Broccolicity brings us ten awesome choices to keep us happy.

I personally like #2 and #9 as guidelines to help myself live a more lucid life.

2. Letting someone else create your dreams for you.

The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are; the second greatest is being happy with what you find. A big part of this is your decision to stay true to your own goals and dreams. Do you have people who disagree with you? Good. It means you’re standing your ground and walking your own path. Sometimes you’ll do things considered crazy by others, but when you catch yourself excitedly losing track of time, that’s when you’ll know you’re doing the right thing. Read The 4-Hour Workweek.

9. Endlessly waiting until tomorrow.

The trouble is, you always think you have more time than you do. But one day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to work on the things you’ve always wanted to do. And at that point you either will have achieved the goals you set for yourself, or you will have a list of excuses for why you haven’t. Read Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture.

Check out the rest — here. 

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” ~Teilhard de Chardin

“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” ~Guillaume Apollinaire

“But Joseph Hume was not a man to enjoy the fruits of his industry in idleness. Work and occupation had become necessary for his comfort and happiness.” ~ Samuel Smiles from Self-Help

I just love this: “Work and occupation had become necessary for his comfort and happiness.”

For some wacky reason we seem to have this idea that when we really “make it,” we’ll retire on our own island and pass the days away sipping piña coladas by the pool as the sun sets and we’re watching TV on our 2,000” plasma flatscreen that magically hovers in the air.

Um, right.

That’s a GREAT recipe for DEPRESSION not fulfillment.

In his classic book, Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this “the paradox of work” and tells us: “Thus we have a paradoxical situation: On the job people feel skillful and challenged, and therefore feel more happy, strong, creative, and satisfied. In their free time people feel that there is generally not much to do and their skills are not being used, and therefore they tend to feel more sad, weak, dull, and dissatisfied. Yet they would like to work less and spend more time in leisure.”

Research tells us that happy people have projects. They’re engaged in life and committed to giving their gifts to the world.

In short, the happiest among us realize that work and occupation are necessary for our comfort and happiness!!

How about you?

Are you lusting after a life of leisure? We all need time for rest and rejuvenation, but let’s remember that consistent, joyful service is one of the best ways to ensure our well-being!

Via Brian Johnson and Entheos.com

Aparigraha and Nonattachment in Everyday Life

Aparihraha is part of yogic philosophy. For an introduction to yoga philosophy, it is important to learn about the yamas and niyamas.

Aparigraha and Nonattachment Overview

Aparigraha is one of the yamas ~ the definition is nonattachment. Feelings, thoughts, emotions, and possessions are all impermanent. This post will focus on nonattachment to material possessions.

What we own ends up owning us. You can see this every day in your own life and the life of your friends and family.

If you’re a recent college graduate, adhering to the Aparigraha principle will give you freedom from the debt and obligations that shackle your friends and perhaps your parents. If you follow the path that American society dictates, you might find yourself trapped in a mountain of debt and useless possessions.

Possessions end up owning you, not the other way around.

Shackles Holding Us Back

I know so many people who would like to travel and live an extraordinary life but they’ve imprisoned themselves with debt by conforming to societal norms. Society tells us that we need to go to a great college and get a great job and then buy a great car and a great home. And then buy a bunch of great stuff to fill up the home. Is this really necessary?

I’ve fallen into the possession and attachment trap, what can I do?

Car payment? Student loan debt? Credit card debt? Mortgage? Garage full of useless items? Closet full of clothing you don’t wear?

The solution is to sell your crap, pay off your debt and change your mindset. On eBay and Amazon, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There will likely be buyers. If not, give it away. Giving is one of the most gratifying feelings in the world. If you need additional incentive, consider the tax credit offered to those who donate used items.

There was a study done that showed that true to the Pareto Principle, Americans wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. Look in your closet. There is probably numerous pieces of clothing that you haven’t worn in years. Get rid of them. Getting rid of physical clutter has been proven to rid your mind of mental clutter in the process.

By practicing yoga, meditating, reading and studying the great teachers, one will soon realize that the feeling we get from accumulating material possessions is a hopeless, fleeting pleasure.

Attachment and Making Consumer Purchases

Think of a recent time you purchased an article of clothing. You really liked it at first, right? But as time went on, you probably became accustomed to the piece of clothing and your affinity for it faded. You either lost it or it sits idle in your closet. Before you buy, realize that the good feeling you get from purchasing is impermanent. The purchase is probably unnecessary. This realization will help prevent the buildup of useless crap.

Why is it this way in America?

If we grew up in Japan, our attitude towards saving would likely be completely different. America is a debt driven society where consumers are encouraged to spend because it stimulates the economy in the short run. The average American ends up with mountains of high interest credit card debt by buying things that we don’t need.

As a society, we’ve lost touch with what matters. It seems many Westerners are concerned with celebrities and gaining social kudos from peers. We’ll do anything to satisfy this craving.  Moreover, we’re so addicted to technology that it has become difficult to sit in silence and observe what’s going on in our minds.

In our travels to Cambodia, we witnessed the complete opposite. The locals were so happy and they had so few material possessions.

Children Ka Chut Kroam Village, Cambodia

Test to Determine your Level of Attachment

Next time you misplace your cell phone or computer or another valuable item, notice your reaction. Are you mad? Sad? If so, take a second and reflect. I often cringe when I drop my iPhone in “fear” that I had just shattered the screen. But isn’t it a bit ridiculous to let the status of a possession dictate your happiness? Let’s reduce this attachment to possessions and limit craving for items.

Conclusion on Aparigraha and Nonattachment

Some of us are always chasing…. chasing an impossible fleeting feeling of “happiness” that supposedly comes from accumulating material possessions. There are not enough material possessions in this world that will make you truly happy. This can only come from within.

Let’s strive to take the opposite approach to those on the hit American TV series Hoarders. Pursue your needs, not your desires and you’ll have more freedom in life. Be content with less.

“My barn has burned to the ground, now i can see the moon.” ~Japanese Proverb