Beauty That Still Remains + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

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I really should be writing a patriotic post, seeing that tomorrow is July 4th and all, and it's one of my favorite holidays, but I think I wrote one last year. Oops, no I didn't I was really into the Summer Olympics about that time! But I did write a post about one of our founding fathers recently, John Adams! So I think we'll let that suffice! As for today's post.....

The Best Way + #MyPostMonday Link-Up

I love going out into nature and experiencing the beauty of it all. I've got to be outside at least once a day. If I'm not, I become very despondent.  But it isn't the most important thing that I need to be doing. If I really want to feel happy and content, I need to be out with other people and trying to make their lives a little bit better. I think that is why I love my job in Special Education. Each day I get to see kids that have been removed from their homes, plus have disabilities that qualify them for Special Services. All in all, they are good people. They have been dealt some heavy things though. Some of them don't even realize what bad luck they've had. They try the best they can to make sense of their existence and for the most part, make the best of what they've got. 

Sometimes just giving them an extra piece of candy or gum can really make their day brighter. Today, a kid in my class was in my general area, while I was doing something else. He had been rather glum when he first got to school and who could blame him? It was the first day of Daylight Savings Time and so it was actually 6:00 AM regular time, a very ungodly hour! But as we continued our parallel interaction, he mentioned that he was feeling happy, for some reason. I said I was glad for him, because he hadn't looked so cheery earlier. I wondered what the change was, and how it had happened. Could it be that he was feeling safe and non-threatened in this environment? Whatever it was, I was happy too!

Don't get me wrong, a great bargain at the mall can get me more giddy than I want to admit, but if that was all I had to look forward to, it would become very boring. All I'm saying is that I need to have a variety of things in my life, and it shouldn't all have to do with me, myself and I! 

Image - Bill Eastburn

 Today is "My Post Monday!" It's all about original content from bloggers who care to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I, for one, love to explore other sites for original, non-sponsored posts, tips, pictures and videos! Sponsored posts are great and I appreciate the information from well-written and authentic sponsored posts, I write them myself! But this linky is for non-sponsored posts because they are all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows. It's not about a specific brand and what it compensates the blogger to promote! If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  It's like being featured!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! Remember, any link to your posts helps your blog numbers increase! (Affiliate links OK)

To Be Happy Over Being Right + #MotivatingMonday Link-Up!

Photo by: Jennifer Peterson

The state of being seen as right is something that many people pursue relentlessly. It doesn’t matter what other points of view or proof is brought up, the need to be right supersedes everything. Most people aren’t really aware that they are choosing between two values—being right or being happy. These two ideals are present in most of life’s key situations. If you are unconscious of it, the powerful ego usually will do the choosing for you.

“Nothing is more deadly to happiness than the pursuit of being right ... which is to say, being seen as right. For personal proof of this, consider the people you know who are most insistent on their politics, their patterns, their viewpoint, their way… they tend to judge the most, insult the most, complain the most, and suffer the most. They reek of misery. This is often also reflected in their physical health.” 

Source: http://j.mp/1jajMar

The closer to home the situation is, the less likely most people will recognize or remember the choice between these two values of being right or being happy. Ironically, the more intimate the situation, the more damaging the wrong choice is. It is very seldom that in a close situation that being right is paramount, or more important than a person to be loved.

I’ve found when I back off, even when I am dead sure that I’m right, when in the heat of a discussion, it can possibly save a week of bad feelings in my marriage, rescue a relationship, or maintain a reputation.

Does it mean that you let go of your morals, beliefs, and principals to give in to someone else’s stronger or more insistent opinion or belief? Absolutely not. But when there is not a huge reason to die on the hill, why not just let it go? It can actually save yourself from stress-related illnesses, if you let your ego take second place to your sense of deference for the sake of peace!
Challenge: Next time you find yourself in a difference of opinion with someone, ask yourself, "Is it worth raising the stress level right now to prove that I'm right?" If you find that it isn't, find a peaceful way to resolve it as quickly as possible and congratulate yourself for choosing the happy route!  

Today is Motivating Monday!  We all need a little motivation!  I, for one, love to explore other sites for motivating, non-sponsored posts, tips, pictures and videos!  If I happen to find a great one, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MotivatingMonday hashtag!  It's like being featured!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! Remember, any link to your posts helps your blog numbers increase!