We all operate in two contrasting modes

We all operate in two contrasting modes, which might be called open and closed. The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more democratic, more playful and more humorous. The closed mode is the tighter, more rigid, more hierarchical, more tunnel-visioned. Most people, unfortunately spend most of their time in the closed mode. Not that the closed mode cannot be helpful. If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time for considering alternative strategies. When you charge the enemy machine-gun post, don’t waste energy trying to see the funny side of it. Do it in the “closed” mode. But the moment the action is over, try to return to the “open” mode—to open your mind again to all the feedback from our action that enables us to tell whether the action has been successful, or whether further action is need to improve on what we have done. In other words, we must return to the open mode, because in that mode we are the most aware, most receptive, most creative, and therefore at our most intelligent.

The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this

 A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off… They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.

Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect; It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections

1. Enjoying the present moment is a habit that takes practice.

If you always look toward tomorrow for happiness, odds are you will do the same when you attain what you’ve been dreaming of. As strange it sounds, the abilit
y to appreciate what’s in front of you has nothing to do with what you actually have. It’s more about how you measure the good things in your life at any given time.

Practice wanting what you have and it will feel even sweeter when you eventually have what you want. Look around—what’s in front of you that can enjoy?

2. Finding reasons to be happy now can benefit your future.

Subsequent tests revealed that the women who expressed more positive emotion in those photos became more mentally focused, had more successful marriages, and enjoyed a greater sense of well-being.

“While positive emotion tends to broaden thought, negative emotion tends to narrow it and hold back development…

3. Tuning into joy can improve your health, something that affords you many possibilities in life.

Something that most people take for granted until it’s compromised.

Choose to be happy now and you’ll have more days of good health to enjoy.

4. Consistent, long-term happiness depends on your ability to notice and appreciate the details; you can hone that skill right now.

Once you get everything you want, you will still be subject to life’s highs and lows. If you haven’t learned to enjoy the little things, your well-being will parallel your life’s circumstances. Every time something goes wrong, you’ll feel deeply unhappy (as opposed to disappointed, but determined to make the best of things).

Think about the things that fill you with the most joy—spending time with your pets, listening to the rain, and running on the beach, for example. Focus on those things right now, and let them brighten your day. That way, no matter what changes, you’ll have a variety of simple pleasures to help you through.

5. Every day is a new opportunity to be better than yesterday; that pursuit can increase your self-esteem and, accordingly, your happiness.

I used to be obsessed with being perfect. If I wasn’t the best at something, I couldn’t sleep at night. Becoming great never felt as good as I imagined it would because there was always room to be better. I was constantly dissatisfied and disappointed in myself.

I now look at the things I do as opportunities to get better from one day to the next. It’s more satisfying to set and meet an attainable goal, like focusing better and writing an extra article tomorrow, than it is to obsess about perfection, stressing because I’m not a world-famous author.

By focusing on small improvements and mini-goals, you’ll naturally move yourself toward your larger dreams. And you’ll respect the way you’re doing things.

6. You can be who you want to be right now, no matter what your situation looks like.

You may think life needs to change dramatically for you to be the person you want to be. That you can’t be giving unless you make more money. Or you can’t be adventurous until you sell your house. The truth is, you can be those things at any point in time.

So you don’t have money to share. Be generous with your compassion, and listen when your friends have problems. So your house hasn’t sold, pinning you in one place. Create adventure in your day by trying new things and introducing yourself to new people.

You never know when your nows will run out, so ask yourself, “How can I be that person I want to be in this moment?”

7. Finding joy in the present moment, no matter how inadequate it may seem, makes a difference in other people’s lives.

Though we all have different lists of dreams and goals, for most of us this is at the forefront: the possibility of living a meaningful life that affects other people for the better.

Happiness is a moment-to-moment choice, one that many have a hard time making. Other people will notice if you make that choice. And you will motivate them to do the same. As the research above indicates, this motivation has a substantial impact on their health and future happiness.

I know this isn’t your usual reasons-to-be-happy post. It didn’t start or end with “count your blessings” and I didn’t delve into your relationships or good fortune. There’s a very good reason for that.

I don’t think happiness is so much about what you have. What you have changes; your “blessings” evolve. Happiness is about how you interpret what’s in front of you. How proud you are of the way you live your life. How willing you are to enjoy simple pleasures, even if things aren’t perfect.

Though I have’t always done this well, today I choose to focus on the good—both in the world and myself—to feel happy right now. How will you tune into happiness today?

The symbol of one man’s impossible dream

The concept of building a magnificent ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ to connect New York with the Long Island was dreamt up by an innovative German engineer John Augustus Roebling, who had been consistently criticized and warned by skeptics. Critics laughed at him for his impractical and impossible feat as they predicted the entire construction to collapse into New York’s East River.

Though discouraged, Roebling could not stop dreaming of that bridge deep down in his heart and one day he shared his concept with his engineer son Washington who was convinced to work on his idea after a lot of discussion and persuasion. Roebling, along with his son, developed the model of how to proceed and overcame all the obstacles to accomplish the wild challenge and made a dedicated crew to build the epic bridge of the century.

In 1857, he drew designs for massive towers that would hold the bridge’s cables and he was the pioneering figure of using steel in the construction to make the bridge stronger (earlier such suspension bridges had been built of iron). Making this enormous bridge was the most difficult task which cost John Roebling’s life and caused injury to Washington Roebling, who became handicapped and never recovered. They were called “Crazy men and their crazy dreams”, but he never gave up. He discovered a way to communicate and instruct his wife and for 13 years he kept giving directions to his wife to accomplish their mission. When it was completed and opened on May 24, 1883, the whole world experienced the most wonderful phenomenon the entire United States celebrated. A group of dignitary figures walked across the bridge and called it a “Wonder of Science”, Military bands played in its dignity, and cannons in the Brooklyn Navy Yard sounded salutes. Even after 125 years of its opening, the bridge remains the busiest route for New York commuters.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands as the symbol of one man’s impossible dream, indomitable spirit and his resolution not to be overwhelmed by negative circumstances.

Life itself is an opportunity to make it meaningful and significant

American biochemist and geneticist John Craig Venter, who is widely known as the first person to sequence the human genome (the process that led to decoding the human genome), was once a C and D grader in school and terribly away from studies.

His interest in medicine arrived from his life situations. He was against the Vietnam War but he was enlisted in the United States Navy to work in the intensive-care ward of a field hospital. Frustrated, he once attempted suicide by swimming out to sea, but he couldn’t when the images of the pathetic condition of injured and dying marines knocked his head. The desire to do something for them inspired him to study medicine and he went to a community college ‘College of San Mateo’ in California. Though, later, he transferred to the University of California, San Diego and switched to biomedical research. He completed his BS in 1972 in biochemistry then a PhD in physiology and pharmacology in 1975 from same University. On completion of his studies he worked as an associate professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he later became full time professor. In 1984, he joined the National Institutes of Health. He is the founder of The Institute for Genomic Research ‘Celera Genomics’, and the J. Craig Venter Institute where he is working to create synthetic biological organisms.

John Craig Venter was on Time magazine’s 100 list of the most influential people in the world for 2007 and 2008. The British magazine New Statesman enlisted him as the 14th “The World’s 50 Most Influential Figures.

Life itself is an opportunity to make it meaningful and significant; some become explorer and dive deep to take out the treasure while the others just sit, watch, and applaud for them.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a C or D grader throughout your school/college life. At any point in time, you can evolve as ‘the greatest’ provided you feel determined for something worthy and work diligently.