Dear Friends:)
,
Welcome to our Happ-E-Newsletter for June 1, 2001.
This is a bimonthly newsletter whose purpose is to remind you to be happy. It will also let you know about meetings, happiness information, and a copy of the Be Happy Zone Articles published twice a month in the Fairfield Citizen-News. Read today's article: "The Spirit of Happiness!" Enjoy it, and pass it on to your friends.
Happ-E-Power:) "We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we are not extending in the present."
- Marianne Williamson
Happ-E-News:) Our last meeting was really great. If you missed it the subject was: How to Deal With Difficult People. Lynette Turner presented the audience of 41 people with these 12 points.
1) Respond quickly
2) Listen, listen, listen
3) Don't take their words or actions personally
4) Relax, don't panic
5) If it's your fault, admit it
6) Regret Statement
7) Empathy Statement
8) Look for areas of agreement
9) Define your borders
10) Ask open-ended questions
11) Thank him / her
12) Follow up
Next we had psychotherapist Alice Katz, M.S. say a few words about the subject. Alice is the author of the book; It's Not Personal! A Guide to Anger Management, as well as other books. Lionel also spoke about the subject. All three speakers agreed on one thing for sure - DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
Happ-E-Quote:) "Despite being unhappy, I use to think I was successful because I could reach many of the goals that I set. Now it seems crazy to consider myself successful if I am not happy. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the key ingredient to success is happiness." From: Smile For No Good Reason, by Lee L. Jampolsky, Ph.D.
Happ-E-Book Recommendation:) Smile For No Good Reason, Lee L. Jampolsky, Ph.D. (Dr Jerry Jampolsky's son)
Happ-E-Mail Response:) I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know I really enjoyed your article (Imagine). I completely agree with everything you wrote. I think too many people look toward others to be happy. I don't know if I would call it being immature, but I think of it as more of an insecurity within one self. I have seen too many of my female friends fall into this frame of thinking and it is so obvious that they were looking for others to make them happy. But I noticed that they still are not truly happy. I think I have done a lot of growing over the past year and have become more aware of how I want to live my life. I am a happy person regardless of my relationships and circumstances. Thanks for teaching me to look on the bright side.
Happ-E-Thought:) "We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly embracing each other." - Luciano De Crescenzo
Happ-E-Meeting:) Join us for the next HAPPINESS CLUB MEETING
"The Spirit of Happiness!"
Presentation by Lionel Ketchian and Friends
Date:) June 28, 2001
Place:) Fairfield Public Library
Topic:) "The Spirit of Happiness!"
Time:) 7:00 - 8:30 P.M.
In the:) Rotary Room
Address:) 1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06430
Open to the Public and Admission is Free
Call Lionel Ketchian (203) 258-7777 or E-mail: PrintLRK@aol.com
http://www.happinessclub.com
Directions to the Fairfield Public Library
From New York - I- 95, Exit 21, Mill Plain Road, Right at bottom of ramp. Under railroad overpass. Left at light (Rt. 1), 1/2 mile on right
From New Haven - I- 95, Exit 22, North Benson Road. Left at bottom of ramp. Under railroad overpass. Right at light (Rt. 1), 1/2 mile on left
Be Smart! Stay Happ-E!
This will be our last for the summer. We will begin again in September.
Hope to see you at this meeting!
Stay Happy!
Lionel
P.S. Read the article Enjoy the Moment! below!
BE HAPPY ZONE, By Lionel Ketchian
May 23, 2001, Fairfield Citizen-News
Enjoy the Moment!
A bird is singing, the sky is blue, the temperature is perfect, and the trees are covered in green. Is there a lesson to be learned from that? Well, it's just life. Right now I happen to be enjoying the moment.
In order to enjoy the moment you actually have to appreciate it. To appreciate the moment you have to quiet down and silently go within yourself. Nature cannot be beautiful unless you appreciate it. Beauty in any form requires appreciation in order to be beautiful, and appreciation is a quality found within you.
To connect with this moment is a deep union. It requires you to witness this moment outside of time. Time has nothing to do with enjoying this moment. Einstein said, time is relative. A moment with your hand on a hot stove in the kitchen is a lot longer than a moment kissing your true love in the kitchen.
As I sit and write this article outdoors I am expressing the feeling of connecting to nature in this moment. This is not entertainment. With entertainment someone is doing something for you. To fully relax is to completely go into this moment. Nothing to do, nothing to think about. Just merge with the moment. It is interesting that when you lose yourself like this you actually find yourself. In this enjoyment you find yourself by abandoning yourself.
Enjoying the moment is absorbing. Enjoyment is accomplished by relaxing into the moment. You can't fast forward nature. You can't stop or freeze frame moments you enjoy. While in nature you're included, you became part of it all.
It is interesting when we reflect on Ralph Waldo Emerson's words, "This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." Only when you reflect back on such times as you allow yourself this freedom do you realize that you are peaceful and happy, This happens because enjoying something means you don't need it. You already have it. You get it without grasping for it. If you can develop ways to enjoy every moment of your life, you would not only master your emotions, but also be the master of your fate.
The wind just blew over the page I was writing on. So I went with it for it was time for me to write this line on a new page, and not to curse the wind for doing what it did. It is when we can incorporate "whatever happens," to us into our enjoyment of the moment that we have control of things in our life. It really is not about what happens, but how we handle what happens that immediately affects what happens to us. Enjoyment may be a lost art. Let's bring it back into our lives, and practice it regularly. Life is short! You can either enjoy or regret. Select enjoy, and you will experience great joy in this moment.
Many of us are too rushed to enjoy life, too confused to be simple, too rich to have enough, too worried to be healthy, too ungrateful to be happy, too afraid to love, and too controlling to be free. Do your part to "Unleash Joy" upon humanity. We greatly need it.
Our next meeting is, June 28, 2001, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. The topic is "The Spirit of Happiness!" it will be held in the Rotary Room, at the Fairfield Public Library, located at 1080 Old Post Road. There is no charge for the meeting.
To quote an old Chinese proverb: "Life itself cannot give you joy unless you really will it. Life just gives you time and space-it's up to you to fill it." When is the last time you stopped for a moment to enjoy the moment? Take a moment to be in the moment. The next moment is waiting for you to enjoy. Only when you enjoy this moment will you know why it is called the PRESENT.
Enjoy your PRESENT, it contains JOY.
Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club, a Happiness Coach, and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The Web site is www.HappinessClub.com
© Copyright 2001, Lionel R. Ketchian, all rights reserved.