Inherently Happy

Happy Authenticity - Ep. 402

Happy Authenticity means you follow your own path, 
Not to impress others, or to keep them off your back,
But because, maybe, you prefer cartooning to theoretical math,
And you love what you have, rather than hating what you lack.

 

[full text below]

Ep. 402 - Happy Authenticity

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

I used to try to conform to what other people thought I should be,
I wore long pants and studied science despite preferring art and wearing shorts,
I signed my name in cursive, and ate whatever was put in front of me,
Which led to bitterness, nervousness and record-breaking nausea by all reports.

I wanted people to like me and to want to be my friend,
Like that time in my early youth when I was positively adored, 
Before fears and growing pains marked a distinctly downward trend,
And I was both mocked and shunned by an ever-growing horde.

I become increasingly desperate to turn things back around,
But no matter what I did, it seemed to be the exact wrong thing,
No matter the tactic or effort, I seemed forever to be losing ground,
Still, I hoped life was a pendulum and that I was eventually due an upswing.

But there’s something to be said for being friendless, for it means having no peers,
Since without those, one has no peer pressure, which makes conforming a waste,
And so I was free to work on myself and to, one by one, dismantle my own fears,
Allowing me to pursue my own interests according to my own sense of good taste.

I could freely admit that I didn’t like certain foods, or long pants, or cursive letters,
I allowed myself to be silly when I felt like it and quiet when I ran out of things to say,
I pursued the arts, stopped going to church, and refused to wear pullover sweaters,
I hung out in cemeteries contemplating the universe, and managed to find my own way.

Because I gave myself the freedom to try new things to see what would stick,
If I started a new hobby that didn’t last, well, I could at least say I tried,
And because I didn’t need the approval of others, their demands had no kick,
I could also be totally honest with myself because who would prefer that I lied?

Happy Authenticity means you follow your own path, 
Not to impress others, or to keep them off your back,
But because, maybe, you prefer cartooning to theoretical math,
And you love what you have, rather than hating what you lack.

So, does this mean I sleep out in the wilds with neither job nor home?
Not at all, I earn my rent doing office work and helping out where I can,
But I also write, draw and dream, letting my heart soar and my soul roam,
Making my life into something I like, as Happy now as it was when it all began.

Haha 
Yowza

 

Happy Change - Ep. 401

Everything fluctuates--Life itself is Change,
It can affect plans both short-term and long-range.
Will you fight the inevitable or will you be able to adapt?
Tapping into hidden reserves of resilience previously untapped?

 

[full text below]

 

Ep. 401 - Happy Change

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

Everything fluctuates--Life itself is Change,
It can affect plans both short-term and long-range.
Will you fight the inevitable or will you be able to adapt?
Tapping into hidden reserves of resilience previously untapped?

If you embrace the changes you find, are you being too passive?
If you challenge them, do you risk your aggression getting too massive?
Like with anything, it depends on what the change is.
Is it the collapse of an empire, or a bubbly drink losing its fizz?

Is something being created or destroyed?
Is something improving or deteriorating?
Does it make you enthusiastic or annoyed?
Is it empowering or debilitating?

Is something getting bigger or smaller?
Are things moving faster or slower?
And which do you prefer? Thicker, thinner, shorter, taller?
And would you adjust the frequency if you could? Higher or lower?

Change comes in many forms, Death for one can mean Life for another,
The early bird catching the worm could be some baby bird’s mother.

Growth is Change, but Balance allows us to manage it,
Reality is in a constant state of dynamic flux and sway,
We do our best as time and resources permit,
Hoping and struggling, trying to win the day.

We must remember to temper our expectations for both good and bad, 
Good things will change, and bad things will change, so don’t get stuck, 
But keep agile and adaptable even as you feel glad, mad or sad,
So that you can move with the fluctuations and not be a sitting duck.

Haha
Yowza

Happy Grace - Ep. 400

If you can see yourself in people who may be dissimilar to you, 
If you can find the humanity in those who can, at first, cause you dismay,
Then you could get to know and even learn to appreciate their different worldview,
Which may afford you the gift of Happy Grace, allowing you to see things in a new way.

[full text below]

Ep. 400 - Happy Grace

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

If you can see yourself in people who may be dissimilar to you, 
If you can find the humanity in those who can, at first, cause you dismay,
Then you could get to know and even learn to appreciate their different worldview,
Which may afford you the gift of Happy Grace, allowing you to see things in a new way.

We all like to consider our views to be right and everybody else's to be wrong,
But sometimes those who disagree with us can still make valid points,
Which we’d never discover if we’re being too dismissive or headstrong,
Complaining about how everything they do disturbs, distorts and disjoints.

If you are religious, do you have any non-religious friends?
If you are political, do you associate with those who are not?
Or even with those who are religious and political but with seemingly different ends?
Does it turn into a shouting match resulting in each side giving as good as they got?

Inherently Happy means that Balance and Growth are built-in, standard features, 
We all feel better when we stop fighting ourselves, and sustainably improve instead,
And part of that relies on us expanding our horizons, a lesson taught by all the best teachers,
Which means we must sometimes dive into opposing viewpoints becoming more well-read.

Those who you claim to be the enemy, may think the very same of you,
Their anger and fear of you exactly matching the energy you yourself are showing,
Which you can’t see because you’re too busy condemning everything that they do,
Which only proves their point, both of you unaware of your own lack of knowing.

But if you can turn off the spotlights and sirens and learn to listen and connect, 
Then you may find that they are willing to do the same for you to reach common ground,
Because Happy Grace is for everyone willing to look beyond destructive cause and effect,
And recognize within others the very same humanity we ourselves claim to have found.

Haha
Yowza

Happy Smart - Ep. 396

Science shows us what Logic, Nature and the Body are and can do,
Philosophy shows us why People, Life and the Self are worthwhile subjects to pursue,
And Art shows us how Words, Images and Music express the experiences we all go through.

[entire script below]

Ep. 396 - Happy Smart

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

Let me tell you a little about the nine kinds of smart, 
You can add them to a spreadsheet or graph them on a chart, 
To help you recall the facts I’m trying to impart.

Some people call them talents, others say they’re learning styles, 
But even if you call them traits that the heart and mind compiles,
They often tend to show themselves in a variety of skill profiles.

You can sort them somewhere under the Three Great Considerations,
Ways of interacting with reality in all its fluctuations, 
Those being Science, Philosophy, and Art and their various specifications.

Science shows us what Logic, Nature and the Body are and can do,
Philosophy shows us why People, Life and the Self are worthwhile subjects to pursue,
And Art shows us how Words, Images and Music express the experiences we all go through.

Logic as in patterns, Nature as in environment, and Body as in sports,
People as in empathy, Life as in existence, and Self as in reflection when feeling out of sorts, 
Words as in language, Images as in design, and Music as in rhythm that transports

When we show an interest in any of these areas we learn how to connect, 
We see the relationships between thoughts and feelings, between cause and effect,
And we learn about truth, harmony, integrity and realize what it means to come correct.

The Three Great Considerations of Science, Philosophy and Art, 
Are ways to engage with the world through the mind and the heart,
And all the methods of doing that are what teach us to become Happy Smart.

Haha
Yowza

 

[Photo Edit: on the illustration, "Logic" has been changed to "Math" to clear up any confusion as to what kind of Logic it is, namely, mathematical logic and problem solving, not rhetorical logic and debate, which would be more related to Philosophy]

Happy Resistance - Ep. 399

Strength is often measured in terms of brute force, 
If someone can fight oppression, then they must be strong, of course!
But sometimes power doesn’t need to be expressed at arm’s length,
For the ability to endure without collapsing is true mental strength!

 

[full text below]

Ep. 399 - Happy Resistance

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

Strength is often measured in terms of brute force, 
If someone can fight oppression, then they must be strong, of course!
But sometimes power doesn’t need to be expressed at arm’s length,
For the ability to endure without collapsing is true mental strength!

I’ve often been told I’m too emotional by people who consider emotions to be weak,
And those very same people then resort to destructive habits as a coping technique,
When I, instead, recommend learning how to manage one’s emotions and moods, 
Through Happy thoughts, practices, and habits, like exercise, good sleep and healthy foods.

When tragedy befalls me, I don’t bottle it up, I express it, I let it out, I process,
This is not being too emotional or weak, this is dealing with it so that I don’t obsess,
So that I don’t let it fester and rot and turn me furious, manic, psychotic or numb, 
I don’t view my moods as things to be feared or avoided because, to me, well, that’s dumb.

That is misunderstanding the very nature of the human heart and mind,
Which help us to self-regulate our lives in the face of society’s daily grind,
If you deny your own ability to deal with life, then you’ll fight yourself every day,
You’ll fill yourself with shame and hatred, call yourself weak and throw your humanity away.

I used to try to fight my emotions because that’s what everyone told me I should do,
Unless it was anger, that was okay, so I became a vandal and a pyromaniac--wouldn’t you?
I drank, I smoked, I did drugs, I was mean to myself and to others--what a tough guy, right?
I got speeding tickets, I got into fights, I cut myself, and plotted revenge at all hours of the night.

I got arrested, I lost friendships, I got in trouble at work,
I called people names, I talked back and acted like a jerk,
I’d show them, I vowed, I’d make them regret it one day--they’d all see!
But this self-made poison wasn’t hurting them, it was only killing me.

The world didn’t owe me anything, I finally realized, it was the other way around, 
We’re all just trying to get through life as best we can, from delivery bed to burial ground,
And we should make use of all the resources we have and all the help we can get, 
It’s not weakness to train yourself to handle extreme emotions before you get too upset.

Fighters don’t wait until they find themselves attacked to learn what to do,
They practice every day to get so good that it becomes second nature. and so can you,
Because life is a challenge for everyone, we all face the same potential for bleakness, 
And trying to just white-knuckle your way through isn’t a strength, it’s a weakness.

Thanks to my regularly practicing dealing with my moods, and not shying away from them,
I have greatly improved my ability to deal with what life throws my way, from joy to mayhem,
From tragedy to triumph, because both extremes can lead to imbalance that can derail,
So, if anything--I’m less emotional in the sense that instead of collapsing, I prevail.

We all face challenges, no one gets away clean,
And all we can do is our best, whatever that may mean,
So, raise your own level of expertise to be able to stand strong, 
And come what may, you’ll withstand the onslaught and wind up where you belong.

Haha
Yowza

Happy Diligence - Ep. 398

Persist through obstacles, setbacks and strife,
Remain purposeful and consistent even in the face of worry and fear,
Regardless of whether the task is a small one or lasts your entire life,
Practice inner discipline and conscientiousness to grant you the strength to persevere.

[full script below]

Ep. 398 - Happy Diligence

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

Happy Diligence means persisting through obstacles, setbacks and strife,
Where you remain purposeful and consistent even in the face of worry and fear,
Regardless of whether the task is a small one or lasts your entire life,
Practicing inner discipline and conscientiousness grants you the strength to persevere.

I may not be the smartest, or the fastest, but I am made of some pretty strong stuff,
So, I know that I always can, at the very least, work super, extra hard,
So that even if my skills are lacking, my tenacity might still be enough
To allow me to out-maneuver, outlast, and go the extra yard.

I give myself small deadlines to help keep my motivation alive, 
I finish smaller projects, while I chip away at the bigger ones, 
It grants me a sense of accomplishment, which, in turn, boosts my drive, 
And ensures that I keep following the path of my dreams wheresoever it runs.

I practice my moods, and I work through my pain,
I teach myself to be resilient, I train my heart and my mind,
But I also allow myself to be silly, to laugh, and to play in the rain,
To smile at strangers, and write about what it means to be kind.

For Happy Diligence isn’t just about how to be tough,
But also how to be tender when you need to be too,
How to be Human, which is sometimes smooth, sometimes rough,
Because Life is, ultimately, something each of us is just trying to make it through.

Haha
Yowza

Happy Harmony - Ep. 397

Using the perspective of the Inherently Happy Way
To act as a guidepost to plan out your day,
Shows you the road we each need to drive
And the tools to maintain it to make sure that you thrive.

[entire script below]

 

Ep. 397 - Happy Harmony

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

Using the perspective of the Inherently Happy Way
To act as a guidepost to plan out your day,
Shows you the road we each need to drive
And the tools to maintain it to make sure that you thrive.

‘Cause when you’re balanced, you have equilibrium, 
When you grow, you improve,
Balance reveals patterns--you can practically see ‘em,
And Growth helps you change, adapt and move.

When you’re mindful, you’re aware,
When you’re grateful, you hold good favor in high regard,
Mindfulness helps keep you attuned to how, what, and where,
And Gratitude grants you grace for when things get hard.

When you’re compassionate, you can feel what others are feeling, 
When you’re understanding, you have connection,
Compassion shows you empathy, the first step towards healing,
And Understanding teaches you forgiveness and reflection.

Together they give you self-purpose, self-acceptance, and self-respect,
And this Happy Harmony allows you to see that in others--I know ‘cause I checked.

Haha
Yowza

 

 

Gradually Happy - Ep. 395

Sudden attraction can prove a distraction,
And get you more thorns than flowers,
While a gradual reaction can gain you some traction,
And let you develop your powers.

 

[entire script below]

Ep. 395 - Gradually Happy

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

Sometimes you can see without feeling,
You’ll notice a sunset, a rainbow, or a flower,
But it doesn’t make you jump up and hit the ceiling, 
‘Cause you’re just trying to get home before rush hour.

Some other time you’ll catch a glimpse of a poster for a movie you’ve never seen,
And without context it doesn’t really register as something you’d even want to see,
But then your friend tells you they think you’d find it really peachy keen,
And so you watch it, you love it, and now that same poster is as lovely as can be.

You can also be this way with human beings,
At first, everyone may seem like extras in the movie that is your life,
But then as you get to know them through multiple seeings,
You may begin to feel something about them, could be joy, could be strife.

You might meet an attractive person who is simply hateful, 
Or a person you initially barely register, but who turns out to be a delight,
And this can make you value deeper connections, and be grateful, 
And maybe not judge so quickly before you know what’s right.

I myself can look at something beautiful and not immediately care, 
While at the same time clinging to something tattered and torn,
It’s not to say I can’t grow to love something pretty if I find more there, 
Or that I’ve only ever liked ratty things since the day I was born.

I just don’t really do the “love at first sight” thing anymore,
I don’t get infatuated from a glance or a nice smile,
I have been burned by that way too many times before,
Where spending time with them made me feel like I was on trial.

So, now I take my time to connect before I attempt any form of attraction,
I can still appreciate sunsets, rainbows and flowers,
I just don’t let dreams of a pot of gold become a distraction
From my journey to becoming Gradually Happy, and fully engaging with my Happy powers.

Haha
Yowza

Happy Mindset - Ep. 394

If no matter how bad you want something you never get it, you’ll hate the endless yearning, 
But with a Happy Mindset, you’ll realize that the opposite of Winning isn’t Losing, it’s Learning.

[full script below]

Ep. 394 - Happy Mindset

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

I’ve known smart, attractive, rich, and talented people who still hated their lives quite a lot,
Because they were stuck in the past, or in a shame spiral, or hung up on guilt and regret,
They could never be grateful, only ever seeing all the things they hadn’t quite got,
They never saw opportunities, only obstacles, for everything to them was a threat.

I mean, I know, sometimes it feels like the world is doing everything it can to make life tough,
No matter how bad you want something, you never get it--so, what’s the point of yearning?
Well, that all depends on your Mindset, really. A Mean one will make you Mean, sure enough,
But a Happy Mindset knows that the opposite of Winning isn’t Losing, it’s Learning.

Trying the same thing over and over only leads to progress if you learn along the way,
And Progress is just another way of saying Winning by a matter of degrees,
You may not win first place every time, but you can still gain strength and skill every day,
And that’s how you can keep your spirits up when everyone else has a feeling of unease.

I got punched in the face once by a very angry man who I was only trying to assist,
He couldn’t see that, though, he could only perceive all the things he felt he was missing,
So, ignoring all the good things around us, he just cursed, kicked the air and balled up his fist, 
And then when I didn’t back down, pretty soon it was the ground I was kissing.

But did I cry or wonder why the world had been so cruel? Did I weep or wail?
Not at all, I just got back up and watched him get hauled off by the cops.
He sucker punched me, which is pretty dirty, but he went to jail,
And I learned that not everyone wants my help and would just rather bust me in the chops.

The outcome of any situation, therefore, should not be one’s sole motivating factor, 
Because then you’ll miss the journey, the wisdom, the lesson and the hope, 
You’ll just condemn yourself to having meltdowns like a leaky nuclear reactor,
Where even the slightest frustration makes you think you’ve lost and therefore can’t cope.

Now I get sad, sure, I get mad too, I’m a person, but I know those feelings are fleeting,
Because I always aim to maintain my Happy Mindset even if it takes a few tries,
Not everything works the first time you do it, but it’ll never work if you keep retreating,
So, just keep at it, keep trying for improvement because isn’t that the real prize?

Haha
Yowza

 

Artfully Happy - Ep. 393

Our human lives contain both joy and bereavement,
Through it all we have Art, a crowning achievement,
Art is for communicating the Human Condition,
Thereby elevating it, a most valuable mission.

[full script below]

Ep. 393 - Artfully Happy

We begin as always 
with the Happy Creed.

We believe in Happy, 
in Balance and Growth, 
of being Mindful and Grateful,
Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza
Haha
My Happy Friends!

Our human lives contain both joy and bereavement,
Through it all we have Art, a crowning achievement,
Art is for communicating the Human Condition,
Thereby elevating it, a most valuable mission.

Art is a way of interacting with reality, one that asks “How?”
Just like Science asks “What?” and Philosophy asks “Why?”
Art is a way of accessing Happy in the here and now,
Which you can then revisit or share with others by and by.

Art, along with Science and Philosophy, is one of the Three Great Considerations of humankind,
Because asking “How?” makes us think about quality and skill,
About form and content, and depth of heart and mind,
And helps us express our Happy creative Will.

Art is a way of interacting with the world and the people in it,
It can help us form connections and stimulate our souls,
It can happen over the course of a lifetime or in less than a minute, 
It can be about things experienced in passing or passionate life goals.

It is craft, it is feeling, it is life, it is history,
It helps us make some sense of the Great Mystery,
It delves deep and shows us that we are not alone,
Because being Artfully Happy goes straight to the bone.

Haha
Yowza