We have all heard people say that “the world’s a tough place” or “it’s a dog-eat-dog world”, and maybe those folks are right. But, I believe living a happy life at home and at work is still very possible. I have spoken to many folks and ask them “are you happy”. If they say yes, I ask why. If they say “not really” or “not totally”, I ask why. After listening to literally hundreds of responses, I thought it might be helpful to craft a list a list of practical steps or principles one can use to get and stay on a path to living a happier life at home and at work. Here it is:
- Be purposseful about finding pleasure in the simple things in life…at home and at work.
- Make the best of your circumstances; no one has everything, and everyone has something. You will experience joy intermingled with sorrow; allow laughter to outweigh the tears!
- Don’t take yourself too seriously; but take serving and being kind to others very seriously.
- Understand that you can’t please everyone, so don’t let criticism worry you.
- Don’t allow the world to set the standard for you. God says simply, be holy because I am holy. Let God’s standard guide your thoughts, words, choices, and actions.
- Pursue your dream(s); the things that energize you…but stay out of debt.
- Never borrow trouble; imaginary trials are much harder to bear than real ones.
- Jealousy, gossip, and hate can poison the heart and soul; don’t practice any of these and avoid those who do.
- Always continue to learn and grow personally, professionally, and spiritually; read, pray, travel, and participate in many activities and interests.
- Don’t hold postmortems; don’t brood over sorrows, regrets, or mistakes. Pray and move your feet!
- Be a humble, obedient servant; use all that God has blessed you with to be a blessing to those less fortunate.
- Take care of yourself; maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get the rest you need.
Give it a try; invite your family and work associates to join you. Practice these practical steps and start living a happier life at home and at work.
God’s peace…
If you are unhappy, lonely, feeling down, discouraged, depressed, or disillusioned, I encourage you to please read and meditate on these words…God breathed through the prophet Isaiah. If you will take the time to do so, you will begin to feel restored, refreshed, and recharged. Whatever has happened, or is happening in your life to cause you to lose hope, God wants to change that. he wants to fill you with his spirit, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of life, joy, and peace. He wants to rebuild, restore, and renew your life as only he can do, and then he wants you to rejoice and be happy in life and at work!
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
8 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
