And I did.

Creating is Fun

Within a year I had traveled interstate to attend a Robert Kiyosaki seminar and I’d bought 2 properties.

My result was an excellent profit upon selling these a few years later.

And it was a lot of fun. I researched in my “spare” time and eventually decided to buy in interstate.

This meant I had to travel and it gave me an opportunity for that all important “me time” and I was being productive.

Not that you must be productive during “me time”, no no no!

Your creativity urges are unique to you. You might think real estate is boring – for me it was exciting.

At the time my real estate adventure ticked all the boxes of “what happy people do”:

How Did My Adventure Tick All the Boxes? Continue reading “7 Things Happy People Do – They Create in Their Own Unique Way (Part 6 of 7)” →

Has Your Pursuit of the Material Been at the Expense of Happiness?

Published on by Janet

It’s hard to imagine being happy with less ‘stuff’. But that’s exactly what Kevin McCloud so elegantly demonstrates in his very entertaining DVD ‘Slumming It’.

Happy in a Slum?

The people of Dharavi are happy. What does this mean for those of us who don’t live in slums and yet still struggle to find happiness? Does the beautiful home you’re striving for in suburbia bring you more happiness than those living in a slum?

“I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.”

            John Lennon

Why Watching ‘Slumming It’ Will Help You Be Happy

For us in watching this DVD we’re without the sense of smell, but Kevin McCloud so very cleverly sticks our nose into everything else. ‘Slumming It’ gives you in-the-face perspective; it reminds you of what really matters in life. You’ll get an immediate lift and most likely see your life with new eyes.

Several people I’ve spoken to have said it was one of the best shows they’ve ever seen.

We were about to re-paint our bathroom when we watched ‘Slumming It’ and afterward my husband said, ‘Well, that’s it… we no longer need to paint the bathroom’. And that’s exactly it, although we still painted, we lost the urgency and got the message loud and clear yet again that this type of thing really doesn’t matter.

‘Slumming It’ shows you what does matter. And it’s not a glossy bathroom.

Why is the Slum Dharavi So Unique?

Kevin McCloud takes the cameraman (sometimes too easy to forget there’s a talented cameraman alongside him!) into all avenues of Dharavi, a slum that sits on only one square mile (1.3 kms) of valuable land in Mumbai.

Incredibly, 1 million people live there.

Often it’s 20 people to a tiny 4-roomed house; beds are made up each night in living spaces. Imagine sleeping in your kitchen tonight with 5 others. My quick calculation means that’s about 200 people living with you on your average house block (surrounded by a million others).

Along with that there’s no sanitation or running water; I do agree these are serious issues which cause illness in Dharavi. There are a astonishing 500 people to 1 toilet. Each toilet juts out over a river which serves as the plumbing.

Why Are the People of Dharavi Happy?

The good news. In Dharavi along with happiness there’s no crime. Repeat: No Crime. 85% of the people are employed. Dharavi has a thriving community. As Kevin McCloud says, there is no danger of an elderly person dying alone in their apartment and being found 3 months later. In Sydney last year shockingly an elderly woman was found 8 years later. In Dharavi, the elderly are included in everyday life; everyone is useful. They work together as a team and support each other.

One of my observations was that when women have babies, they have support 24×7 from umpteen experienced women. The village we’ve lost. I’ll bet their level of post-natal depression is negligible and the women probably don’t even use the term.

Why Do We Want More Stuff?

If we really dig down, the reason we want stuff is to appear successful to others. As if appearing successful makes us happy. It doesn’t. Deep down however, we think it does. We believe if we have enough stuff (to show off) we’ll eventually score happiness. Wrong again. There’s no happy ending to collecting stuff.

Consider this: if you were the only person on Earth and already had what you needed, would you want more possessions?

“It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.”

Henry David Thoreau

And What… NO Spoilt Brats?

The children of Dharavi are happy, teenagers don’t have a desperate need for privacy, they’re not grumpy, they’re relaxed and interact freely with adults, the kids have no useless gadgets to entertain and rob them of patience and creativity (my kids no longer have those gadgets and they’re happy again. Phew. A story in itself.)

If you’re interested in finding happiness, discuss Dharavi next time you’re with friends. If you’re out walking or sitting quietly, I suggest contemplating the strong points of such a life. You’ll be amazed at your realizations.

Transform your life: lose your obsession with possessions.

2 Tips to Satisfy & Give You a Happy Life

I realize your life is likely different to that of Dharavi, that you probably already have what you need. If so, move on from possessions and get long-lasting happiness by doing these two things: Continue reading “Has Your Pursuit of the Material Been at the Expense of Happiness?” →

Finding Times Tough? Re-Build Confidence in Yourself Today and Get What You Want (Part 6 of 7)

Published on by Janet1 Comment

In tough times your confidence can get a little shaky.

Be assured this is only temporary because confidence is directly controlled by your thoughts.

By giving yourself appropriate thoughts and a new perspective you’ll re-build your confidence.

This is Part 6 of a 7-Part Series “Are You Finding Times Tough?”

In parts 1 – 5, you learned

  • how to take charge of your life
  • the benefits of taking responsibility for your life
  • how to turn your life around
  • how to take action
  • an easy way to start letting go of your old life

…to bring in a new exciting and happy life.

“The frontier between hell and heaven is only the difference between two ways of looking at things.”

~~George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950)

It’s as Simple as Pretending

Pretending you’ve already got what you want is a trick you can play on your brain.

It may sound ridiculous but once you know how the brain works it makes sense.

Keep this up and it becomes true.

It helps to slowly and repeatedly say affirmations such as, ‘I now have (….insert what you want….)’.

See each word separately in your mind.
Write out the sentences a few times and place them around your home and workstation.

Even if you disagree or doubt it the first few times, these words fire neurons in your brain, your brain believes them and they build your confidence.

A glimmer of hope develops in you. Do it and you’ll see.

As you repeat these and the neurons in your brain continue to fire the words, a new world of opportunity starts to open up and your confidence gains momentum.

It starts to be real.
Opportunities appear in your life as if from nowhere and you feel different.

Note: This article is also a good follow on from Part 3 – Finding Times Tough? 2 Easy and Effective Steps to Start Your Happy Life.

If You Want to, Allow the Feelings of Despair – But Only For a While

If you feel desperate, allow those feelings and be conscious you’re allowing them.

This is to allow yourself to have this experience.

Then stand up straight with your shoulders back and decide that’s enough. Wallowing in despair is easy and comfortable in contrast to being strong.

Being strong isn’t easy but it will take you to the other side of tough times and a happy life. Being strong aligns you with a path that opens up new opportunities… so be ready for them.

New opportunities can’t appear if you are wallowing in self-pity. You’ll never see the opportunity from down there.

Knowledge helps you become strong, it gives you security. Keep up with your learning about how life works.

When Your Opportunities Arrive Acknowledge Them

You’ll notice miracles start to happen if Continue reading “Finding Times Tough? Re-Build Confidence in Yourself Today and Get What You Want (Part 6 of 7)” →

Book Review of “Just Like That!” by AussieAuthors

Published on by Janet
Just Like That! Front Cover
Scroll down the Sidebar at Left to Buy "Just Like That !" on Amazon or on this site

When I posted the news of the first review of “Just Like That!” (by ReaderViews) I wrote:

“Right now I’m fully immersed in the marketing of the book. Somehow the world has to learn “Just Like That!” is available right? And well worth reading! Marketing is new for me, I don’t have a publicist (yet?) and I don’t have a marketing team.”

That was a month ago and while marketing is still new for me, I’ve since acquired a publicist and a marketing team! We start working together next month; I’m thrilled and this adventure keeps getting better.

The review of “Just Like That!” from AussieAuthors.com is below. Cheryl Wright from Aussie Authors is another helpful, friendly person I’ve met on this journey. The review is by Warren Thurston.

Review of Just Like That! How to Get Anything You Want

Author: Janet Poole

Author’s Website: www.janetpoole.com

Published with assistance of Love of Books www.loveofbooks.com.au

ISBN Aus:       9780980877502 (pbk)

ISBN USA:      9781439280607 (pbk)

Janet Poole’s book took me on a journey I wasn’t expecting. It was a journey that enabled me to discover parts of myself I didn’t know existed. Her book gave me the courage to make a decision that has plagued me since 1985. And that is do I or don’t I take the plunge and publish my own children’s writing. Following her guidance in chapter five about challenges and the powerful opportunities they open up for you, I feel confident that I can achieve my goal of publishing my own work.

The most important point that the author makes is that loving yourself is essential, if you want to help yourself and others. Until you can love yourself for whom you are, then your mind and body are consumed by negative thoughts. By loving yourself you open your mind to new ways of looking at life in a positive light. This love of oneself in turn flows outwardly to embrace those around you with love and to help them in a positive way.

What Janet Poole has articulated in fine detail is that by not letting go of demons that tell us that self love is degrading and selfish, keeps the body in a sluggish state. One that gives our body a false sense of security, where it uses negative thoughts as a security blanket. It’s like telling oneself, “If I sit here and don’t move nothing can harm me.” But if a person allows themselves to stay in an immobile mental state, they will never expand their knowledge of life. To expand knowledge you first must expand knowledge of yourself.

The summaries and exercises that are included at the end of each chapter I found to be an excellent idea. They reinforced the sometimes difficult ideas that the author was attempting to get across. I found the book was set out quite well and it made it easier to progress down the self discovery path. Doing what you love is not selfish; it is the key to becoming all knowing in the quest for knowledge of oneself and all things in the universe.

Another point the author makes quite well is that you alone are responsible for your life, and you cannot blame someone else for your life. Self-pity feels good momentarily, but it means that we are avoiding responsibility, and it shuts down our power. In today’s world we should always avoid the herd mentality; you should always choose what is good for you.

Readers who approach this book with an open mind will discover a wealth of information that enables them to see themselves in a new light. They shall see that they themselves have control over how life treats them. The real person who resides inside all of us can pave the way to true enlightenment and self fulfillment, no matter what our goals may be. This, as the book so richly describes is not selfish, it leads the way to helping others.

Janet Poole’s book is not one that can be read once and put away. It is a reference for life that each additional reading will enhance the understanding of oneself and the world one exists in. Those readers willing to take on new ways of thinking will find this book, as I did a revelation as to what makes us human.

I found this book to be one of the best I have read on the topic of self discovery, and highly recommend it to those seeking out new knowledge.

Reviewed by Warren Thurston
– Children’s Author

Link to AussieAuthors for “Just Like That!” review :