Freedom of Simplicity

Happiness is not found outside of you.
It doesn't come from cars, clothes, cash, or Caribbean cruises.

Happiness is found within. But how can you find it if you don't have thesimplicity of time and space to discover the most important things in your life?

How can you search the depths of your soul if you are too busy impressingothers, acquiring wealth, protecting your properties, and paying your debts?

Simplicity is not about the external either: living in a doghouse,
eating in Hepatitis joints, wearing rags.

Let me define what it is: Simplicity is living from the core of your being.

A TREASURE MAP OF HAPPINESS

Simplicity will point to you where and what and who the gold is in your life. Let me share with you the seven powerful lessons I've learned on simple living:

LIVE ON LESS, AND DELIGHT IN THEM MORE

Some take their pleasure dining in classy restaurants, trips to Europe,
and owning the latest home theatre-equipment.

I've chosen the simple path: If I can simply be with my wife, or take aquiet stroll under a canopy of stars, or play with a child, or read a goodbook in my home, or laugh with friends over a pizza,
I consider myself richly blessed.

Focus on what you have and not on what you don't have.

STOP RUNNING AND WALK INSTEAD

Here's the truth: The person who has covered the greatest distance
does NOT win, but the one who has most enjoyed the journey does.
Stop running around chasing your own tail!

Get off your hurried pace and learn to breathe. Replace doing with being.Learn to say no to invitations, appointments, and commitments, activitiesand events that will rob you of your focus. Learn to say "yes "to rest, to tranquillity, to quietness.

YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR WEALTH

I own very few things today. Because I am more than the brand of my watch,the logo of my shoes, the name of my car.

I believe that if in my soul I deeply respect and value myself,
people around me will sense that, and they too, will value and respect me -
whether I'm wearing Armani or not.

You are more than your wealth.

AVOID BUYING ON CREDIT

I don't believe in borrowing from credit cards. (For convenience, I useone card but I pay the whole amount at the end of each month.)
If I need something really bad, I save up for it.

Sometimes, at midpoint, I realize I don't really need the darn thing andgive up the whole idea. The only exception I feel we should enter into acredit is when buying a non-depreciating item, such as housing or land.

I believe we should always live within our earning capacity.

Proverbs 22:7 says, "Those who borrow are slaves of moneylenders."

GIVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

If I content myself with P250 shirt instead of P4,000 Lacoste,
I can help others more. Trust me, there is immense pleasure!

You will find that the empty thrill of owning a diamond ring on your fingerpales in comparison to the joy of handling a piece of bread to an orphan child.

A SPECIAL GROCERY LIST

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her
face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.

She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to
work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she
leave his store at once.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring
you the money just as soon as I can."

John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have
a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the
conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the
grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery
list?"

Louise replied, "Yes sir." "O.K" he said, "put your grocery list on
the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that
amount in groceries."

Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into
her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She
then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still
bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the
scales went down and stayed down.

The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer
and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on
the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to
put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.

The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the
piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:
"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in
stunned silence.

Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a
fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said;

"It was worth every penny of it.. Only God Knows how much a prayer
weighs."

THE POWER OF PRAYER: When you receive this, say a prayer. That's
all you have to do.

Just stop right now, and say a prayer of thanks for your own good
fortune.

I believe if you will send this testimony out with prayer in faith,
you will receive what you need God to do in your and your families' life.

So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick,provide food for the
hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do.

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.

There is no cost but a lot of rewards.

May you always walk with Angels ... God Bless You!

For Making a Better Couple

1. Be realistic about each other. Don't try to turn ur partner into something he or she is not. Let's face it, guys-there's only 1 Pamela Anderson in the world, and even she has had her implants removed! Give ur gal a break and understand that her physical appearance is NOT going to change overnite with the help of a few facials or treatments. And ladies, Brad Pitt has already been taken, so u're gonna have to do with what ur guy is like! Chill out, love each other for what u are. There is more to ur partner than what meets the eye.

2. Always talk things out. Now guys, I know this is not ur fave pastime or mode of resolving issues, but u know what? This works with the gals. Don't make assumptions about each other's feelings. Learn to xpress urself better so that ur partner undrstands what u're angry about, or hurt about, or even happy about! When u stop talking to each other from the heart, it's the beginning of the end

3. Do stuff together. Make an effort to do things together. Do some sports or involve urselves in some shared activities; something both of u enjoy or are interested in. It could be as simple as watching movies together, or jus strolling hand-in-hand down Orchard Road. Watch soccor with him once in a while though the green patch on TV puts u to sleep in 3 seconds. And guys, do give in if ur gal asks for another day at window-shopping, rather than suggest that she go out with her girlfriends for "that sort of activities" instead. If u're spending more time with ur friends rather than with ur partner, it's a warning sign that u're drifting apart!!!

4. Meet each other halfway. If he agrees to throw out that rotten T-shirt with the "The_Rock" print, u shouldn't kick up much of a fuss if he asks u to keep ur room tidy. There's gotta be a little giving and taking in a relationship, so learn to meet each other halfway

5.Show ur love. Buy her flowers or candy or perfume everynow and then, even if u have been together for 5years. It's wonderful to continue showing someone that u care for him or her. Cook him a special meal, paint him a Valentine's Day card. Knit him mini-socks he can't wear ( like for decoration purposes => ), buy him a packet of milk for breakfast, or pack his wardrobe for him...so he knows u can still be romantic and loving despite having been together for quite a while.

6. Respect each other. Stop making jokes about her hair or skin, or whatever it is u love to laugh at. Ask urself if she thinks if its funny. And if he has an inferiority complex about his height, stop ogling at tall guys and make him feel worse! Love is about respecting each other's feelings and being sensitive to each other at all times.

7. Bury the past. Stop bringing up the past. Gals..don't bring up the happy things about u and ur ex to ur guy, it would just make him jealous or unhappy. And guys, don't talk about the happy times that u had with ur ex or mention about her in ur every other sentence as it would make ur gal feel un-happy and she might think that u saying all this b'cos u are gonna get back with ur ex or not interested in her anymore.

8. Sit on ur jealousy. All of us go thru' spells of insecurity at the beginning of the relationship, but don't translate that insecurity into jealousy. If u're gonna go through ur partner's mail and cupboard, and eavesdropping on conversations, u know something is wrong - with u!!! Jealousy is like a poison that slowly spreads thru' the relationship before finally killing it. Trust ur partner; love has to have trust in it.

9. Keep ur commitments to each other. If ur partner is standing u up all the time and cancelling dates and breaking promises, u need to talk! If u're in a relationship, make ur partner ur priority and don't disappoint them if u can help it. It's really terrible when someone promises to take u to dinner, and then calls to cancel it. Don't make promises u can't keep. If ur partner starts to feel that he/she is not important enough to u, u may just lose him/her.

10. Be honest. Honesty is not scowling at how awful she looks first thing in the morning, or telling him that he has the biceps of a fly~! When we say "be honest", we mean expressing ur feelings clearly, not being bitingly cruel. When u're hurt, say so, and when u're angry, tell him/her, w/o getting hysterical. If u can't be honest with ur partner, who can u be honest with? Love is also about honesty, and a relationship where no honesty exists probably isn't worth it!

Choices and Chances

"When we meet the right person to love when we're at the right place atthe right time. That's chance.

When you meet someone you're attracted to, that's not a choice. That's chance.

Being caught up in a moment (and there's a lot of couples who get together because of this) is not a choice. That's also a chance.

The difference is what happens afterward. When will you take that infatuation, that crush, that mind-blowing attraction to the next level?

That's when all sanity goes back, you sit down and contemplate whether you want to make this into a concrete relationship or just a fling. If you decide to love a person, even with his faults, that's not a chance. That's choice.

When you choose to be with a person, no matter what, that's choice. Even if you know there are many people out there who are more attractive, smarter, and richer than your mate, and yet, you decide to love your mate just the same, that's choice.

Infatuation, crushes, attraction comes to us by chance. But true love that lasts is truly a choice. A choice that we make.

Regarding soulmates, there's a beautiful movie quote that I believe is so true about this: "Fate brings you together, but it's still up to you to make it happen."

I do believe that soulmates do exist. That there is truly someone made for you. But it's still up to you to make the choice if you're going to do something about it or not. We may meet our soulmates by chance, but loving and staying with our soulmate is still a choice we have to make."