A Controversial Post/The Happiness Project (#11)

This blog has been very tame for quite some time now, so it is time to shake things up.

It is time to ask the tough questions whether anyone likes it or not.

Some people shy away from the really serious stuff, but not me!  So here goes......

Hot dogs....... are they a sandwich or not??????

Technically speaking, meat (or something else - like Peanut butter) inside a bun is a sandwich.  A hot dog is meat (sort of) inside a bun, so therefore.......

But I have NEVER heard anyone call a hot dog a sandwich.  Ever!!!!  What gives with that?  Why are we so "hot dog-ist" (or is it "Sandwichistic") that we somehow feel the need to exclude the hot dog from this group???  Why are sandwiches so exclusive?????

I know, I know..... people don't like to face hard hitting questions like this!  But that is not going to stop me!

Tune in tomorrow for my thoughts on corn on the cob!!!   It will be a dilly!!!!

PS.  If you want an outside opinion regarding the hot dog thing, check out this link.

http://www.hot-dog.org/culture/hot-dog-sandwich
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Reminder #11:  Be Open to New Ideas

The world continues to change and if you refuse to learn, try new things or adapt, you will limit yourself to what you knew and were comfortable with in the past.  As time goes on, you will become increasingly frustrated with your surroundings.

Happiness is not found by fighting change, but by learning and growing with it.

Everything old is new again/The Happiness Project (reminder 10)

The Sask government published the list of the top baby names in the province for 2016.  Interesting that (Once again) a lot of old names are new again.

All except "Blanch" and "Oscar"...... you still don't see many of them.  :)

Most of these I am ok with.... however I still believe that there should be some vetting process where someone somewhere has the right to say, "Come on now!  We are not gonna let you stick your child with that name!"

Have you ever thought that it is odd that one of the most personal things about you - your name - is given to you without your consent or permission?

I asked a buddy of mine that question once and his response was, "We did ask our babies what they wanted to be named and all they did was stare off into space and drool - so what are you gonna do?"

Fair point!  :)
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Reminder #10

Your goals need to be aligned with one another

If the tires on your car are not aligned, they do not point in the same direction and, therefore, they fight against one another as they go down the road.  This leads to one or more of the tires wearing out prematurely.

Similarly, we have to line up our life goals.  Things that are in conflict cannot co-exist.  You cannot state that you want to be at every school event that your child has and then accept a promotion at work that pays more but demands that you be on the road all week.  One or the other of those two things is going to suffer.

I know a guy who was offered several promotions, but he turned them all down.  He decided that being closer to home was more important than making more money, so he aligned his life off of what he thought was his most important goal.

You can't say "yes" to everything and you probably can't do everything comes along.  Happy people choose to do what is most important to them and let other things go.

Do you know what is most important to you?  Are you lining up your life around it?

The World is full of Nice People/The Happiness Project (#9)

Every once in a while, my nice wife will by me a motorcycle magazine.  This latest one had a story called "Girl Meets World" about this young woman who decided to ride across America alone. 

The only problem:  She had never been outside of Los Angeles before.  Admittedly, she was a little nervous about what was going to happen over the next few weeks/months.

And do you know what happened?  

Lots of nice things!  She met all kinds of nice, friendly people.  (Editor's note:  It is shocking how many people will talk to you when you are on a motorcycle)

In fact, at one campground an older couple invited her in for breakfast.   At a diner, she went to pay her bill and was told that it had been paid by some guy she did not know.  When she tracked him down to say "thanks", he told her that he thought she looked like she was on a grand adventure and he wanted to encourage her to keep going.

Stuff like that happens!   One time my brother and I almost ran out of gas in our bikes.  As we were sitting on the side of the road in Montana, in the rain, wondering what to do, a lady pulled over and asked if we needed help.  When we told her our situation, she took us to her farm and she and her husband filled our tanks.  When we asked how much we owed them, they said, "Nothing!"..... then they wished us well and sent us on our way.

If you watch the news or sit in the coffee shop too long, you will be convinced that the world is going down the drain.  All that exists is hate, fighting, criticism and heartbreakingly horrible events.

Get out in the real world, though and you will likely find that there are lots of good people out there.

So, why not turn off the news and go meet one?

Ps.  If you want to read more about this young lady's travels, she had such a good first experience that she is now trying to ride all 50 states.   You can find her stories at this link......

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/find/Girl%20meets%20world?page=3

Hello Newman/The Happiness Project (#8)

Here is the perfect gift for the early '90s TV fan on your list.

A Seinfeld mini apartment.

Yes!  You too can own an exact replica of Jerry's apartment in miniature.  Click here to be taken to the web site for more details.

The good news..... it is that they are only $399.99 each!!!!!

I will take 10!  :)
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Friendship Beats Money (Reminder #8)

If you want to know if people are happy, don't ask them how much money they have in the bank, Don't ask how much they take home every two weeks.  Ask them about their friends!

Everyone needs enough to live, but beyond that we are way too focused on cash.  In the end, you will not remember the money, but you will not be able to forget the people.

Invest wisely!

Sara Talking about the Breakfast Program/The Happiness Project (#7)

Sara was invited to the United Way's "Annual General Meeting" on Friday night.  Click here to read an article that contains a little of what she had to say.....

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You don't need to win or be right every time

Ultra-competitive people who always have to win end up enjoying things less.  If the lose, they are very disappointed and if they win it's what they expected would happen anyway.

It is ok to let things go and not pressure yourself to be right, do everything and win at all costs. 

My New Bike/The Happiness Project (Reminder #6)

I found the best bike in the world today......

I would have killed for this bike when I was a kid.  (Note the super cool "Toronto Maple Leaf" flag on the back!)

Two problems though.....

1.  All they had was the little kid's bike.  No adult version in sight.

2.  I think it is super slow.  Probably always comes in last - just like the real Maple Leafs! :) 
(As a life long Leaf fan, I can make that joke because they are actually playing well this year.... and having the ability to laugh at your pain is a sign of maturity!)  :)
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Action Eliminates Fear (The Happiness Project - Reminder 6)

When tackling a problem, thinking is necessary.  However, too much thinking about the problem can create unnecessary and even unrealistic fear.

The longer you put off doing what you know you need to do, the more fear you create.  Then, instead of simply dealing with the problem, you now also have to deal with the "imagined issues" that your mind has created around the problem.

Therefore, the key is to act.  Often, the situation is not as bad as it first appeared and, even if it is, the fact that you are doing something about it makes it easier to deal with.

Do you have a paper to write?  Do you need to have a tough conversation with someone?  Are you going to a new school or starting a new job?   Is there a problem with your 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger that needs to be addressed?

Do your research.  Think through the situation.  Then do something, anything, to move forward.

Fear grows as we wait.  Action eliminates fear.

Making Friends/The Happiness Project (Reminder #5)

Megan was writing to me tonight as she and her sister were driving around Regina.  She said that as they were sitting at red light with the music blaring, Katie started dancing in her seat.

Just then, a guy in a big pickup pulled up along side on them.... looked at Katie..... and started dancing along with her..... and then drove off.

When big (ish) city meets small town, good things happen!
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Have Realistic Expectations

People who are happy don't get everything they want, but they want most of what they get.  In other words, they rig the game in their favour by choosing to value things that are within their grasp.

People who find themselves dissatisfied in life often set unreachable goals for themselves, setting themselves up to fail.  Yet people who set high goals for themselves and reach them are no happier than people who set more modest goals.

Whether you are assessing your position at work or your relationship with family, don't begin with fantasy pictures of the world's riches person or the world's ideal family.  Be realistic and strive to make things better, not perfect.
           -  From "The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People"

Sunday Stuff/The Happiness Project (Reminder #4)

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If you are not sure, guess positively 

"Unhappy people take a situation in which they are not sure and they come to a negative conclusion.  For example, if they aren't certain why another person is being nice, they assume that the person must have a hidden, selfish agenda.  Happy people take that same situation and guess the positive possibility, that is, that the person really is nice" - from "The 100 simple secrets of Happy People"

This is one of my favourite tips and one of the best lessons of the book for me. It is easy for me to think negatively and worry about stuff.  The good news is that you can re-train yourself to think differently.

Give it a try.  It really helped me!

The Happiness Project (Reminder #3)

Choose your comparisons wisely

"Many of our feelings of satisfaction or dissatisfaction have their roots in how we compare ourselves to others.  When we compare ourselves to those who have more, we feel bad. When we compare ourselves to those who have less, we feel grateful.  Even though the truth is we have exactly the same life either way"

-  From "The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It"

Imagine a little kid happily playing with her new toys on Christmas morning.  You would not go up to her, take out your phone and show her pictures of kids who received a lot more than she did.

However, people do that to themselves all the time.  Rather than enjoying what they have, they feel bad because others have more.

What are you thankful for right now?

Generally speaking, happiness has less to do with our circumstances and more to do with how we see those circumstances.

I am glad they warned me!/The Happiness Project (Reminder #2)

I don't know how well you can read this, but it is the label from a barbecued chicken that I bought yesterday.

Notice the 3rd line says...... "Heat to 165 F or 74 C".  Then it says, "Be careful as the chicken will be hot!"

Am I ever glad they cleared that up for me!!!   I am always getting the oven and the freezer confused, so I wasn't sure what was going to happen when it was done!

Maybe the steam coming off of it or the fact that it is a ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE DEGREE PILE OF MEAT should have clued me in...... but I am glad that they reminded me anyway.

Look further down.... they do it again under the microwave instructions.

I am thinking that if you do not know that it will be hot, maybe you should not be playing with the oven unsupervised!  :)
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Disconnect from the Drama  (Reminder #2)

Good baseball players do not swing at every pitch.  They know that they do not always have to react.

Happy people know that too.

Thanks to cellphones, Facebook and the internet, we know more about each other than ever before.  I know what you think.... where you go..... what music you like.... and even how you spend your money.

The lines between what is public and what is private have blurred to the point that they have almost disappeared..... and that is not good!

Happy people have boundaries and they know that........

1.  They don't have to share or know everything.  Long ago a friend told me that their family shares things on a "need to know" basis.  They weren't trying to be rude.  They just realized that too much information is not good.

2. They don't have to have an opinion about everything.  Because we know more about one another than ever, we have come to believe that it is our job to comment on the choices other's make. However, the truth is that it is none of my business where you vacation, or who your favorite musician is or what you had for lunch.

So..... get off of Facebook.  Put your phone down.  Stop commenting on what everyone else is doing or not doing and go live your own life!

As in baseball....... Sometimes the best reaction is no reaction!

Sari in the Paper/The Happiness Project (Reminder #1)

As you can see, Sari was in the paper again last week.  This was really cool, though, because it involved one of the Separate (Catholic) Schools in town.  They chose her program to receive the proceeds from a cookie sale done by the Kindergarten class to teach them about alms giving at Lent. 

In fact, they had her come to one of their morning chapel times and then praised the good work she and her volunteers do in looking after the kids of Hillcrest.  It was quite something!  Very affirming and very nice!
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THE HAPPINESS PROJECT: The Preamble

It would be really easy to simply complain about the complainers, but (a) that does nothing but add to the complaining and (b) it does nothing to change me or make me better...... so today is the start of something new and better.

Every day I am going to share a simple reminder that you can use to make your life happier and give you a better outlook.  As mentioned last night, this all stems from a book Sara found about 10 years ago.  It is backed up not only by common sense and scientific study, but in most cases, scripture as well.

My intentions are simple....
1.  To provide a positive action that anyone can start doing right away to change themselves for the better

2,  To make sure they are short and quick to read.  I want you to be able remember these things, so they will be less than four short lines most of the time.

Last disclaimer:  I offer these things not because I have learned them, but because I need to learn them.  (In fact, at lunch today Sara said, "Dude, you sound really negative!  Tell me something good!").

When I focus on the negative, it makes me miserable and it makes those around me miserable.  Fortunately, I have a choice.  So, this is the start of making better choices.

Below is the first reminder and the format of things to come.  Enjoy!  Give these things a try.  Use the comment section and share how it is going.

Ready - go!
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Reminder #1:  You are here to make things better

Anyone can criticize.  Tearing things apart is easy.  Pointing out mistakes doesn't fix them; it simply makes them more noticeable.

Nothing is gained by being negative.

Happy people are convinced that are here to make things better.  They believe that they can change things and that even small changes in the right direction make a positive impact.

So why not try?   Compliment someone.  Smile at a stranger.  Get to know your neighbours.

Intentionally focus on the good, because what you focus on, grows.

Musical schizophrenia and Introducing the Happiness Project

I has been a good weekend for music in our lives.

Saturday we were in Moose Jaw having lunch when this group of musicians came in and started playing Celtic music.  It was great!  Here is a small sample.......

And then on Sunday afternoon we went and heard the Regina Symphony orchestra at the high school in town.  It was interesting to think that people have been listening to this music for hundreds of years.

For example, they played Mozart's symphony number 29 which he finished on April 6, 1774.... so basically 243 years ago,  Oh.... and he was 18 years old at the time!  Here is that piece if you want to give it a bit of a listen.

Both were very interesting and cool in their own way.  Very nice!
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Many years ago.... like maybe 15.... Sara found a book called "100 Simple Secrets of Happy People". Written by Dr David Niven, it contained very short articles outlining various activities that promote happiness.  Click here if you would like to learn more about it.

Anyway, I think she bought about 10 of these books to give away at Christmas time and I ended up with one.  Since that time, I have probably read this book more than 50 times.  In fact, I read one tip per day at the start of every day in the office, just to remind myself how I want to be and how I want to think.  As I have done that, I have often thought, "I need to adapt this and share it somehow".

Here is the thing:  I and so sick of the negative, whiny, complainy attitudes around me (and sometimes even in me)!!!     Generally, life is not that bad!  And even if it is, complaining and being negative is not going to help anything.

So I am starting what I am calling "The Happiness Project".  Every day I am going to blog something from our lives (sort of like "30 blogs in 30 days") but I am also going to share a reminder or a tip that will help us see life in a more positive way.  If I have nothing else to write, I will share the tip anyway.

I will try to post one every weekday, but my real goal is going to be about 5/week until I run out of stuff (and I have collected a lot of tips).

I promise these thoughts will be short, quick to read and easy to start doing right away.

Would you like some happiness and to see the world in a better way?  Me too!  Maybe we can remind and help each other.

The Happiness Project - starting tomorrow!

And we limp across the finish line (Blog 30 of 30)

So it took me almost 2 months to do a month worth of blogs (I started this round on Jan 22) and even at that some of them were like this one in that they do not have much to say.

But I ask you..... how much can you say about shoveling snow??    I mean..... really?   It is hard to have a super interesting/creative blog when you are buried under 20 feet of snow.

Thankfully the snow is melting and brighter days are ahead.  Days filled with motorcycles, stock car races, walks in the park, bike rides, trips to the beach, cruising in my old Dodge (hopefully), car shows and who knows what else...... so give me about 5 or 6 days and then come back and we will have a go at this again.

I promise it will be much more interesting......  unless it snows again.   Then I will blog about moving to Hawaii   :)

A Couple of hockey tips and the video for Sunday

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs started last night and that meant that the Yorkton Terriers were in town to play the Bruins.

I went to the game and sat where I always sit, behind the visitor's bench.  One of the reasons I like sitting there is that it is where the visiting team's fans sit and often I get talking to them, ask them about the other team, etc.  It is fun.

Until last night.  Without getting into a whole thing here, let's just say that the couple of ladies behind me did not stop complaining from the start of the game till the end.  Complaining about the refs.... complaining about the Bruins..... complaining about their own team..... the even complained about getting a penalty when it was actually a timeout (there was not penalty being called).

After two and a half periods of this, I had heard about all I could take.  When one of them said something even more silly than the stuff they had said before, I turned around and looked at her like "What are you talking about?"   This caused her to start beaking me off and so we had a little exchange where I encouraged them to be a little more positive and a little less whiny.

Now - please note - this has nothing to do with their gender.  I am not picking on ladies in general, just these two.

I have been thinking about this incident on and off all day and I have come up with two rules that I believe everyone ought to know/follow.....

1.  If you are going to constantly comment on everything that goes on out on the ice, it would be good to know the rules first.

2.  Don't take it so seriously!  It is a game!  I go to cheer for the Bruins but if the other team scores a nice goal or the other goalie makes a nice save, "I cheer for them too".  Go and enjoy watching high level athletes playing well - that is fun.  Win or lose - it is not that important.  As someone once said,.....

"If what a 18 year old kid does with a puck is ruining your day, you have bigger issues going on"

Cheer for your team..... be a good fan..... but leaving the whining and the "everyone is against us" stuff at home.  No one wants to hear it (especially for three straight periods)

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Here is the Sunday stuff.....

An Apology and we have a winner (Blog 28 of 30)

So I was thinking, "My poor blog readers!  It has taken me forever to do these 30 blogs and then when I have done them they have not been that interesting at times".

Well..... here is the thing.....there are so many things you can say about snow, blizzards or shoveling (which seems to be all I have been doing lately).

I have been working on my car a great deal, but I am afraid that I may be more interested in that old Dodge than most people are - and I do not want to bore you so.....

I would offer you your money back, but it sort of seems like you are getting full value on your investment here.

Please do hang in there though.  With spring coming, shoveling is about to be a thing of the past.  As well, spring means more activity and more interesting things to write about and thus better blogs (or maybe it will mean that I will decide that I am done for the summer and just leave - we will see)  :)

Anyway - the point being - I am aware that this has not been my best work lately - but what can you do?  (That is not a rhetorical question - I actually mean, "What can YOU do?"  Answer - "Nothing" so get over it!)  :)

BONUS BIT:  I am sure that you remember (how could you forget) that I offered my "Calvin and Hobbs" book to one lucky reader and we have a winner!!!!!

LENNY!!!!!!   COME ON DOWN!!!!!!!! (Well - don't come down since I will see you in 10 days - that would be silly!).  

Lenny is going to discover amazing things.... his mind is going to be opened in new and fascinating ways..... ways he has never known before!   Congratulations, Lenny!!!  :)

Part time fan - but glad to be this time (Blog 27 of 30)

Every year I say I am not going to watch curling on TV.  I think to myself, "It is sort of slow.  Why bother?"

And then every year I get sucked in.

I did not watch much of the Brier this year, but last night's game between Manitoba and Team Canada was good (big comeback for the win by Team Canada) and then tonight's was even better.

Congrats to Newfoundland/Lab for winning on home ice with a last shot draw.

Who has the movie rights?  Get me Brad Gushue's phone number!

I was glad I got suck into watching curling again.

Sunday preview

Here is what we are talking about at church.  Come and hear it and invite someone if you like!

How to be offended by Everything (Blog 26 of 30)

In a nutshell, this is why I quit Facebook.  Everyone's outrage meter is at like "10" all the time.  If yours is not, this video is for you.

PS.  I am offended by the terrible acting in this video.  I am also offended that they took an idea that could have been really funny and did such a lousy job of it.  I want my money back!!!  Oh wait....

Who Knew? [And a special one time offer] (Blog 25 of 30)

I am not a big comic book guy.  Not into Superman, Spider-Man, etc.  However, I have always liked "The Far Side" and "Calvin and Hobbs".

Sara recently gave me this book..........

I thought it was just going to be a history book sort of thing, but it was way more interesting than that.

Did you know that Bill Watterson quit doing Calvin and Hobbs on Dec. 31, 1995 and that the strip only ran for 10 years?

Did you know that he HATED the celebrity status that the cartoon gave him?  He thought (a) that it was stupid that people got attention just because they did something that was public in nature.  He figured that was no more special or interesting than anyone else.  He was just a guy doing a job...... and (b) that he could not do that job well if he caved into the fame.  He figured that if he lost his anonymity that he would lose the ability to observe and experience "real life" and the strip would suffer from the unreal perspective that came with fame.

Did you know that he believed this so much that he lived in a self-imposed seclusion where he did very few interviews and hardly ever let his picture be taken (Google it - there are hardly any pictures of him on the internet and none are less than 25 years old).

I had no idea!  And there is much much more.

Turns out, he is a super weird dude, but in some ways I really admire him.

So, here is your "special one time offer"...... if you are interested in reading the Calvin and Hobbs backstory and finding out more about the guy that people know almost nothing about..... I will give you this book.

Be the first to write to me (either in the comments section or by email) and you can have this book.  I liked it and I think you might too.

Ready....... GO!!!

Ok - That is lots now (Blog 24 of 30)

Normally, I am all for winter.  I like hockey and sledding and even walking in the snow.  I find the cold invigorating.

But I am over it for this winter.

We had a record amount of snow in December and it just has not stopped since then.  Sunday afternoon we were dreaming of spring and then today this happened.....

That is looking out of Sara's office window this afternoon...... and then it got worse.  In fact, it was so bad that I barely made it home from the office.  The streets were clogged and the visibility was bad.

I am all for saying goodbye to the snow for this year now.