Tag: Choice

True Happiness Starts With You

by Bright Osadiaye, posted in Workplace Learning Report
Woman Surrounded by Sunflowers Raising Hand
Photo by Andre Furtado on Pexels.com

Leo Tolstoy famously said, “If you want to be happy, be.” Your happiness is in you. You can choose to be happy or unhappy. It is your choice. Happiness is a choice you make on a daily basis.

You cannot buy happiness. It is not for sale. If you want to be happy, do not find it in your material possessions, look for it in your mind. The happiness you are looking for is in your mind- in your thoughts.

You can make yourself happy by changing your thoughts. If you focus on negative things, for sure, you are going to be unhappy. But if you focus on happy things, on happy moments in your life, on happy moments in your work, if you pay attention to the good things that happening around you, you will be in a much more better mood.

That is, if you want to be happy, control what you focus on. If you focus on negative things, you will receive more negative things. If you focus on positive things, more positive things will come to you. Whether you believe it or not, positive feelings are better than negative feelings.

Democritus said, “Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.” Yes, happiness dwells in the soul. Because happiness is a state of mind. The good news is, “If you want to be happy, clean up your mind of negative things, and fill it with positive things. Positive things is the best medicine for the soul. Positive thoughts heal the soul. Do more of it!

Why Is It Difficult To Practice Forgiveness?

by Bright Osadiaye, posted in Personal Development
Selective Photography of Flying Black Falcon
Photo by Nigam Machchhar on Pexels.com

“Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it forgoes revenge, and dare forgive an injury.”- Edwin Hubbell Chapin, preacher

Forgiveness is freedom. When you forgive who hurt you, you are free. The other person is free, too.

Forgiveness is healing. When you forgive who hurt you, you are healing from the pain. You are healing from the past. You are healing into the present.

But one thing is clear: forgiveness is a hard thing to do, but if you can do it, you will be free forever. If you find yourself struggling to forgive someone, you are not alone. We are all in it together.

People find it difficult to forgive because they can’t let go of the feeling of resentment. They can’t forget the past. They think they are letting the person go unpunished.

Forgiveness does not mean that you are letting the person who hurt you go unpunished. It means you are letting yourself off the pain of the past. It means you are freeing yourself from bondage. It means you are now a mature person, meaning you are bigger than the person who hurt you.

Forgiveness is your choice. It is a choice between staying in the past or moving forward. It is a choice between letting go or continue to live in pain. It is a choice between being a victim or a victor. Forgiveness takes time. It is a process. Don’t rush into it. Take your time to forgive and forget.

Forgiveness is letting go of the past. If you let go of the past, if you forget the past, then you can focus on the moment. But if you keep living in the past, if you keep dwelling on what happened yesterday, you will miss what is happening right now. Don’t let resentment steal your happiness away from you. Don’t let resentment steal your destiny away from you. Resentment is toxic. It is worse than cancer. Resentment allows us to continually live in pain. Resentment is dangerous to your health and well-being, so get rid of it.

Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian, said, “Forgiveness is the final form of love.” You cannot love someone unless you have forgiven him or her. Forgiveness is hard, but if you can do it, you are free forever. Enjoy your freedom!