Gratitude is the key to happiness

When we think of happiness we rarely think of gratitude. However gratitude is the key to happiness. If you claim that you are in terrible situation try to find at least ten things that you can be grateful for in your life. Never say there are no such things because probably there are plenty of them. At the begging it can be difficult because we always try to recall big things and achievements. Every day before going to bed try to make a list of things that you can thank for. We easly remember our failures and defeats but how difficult it is to recall the best moments in your life. Even if you go through the rough time, be grateful. Someone said: “Be thankful for the difficult times, during those times you grow”. Oprah Winfrey said: “True forgiveness is when you can say to your life: „Thank you for that experience.”

I used to think that I still need something to be happy and fulfilled. There was always something, some goals to achieve, some things to obtain, some desires to fulfill. Epicurus said: “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

 Try to count what great things you have and what wonderful people surround you. I’m sure you will find something or someone to whom you can say: I owe you a hell a lot. From now on thank for all goodness that has happened to you and call all your failures a lesson. Dare to be grateful.

These phrases can help you to express your gratitude:

I so greatly appreciate…

I’m honored…

I am very thankful…

I’m delighted…

We were touched…

I truly enjoyed…

We are truly grateful…

I am much obliged…

I was inspired…

I relished…

I was dazzled…

How adorable of you…

More thank you phrases:

I was estatic…

We will forever be beholden to you…

I am moved…

We are much in your debt…

I was so pleased…

How thoughtful of you…

We were amazed…

I was charmed by…

It was so awesome of you to…

I was pleasantly surprised…

Gratitude – the feeling of being grateful, wdzięczność

Claim – to state that something is true, even though it has not been proved, twierdzić

grateful – feeling that you want to thank someone because of something kind that they have done, or showing this feeling, wdzięczny

plenty – a large quantity, mnóstwo, dużo, pod dostatkiem

failures – a lack of success in achieving or doing something, porażka

defeats – failure to win or succeed, porażka, klęska

rough – a rough period is one in which you have a lot of problems or difficulties, trudny, ciężki

obtain – to get something that you want, especially through your own effort, skill, or work, uzyskać, otrzymać

surround – to be all around someone or something on every side, otaczać

owe – to feel that you should do something for someone or give someone something, because they have done something for you or given something to you, zawdzięczać, mieć za coś dług wobec kogoś

The power of words

Have you ever thought of words that you say to yourself every day? What kind of message do you send to your body? Even though I know what kind of words I should use, I still catch myself on using phrases like: “I’m so stupid”, I’ll never do it”, “This not for me”, “I’m not clever enough”. Sometimes small exchange of words can alter a lot. I am certain you have heard many times that you should forget some words. Instead of: I must, use: I want
Tomorrow – now
I don’t know – I will find out
I am disappointed – I have experienced
I should – I have decided
Problem – challenge
I cannot – I will learn
If you say „I’m angry, mad, furious, devastated” what sort of feelings it will evoke? What will you focus on? If you know that words can hurt, you are aware they can also heal. Words can really influence the way we feel. Try to find your own way to change them. Instead of saying “I’m furious” say “I’m a bit irritated”, if you feel rejected, think you are misunderstood.
I’m stupid – I have tried to discover something
I’m depressed, in despair – I’m calming down before I start acting
It makes me sad – it makes me think
Scary – different
I’m happy – I’m overjoyed, over the moon
Sharing books is also one of the most powerful ways to bring the richness and complexity of words to explore their power. The words in a book can spark the imagination, stir the soul, introduce new ideas, and offer delight. Charismatic people draw the crowds only by words they utter. Let me remind you only good examples like: Nelson Mandela or Gandhi.
I have one week challenge for you:
Try to substitute negative words and phrases by positive ones and check how it will influence your life.

Alter – to change, zmieniać

Evoke – to produce a strong feeling or memory in someone, wywoływać

Aware – to realize or know that something exists, świadomy

Heal – become healthy again, leczyć

Rejected – to be refused or not accepted, odrzucony

Misunderstood – used to describe someone who is not liked by other people in a way that is unfair, because they do not understand him or her, źle zrozumiany

In despair – a feeling that you have no hope at all, być zrozpaczonym

Calm down – to become quiet and relaxed after you have been angry, excited, nervous, or upset, or to make someone become quiet and relaxed, wyciszać się, uspokoić

Act – to do something in a particular way or for a particular reason, działać

Spark the imagination – to make someone be more creative, rozpalić wyobraźnię

Stir the soul – to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction, poruszyć, dotknąć duszę

Delight – a feeling of great pleasure and satisfaction, zachwyt, radość

Charismatic – having charisma, charyzmatczny

Crowd – a large group of people, tłum

Utter – to say something, wypowiadać

How to overcome fear?

How to overcome our fear? Everybody sometimes has to face some fear. Sometimes the fear seems to be worse than it really is. We think of something scary and creepy for us we shake like a leaf and it sends shivers up and down our spine. After crossing some border we notice that what we had been afraid of, wasn’t really that scary. Let’s imagine the situation. You walk alone at night and suddenly you can hear some steps behind you. Your heart starts pounding, your mouth becomes dry and your palms become wet. You imagine the worst: ”Maybe it’s a robber”, “No, why robber, it’s a murderer, a cutthroat”. You go into the nearest building or gate to hide and you stand there scared stiff. Then you notice it’s a lonely lady going past. It is usually an imagination which helps our fear and anxiety to thrive. Anxious, chronic worriers tend to misuse their imaginations to the extent that upcoming events feel like catastrophes waiting to happen.

But what can we do to overcome our fears? I have some advice: Firstly you can jump in at the deep end and take the bull by the horns. Secondly: go to therapy if the fear is really strong and you cannot be over the hump. Thirdly: read some books, search the Internet and find some information about the fear that is oppressing you and get ready to face it. You can always find a person who has secceeded in overcoming similar fear to yours or like the main character of the film, you can find safer way to resolve your problem and avoid facing the fear:)

Jump in at the deep end – you start doing something new and difficult without help or preparation – skoczyć na głęboką wodę

It sends shivers up and down my spine –something frightens you very much – Coś sprawia, że mamy ciarki

Creepy – making you feel nervous and slightly frightened -budzący dreszcz grozy

Shake like a leaf – so scared that can’t stop moving – trząść się jak osika

Palm – the inside surface of your hand – dłoń

Scared stiff – you are so scared that you can’t move – śmiertelnie przestraszony

Thrive – to become very successful or very strong and healthy – wzrastać

Anxiety – the feeling of being very worried about something –niepokój, lęk

Anxious – worried about something – zaniepokojony

Upcoming – happening soon – nadchodzący, zbliżający się

Misuse – to use something for the wrong purpose, or in the wrong way, often with harmful results – niewłaściwe używanie, nadużywanie

Take the bull by the horns – to bravely or confidently deal with a difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant problem – brać byka za rogi

Be over the hump – to have finished the most difficult part of something – przezwyciężyć trudności

Oppress – to make someone feel unhappy, worried, or uncomfortable – gnębić

 

Think for yourself

I have heard of war heroes who decided to sacrifice their life for an idea. I reckon it is easy to do it in times of war when you really stand for something. The world during the war is black and white, evil is evil and good is good. You know your enemies. But is it easy or possible to die free nowadays? And what does it really mean? On the one hand it is obvious that we live in throwaway society, we are accustomed to having fresh water, electricity, shops full of food. It is difficult to give up these conveniences but most of us are aware that all of these goods require hard, slave labour of small children and starving people. We use some part of the world to enhance our life in western civilization. We believe that we really need those things. Shopping malls have become contemporary temples. But I think one day we will pay the price. Instead of thinking we choose to watch tv after work or spend whole day in front of computer. So maybe using Shata Qs’ words, I’m saying: “Think for yourself”.

LYRICS:

Waking up from a coma to reality
Lost and sick , emptiness buried in disease
waving guns, spreading lies, spitting in a face
Selling a girl as a bag of rice in a human trade
Starving lives, broken hearts full of lost faith
hungry lions fighting until the end
The world’s genocide over useless things
How long is it gonna take before we truly stand for something.

chorus:
I’ m gonna be who I wanna be
Even if its gonna mean my life
I’m gonna die free.

The world is blind to a human tragedy
But where we trade minerals everyone can see
So unaware of what’s going on
It’s all mind control, it’s all mind control
Dressed in gold poison spreads in the world of man
it’s hard to deny We are paid slaves,
Creativity replaced by „buy and sell”
No thinking for yourself, no thinking for yourself

chorus:
I’ m gonna be who I wanna be
Even if its gonna mean my life
I’m gonna die free.

Free your mind and take a breath
Detoxify from hatred
Whatever you give you’re gonna get
So what say you now?
What say you now?

I’ m gonna be who I wanna be
Even if its gonna mean my life
I’m gonna die free.

My feet are burning but I’am walking ahead
And I am calling every woman and man
The time is coming to regain our strength
Thinking for yourself

Reckon – to think or suppose something – sądzić, uważać

Throwaway society – consumer society – społeczeństwo konsumentów

To be ccustomed to – to be familiar with something and accept it as normal – być przyzwyczajonym

Convenience – something that is useful because it saves you time or means that you have less work to do – udogodnienie

Slave labour – work for which you are paid an unfairly small amount of money – praca niewolnicza

Starving – to suffer or die because you do not have enough to eat – głodujący

Enhance – to improve something – poprawić

Shopping mall – a large area where there are a lot of shops – centrum handlowe

Contemporary – belonging to the present time – współczesny

Temple – a building where people go to worship a god – świątynia

Coma – someone who is in a coma has been unconscious for a long time, usually because of a serious illness or injury – śpiączka

Spread – if something spreads or is spread, it becomes larger or moves so that it affects more people or a larger area – rozprzestrzeniać się

mind control – control of your thoughts – kontrola umysłu

Spit – to force a small amount of saliva out of your mouth – pluć

Trade – the activity of buying and selling – handel

Faith – a strong feeling of trust or confidence in someone or something – wiara

Genocide – the deliberate murder of a whole group or race of people – ludobójstwo

Blind – unable to see – ślepy, niewidomy

Human – belonging to or relating to people – ludzki

Hatred – an angry feeling of extreme dislike for someone or something – nienawiść

Regain – to get something back, especially an ability or quality, that you have lost – odzyskać

 

What’s on your mind?

There was a film and a book called „Loneliness on the Web”. I think this could be also a good title of this short movie I have posted today. Main character of this short film keeps updating his Facebook status with imaginary situations. Does it ever happen to you? Most people live and share their life on Facebook or other social media. Some, we can say overshare their life. Everything they do must be on Facebook. You can make friends on Facebook, meet new people, find your charming prince and if you don’t feel like seeing this person again, you just defriend him or her. The film also presents modern, media language, for example using hashtags: #followyourdreams, #tunk or abbreviations like: tonite, clubbin and gr8. The film’s message clearly shows that overusing Facebook can make us unhappy. We compare our life with others which may draw us to conclusion that our life is not that one we wanted and other people have happier and more fulfilling one. But I’m wondering how many of the posts and photos uploaded on Facebook are true and not exaggerated. So, what’s on your mind now?

To post – to put a message or computer document on the Internet so that other people can see it – umieścić coś w sieci np.informację na Facebook’u

Imaginary – not real, but produced from pictures or ideas in your mind – zmyślony

Social media – is the social interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas on the Internet. -media społecznościowe

Dead-end-job – a job which provides you with no chance of finding a better job – praca bez perspektyw

Share – to have or use something with other people – dzielić się

Overshare – to upload too many information on Facebook – umieszczać zbyt wiele informacji na swój temat

Defriend – to remove someone from your social networking sites. – usunąć kogoś z twojego portalu społecznosciowego

Hushtag – a sign: # – znak: #

Abbreviation- a short form of a word or expression – skrót

draw conclusion – decide something because of information you have – wyciągać wnioski

fulfilling – making you feel happy and satisfied because you are doing interesting, useful, or important things – satysfakcjonujący

upload – to move something from a small computer to a computer network so that other people can see it or use it – wgrywać, wysyłać

exaggerate – to make something seem better, larger, worse etc than it really is – przesadzać

charming prince – your dream partner – książe z bajki