Subway Hero

I freaking love this story!

Subway incident

On January 2, 2007, Autrey was waiting for a train at the 137th Street and Broadway station in Manhattan with his two young daughters. At around 12:45 p.m., he and two women noticed a young man, Cameron Hollopeter, having a seizure. Autrey borrowed a pen from someone and used it to keep Hollopeter's jaw open. Following the seizure, Hollopeter stumbled from the platform, falling onto the tracks.

As Hollopeter lay on the tracks, Autrey saw the lights of an oncoming train. As one of the women held Autrey's daughters back away from the edge of the platform, Autrey dove onto the tracks. He thought he would be able to take Hollopeter off the tracks, but he realized there was not enough time to drag Hollopeter away. Instead, he protected Hollopeter by throwing himself over Hollopeter's body in a drainage trench between the tracks, where he held him down. The operator of the train applied the brakes, but two cars still passed over them, close enough to leave grease on his cap.

Aftermath

Autrey told The New York Times “I don’t feel like I did something spectacular; I just saw someone who needed help. I did what I felt was right.” Wesley is a member of the LIUNA union, Local 79, and credits his training with having helped him make the split-second decision: “Since I do construction work with Local 79, we work in confined spaces a lot. So I looked, and my judgment was pretty right. The train did have enough room for me.”
Hollopeter family response

Autrey went to Hollopeter's hospital room and met his family. Hollopeter's father Larry said:
"Mr. Autrey's instinctive and unselfish act saved our son's life. There are no words to properly express our gratitude and feelings for his actions... May God’s blessings be with Mr. Autrey and his family."

Media attention and gifts

After the huge story broke, media attention rapidly spread. By the end of the next day, Autrey received a flood of gifts and phone calls of praise from complete strangers. He received $5,000 cash and $5,000 in scholarships for his daughters from Jerry Sherlock, the president of the New York Film Academy where Hollopeter attends school. Autrey also received $10,000 from Donald Trump. He was interviewed for several national morning news programs and was invited to be a guest by David Letterman, Charlie Rose and Ellen DeGeneres, among others. Autrey, who had been wearing a periwinkle blue beanie with a Playboy Bunny logo, received a lifetime subscription to Playboy, a new beanie, and additional Playboy merchandise. Autrey also earned the title "hero of Harlem" and also received a trip to Walt Disney World Resort. On the January 9, 2007 airing of the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he was presented with a $5,000 Gap gift card, tickets and backstage passes to the next Beyoncé concert in New York, season tickets to the New Jersey Nets, a signed jersey from Jason Kidd, a brand new Jeep Patriot, two years' of car insurance from Progressive and a one-year free parking pass for use anywhere in NYC. His daughters were given new computers that will be updated every three years until they graduate from high school.

Autrey, a construction worker, had been working on converting classrooms into a library at PS 380, John Wayne Elementary School, in Brooklyn. The New York Daily News' Michael Daly said that the school was named after the actor (a District 14 superintendent was a "big fan") but the school should be renamed after Autrey instead.

On May 21, 2007, Autrey, who claimed to make $1,200 a week in his construction job, appeared as a contestant on the NBC game show Deal or No Deal. With three cases left--$25, $10,000, and $1,000,000--he was presented an offer of $305,000, which he rejected. In the next round with three cases left, he eliminated the case that held the million dollars. After rejecting a final offer of $5,000, he took the money in his own case, just $25. However, as a token for his bravery, Chrysler donated a Jeep Patriot which was awarded to him (host Howie Mandel stated this would have happened regardless of how Autrey fared in the game); this was the second Jeep Patriot awarded to him which was valued at $24,710 along with the $25 will be added to his winnings all together for a total of $24,735 on a television program.

Bronze Medallion ceremony

On January 4, 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented Autrey with the Bronze Medallion, New York City's highest award for exceptional citizenship and outstanding achievement, saying:
"Wesley's astonishing bravery - saving a life in the face on an oncoming subway car - is an inspiration not just to New Yorkers, but the entire world. His courageous rescue of a complete stranger is a reminder of how we are surrounded by everyday heroes in New York City, and I am deeply honored to recognize one of them today."

New MTA executive director Elliott "Lee" Sander thanked him as well, saying:
"By selflessly leaping to the aid of a fellow New Yorker and performing a type of heroic act nearly unrecallable to the memories of veteran transit workers, Wesley Autrey has captured the spirit of our city."

Autrey is also up for beliefnet's most inspiring person of the year award.

Sander gave Autrey a year of free subway rides - 12 unlimited monthly MetroCards plus a bunch of MTA swag for Autrey's young daughters. Also at the ceremony, Walt Disney World Ambassador Lowell Doringo thanked Autrey and gave him and his family a week-long all-expenses paid trip to Disney World, as well as tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway. He also handed out Mickey Mouse ears and Mickey and Minnie plush toys to his daughters.

State of the Union

On January 23, 2007, Autrey and his daughters were guests of President George W. Bush, seated in the balcony along with Dikembe Mutombo and others, at Bush's 2007 State of the Union Address to the United States Congress. Bush said of Autrey:
" Three weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into a space between the rails, and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero.” Wesley says: “We got guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We got to show each other some love.”

There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey.

After Bush's remarks Autrey received a long standing ovation. Autrey proceeded to gesture outward to the crowd in thanks, shook the hands of First Lady Laura Bush, Second Lady Lynne Cheney, and embraced fellow honored guest Sgt. Tommy Rieman in a bear hug.

Rep. Joseph Crowley of Queens gave Bush credit for inviting Autrey and his daughters. Crowley commented on Bush's invitation to Autrey:

"That's wonderful. Often times people have a misconception of New Yorkers, of their willingness to put themselves in harm's way, and he's a great example of a true New Yorkers"

CNN Heroes

In December 2007, in a ceremony hosted by CNN to honor heroes who have made a difference in the world, Autrey received the "Everyday Hero" award.

Wesley is truly my hero!

Sky

Ryan's Well

I heard this story about two years ago. I couldn't remember Ryan's name but found it on Wikipedia. Here you are, enjoy!

In 1998, 6-year-old Ryan Hreljac listened intently when his Grade One teacher talked about the plight of people in Africa who had to walk many kilometers every day just to fetch water, the most basic element for human survival. Ryan was shocked and decided he needed to build a well for a village in Africa. He raced home from school and begged his parents for $70 — the amount he thought was needed to drill a well. He would not give up the idea and pestered them until they relented and agreed to let him do extra chores to earn the money.

Four months later, Ryan completed the task, but when he delivered the money to a charity that builds wells in Africa, he learned that $70 was only enough for a hand pump, and that a well would actually cost $2000. Undeterred he said, “I’ll just do more chores.” Ryan’s tenacity touched the hearts of many adults, gave hope and life to many others, and began an unrelenting journey of media interviews and speaking engagements. Ryan’s first well was built in 1999 when

Ryan was seven years-old at a school in a Ugandan village. The well continues to serve thousands of people.

Ryan’s determination grew from the $70 collected by doing simple household chores to the Ryan's Well Foundation that today has contributed a total of 394 wells in 15 countries bringing clean water and sanitation services to over half a million people. Ryan continues to be is a passionate speaker and a compelling voice for people impacted by the global water crisis in the developing world.

Ryan remains dedicated to the Foundation and its work. He continues to speak passionately about the need for clean water around the world, and has visited over two dozen countries in spreading his message. He has made presentations to hundreds of schools, churches and civic clubs, and more than two dozen international conferences and global events including Rotary International and the World Water Forums. He is recognized by UNICEF as a Global Youth Leader.

Ryan has received many awards for his work including the World of Children Founders’ Award, the Order of Ontario (youngest ever recipient), Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers, the Canadian Meritorious Service Medal, and the Top 20 Under 20 Youth Award. His message has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show (twice), CNN, and CBC. Numerous books, magazines and newspapers have profiled Ryan including Christian Science Monitor, People, Reader’s Digest, Time, Times of London and Watervoices.

By the way, Ryan has raised over 1 million dollars for this cause. Ryan is a hero. I am truly inspired by his determination.

Sky

The Greatest Salesman in the World

Warning! This is a long post but worth it. One of my all time favorite, thought changing books was written by Og Mandino, ‘The Greatest Salesman in the World’. The story is about a young man hired to sell a robe that belonged to Jesus Christ. Og is a big hero in my life.

Mandino was once the editor of a high school paper and planned to attend the University of Missouri's journalism school. But in the summer of 1940, before Mandino was able to enter college, his mother died suddenly from a massive heart attack. This happened while Mandino's mother was in the kitchen preparing his lunch.
After the incident, Mandino decided to work in a paper factory until 1942. Afterwards, Mandino joined the United States Army Air Corps where he became a military officer and a bombardier. He flew for thirty bombing missions over Germany on board aB-24 Liberator during World War II. It was also during this time that Mandino flew with fellow pilot and movie star, Jimmy Stewart. Mandino kept a personalized 8 X 10 photograph of Stewart. This photograph hung on the wall of his home office where he wrote his books.
After his military duties, Mandino discovered that many companies were not hiring many former bomber pilots. As a result, he became an insurance salesman. Traveling on the road and sitting in bars at night, Mandino became an alcoholic. He was unable to keep a job. As a result, Mandino's wife, together with their only child, left him.
One wintry November morning in Cleveland, Mandino almost tried to commit suicide. But as he sorted through several books in a library, volumes of self-help, success and motivation books captured Mandino's attention. He selected some titles, went to a table and began reading. Mandino followed his visit to the library with more visits to many other libraries around the United States. He read hundreds of books that dealt with success, a pastime that help him alleviate his alcoholism. It was in a library in Concord, New Hampshire, where he found W. Clement Stone's classic, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, a book that changed Mandino for the better.
Mandino eventually became a successful writer. His works were inspired by the Bible and influenced by Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, and Emmet Fox.

Quotes by Og Mandino
(if you are into quotes then here you go!)

Act now. For now is all you have.
Action is the food and drink which will nourish my success.
Action will destroy your procrastination.
All men must stumble often to reach the truth.
All nature is a circle of moods and you are a part of nature and so, like
the tides, your moods will rise; your moods will fall.
All your problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise.
Always let your reach exceed your grasp.
Always raise your goals as soon as they are attained.
Always strive to make the next hour better than this one.
Always take another step. If that is to no avail take another, and yet
another. One step at a time is not too difficult.
Any act with practice becomes easy.
Apply all of your efforts to become the highest mountain of all and strain your potential until it cries for mercy.
Avoid with fury the killers of time.
Bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed.
Bathe me in good habits that the bad ones may drown.
Be happy.
Be hungry for success.
Be prepared to control whatever personality awakes in you each day.
Become master of yourself.
Begin now to accent your differences.
Beginning today, you can increase your accomplishments of yesterday by a hundredfold.
Bury doubt under faith.
Cherish each hour of this day for it can never return.
Chuckle and your burdens will be lightened.
Concentrate your energy on the challenge of the moment.
Confidence will take away your fear.
Consider each obstacle as a mere detour to your goal and a challenge to your profession.
Consider each obstacle as a mere detour to your goal.
Count your blessings today.
Cultivate the habit of laughter.
Destroy procrastination with action.
Dismember fear with confidence.
Do not allow yesterday's success to lull you into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure.
Do not be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments or indulge in self-praise for deeds which are too small to even acknowledge.
Do not commit the terrible crime of aiming too low.
Do not dwell on the past.
Do not judge a man on one meeting.
Do not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious.
Do not make vain attempts to imitate others.
Do not permit the petty happenings of today to disturb you.
Do not think of yesterday or tomorrow.
Do not waste a moment mourning yesterday's misfortunes, yesterday's defeats, or yesterday's aches of the heart.
Drink every minute to its fill; savor its taste and give thanks.
Drive a bad habit from your life and replace it with one which will bring you closer to success.
Each day will be triumphant only when your smiles bring forth smiles from others.
Each failure to sell will increase your chances for success at your next attempt.
Each frown you meet only prepares you for the smile to come.
Each minute of today will be more fruitful than the hours of yesterday.
Your last must be your best.
Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck.
Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea.
Each rebuff is an opportunity to move forward; turn away from them, avoid them and you throw away your future.
Each struggle, each defeat sharpens your skills and strengthens your courage and your endurance.
Enjoy today's happiness today.
Failure does not course through your veins as you were not delivered into this world in defeat.
Failure no longer will be my payment for struggle.
Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough.
For now you know one of the greatest principles of success; if you persist long enough you will win.
Forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of your life.
Fulfill today's duties today.
Good habits are the key to all success.
Grant me compassion for weaknesses in others.
Grasp each minute of this day with both hands and fondle it with love for
its value is beyond price.
Green grass grows where dry desert ends.
Greet the sunrise with cries of joy.
Happiness is the wine that sharpens the taste of the meal.
Have confidence that this will be the best day of your life.
I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why would the miracle which produced me end with my birth? Why can I not extend that miracle to my deeds of today?
I consider poverty to be the mark of a lack of ability or a lack of ambition.
I have a choice and I will not let my life be fed to swine nor will I let it be ground under the rocks of failure and despair to be broken open and devoured by the will of others.
I have not time to hate, only time to love.
I need not wait for I have the power to choose my own destiny.
I shall live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.
I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.
I will be successful.
I will command, and I will obey mine own command.
I will do the work that a failure will not do.
I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers.
I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.
I will form good habits and become their slave.
I will greet this day with love in my heart.
I will greet this day with love, and I will succeed.
I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends.
I will laugh at evil and it will die untasted.
I will look on all things with love, and I will be born again.
I will love all mankind.
I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they may be hidden.
I will love myself.
I will love the ambitious for they can inspire me!
I will love the beautiful for their eyes of sadness; I will love the ugly for their souls of peace.
I will love the failures for they can teach me.
I will love the kings for they are but human; I will love the meek for they are divine.
I will love the rich for they are yet lonely; I will love the poor for they are so many.
I will love the young for the faith they hold; I will love the old for the wisdom they share.
I will persist until I succeed.
I will persist and I will win.
I will say it is done before the failure says it is too late.
I will talk when the failure remains silent.
I will think naught of my profession when I am in my home for this will dampen my love.
I will toil and I will endure.
I will walk where the failure fears to walk.
I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart.
I will work when the failure seeks rest.
If all things shall pass, why should I be of concern for today ?
If I delay, success will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever.
If I have no other qualities I can succeed with love alone.
If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed.
If I stumble I will rise, and my falls will not concern me.
If you bring joy, enthusiasm, brightness, and laughter to your customers, they will react with joy, enthusiasm, brightness, and laughter and your weather will produce a harvest of sales and a granary of gold for you.
If you feel depressed - sing!
If you feel fear, plunge ahead.
If you feel incompetent, remember past successes.
If you feel insignificant, remember your goals.
If you feel poverty, think of wealth to come.
If you feel sad - laugh.
If you must be a slave to habit, then be a slave to good habits.
If you persist long enough, you will win.
If you waste today, you destroy the last page of your life.
Ignore the obstacles at your feet and keep your eyes on the goals above your head.
In setting my goals, I will consider my best performance of the past and multiply it a hundredfold.
Increase your knowledge of mankind.
It pays to be persistent.
Just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger.
Just as nature made no provision for your body to tolerate pain neither has it made any provision for your life to suffer failure.
Keep work and family separate.
Laugh and your life will be lengthened for this is the great secret of long life.
Laugh at goodness and it will thrive and abound.
Laugh at the world.
Laugh at your failures and they will vanish in clouds of new dreams.
Laugh at your successes and they will shrink to their true value.
Laugh at yourself for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously.
Leave your problems at home.
Lift up a friend in need.
Lift your arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day.
Live this day as if it is your last. Seal up the container of life so that not one drop spills itself upon the sand.
Live this day as if it is your last.
Live today as if it is your last chance to prove your love and your greatness.
Look upon each obstacle as a lesson to be learned.
Look upon misfortune as opportunity in disguise.
Love the darkness because it shows you the stars.
Love will melt all hearts like the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.
Love yourself!
Make every hour count and trade each minute only for something of value.
Make love your greatest weapon.
Make the hours ahead priceless!
Make this day the best day of your life.
Many face each obstacle in their path with fear and doubt and consider them as enemies, when in truth, these obstructions are friends and helpers.
Many succumb to despair and fail without realizing that they already possess all the tools needed to acquire great wealth.
Master your emotions so that each day will be productive.
Master your moods through positive action and when you master your moods you
will control your destiny.
Meditation and prayer feeds the soul.
My desire to meet the world will overcome every fear I once knew, and I will be happier than I ever believed it possible to be in this world of strife and sorrow.
Nature knows not defeat.
Never allow yourself to become so important, so wise, so dignified, so powerful, that you forget how to laugh at yourself.
Never be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments.
Never feel shame for trying and failing for he who has never failed is he who has never tried.
Never will I allow my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and it will grow and warm the earth.
Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages.
Never will I allow my soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather I will
feed it with meditation and prayer.
Never will I labor to be happy; rather will I remain too busy to be sad.
Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation.
Never will I scratch for excuses to gossip.
No longer shall my vocabulary include such words as cannot, unable, impossible, and quit.
No longer will I fail to call again tomorrow on he who meets me with hate today.
Obstacles are necessary for success.
Only a habit can subdue another habit.
Only action determines my value in the market place.
Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Only with laughter and happiness can you truly become a success.
People will always respond positively to joy and enthusiasm.
Persist and develop your skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.
Persist with the knowledge that each failure to sell will increase your chance for success at the next attempt.
Practice the art of patience for nature never acts in haste.
Put your uniqueness on display in the market place.
Rain cleanses the spirit.
Remember that as today's dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow's bloom so does today's sadness carry the seed of tomorrow's joy.
Remove from your vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools.
Rewards are great if one succeeds but the rewards are great only because so few succeed.
Seek constantly to improve your manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.
Set goals for the day, the week, the month, the year, and your life.
Should you concern yourself over events which you may never witness? Should you torment yourself with problems that may never come to pass? No!
Tomorrow lies buried with yesterday, think of it no more.
Sleep in peace for you have not failed.
Small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.
Smile and your digestion will improve.
So long as I can laugh, never will I be poor.
So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist.
Strive for happiness and peace of mind.
Strive for happiness, to be loved and to love, and most important, to acquire peace of mind and serenity.
Strive to become better than you are.
Strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.
Success comes to those willing to work a little bit harder than the rest.
Success will not wait.
Suffer me to know that all things shall pass.
The height of my goals will not hold me in awe though I may stumble often before they are reached.
The only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in their habits.
The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal.
The problems of the market place will be left in the market place.
The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.
There are good qualities in everyone.
There are lessons to be learned from failures.
There is no room in the market place for your family, nor is there room in your home for the market.
There is not time to hate, only time to love.
This day is all you have and these hours are now your eternity. Greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death.
This is the place.
This is the time.
This too shall pass.
Time teaches all things to him who lives forever, but I have not the luxury of eternity.
To conquer fear I must always act without hesitation and the flutters in my heart will vanish.
To enjoy success I must have happiness, and laughter will be the maiden who serves me.
To multiply your value you must multiply your actions.
To surpass the deeds of others is unimportant; to surpass your own deeds is all.
Today I begin a new life.
Today I shed my old skin which hath too long suffered the bruises of failure and the wounds of mediocrity.
Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.
Today I will surpass every action which I performed yesterday.
Today you will be master of your emotions.
Today, I will act.
Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy.
Tomorrow lies buried with yesterday.
True wealth is of the heart, not of the purse.
Try again, make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails, make another.
Try, and try, and try again.
Understand and recognize the moods of others. Make allowances for their anger and irritation for they know not the secret of controlling their minds.
Unless you act you will perish in a life of failure, misery, and sleepless nights.
Unless you put your skills, mind, heart, and body to good use, you will stagnate, rot, and die.
Victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats.
We must have the night to appreciate the day.
Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.
Welcome happiness for it enlarges your heart; endure sadness for it opens your soul.
What can take place before this sun sets which will not seem insignificant in the river of centuries?
What is success other than a state of mind?
When an act becomes easy through constant repetition, it becomes a pleasure to perform, and if it is a pleasure to perform, it is man's nature to perform it often.
When I am burdened with wealth I shall tell myself that this too shall pass.
When I am moved to praise, I will shout from the roofs.
When I am puffed with success I shall warn myself that this too shall pass.
When I am strangled in poverty I shall tell myself that this too shall pass.
When I am tempted to criticize, I will bite on my tongue.
When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full.
When you are heavy with heartache console yourself that this too shall pass.
Where dry desert ends, green grass grows.
Where there are idle mouths I will listen not; where there are idle hands I will linger not; where there are idle bodies I will visit not.
Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence?
With each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult.
With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built round their hearts, and in its place, I will build bridges so that my love may enter their souls.
Within you burns a flame which has been passed from generations uncounted, and its heat is a constant irritation to your spirit to become better than you are, and you will.
Yesterday's joy will become today's sadness; yet today's sadness will grow into tomorrow's joy.
Yesterday's success will not lull me into today's complacency.
Yesterday is buried forever, think of it no more.
You are a unique creature.
You are here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand.
You are nature's greatest miracle.
You are rare, and there is value in all rarity; therefore, you are valuable.
You can accomplish far more than you have, and you will.
You can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles with ambition.
You have been given eyes to see and a mind to think.
You have but one life and life is naught but a measurement of time.
You have unlimited potential.
You may encounter failure at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. You will never know how close success lies unless you turn the corner.
You must fail often to succeed only once.
You must have objectives before your life will crystallize.
You must nurture your body and mind in order to fulfill your dreams.
You only have time to love.
You were conceived in love and brought forth with a purpose.
You will become great.
You won't know how close success is unless you turn the corner.
Source Unknown

Think about what makes people a hero in your life.
Sky

Be Your Own Hero

Awhile back I came across this article on the BBC news website. Apparently there is a science to happiness. Why not! There is a science for everything else. Remember God is involved in science matters, especially happiness! Rock on!

Is there a happiness formula?

By Mike Rudin The Happiness Formula

Psychologists have now come up with a formula for happiness.

Pleasure + engagement + meaning = happiness.

We all know what brings us pleasure. But the trouble is all too often it is fleeting and it just does not last.

A new school of psychology, called positive psychology, suggests that we need two other vital ingredients if we want to achieve more lasting happiness.

First, they suggest we need to be really engaged and engrossed in what we do. In the jargon it is called "flow".

We have all experienced it. It is that feeling we get when we just do not even bother to look at the clock because we are so into what we are doing.

Second, positive psychologists suggest we need meaning in our lives.

We can get this from doing an interesting job, or working on a project we really believe in, or by doing something worthwhile.

While we adapt quickly to more money and material possessions, it seems we adapt less quickly, if at all, to meaningful things.

Problems with the formula

However, this simple formula hides a number of important issues. It turns out you can have too much engagement and it does not necessarily lead to more happiness.

For example, you can become engrossed in work and become a workaholic and less happy.

You can experience flow in gambling but it will not necessarily make you happy.

The formula is not exhaustive or comprehensive.

As psychologist Ilona Boniwell of Oxford Brookes University points out in her article, the formula fails to take account of contentment, something which is highlighted by our opinion poll carried out by GfK NOP.

The danger of relying on any formula is that it may actually make us unhappy, by putting yet more pressure on us to live the perfect life.

And what is more there is another problem that one form of happiness often conflicts with other sources of happiness, and may even make other people unhappy.

So some people argue we should not even contemplate trying to make ourselves happier.

A little extra happiness

Positive psychologists counter this by saying that their suggestions are not miracle cures, and they accept that you cannot turn a grump into a deliriously happy person.

They maintain it is possible to make someone a little happier, as much as 10-15%, if someone works at it.

In his article about positive psychology Professor Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, who has been described as the father of positive psychology, explains some of the exercises you can do to make yourself happier.

Research is now trying to test how well these exercises work.

The exercises include disputation, which involves challenging negative thoughts and analyzing whether you need to be as negative, playing to your strengths and counting your blessings for the things that go well in your life.

Scientists clearly do not have all the answers. There is as yet no simple and comprehensive formula for happiness.

However, the new emphasis on human relationships, flow and meaning does offer an interesting insight into what really makes us happy, and challenges us to think whether it might be possible to live happier lives.

A few idea’s that have truly made a difference in my life as far as the happiness factor goes are:
1. Get rid of the negative thoughts.
2. Count your blessings.
3. Realizing that when you find yourself in a pickle, you got yourself there. If you trace it back you will figure out how it happened. Accepting self accountability is actually freeing. So is self forgiveness. Get rid of blame and guilt..
4. The world is not what others tell you it is. This world is what you think it is.
5. Think more in the NOW instead of the wishing the past was better and what things may happen in the future.

If your are breathing, You Are A Hero! You make a difference in people's lives.

Sky

Unknown Hero

This blurb has been circulating in emails for at least a few years. The last time I received it was about 6 months ago. Last evening while I was working I was thinking that I would hunt it down and use it on this blog. Well, this morning when I returned home from work I checked my email. Lo' and behold, a friend had emailed it to me, not knowing I have seen it before. Soooo.. Here you go.

THE BRICK
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?'

The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister. .please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.' Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!'

Sky

Beary Delightful

Today a man I have never met is my HERO. His name is Adam Warwick. He is a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist from Florida. Apparently a 375-pound male black bear was hanging around a Florida neighborhood. Probably not the safest situation! The bear was tranquilized so it could be relocated. The bear panicked and went into to Gulf of Mexico. Fearing the bear would drown, Mr. Warwick went into the water to offer his assistance and indeed did bring the bear to safety. WOW! How brave is that?? You have got to check out the link! Sky http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/30/earlyshow/living/petplanet/main4218874.shtml

Today It Rained Champagne

Yesterday someone I used to work with asked to have a private conversation with me. The only private area was outside so there we went. She said she was giving me a prestigious honor. She said she was inviting me to be a member of a club called 'The Champagne Club'. She further explained that she and a friend founded the club years ago. The idea is:

1. When you find someone that has had an positive effect on your life or who has helped you change the course of your life for the better, present them with a gift.

2. The gift has to pertain to the giver. Something the giver has a passion for.

3. Invite them to be a member of the club, to pass on the honor.

My co-worker gave me a champagne diamond ring. Rings are her passion. She told me I have touched her life in ways I would never know. This caught me a bit off guard because I had no clue. She has touched many peoples hearts including my own. Since she presented me with the ring I have been thinking hard on the many people who have touched my life in profound ways. I will pass on this honor many times. Today, my ex co-worker is my hero. Sky

Think Tink

Talk about Heroes.

Tink is full of qualities that are good and not so good.

Tink is my HERO for the following reasons:

1. She is curious. She sometimes gets distracted due to her curiosity but when it's time to get serious she can.

2. Tink is jealous but very loyal.

3. Tink is sassy but in the cutest of ways.

4. Tink is a flirt and that is always a good thing.

5. Tink is full of adventure, never bored. So, just like everyone else in all realms Tink is a Hero.

SKY

Wind and Water

On May 25th, 2008, close by where I live was hit with an F5 Tornado.

Then came the floods in June that hit all areas of Iowa.

I am personally amazed and grateful that I somehow escaped water damage. In the midst of this tragedy there are broken homes and broken hearts.

There are also many HEROES! Many people adopted effected families and pets temporarily.

Until FEMA set up boundries and curfews people were also rescuing pets and belongings for their neighbors.

The entire community was involved with sandbagging, transporting people, pets and belongings of residents and businesses.





This is a photo of water trying to make it's way to my home.



This is the rear parking lot of the apartment building I live in. (by the way, the creek behind the parking lot us typically about 14 feet lower.)



This park is about 1.5 miles from my home. As you can see the park house is almost submerged. I took these pics about 14 hours before the river crested.

My community is slowly recovering.

Anyway, everywhere I turn I see Heroes!

Sky

Eyes Wide Open

Look around carefully!

There are
Every Day Heroes
amongst us!

_____________________________________

Merriam-Webster's definition of Hero
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Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural heroes

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1 a : a mythological or legendary figure of great strength or ability

1 b : an outstanding warrior or soldier

1 c : a person admired for achievements and qualities

1 d : one that shows great courage
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You can make someone a hero! If you have difficulties finding admiral qualities in people, have patience.

If you give them time you will discover the "hero" in them.

SKY