So, how do you feel about being sad? A weakness, is it? Or a much-needed release? Do you worry about opening the floodgates even just a tad?

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Ep. 442 - Sad 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!

Read the first letter of each line And you’ll see a message Hidden like a secret sign.

So, how do you feel about being sad? A weakness, is it? Or a much-needed release? Do you worry about opening the floodgates even just a tad?

How about starting with just the tiniest dose of Sad? An amount so small it’s something anyone can process? Purpose being, to get you accustomed to it without it feeling too bad. People need a chance to acclimate, to get over the initial stress, Yet not so slowly that they can’t let go of any of the pain they had.

Really, the idea is not to make you feel sad for sadness’ sake, As Sad, like any mood, is not the goal, it’s just a tool, a way to deal with life, How about something only mildly sad like a choice you did or didn’t make.

Read a sad story, listen to a sad song, or just contemplate inhumanity and fear, Acknowledge the absurd humor of it all so you don’t wallow in sorrow, Hone your endurance, and you’ll be able to stop crying after a single tear.

Haha Yowza

I love a good old bit of encouragement, I do, And it can come from me just like it can come from you. And the flavor of encouragement I like works for both you and me. ‘Cause no one wants to be encouraged to be something they’re not trying to be.

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Ep. 441 - More Happy Encouragement

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 love a good old bit of encouragement, I do, And it can come from me just like it can come from you. And the flavor of encouragement I like works for both you and me. ‘Cause no one wants to be encouraged to be something they’re not trying to be.

So, that means you have to know what they--or you--want, So, you can encourage them--or you--to stick with it and be more than just nonchalant, Happy Encouragement is about the how, while praise is just about the what, And praise is all well and good, sure, but a dependency on it can get you stuck in a rut.

Encourage someone--or yourself--to try something new--or again--to see if it works, They--or you--don’t have to be perfect or afraid to fail like the rest of them jerks, Don’t lie and say it’ll be easy, just say that pretty soon it might not seem so bad, Because you’ll be stronger and better equipped to handle more than you ever had.

Haha Yowza

The way you Stay Happy is by balancing work with play, Making sure you find the fun in each and every day. [full text below]

Ep. 440 - Stay 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!

Have you ever tread water? Like, rather than swimming you stay vertical instead. It can be an endurance test to those who see it that way, or even a survival skill. It’s also a way of saying you aren’t moving forward, just stuck in your own head. Or it can be a way to keep active and disciplined as you let your thoughts distill.

Perseverance, tenacity, and stick-to-itiveness are all well and good traits, But putting them into practice may feel like a drudgery when it comes time, As human beings we have to put up with a lot, being the playthings of the Fates, And it can be hard to keep balance and growth when you might feel past your prime.

The secret to maintaining it, the way you Stay Happy, is you balance work with play, That can be a hobby, an artistic expression, or just turning something into a game, When you were a little kid, you could come up with activities that could last all day, But as we mature into adults we devote more time to work, and life just isn’t the same.

So, make sure you find the fun every day, play a little game in your head if you have to, Notice patterns, try talking backwards, count pairs of things, make shapes with your hands, When I’m out walking in town, I balance on the edge of the curb, a game I never outgrew, It’s why I was such a great babysitter, because playing is something every kid understands.

Haha Yowza