What is it that we find so inviting about happy people? Here are the top 5 magnetic qualities of happy people:

• Happy people are warm and energetic. Others are attracted to their inviting smile, good nature and their heart of compassion. They don’t have an interest in gossip or complaining – they’re a joy to be around.

• Happy people speak the truth. They shoot straight, and other people are naturally attracted to this quality. Time shows that authenticity and honesty don’t bode well with deceit and lies. People on the plus side are comfortable just being themselves. Life is less complicated, dramatic and stressful when we are real. As long as you’re being you and I’m being me we’ll all get along copacetically. (Click To Tweet)

• They are willing to commit to working on good relationships with other happy people. Wait, what what?? Yep, that’s right – these folks know that relationships at times mean work and that it’s worth it because they make wise choice of those people they’ll let in to close proximity. Remember, The Four Circles And The Great Beyond?   Ha! I know… long time ago and already written into a great book about people, and happiness.

• These people are content. They are grounded in this simple truth: Perspective is a powerful attitude, providing the ability to see circumstances, no matter how challenging, as an opportunity. (Click To Tweet).

• There is something very different about the expectations of happy people: Happy people, being giving by nature, don’t often look for what other people can do for them, or for materialistic “wealth.” These folks know happiness comes to them from within – they have diamonds on the inside. Because other people are constantly disappointed with unmet desires, they live in a world of misery. Bummer dude.

The road to being a happy person centers on true, inner peace and happiness. We have to be comfortable in our own skin. Then, the light comes on and glows for everyone to see.

What Are You Bringing To The Party?

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A view from Royal Island to the land of hope

Today I’m excited to be a guest at Eileen Knowles’ blog, The Scenic Route.

The Bigger Picture Of Hope? Today I’m writing about two opposite perspectives on religion, happiness and hope. I also share about an inspiring work trip to Northern Eleuthera in The Bahamas. On that trip several years ago I learned a life lesson from some pretty cool people who live in third-world conditions. Their hope showed me with confidence the end of the story to the pursuit of true happiness. Please follow this link to read the whole ball of wax.

Many thanks to Eileen for her hospitality today! Eileen is “on the move” – literally and figuratively, having just relocated to North Georgia! Please visit her blog often and enjoy The Scenic Route…

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Rachael and her buddy Pooh Bear

God was interested in unconditional love when he created man. To get that he gave us something special… freedom, or what we refer to as free will. It’s the power to choose. This turned out to be a very painful journey for God and for us too… but necessary to have the purest and truest of love, and one that endures.

I wanted to share with you today a story about my older daughter Rachael and one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made as a parent… a story of The Beauty Of True Freedom.

Rachael is headstrong. She’s always been that way. Her mom and I separated and divorced as Rachael hit the teenage years. This left me in a heartbreaking situation of not seeing my daughters every day, and in having little parental authority over Rachael and her sister.

When Rachael hit the teenage years things began to happen… she demanded her freedom.

A little freedom? No biggie granting this to a growing teenager. We want them to spread their wings a little and grow, right? “Rachael wanted freedom, but no responsibility” … Grammy Ann’s words, not mine (like how I avoided that one! :))  And that seems to be where we go astray sometimes… thinking that Freedom comes without responsibility.

My experiences with Rachael included…

International calls/voicemails from a friend at home in the States fielded during a work trip…

“Chris, I stopped by to check on your place and didn’t enter the house but think there must have been someone inside… the sound of moving around… noticed the computer was on in the living room…”

“Chris, I stopped back by and by golly all the pool furniture and gas grill were in the swimming pool!”

“Chris, good news and bad… everything’s out of the pool now but your bicycle is gone…”

and on other occasions unexpected signs of life at my place…

parties, parties and more parties…

lunchtime visitors (the local high school was just 3 blocks from my front door)…

(did I mention there were some parties at the house while I was gone?)…

I’m leaving out considerable detail here but hoping that you’ll get the picture…

This all became beyond unacceptable when my younger daughter Allie decided that she wanted to live with me. After numerous convo’s with Rach about the events… something else had to happen… I simply could not allow this to take place any more, especially with the possibility of unexpected visitors on any occasion when Allie was at home by herself.

I told Rachael that I loved her but that she was not allowed to come over any more. I took away her key, changed the locks and barricaded the back door for good measure… and laid everything in God’s hands.

I had tried everything else and nothing seemed to help…

I did what every parent hopes they will never in their life have to do… I had to stand by my principles and follow the advice of a pastor as well as a counselor, and stand firm by the rules with the faith that Rachael would grow to love and respect me for it.

I reassured her that I loved her and let her walk out of my life to the “freedom” that she desired.

All I can say is Ouch!!

One of the most difficult actions I have ever faced is shutting the door on my own child… not something you would ever want to experience as a parent.

We didn’t speak for months. I would call and leave her voicemails at least once a week. It was really a couple of years later that we came to a peace agreement… she started to come back around when little Nolan was on the way… as she realized that I really did love her… what love, respect and freedom was really all about… she must have realized that I trusted her again when she was the only person other than me with a key to my home. Now we can laugh and talk about it openly.

I had to choose my principles and believe in faith that God would watch over Rachael, take care of her, and that my choice was being made for the bigger picture… that she would grow to respect me and the choices that I had to make as her father…

Rachael wanted freedom that she thought would bring happiness, and she may have even found that in the short-term… but happiness is just a temporary fix we can find here on earth… and a temporary fix is of little value in comparison to the enduring love that comes with free will… and true freedom. You see, because of our past… our sins… and our poor choices we can never know true freedom without God’s grace… and committing by faith to a relationship with Him. We may think we can find it… but it eludes us… and will until the very end… unless our choice is to live our life for Him and the freedom that He provides.

Rachael found true freedom through the love and respect that she developed with her earthly father… and for that we owe all the credit to our Heavenly Father.

I Love You Rachael 🙂

Christian Writers Blog Chain

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When we read about the apostle Paul in the Bible one may think… how can this dude always be so happy? Picking up at Philippians 4:4, Paul writes…

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Those 11 words speak a wealth of wisdom… to anyone who’s listening…

Paul says Rejoice twice in this brief passage, ending it in an exclamation point. How often does that happen in the Bible (maybe this is really important?)

While in jail Paul is writing to encourage Christians to find Joy whatever the circumstances. That’s hard to imagine, right? How could he be so comfortable, so at ease being in jail… and at the same time… offering encouragement to others?

What’s wrong with this picture?

Nothing.

Paul was able to find contentment and happiness whatever the circumstances.

Paul was “fertile soil,” if you will… his heart was open to and ready for the Holy Spirit to live in and breathe through him.

Paul unequivocally knew that no matter what happened to him that Jesus was right there beside him.

That’s what defined happiness for Paul.

Here’s some food for thought on finding happiness…

• what are your expectations?

Think of anything more than the air that we breathe as abundance… and something to be thankful for.

• what makes you happy?

Being truthful with oneself about what we live our life for. Are we living from the inside out?

• how does your day start/end?

do you often go to bed angry, or wake up in a fury?

• what’s really going on deep down inside your soul?

Make an honest appraisal of who and Who’s you are.

• what’s around you?

When you look around, what (and who) do you see?

• where did you come from?

Are there parts of your past that haunt you, that you regret and need to let go and seek forgiveness?

• where are you going?

Are your days filled with anxiety or worry about the future?

I would encourage you to open the eyes of your heart and let Jesus in… and your soil will turn fertile and happiness will grow.

How do you find or define happiness in your life?

Going Places is the blog series focusing on where God is leading us. It may include travel destinations, but doesn’t have to. This series is open to guest bloggers. If you would like to submit a guest post please contact me.

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smoldering smoke... this too shall pass 🙂

Current Conditions: mostly stifling

temperatures… hot hotter and hottest

wind… nonexistent

humidity… yes

heat index… off the charts

UV index…don’t ask

chance of rain…fat chance!

visibility… smoky haze

That’s the way it’s been here in Jacksonville recently. It’s been going on for quite a while now. There is rain in the forecast, so maybe some relief coming.

I love the outdoors but am not a huge fan of the heat, and add smoldering smoke to the equation and it makes me want to avoid the activities that I usually enjoy the most.

This leaves me out of balance… so I feel the need to think outside the box and readjust in a positive way…

I need to view this time in an opportunistic way…

Exercise is the most challenging for me when the weather prohibits outdoor activity. I like to run outside… but for now will settle for a treadmill.

Loading up on the fun indoor activities, like watching movies, spending more time connecting with the family, or even tackling a home improvement project.

How do you adjust when changes to the weather create an opportunity to mix up ?

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All of the answers are found up there 🙂

There’s a whole lot to be thankful for in our world today… and this is an incredibly exciting time to be in Jacksonville, Florida!

God is working miracles right before our very eyes…

both glambitiously large and nano-signficantly small…

remember, some of the biggest WINS are sprouted from tiny seedlings!

and it’s…

edge-of-your-seat

hold-onto-the-railing

you-won’t-want-to-miss-a-beat

GOOD STUFF!!!

We need to keep looking up to Him to:

• stay humble and know that it’s really all about God (to Him goes all the glory)
• continue to learn and grow
• be thankful for what He has done for us.

What do you have to be thankful for today?

The post Looking Up first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Looking Up appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

It’s kind of like continually eating a good dose of comfort food… the keys to this recipe for me, finding happiness whatever the circumstances, are:

Defining my simple pleasures. Would I love to go back to Hawaii this summer? For sure! Does whether I go there or not define my happiness? Nada! I’m very happy and content with some very simple pleasures… reading, writing, loving on my grandson, walks on the beach, listening to Lady Gaga (JUST KIDDING – hee hee hee)

Surrounding myself with good people and influences. Laughter is incredibly healing, including being able to laugh at myself. I’m very blessed with some really awesome friends and family!

My faith is not circumstantial. I recognize that both good and bad things are bound to happen at any moment. My faith doesn’t lean up against a false wall. My heart is filled with God’s L-O-V-E (I love that word… and that feeling!)

I don’t dwell on things. If you did me wrong, I’m moving on from it… I’m neither the judge nor jury, and more focused on fixing myself through God’s forgiveness than getting even with you, that way it’s your issue, and not mine. And, of course, I still love you… anyway! (with a super big ☺ )

Taking good care of myself. I really try to eat right, exercise, and feed my mind with good comfort food (positive vibes and info – wisdom!)

What is necessary for you to be happy?

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