It’s a beautiful day. Isn’t it amazing what the mind can do? You won’t believe it but I woke up exactly at 5:21 am without the alarm.

You are wondering 5:21? Well, that’s what I have as set for my alarm on weekdays (5.21 is my birthday).

Now that was a beautiful gesture of the mind and I decided to wake up and start my beautiful day with a smile.

Be a Smile: Cameron Village, Raleigh, NC

These routines and habits that we’ve built in our mind can be so powerful that we just don’t see it sometimes. That is the beauty of the mind. If you set yourself in a direction. Then your mind will make sure that you reach that destination. So think about the things that you ask your mind to do — the good, the bad and the ugly. Your mind is trying to get you to where you want to go.

And that’s key. Make sure that where you want to go is where you really want to go. Not the negative, dark, black hole, but the bright, beautiful, and sunny beach. Or the negative emotion or thought or trauma. But the positive one. If you put your mind to it, it’s amazing the places you’ll go.

So I took it to heart and renamed my wifi Smile. It’s a good reminder in case I forget. And also spread the joy to folks in the apartment building who see the Wi-Fi network name will smile too. What’s your Wi-Fi name?

A new perspective.

Over the past year, I’m getting better at listening to my mind. And also letting things go. I was very good at holding on to the past and to everything little and small thing that happened.

And that I think was a revelation. To realize that happiness is within and that what I’m searching for is not outside with materialistic things or with others, it’s right here with me every moment of the day. And I just didn’t see it. Now, that helped me to focus on pure joy and happiness.

To realize the little things are what really matter. My walks have become a part of me and I enjoy it because I get to see the world outside and blessed to be able to walk freely. Even if it is the same path that I’m walking every day, I see it with a different lens every time. Sometimes it’s as simple walking on the left side or the right side of the road – the buildings and streets look different.

Now, that’s perspective. Sometimes you have to step back or walk on a different street, if you want to see what you really need to see. It’s easy for us to be caught up with our day-to-day and to be busy but the joy you get when you realize that you are in the flow is mesmerizing.

Focus on what really matters.

I’m enjoying the slow pace and able to appreciate what I’m doing at one moment in time and be fully present. Now, when I eat my meal, I’m eating my meal, not watching TV or listening to music. It’s savoring every bite of my meal with due respect and gratitude.

This became a stepping stone: to appreciate this moment in time.

And that’s all that matters, not the past or the future — the things that I cannot control. I still struggle to let go but as I was reading the Untethered soul, I realized all I needed to do was relax, take a deep breath, release and let go.

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the next few months and I can let it disturb me and disrupt my balance or I can just let it go and take it one day at a time. So that’s what I’m going to do, take it one day at a time.

Yes, there’s always going to be things that people say or do that will upset me, if I let it upset me. Or I can just take it as a moment in time. And say, oh I didn’t like that, or that hurt and let it be in that moment in time and not carry it forward. Just like a cloud passing by.

Letting go.

Learning to let go is key to be happy in its true essence. These things are probably easier said than done, so I’m not saying what happened to me or what I’m going through is what you’re going through. You know yourself the best. I invite you to find your own parallels and see how you can find your breakthrough. I truly believe this is a year of breakthrough for me.

I always struggled with sharing my opinions or thoughts, because I feared what others would think. But as much as I want to speak up and be a voice, I’m getting there — not there yet.

It’s easy for folks to share opinions without really thinking of the impact, it will have to the receiver of that opinion. So, I try to be careful, but maybe it doesn’t help in the long run, because then I hold on to that thought and emotion for a very long time.

Gratitude and compassion.

Folks say gratitude and generosity help us feel good about what we do. But at the same time, make sure you have the time to give it complete justice. Self care is paramount in the pursuit of happiness. When it feels like the right thing to do, say yes and don’t overthink about it right now. If something happens at that moment in time, take care of it when the time is right.

Isn’t it awesome to be able to say: “I will do things when the time is right or when the time is right, things will be okay”. I always believed in the saying: “Things happen for a reason and whatever happens, happens for good”. Somehow just saying that out loud helps me calm myself.

There is uncertainty and the tectonic plates are going to shift, but knowing that I can be myself and not have to worry about what’s ahead is comforting for now. So, that’s all it is: the right time is always now. At this moment what you do is all that matters.

Everything else can wait or they will disappear. If it’s not important today, it’s not important at this moment at all. But we will figure it out because that’s the beauty of life. It’s a circle of life and we figure things out as they come. And if we don’t, that’s okay, too. That’s called experience, the journey of life that we are all blessed to live.

And to let live. And to just be.

At the World Happiness Week, there was a sense of belonging and inspiration everywhere. Here are few of my discoveries that I would like to share with the world:

And if you love reading books, here are my recent favorites: (a true bibliotherapy for the soul)

Ichigo Ichie beautiful souls!

“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh

Pursuit of Happiness – Be a Smile :)

A new perspective.

Focus on what really matters.

Letting go.

Gratitude and compassion.