" Less Is More … "

The more you buy, the less you've sold

The more you try, the more you fold

The more you read, the less you see

The more you need, the less you're free

I'll always need your love I guess

I've looked for more but more is less

You take me in, you take me slow

You let me be, you let me know

That less is more, less is more

Hold me tight and everything is right ...

Love is more, love is more

~ Rupert Holmes ~ Less Is More ~

***

Life and work have become so overly complex ... yet it doesn’t have to be when we realize that what we have is good enough.  Perhaps along the idea of “don’t use a lot where a little will do”.

But we are bombarded with the message that the more we have, the happier we will be.  Because at this moment in time, we are not enough ... we are incomplete ... we lack something.  We must do more, achieve more, own more and consume more — we get the message loud and clear!!  This is what marketers what us to believe ... that we would be happier if we had more “stuff”.  But what happens when get that stuff ... we want more right?  It is never enough, because we have put our happiness on something.  

But, happiness is not a goal or a thing, it is a choice right ?

 ... once our basic needs are met, the benefits of “more” plateaus … 

as your add more material possessions, well being actually decreases ... 

Personally, less is more gave me more time.  I had less to manage, organize, sort or figure out.  By de-cluttering my closets, I de-cluttered my life.  As I’ve simplified, I’ve questioned the importance and usefulness of most of my belongings.  I realized that owning less lets me choose what truly matters.  I appreciate what I do have.  I am kinder to the planet as there is no quest for more while trashing our planet.

More importantly, there is space ... and although seemingly empty, somehow fills me with peace.  A peace that I have never experienced when I had more  ... possessions, friends, “stuff” … Living simply is not easy.  The pressure to conform is overwhelming.  

 ॐ Yet the more I have simplified the more I find my strength and certainty within ॐ

www.walkstrong.ca

" Joy And Pain ... "

Joy and pain

Like sunshine and rain

Joy and pain

Like sunshine and rain ...

So don't look and try to judge me

Because you think that I'm another MC, well

I'm the new kind, I just moved around

But that don't mean I can't rip up the town ...

Not from the old school or from the new

Applaud the boom, do what you want to

Talk to me then try to put me down

We used to be cool now we don't hang around

I'm the headliner of this show

And you're just a kid and you need to grow, because

~ Base Rob ~ Joy And Pain ~

***

As the lyrics go, we get the obvious difference between joy and pain but what about the difference between joy and happiness?  And are they not one in the same?  Recently during a good read this came up for me and I wanted to explore it further ...

Joy and Happiness are both positive and desirable emotions.  They provide feelings of satisfaction and come from certain reasons.  But there is a difference ...

Let's start with JOY .... 

The source of joy is something or someone that is greatly appreciated or valued.  Joy comes from the inner-self of a person.  The connection with the source of life within you.  And it is not only about yourself, but also about the contentment of those people whom you value.  Joy is caused by soul satisfying incidents.  Joy is long lasting and warms your heart.

So what then is HAPPINESS? ...

Happiness is an emotion experienced when in a state of well-being and usually linked to a stimulus or event.  Happiness is something outside of you and is gained by observing or doing.  Happiness can be momentary or short lived.  Happiness can be characterized as materialistic and rests more on worldly pleasures.

Simply put, joy is an extension to happiness ... 

a continuous state of happiness and a positive emotion.

In my experience when I lose joy to fear, I settle for sporadic happy highs, which is additive.  I would look to the future and put all my eggs in someone else's basket.  I would be dependent on people or events to align with my expectations so that the end result would be my happiness.  And it may have given me happiness but not true satisfaction ... the void was still present.

So I had to learn to teach myself to be joyful, truly joyful, because it had become a detriment to my health.  I carried fear, anger and sadness with me most of the time, as it lasted longer than happiness.  So shifting into joy and excitement was required to help me truly heal.

I realized that I have this choice and waiting for a circumstance to subside the lower energies was an illusion.  Joy matters and allowing it in my life has become an essential spiritual aspect of my journey.  Joy brings faith, grace, gratitude, love and hope, and I relay on it to bring deep satisfaction in my life when I need it most.  

Life is meant to be en”joy”ed and not just endured so jump of for joy when you can because joy does not happen to us, we have to choose it and keep choosing it every day ...