Episodes | Inherently Happy Way

I want to find proof of the divine. You may think I'm being glib, and perhaps I am, but I am serious about this search. Finding the Universal Mood of Existence is a quest I've been on for over 20 years. Join me. Ep. 2 - Detective of Divinity

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 67 - The Happy Skeptic

Ep. 175 - Happy Divine

Ep. 212 - Divine Happy

Ep. 327 - God Happy

Ep. 392 - Divinely Happy

Supporting Media (goes to Videos page):

Are They Happy?

The Heart Flu

Supporting Media (goes to Artwork page):

Mood Wheel

Exercise your emotions to be ready to feel and not be overwhelmed when something happens that triggers a strong response. Use Art, Science and Philosophy, to connect with Humanity. Practice, scrimmage, role play. Don't get stuck on revenge and spite because you will not be proud of yourself later. You may feel a release, but it doesn't improve your mood or mental health. Things happen, they don't happen TO YOU. So, control how you react by preparing for emotions by practicing them. Ep. 4 - Emotional Agility

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 6 - Emotional Honesty

Ep. 150 - Happy Youth

Ep. 322 - Visualize Your Moods Ep. 324 - Gauge Your Moods Ep. 347 - Happy Daily Mood Drills

Ep. 383 - Happy Mood Mastery

Supporting Media (goes to Artwork page):

The Mood Wheel

The Three Great Considerations

Emotional Inertia, or Emotia (ee-MO-sha), is the tendency we have of staying in our current emotional state. It requires effort to change, but responds better to gradual rehabilitation. Ep. 5 - Emotional Inertia - Emotia

Supporting Media (goes to Videos page):

Little By Little

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 298 - Emotional Velocitization - Emotionalitization Ep. 322 - Visualize Your Moods

Ep. 347 - Happy Daily Mood Drills Ep. 414 - Happy Emotia

The first step to gaining a mastery over your emotions is facing those things about yourself that make you feel mad, sad, glad, hopeful, guilty and afraid. Do you cheat at crosswords? Do you secretly curse out your so-called friends? Do you like to drink the juice that collects at the bottom of packages of ham slices? You don't have to reveal your secrets to the world, but if you regret hating your father now that he's dead then at least own up to that to yourself. Acknowledgement is the first step, but the journey doesn't end there.

Recommended Episode: Ep. 4 - Emotional Agility

Supporting Media (goes to Videos page):

Unsettled Tells

Step 1: Think Happy - Know that your Happy Mind is yours to control.

Step 2: Behave Happy - Act in such a way as to reinforce your Happy thoughts.

Step 3: Create Happy - Spread the gospel according to Happy (as it were, really just encourage others to be their best--Happy--selves).

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 33 - The Happy Life

Ep. 168 - The Happy Spirit

Ep. 260 - The Mean Mind

Supporting Media (goes to Videos page):

Little By Little

The Three Happy Principles:

1st: Happy is the Source

The source of life, the source of thought, the source of hope.

2nd: Happy is the Cause

The cause of action, the cause of faith, the cause of creativity.

3rd: Happy is the Will

The will to act, the will to be, the will to create.

The Happy Will is the Happy Cause from the Happy Source.

Episode Referenced:

Ep. 15 - The Happy Will

Further References:

Ep. 24 - The Happy Cause
Ep. 25 - The Happy Source

The Happy Life is composed of:

The Happy Body

The Happy Mind and

The Happy Spirit

The Five Steps to move into The Happy Body are:

Look Happy - Look Up with Hope

Stand Happy - Stand Tall with Alignment

Breathe Happy - Breathe Deep with Calm Awareness

Eat Happy - Eat Nourishing Food for Focus

Sleep Happy - Sleep Soundly for Energy

With The Happy Body you will want to be active and that feeds back into itself.

The Five Stages to realize The Happy Mind are:

Explore Happy - Look Deep into Your World

Consider Happy - Include Happy into your Worldview

Challenge Happy - Test Happy against your Assumptions

Choose Happy - Select Happy for Yourself if it Works

Recycle Happy - Refresh your Commitment to Happy as you Grow

With The Happy Mind you will want to think, believe and be present, which improves ability.

The Five Levels to realize The Happy Spirit are:

Happy Honesty - Be Generous with Truth and Stingy with Blame

Happy Self - Believe in your Happy Self and the Happy Realm Entire

Happy Expression - Create a Happy Expression of Who you Truly Are

Happy Action - Be Fair and Happy Towards Yourself and Others

Happy Exercise - Test Holistic Action to Unite the Body, Mind and Spirit

All to Build a Happy Life.

Recommended Episodes: Ep. 14 - The Happy Mind

Ep. 168 - The Happy Spirit

Ep. 272 - Happy Action

Ask the question of those you encounter: Are They Happy?

I mean, the answer is yes, of course, we all are, inherently

but

are they aware of it? Do they acknowledge it in any way?

Are they expressing it? Appreciating it?

Happy is balance.

So, practice balance.

Do it with the sense that balance is fun.

Do it with Happy Humor

Recommended Episodes: Ep. 161 - Happy Haha Ep. 192 - The Happy Joke

Supporting Media (goes to Videos page):

Are They Happy?

Remorse can bring reflection and change, while Shame can bring reproach and depression.

To alleviate Remorse:

C.A.R.E.

Change the behavior,

Apologize for the error,

Rectify and make amends,

Emancipate yourself from the cycle of guilt.

To counter Shame: D.A.R.E.

Determine if there was any fault,

Acknowledge that it may be out of your control,

Relax your impossibly high standards,

Eliminate the voices of negativity, yours and others'.

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 182 - Happy Contrition Ep. 228 - Guilt Happy

A little can be motivational, while too much can lead to bitterness and spite.

Remember to L.A.U.G.H.

Love the possibility within yourself,

Appreciate that others have it too,

Understand the connection that provides,

Gather with those who agree,

Help each other achieve balance and growth to realize and express the Happy within.

Love Happy

Appreciate Happy

Understand Happy

Gather Happy

Help Happy

Supporting Media (goes to Artwork page):

L.A.U.G.H.

Like a Mood Athlete, you need to test your emotional agility and guage your Mood Units, or Moodys.

A Moody is a measure of emotional impact--it's a relative scale, as it may differ from person to person, and may even change within you as you become more adept. That which used to spin you out of control may lose its power as you achieve greater Balance and Growth.

Episode Referenced:

Ep. 4 - Emotional Agility

Additional References:

Ep. 74 - Happy Wrath
Ep. 75 - Happy Fear
Ep. 76 - Happy Guilt
Ep. 78 - Happy Cheer

Balanced Growth, Mindful Gratitude and now Compassionate Understanding! Collect all three!

Episode referenced:

Ep. 61 - Happy Friends

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 3 - Mindfully Happy

Ep. 7 - Imagine Happy

Ep. 11 - Happy Sight

Ep. 72 - Happy Stress

Ep. 80 - Think Happy

Ep. 115 - The Happy Me

Ep. 122 - Happy Evolution

Ep. 127 - Happy Moderation

Ep. 137 - Happy Encouragement

Ep. 143 - Happy Encouragement (Revisited)

Ep. 146 - Happy Perspective

Ep. 150 - Happy Youth

Ep. 153 - Happy Expectations

Ep. 155 - The Happy Touch

Ep. 165 - Imagine Happy (Revisited)

Ep. 236 - Outlook Happy

Ep. 239 - Finding Happy

There’s always something more than what you know now, And it could be the very thing that helps you, But choosing to disconnect, to disavow, Is the path that leads to pain in all you do.

Happy Growth Pattern

1. Oblivious - we don't know what we don't know

2. Curious - we learn something new

3. Conscious - we explore with intention

4. Intuitive - it becomes second nature

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 184 - Happy Finesse

Ep. 207 - Growth Happy

Inherently Happy - Episode two-thirty-three - The Happy Saint

First the Happy Creed:

We believe in Happy,

in Balance and Growth,

of being Mindful and Grateful,

Compassionate and Understanding.

Yowza

Haha

My Happy Friends

My mother Barbara Ann Storrs Bennett Ulrich,

passed away peacefully on February 12, 2022 at the age of 85.

And she

was the closest thing

to a Happy Saint

as I have ever seen.

She was pleasant and resourceful,

always rallying her friends and family for some cause or another,

and she knew how to say thank you in the best of ways.

She was the kind of person who

if you, say, went to a restaurant with her,

by the time you left you would know the names and life stories

of the hostess, the server, the chef, the owner, the busboy,

and the people sitting at nearby tables.

And she could be so understanding too,

like, if you made a mistake,

and she knew it was an accident,

then she could be incredibly forgiving.

If you did something wrong on purpose, however,

well, that might not go by without remark

or corrective steps taken.

For she was also vigilant.

I, myself, ran afoul of her a few times,

and I can still taste the soap

she washed my mouth out with.

And, as I was a bit of a handful as a youth,

--a foul-mouthed troublemaker, to be plain--

that displayed incredible restraint on her part.

And she wasn’t just nice to talk to and genuinely interested in other people,

she also loved introducing them to each other,

to give them a chance to meet

incredibly interesting people too.

She had friends from her childhood,

friends from her neighborhood,

from her town,

from her clubs and societies,

and also people she randomly met in line at the bank.

Seriously.

Many is the time she started sentences with

“I have to tell you about this interesting person I just met…”

and that meeting

typically occurred in the most random of places.

And those chance meetings,

and little acts of random kindness,

sometimes developed into lifelong connections.

She was on the Town Welcome Wagon committee when we were kids,

and she welcomed a family from Pakistan, the Khans,

who had just moved there.

They had to rent a small apartment while they went house hunting

and as they has no bedding, dishes or utensils yet

my mom called around to make sure she could

get enough of everything to supply them. No one else on the Welcome Wagon

had bothered to so much as talk to the Khans,

but since my mother was so great with them,

and my dad liked them too, which was a bit more rare,

they became my second set of godparents.

My first set lived overseas

but, apparently, Mom felt I needed a local one too.

Oh, and the home my new godparents wound up buying

was a

nice, little, nine-bedroom mansion

with a garage bigger than my house!

They had a swimming pool, a dog kennel,

multiple TV rooms, visitors from all over the world,

six kids of various ages,

and a seemingly endless supply of ice cream.

They became our extended family and I could

invite anyone up there I wished.

Mom made friends so easily, I think,

because, as dad would say,

she was completely

without

guile.

She was exactly who she seemed to be,

friendly, inquisitive, genuinely interested,

and fiercely loyal.

Her friends appreciated her so much,

they invited the rest of us to their

clubs, societies, and special events--

often because Mom had been the one

who introduced most of them

to those

clubs, societies and special events

in the first place.

If she could get a ne’er-do-well

such as I had been

to canvass voters door to door

as a teenager,

then she could get anyone to do anything.

She never missed a chance to remember someone’s birthday,

anniversary or life event, with a card or a care package.

She insisted we never show up at someone’s house without a gift,

and that we send a thank you note afterwards.

Picture her getting a teenager to pick out a housewarming gift

and then handwriting a thank you card on multiple occasions

and you will see that the moniker of The Happy Saint

carries with it both a force of will

as well as a tranquility of spirit.

She always wanted to make sure everyone got along,

and she loved that everyone wasn’t the same,

as she often used to say to me when I was a kid,

“if everyone was the same then the world would be borrrr-rrring.”

She was the best of us,

she taught me how to be kind,

friendly,

and resourceful,

and of the importance of keeping my elbows off the table,

and I taught her

how to be silly.

For I wouldn’t consider a conversation complete

if I couldn’t make her laugh by the end of it.

And laugh she did.

Haha

Yowza

If you want Happy Drive, which is the will to live and thrive, then you needn’t go too far as it’s already who you are. *** Happy Drive!

I have Happy Drive,

it

helps keep me alive,

‘cause

I want to live to see

what

becomes of Happy Me.

Perhaps I’ll save the world,

from the

Abyss into which we’re hurled,

or

maybe I’ll show us all

how to

make a Happy overhaul.

If

you want Happy Drive,

which is

the will to live and thrive,

then

you needn’t go too far

as

it’s already who you are.

Your

body keeps on going,

your

juices keep on flowing,

that’s

not some idle perk,

that’s just

Happy Drive at work.

Happy Drive is what you want,

be it

job or confidant,

that

thing you long to get,

but

haven’t got it yet.

I

want to help and entertain,

ease

your tension and your pain,

show

you what you can do

when

you’re your Happy You.

So

I have Happy Drive,

it

helps keep me alive,

‘cause

I want to live to see

what

becomes of Happy Me.

A counter-clockwise spin 'round the mood wheel to build emotional agility, endurance and strength, allowing you to run through light forms of each mood to get a feel for their wavelength.

Supporting Media: (goes to Artwork page)

Mood Wheel

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 256 - Mood Exercises - 'Round the Mood Wheel

Ep. 322 - Visualize Your Moods Ep. 324 - Gauge Your Moods

Ep. 347 - Happy Daily Mood Drills

Ep. 356 - Minute Moods

Take a quick quiz to see which moods you may still need to practice.

Chose the most prominent mood for each:

A. Hope

B. Mad

C. Fear

D. Sad

E. Guilt

F. Glad

1. How do you feel when something is coming up you are looking forward to?

2. How do you feel when someone gives you a gift?

3. How do you feel when you face small challenges?

4. How do you feel when you think about your long-term goals?

5. How do you feel when you think about a past mistake?

6. How do you feel when you hear unfortunate news that only affects you indirectly?

7. How do you feel when you get a compliment?

8. How do you feel when you’re planning a vacation or a break?

9. How do you feel If you're running late for an important appointment?

10. How do you feel when you're doing a hobby or a leisure activity? Supporting Media:

Mood Wheel (goes to Artwork page) Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 4 - Emotional Agility

Ep. 303 - Mood Wheel-in' - Guilt To Glad Ep. 334 - Nine Happy Questions

Ep. 347 - Happy Daily Mood Drills

Without Truth there can be no Trust, and for Balance and Growth, Trust is a must. The Happy Truth

If you’re gonna lie,

at least try

and make it believable,

so that it resembles

something true.

Don’t make it inconceivable

to buy it when you claim something

you did or didn’t do.

First you need a Liar’s mindset,

and that can easily be faked,

you just have to think

you deserve more than you get,

and so your claims

deserve to be staked.

The World doesn’t always agree with us

though we still try to make it,

but a Liar’s lazy and rewrites the record

instead of trying to honestly break it.

Lies can be bold,

and Lies can be gentle,

while Truth can be cold,

and far too judgmental.

So, why tell the Truth

when Lies are so easy?

Because

without Truth

there can be no Trust,

No firm foundation--the world tilts and you get queasy.

And to build Balance and Growth,

Trust

is a must.

Happy Lord Geoffrey

Whether you consider yourself sensitive or not, self-assessment, asking why, and getting comfortable with practicing your moods can help with mental agility. So, Spot, Trigger, Keep and then Drop your moods on a daily basis to train them.

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 4 - Emotional Agility

Ep. 5 - Emotional Inertia - Emotia

Ep. 256 - Mood Exercises - 'Round The Mood Wheel

Ep. 303 - Mood Wheel-in'- Guilt To Glad

Ep. 322 - Visualize Your Moods

Ep. 324 - Gauge Your Moods

Ep. 329 - Be Glad and Say Haha

Ep. 334 - Nine Happy Questions

Ep. 342 - A Pocketful of Moods Ep. 414 - Happy Emotia

Supporting Media (goes to Artwork Page):

The Mood Wheel

Embrace the Uncertainty.

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 135 - Happy Certainty

Ep. 263 - Happy Permission ***

The Happy Unknown

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!

People often fear the unknown

‘Cause they’ve been taught to fear it

since before they were grown,

But here’s the funny bit,

there’s way more outside the zone

of what there is fully known.

The cosmos is a huge mystery.

Sure, we may have our guesses,

but take one look at history

To see we find more Nos than Yeses,

Though we wrack our brains raw and blistery,

We have a tough time telling what’s golden or just glistery.

When we go to sleep, we don’t know what we’ll dream,

when we wake up, we don’t know which breath will be our last,

or even what unlikely trend will next become mainstream.

Stock analysts and meteorologists gamble on every forecast,

Yesterday’s anecdote may become tomorrow’s viral meme,

Uncertainty is all around us, an endlessly recurring theme.

So, I say, don’t let your fear get too overblown,

not knowing everything isn’t the same as fire and brimstone,

you can simply accept and embrace the Happy Unknown.

Haha

Yowza

While I may make these reminders for me,

I post them for anybody to see,

and a few people have joined me on these Happy Roads

to the point that it just surpassed ten thousand downloads! Recommended Episode:

Ep. 404 - Happy Hundred Thousand [full text below] Ep. 363 - Happy Ten Thousand

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!

While I may make these reminders for me,

I post them for anybody to see,

and a few people have joined me on these Happy Roads

to the point that it just surpassed

ten thousand downloads.

And not just in America alone,

but other places reachable

by mobile phone,

Because I’ll share my Human Experience

with any and all,

Be they from Germany, New Zealand, Brazil or Nepal.

So I thank you very much,

with all due gratitude and such,

but still, I need these meditations,

in lieu of what I could only guess

would otherwise require

a gross number of medications.

When I’m feeling uninspired,

by the things that have transpired,

and I lack the barest shred of trust or hope,

That’s when new perspectives are required,

To refresh me when I’m tired

Before I reach the end of all my rope.

Now, me, I like to see

what new shows are on T.V.

In the hopes of finding things that make me feel,

Or listen to a tune, stare at pictures of the moon,

Trying to determine what is real.

Change my viewpoint and reframe,

To renew the same old same,

And give it just a little extra punch,

Is life torture, or a game?

Do I require a claim to fame?

Do I even have a clue or just a hunch,

Am I glad my daddy came,

That I inherited his name,

Do I get the world a little or a bunch?

Have I known both pride and shame?

Been too wild, or far too tame?

Are there sorrows where I’m to blame?

Promising projects that turned out lame?

Did I go hungry, skip a lunch,

long for a single bite to munch

or did I have my fill at brunch?

Am I Glad or am I Mad?

Is this Guilt, Hope,

or am I Sad?

Do I feel good or very bad?

Do I Fear the difference

just a tad?

I know

what it’s like

to be Mean,

to want what I want

regardless of others,

but people saw only that

and so I felt unseen,

was I so unlike their fathers, sons and brothers?

I also know what it’s like to be Nice,

to help where I can

and pitch in wherever I may,

and people liked me better

but felt that I lacked spice,

and so for Balance I go

The Inherently Happy Way.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Wisdom is just a bunch of thoughts,

Things we merely think and hold on to even so,

Fussing and a fighting and never letting go,

Will only twist and tie ourselves into painful knots.

[full text below]

Ep. 372 - Happy Wisdom

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 Wisdom comes from realizing that all knowledge is merely a collection of thoughts,

Just a bunch of things people think to be true, but hold onto for dear life even so,

Fighting, rinsing and repeating, trying to convince ourselves, and never letting go,

Denying any hint that we could be wrong, as we tie ourselves into oh so painful knots.

We’ll swear for eons that the sun always comes up, and gravity always pulls us down,

Only to later argue that the Earth is actually spinning, and that spacetime is curved,

And that a child can be divinely chosen to lead a people and wear a crown,

All the while believing that free will is still a thing, and that destiny is forever preserved.

We’ll claim that because we think we must therefore exist,

For who else could be doing the thinking?

And yet thoughts we don’t agree with are routinely dismissed,

As we consider their value to be constantly shrinking.

Knowing we don’t know anything is the only true kind of knowing,

With a healthy dose of doubt and the lack of any absolute trust,

We can still build our arguments and make a darn fine showing,

As long as we don’t hold on too tight, always leaving room to adjust.

Happy Wisdom is just a bunch of thoughts,

Things we merely think and hold on to even so,

Fussing and a fighting and never letting go,

Will only twist and tie ourselves into painful knots.

Haha

Yowza

While I feel strongly that emotional health can benefit your life,

These are not orders or commands that must be obeyed,

They are merely Happy Suggestions to help you deal with pain and strife,

Much of which stems from all of the decisions you’ve made.

[full text below]

373 - Happy Suggestions

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!

While I feel strongly that emotional health can benefit your life,

These are not orders or commands that must be obeyed,

They are merely Happy Suggestions to help you deal with pain and strife,

Much of which stems from all of the decisions you’ve made.

I’ve known tons of folks who thought that their word was law,

And would scold, berate and bully me to do as they say,

Bossing me around like villains cursed with some tragic flaw

Thinking they owned me because I could never walk away.

But walk away I eventually did, and left them all on their own

To cry and to scream into the gaping hole called their lives,

Because what they thought were their mandates chiseled into stone,

Were nothing more than mere whispers of which very little survives.

And that’s exactly the point I’m trying to make here,

That you can vote--with your feet,

By walking away, sure it can be tough, it can fill you with fear,

But in the end your story is yours to complete.

I’ve had mean bosses, mean kinfolk, mean dates and mean friends,

Who I’ve stayed with too long because it was just easier than fighting,

But who eventually proved themselves to be too darn mean to make amends,

And so I had to depart, say goodbye, so long, and give my notice in writing.

Because my life belongs to me, just like yours belongs to you,

We have to eat and sleep and laugh and love as we see fit,

No one else is going to dream our dreams the way that we do,

So, if you’re being told what to think you don’t have to do that one little bit.

Haha

Yowza

While the seasons may bring some sadness and depression,

Along with work, crowds and weather making it tough to advance,

One way of dealing with it is through Happy Expression,

So, go ahead and dream, draw, chat, write, sing, dress up and dance! [full text below] 374 - Happy Expression

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!

While the seasons may bring some sadness and depression,

Along with work, crowds and weather making it tough to advance,

One way of dealing with it is through Happy Expression,

So, go ahead and dream, draw, chat, write, sing, dress up and dance!

We get stuck in our ordinary ways of thinking,

And forget we can always give our minds a shake

A change of scenery, perspective, even blinking,

Making art, pondering philosophy, or just taking a break.

As I write these lines, I pause frequently, and look at other things,

Surf the net, drink some water, pace about the room,

Trying to determine how I’m feeling and what thoughts that brings,

Whether they be about joy, despair, hope or the world’s impending doom.

And then I write it down to get it out of my head,

Gain a little distance and then revisit what I’ve made,

Maybe think about it differently, see if I left anything unsaid,

Pull on some loose ends that are threadbare and frayed.

Or maybe I’ll turn ‘em into a tune,

See if that sparks something new,

Even if it makes me feel like a loon,

Trying stuff to see what I can do.

Happy Expression can be whatever you like,

Heck, it can be whatever you don’t like, just the same,

It means delving deep or not at all, a feast or a hunger strike,

It means whatever you want it to mean, whether cool or lame.

And then after you express the heck out of yourself and it’s over and done,

Then you can see your innards laid bare before you, and, from there, decide,

Is this something you want to abandon or pursue, was it a chore or really fun?

This can be part of the whole finding-yourself journey, or a very short ride.

Haha

Yowza

Stress is like gripping the prickly husk of a chestnut with your bare skin,

You know it hurts, but you don’t want to risk losing your nut so you hold on,

And then you try going about your day ignoring the massive pain you’re in,

Hoping it’ll all be worth it and that the self-imposed curse will magically be gone. [full script below]

Ep. 375 - Happy Calm

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!

Stress is like gripping the prickly husk of a chestnut with your bare skin,

You know it hurts, but you don’t want to risk losing your nut so you hold on,

And then you try going about your day ignoring the massive pain you’re in,

Hoping it’ll all be worth it and that the self-imposed curse will magically be gone.

But that’s just it, you could let go at any time--the choice is always yours,

Although that would mean giving up before the nut was ripe and ready to eat,

But chestnuts will ripen on their own--they don’t need you perforating your pores

Just so you can be all tough like you’re made of human-shaped concrete.

Put that spiky chestnut down. Look at it, know that it’s there, but don’t touch it,

Allow it to exist without affecting you, without controlling, or harming you,

I’m still talking about stress by the way, this whole chestnut thing is just a bit,

To illustrate the fact that you don’t have to hold onto stress like it’s made of glue.

Stress builds when we start caring very much over things that matter very little,

And things on which we focus a great deal of energy thinking that’s how motivation works,

But it’s calmness that lets you face the storm, that makes you strong and never brittle,

Happy Calm is that inner strength and focus you grant yourself in the face of what irks.

I stress myself out sometimes. I do. I start thinking about something and can’t stop.

Well, I say “can’t,” I really mean “won’t”--I won’t stop because I’m trying to solve the thing.

But not everything is a puzzle, some things are just gonna happen like the fall of a raindrop,

And we have to find a way to accept them for what they are, and go with whatever they bring.

Happy Calm doesn’t mean you don’t have deadlines or that you give up all ambition,

It means you don’t split and splinter your focus by pointing it at all the wrong stuff,

Things you think you need to fear but that may never even happen, mere superstition,

So, when you feel things getting shaky, take a deep breath and say “That’s Enough.”

Haha

Yowza

Hard times there will always be, but knowing they can be reframed and countered with moods,

The very same moods that grew up out of the Hard Times themselves, well, that’s solid gold!

So, take that anger and bitterness and aim it straight at your pain and all that includes,

And say, "I don’t care if you think you own me, Hard Times, you don’t! And you’ll do as you’re told!" [full script below] Ep. 376 - Happy Hard Times

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!

There are times when things aren’t take-’em-or-leave-’em, but instead are really hard,

Where all the joy seems stripped away with nothing left but cruelty and doom,

Where the hopes you once had have been attacked and left to rot in a graveyard,

And you don’t even know if you have the strength to get out of bed or leave your room.

So, how can Hard Times ever be Happy? You may well ask. That sounds like a paradox!

But a paradox is a contradiction that still somehow manages to be true.

And so the way Hard Times can be Happy is by realizing you have a Happy toolbox

That’s equipped with coping mechanisms, like Balance and Growth, just. for. you.

It’s all in how you frame it, like, if you feel anger, then redirect it AT something vile

Such as Your Problems and tell yourself you hate them and don’t want deal with their crap,

So, listen to music, instead, watch a movie, do a hobby, and just think of something else for a while,

Then your problems won’t seem like they own your whole world, freeing you from their trap.

I’m constantly tense because I have things I want to say and do that require a lot of time,

And so much of it is spent eating, sleeping and working to pay rent that there’s very little left,

But it’s a need--and so I don’t waste a single solitary moment, as if to do so were a crime,

And I aim that anger at Those Things that would steal my precious moments--for I have no time for such theft.

Hard times there will always be, but knowing they can be reframed and countered with moods,

The very same moods that grew up out of the Hard Times themselves, well, that’s solid gold!

So, take that anger and bitterness and aim it straight at your pain and all that includes,

And say, I don’t care if you think you own me, Hard Times, you don’t! And you’ll do as you’re told!

Then you’ll be able to carve out some Balance and Growth from the midst of your woes,

You’ll have Happy Hard Times--not that you should go looking for them, but they’ll find you,

Then you can say, You don’t control me, Hard Times, ‘cause I know trouble comes and trouble goes,

And when it does come you can use that feeling to say “I’m Happy, Hard Times, and I don’t care much what you do.”

Haha

Yowza

You want to find a place to be Happy Alone,

Where you’re just Happy to be on your own,

Where you don’t feel scared of the unknown,

And your mind isn’t a mental combat zone. [full script below] 377 - Happy Alone

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 have been to that place in my mind

that forever insists upon finding a crowd,

Only putting value in company of some kind

especially when that company’s loud.

I’ve sought out the hustle and fray

of groups, societies, parties and clubs,

never content to miss out on a single day

of full gatherings and endless elbow rubs.

Not that all of those assemblies were welcome,

In fact, some of them were downright rough,

Places I immediately wanted to get away from,

As a brief stay was far more than enough.

Perhaps I just didn’t like being lonely,

For I thought being alone was the very same thing,

But I didn’t long hold onto that illusion--if only!

When I realized it all depends on the neediness you bring.

I didn’t just want to be around other folks,

I wanted to feel like I was included,

Which is why the social scene can feel like a hoax,

When it’s tough to connect, you can’t help but feel excluded.

I felt like I hadn’t experienced life, I hadn’t yet begun to live,

I hadn’t traveled or dated or learned anything about love,

Life had more to give me, and I had more to give,

I had to see if love hurt like Hell or felt like Heaven above.

And so I traveled when the opportunity arose,

I tried dating when I met someone I liked,

Which at first did not go well, I had some pretty low lows,

Until I met a foreign girl--who liked me, and I was psyched!

I’ve learned about other parts of the world, other cultures,

I don’t just have the same limited view I once had,

I’ve loved and I’ve had my heart torn out and left for vultures,

And I’ve lived! As I’ve moved around like a nomad.

And I realized that while it’s nice to meet folks along the journey,

If, You, the traveler aren’t glad to be able to spend time with You,

Then you’ll feel as isolated as a Worker’s Comp Defense Attorney,

Hating your life and yourself because of what you’re forced to do.

You want to aim for a place where you can be Happy Alone,

Where it’s just You, and you’re just Happy to be on your own,

Where you don’t feel restless or scared of the unknown,

And your mind doesn’t fight itself like a mental combat zone.

But how do you learn how to stand yourself if for some reason you can’t?

Well, that’s where the Happy Work of Balance and Growth comes in handy,

With a change of attitude and perspective, you can give yourself a mood transplant,

Where life goes from being bitter to tasting like sweet sweet candy.

You want to find

a place

to be

Happy Alone,

Where you’re just

Happy

to be

on your own,

Where you don’t

feel

scared

of the unknown,

And your mind isn’t

a mental

combat zone.

Haha

Yowza

If you can keep mindful of one simple fact,

That you were born Happy, which you can't counteract--

Then patient compassion can have an impact,

Allowing you to stay grateful even while being attacked.

[entire script below]

378 - Happy Like You

The place you wanna get back to

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 said it before and I’ll say it agains

We all start out Happy,

With Balance and Growth and such,

But as we age we forget

to practice it all that much.

Practice requires willpower and discipline,

To constantly develop that link,

To prevent being a Happy has-been

Wishing you’d taken the time to rethink.

When you’re Happy,

you’re naturally Nice and accommodating,

Telling the truth without discriminating,

Being helpful and facilitating,

Which you may find endlessly invigorating.

Then you’ll wonder--

Why be Mean to folks when you can be Nice instead?

You’ll be less likely to catch a kick to the head,

Which could go a long way in keeping you not dead,

Or raising your blood pressure every time you see red.

I myself

don’t have any fancy stuff, most of my stuff is old,

I have nothing encrusted in diamonds or made of 24 karat gold,

I never started a family, I don’t have pets, I only have stories yet untold,

And as much life as I have left in me to allow them to unfold.

And yet I maintain my Balance and Growth by being Mindful of one simple fact,

That we are all born Happy and can connect to it at any time, to be exact,

Though it requires patient concentration to be able to stay Grateful while being attacked,

But having Compassion and Understanding can have an absolutely profound impact.

Just that one little perspective adjustment can help focus you on Hope instead of Hate,

It can show you similarities instead of differences--even in people who make you irate,

It can attune you to music of the spheres and keep your Happy awareness up to date,

Just by thinking of Balance and Growth whenever you have a chance to speculate.

HaHa

Yowza

Shame is painful humiliation or distress,

The feeling that you’re a complete and utter mess,

But Happy Shame is the opposite of that,

It’s being immune to feeling like a doormat.

[entire script below] Ep. 379 - Happy Shame

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!

Shame is painful humiliation or distress,

The feeling that you’re a complete and utter mess,

But Happy Shame is the opposite of that,

It’s being immune to feeling like a doormat.

I used to be popular until I was eight

and then for a while I knew nothing but hate.

But when you lose all your friends and are shunned from the crowd,

You’re freed from all peer pressure about what’s not allowed.

So, I was able to develop my own interests without fear or blame,

I did what I wanted, exempt from humiliation and shame.

I put ketchup and mayonnaise on my hot dogs,

And cut my spaghetti up,

I talked in speeches and monologues,

and always had hot chocolate in my cup.

I put yogurt on my salads, and sugar in all my drinks,

And went by myself to the movies and to ice skating rinks.

I didn’t spare a thought for the Mean things people said,

And spent my nights in the cemetery communing with the dead.

Sure, it’s nice when people like us, and to lose that can really hurt,

But when it happens anyway then that toxic dread becomes inert.

Then you find out who you really are outside of what others say,

And see that, alone, you can have things your own way.

Now since then I’ve made friends, of course, and so had to conform,

But in my private moments I still avoid the norm.

So, get along with your neighbors when you have to and such,

But be yourself when you’re alone--that’s something they can’t touch.

Haha

Yowza

Being grateful is important, sure, I say it all the time, of course,

But that doesn’t mean to ever stop striving to express your vital life force! [entire script below] 380 - Happy Yearning

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!

There are no rights, there are no guarantees,

And promises are as fleeting as a gentle morning breeze.

Life and all we do with it is a privilege, it’s a gift,

Every day we survive, we outlive over a hundred thousand others who got stiffed,

But sometimes we forget, lose perspective, as we endlessly clock in and out for each shift,

And all the things we’re meant to be grateful for can sometimes fail to uplift.

No, yeah, I get it, we’re lucky to be alive,

Not everybody gets the chance--mustn’t squander, mustn’t waste,

But even with such privileges one’s mood can sometimes take a dive.

And your mirror can show you the saddest person you’ve ever faced.

And then you feel guilty because you should be thankful, but it’s tough,

We still want to get better, get closer, get more,

Fulfill everything we’ve been endlessly wishing for,

It’s hard to advance if you’re supposed to call what you already have “enough.”

So, you have to be a grateful, yes, but also a little ambitious too,

Keeping Balance AND Growth,

Not either/or, but both,

In all the words you say, plans you make, and deeds

you

do.

This means being dissatisfied with how things are, and wanting to change them,

Which may seem like a lack of gratitude

But actually showcases a vibrant attitude,

And so what you do with the gifts you’ve given is nothing for others to condemn.

For by virtue of being granted these gifts, you get to do with them whatever you want,

Which may very well include helping yourself, just as much you help others,

Some people might see gifts as something to hide, where others as something to flaunt,

Some claim gifts are a right and yet won’t respect another’s.

You have to decide how you want to navigate through the masses,

Through all the cultures and traditions that make up our Human Race,

Will you do it from a private theater box peering through opera glasses,

Or will you join the fray and interact with the world face to face?

Being grateful is important, sure, I say it all the time, of course,

But that doesn’t mean to ever stop striving to express your vital life force!

Haha

Yowza

We all have mountains we must climb,

And that comes in many forms,

From the rough to the sublime,

To find sunlight through the storms.

[full script below]

Ep. 381 - Happy Mountains

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!

We all have mountains we must climb,

And that comes in many forms,

From the rough to the sublime,

To find sunlight through the storms.

When I discuss my childhood I often mention the bullies I had at school,

Who resented me for being silly and awkward where once I was cool,

But I often gloss over the bullies I had at home who were equally cruel,

Who inspired vandalism, pyromania, self-harm and made me feel miniscule.

I loved them, of course, which is what made their treatment of me all the harder to take,

I was so scared, sad and mad all the time that it made me have violent urges,

I couldn’t handle such frustrations, but I had very little power and no moves to make,

So, whenever I had the chance I acted out in short-lived but explosive surges.

But when you let yourself go Mean, it’s hard to come back,

And it alienates you from others, which makes things harder still,

Then you become even Meaner thanks to all the skills you lack,

Such as composure or self-control or any semblance of goodwill.

I’ve destroyed friendships, I’ve wrecked cars, I’ve been arrested, and nearly expelled,

Been sent to detention, sat in jail, been hospitalized and shunned by my entire class.

Such things can breed bitterness and loathing, things against which others rebelled,

Leaving me to sit alone in a cemetery talking to the corpses just under the grass.

I’ve had to move several times to find people who didn’t know me so I could start again,

But the trouble was I didn’t know myself, so kept falling into the same bad and angry habits,

I imagined all those who had ever wronged me just laughing at me like they did back then,

But then I turned to Happy who reminded me life didn’t have to be Wolves against Rabbits!

I could take charge of myself--my own mind, my own heart, my spirit, and my soul,

I could climb the mountain of self-awareness, self-discovery, self-reliance, and self-control,

I could find Balance and Growth and Compassion and make my broken self whole,

By trying a little bit each day to make Happy choices to get closer to that Happy goal.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Leaders are CHARMED*--

where being informed is the same as forearmed.

Initials that describe the ideals,

And are easily recalled--which always appeals!

*CHARMED:

Collaborative

Humble

Authentic

Responsible

Motivational

Empathic

Decisive

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 346 - Happy Leadership [full script below]

Ep. 382 - Happy Leaders

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 Leaders are CHARMED,

where being informed is the same as forearmed.

Initials that describe the ideals,

And are easily recalled--which always appeals

C is for Collaborative, which includes team building and open communications,

H is for Humble, which includes self-awareness and being appreciative of others,

A is for Authentic, which includes having integrity and transparent foundations,

R is for Responsible which includes being someone accountable and fair, who never smothers,

M is for Motivational, which includes being empowering, respectful and trusting,

E is for Empathic, which includes emotional maturity, and patience even in the face of frustrations,

and

D is for Decisive, which includes being effective and adaptable, consistent even while adjusting.

Having this CHARMED mindset

will allow your team to be confident, focused, flexible and creative,

Showcasing their passion and resilience all while being innovative,

Helping you achieve your vision because it’s no longer just yours but everyone’s,

Which has the power to transform errors and setbacks into growth opportunities and second-chance home runs.

Haha

Yowza

In order to achieve Balanced Growth--and also to keep it going,

You’ll need three things to keep the old Mood Wisdom flowing,

The Three Cs of Mood Expertise: Communication, Comprehension, and Control.

Being able to recognize, realize, and regulate emotions will help you feel whole.

Recommended Episode: Ep. 4 - Emotional Agility [entire script below] Ep. 383 - Happy Mood Mastery

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!

In order to achieve Balanced Growth--and also to keep it going,

You’ll need three things to keep the old Mood Wisdom flowing,

The Three Cs of Mood Expertise: Communication, Comprehension, and Control.

Being able to recognize, realize, and regulate emotions will help you feel whole.

Communication is being able to express emotions and also being able to read them too,

Can you tell what others are feeling, can they tell what you’re feeling as you do what you do,

This can be through words, actions, behavior and the like, both detection and transmission,

Do you speak the language of moods, is that something you can add to your general disposition?

Comprehension is about whether you can then interpret those emotions once spotted,

Can you tell what triggered those feelings, what they mean, what significance they’ve been allotted?

Maybe that feeling is actually coming from something deeper than you know,

And needs a closer look before you just dismiss it, avoid it, or shove it back down below.

And Control is the part where you manage those moods you’ve noticed and tracked,

Where you regulate, guide, command and govern those moods and their impact,

So that you can handle new feelings from both without and within, in others and in you,

And can achieve Balanced Growth thanks to your Happy Mood Mastery through and through.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Grace means that you reserve judgment when you encounter mistakes,

And act with tolerance and patience allowing everyone to learn, and find their flow,

It’s not the same as encouraging yourself or others to act like a bunch of flakes,

But about acceptance, and allowing everyone the space to give it another go.

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 147 - Happy Gloom

Ep. 156 - Happy Grace

[entire script below] Ep. 384 - More 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!

Happy Grace means that you reserve judgment when you encounter mistakes,

And act with tolerance and patience allowing everyone to learn, and find their flow,

It’s not the same as encouraging yourself or others to act like a bunch of flakes,

But about acceptance, and allowing everyone the space to give it another go.

And that’s not accomplished by gritting your teeth and trying not to explode,

Happy Grace is a choice you make to see the world as a dynamic journey,

Not some administrative chore you’re saddled with by durable power of attorney,

But a life full of experiences and feelings best grabbed by the armload.

I’ve been a maintenance man, an executive assistant, and a live-in babysitter,

I’ve been a food server, an emcee, a tutor, a retail clerk, and a stagehand,

So, I’ve had to serve, announce, teach, sit and wait for others, ‘cause I ain’t no quitter,

And seeing how slow, dull and futile some things can be helped me to understand.

Understand what? Understand how frustrating and painful some things can be,

Well, how is that helpful? You may well ask! And I’ll tell you--it helps keep you aware.

Aware of what, you’ll, no doubt, want to know! Aware of how to accept things calmly,

How to manage expectations, which leads to greater composure and less open warfare.

Happy Grace is what allows you to try again and again after failing multiple times,

It’s what grants you hope and renewed vigor well after you feel you’ve lost it,

It’s what keeps you rooting for those who seem to have long since passed their primes,

And it’s the very thing that keeps you from ever, ever, ever trying to quit.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Fortitude is the faith you have in your own inner strength,

It’s the grit you got--to tell yourself to get up, and try once more,

It’s your resilience, knowing that you will go to any length

To keep from quitting, dropping the ball, or running out the back door. Recommended Episode: Ep. 399 - Happy Resistance

[full script below] Ep. 385 - Happy Fortitude

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 Fortitude is the faith you have in your own inner strength,

It’s the grit you got--to tell yourself to get up, and try once more,

It’s your resilience, knowing that you will go to any length

To keep from quitting, dropping the ball, or running out the back door.

I’ve known people who would give up when things got the least bit hard,

People with no resolve, who couldn’t see anything through to the end,

Who could never be counted on to stand up or stay true in any regard,

Such people with zero backbone aren’t those anyone would want to call a friend.

Friends are those who’ll stay with you even when times ain’t easy,

Those you can depend on even when you’re not at your best,

People who can stomach hardship without getting too queasy,

Keeping it together through such trials is indeed the true test.

But, hey, I get it, if you take the coward’s way out, the shortcut, the cheat,

Well, then you ensure you’ll live to fight another day--well, to cower anyway.

‘Cause that’s the thing, ain’t it? You’re just proving to yourself that you can be beat,

Every time you recoil, flinch, shiver or shake, you turn yourself into Fortune’s prey.

But what if instead you took every opportunity to prove to yourself you can stick it out,

That you can last a little longer, try a little harder, keep pushing, keep going, stay strong?

It doesn’t even have to be anything big, every example builds you up and helps defeat doubt,

Until before you know it, you aren’t the craven, trembling, quail you’ve been for far too long.

Because Happy Fortitude means you don’t crumble when life get tough,

You're secure regardless of the difficulty or trouble,

Because you know that you can dig deep and trust that you have power enough

To endure any storm, and watch your confidence double.

Haha

Yowza

If you get so mad that you want to explode,

Then you’ll always find reasons to overload,

You’ll keep chasing the high of that pressure release,

Declaring war every time you really want peace.

[episode script below] Ep. 386 - Happy Still

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 get so mad that you want to explode,

Then you’ll always find reasons to overload,

You’ll keep chasing the high of that pressure release,

Declaring war every time you really want peace.

You’ll create new problems, instead of achieving your goals,

Increasing your emptiness with all those self-made holes,

But if you stop trying to destroy, and try to connect,

Then there’ll be no need to fix, heal, save or resurrect.

Now I know the attraction of a bout of righteous wrath,

But it can lead you headlong down a sick and woeful path,

Where everything is loud and mean and you have to fight your way through,

Because you’re trapped in a battle, when, really, the enemy is you.

And the time to stop the skirmish is not when your smack in the middle,

But before you even get started if you’d just prepare yourself a little,

Because you shouldn’t be so surprised if you tend to blow your top,

When it happens yet again after you hoped that it would stop.

You can’t just wing it, you actually have to prepare to keep your cool,

Plan ahead for any possible triggers, and practice not acting like a fool,

Allow yourself to take your time, don’t let the process itself make you mad,

Or you’ve defeated the whole purpose, and let your goodwill go bad.

But you have to realize for yourself that a short-lived burst of rage isn’t worth your dreams,

That the power you feel for only a moment isn’t quite as triumphant as it seems,

Because it erodes your sense of balance, your sense of growth, your peace of mind,

And that can make you bitter, cranky, argumentative, and extremely unkind.

And, like I say, I know all about it, I’ve yelled and I’ve raged,

I acted like a wild animal who deserved to be caged,

I’ve thought to myself, “well, maybe this is just me,”

But I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t have to be!”

You can choose your own behavior, your own thoughts, your own traits,

You don’t need all that anger to be one of the greats,

You can find power in the calmness, the control and the Will,

And see that through it all you can be Happy Still.

Haha

Yowza

Trying new things can be scary at first,

You may feel uneasy and start thinking the worst,

But if you can keep on going for just a little bit longer,

You may just find that your confidence gets a whole lot stronger.

[episode script below] Ep. 387 - Happy Courage

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!

Trying new things can be scary at first,

You may feel uneasy and start thinking the worst,

But if you can keep on going for just a little bit longer,

You may just find that your confidence gets a whole lot stronger.

Because part of the fear comes from the unknown,

And from the uncertainty that can become overblown,

But as you get familiar with the situation at hand,

Your outlook improves as you begin to understand.

You then start to notice things you didn’t notice before,

Opportunities to advance and raise your overall score,

Expectations you can manage and allies you can make,

Challenges you can handle and chances you can take.

Happy Courage isn’t a total lack of anxiety or worry or fear,

It’s, instead, your refusal to cower or shrink when those things may appear,

You don’t need to avoid nervousness in order to act,

Happy Courage means you keep going even if you feel like you’re being attacked.

Many’s the time when I was an absolute bundle of nerves,

But that often juiced up my flagging energy reserves,

I’ve asked girls to dance, and spoken on stage,

I’ve defended myself in a fight against someone in an absolute rage.

You don’t need to hide from the world just because it’s a tad frightening,

That’s as silly as hiding underwater to avoid bolts of lightning,

But instead you should learn to face up to challenges both old and new,

Because Happy Courage is you being your most courageous you!

Haha

Yowza

Happy Fairness means being impartial, respectful, true and just,

It means treating people with the humanity that they’ve earned,

Throwing in some decency, tolerance and integrity is, for many, a must,

As well as any civil and rational behaviors previously learned.

Recomended Episode:

Ep. 226 - Fair Happy

[episode script below]

Ep. 388 - Happy Fairness

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 Fairness means being impartial, respectful, true and just,

It means treating people with the humanity that they’ve earned,

Throwing in some decency, tolerance and integrity is, for many, a must,

As well as any civil and rational behaviors previously learned.

I have a very strong sense of fairness, due to the all unfairness that I’ve seen,

And not just to me, but when other people are treated unfairly too,

I know how awful it feels to suffer injustice, and I hate it when anyone’s Mean,

But I especially hate it when friends betray friends, that’s something you just don’t do.

I’ve had a few pals, a few cronies, a few chums, who absolutely stabbed me in the back,

Without a second thought either, just took something they wanted and to heck with me,

A potential romance, a job opportunity, a privilege I was due--just an absolute bushwhack,

Almost with a maniacal glee to see me suffer thus proving they were never Family.

It’s heartbreaking--after I was so sure I could trust their loyalty,

The one thing I could count on--I thought I at least had that,

Then realizing I never really knew them at all--seeing what villains they could be,

And then I started worrying that every friendship would end in psychological combat.

But there is still fairness to be found in the world, and that fairness can begin with you,

Don’t let them corrupt you with their bitter selfishness, like someone corrupted them,

This doesn’t mean to just let people walk all over you, no, you deserve respect too,

As long as you earn it, it’s not an automatic thing, that’s unfair, and that would be mayhem.

But disrespect shouldn’t be automatic either, so don’t pick fights just because you expect fights,

Odd as it sounds, but bullies are people too--they want Balance and Growth and all that stuff,

They attack others to avoid winding up in someone else’s sights,

But if you uphold Happy Fairness then you’ll show others that enough’s enough.

In my younger school days I was bullied by groups of kids, but not if I could get them alone,

Then they actually talked to me and were even Nice, though I knew it wouldn’t last,

They didn’t want to get targeted for not going along, they couldn’t handle being on their own,

In college I even did Nice things for my bullies--you wouldn’t believe the goodwill that amassed.

Sure, I wished they would all get boils up their rears and worms in their ears,

But I never actually did anything to them, I just maintained my own sense of fair play,

So when others tried to target them, I stood up for them even against my peers,

And converted many bullies into friends, staying true to myself and the Inherently Happy Way.

Haha

Yowza

Facts or Values, which do you consider the more important of the two?

Do you hold in higher regard objective truths, or subjective moral codes?

Do you consider logic to be the only worthy standard for all you think, say and do?

Or are ethical considerations more effective in the prevention of behavior that erodes?

[episode script below] Ep. 389 - Happy Worth

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!

Facts or Values, which do you consider the more important of the two?

Do you hold in higher regard objective truths, or subjective moral codes?

Do you consider logic to be the only worthy standard for all you think, say and do?

Or are ethical considerations more effective in the prevention of behavior that erodes?

My dad was a very logical man. He did his crossword puzzles in ink and never got them wrong,

But he was also a church-going man and felt that faith was needed to establish rules of conduct,

He was also a very angry man whose own behavior was often as disruptive as the day is long,

Someone who used his faith to wash away his guilt so that he wouldn’t self-destruct.

But he never changed his attitude, he stayed Mean, and just prayed a little on the weekend,

I never thought morality should be something you keep resetting week after week,

It should be a guiding principle that stays with you and supports you like a very good friend,

Not something that rinses the crud off you just so you can wallow in it once more, so to speak.

I think it’s possible to consider both the head and the heart when you make a decision,

It doesn’t have to be either/or, you can take both evidence, and your beliefs into account,

In fact, that might be the ideal scenario, as opposed to an angry or violent collision,

Resulting in a host of problems not even the world’s greatest negotiator could surmount.

Your Happy Worth depends on the Balance and Growth you’re able to achieve,

Not the fights, not the destruction, not the strife, not the havoc you can wreak,

But the gratitude you can maintain and the compassionate outlook in which you believe,

For it is those Facts And Values that will help you find the peaceful passion that you seek.

Haha

Yowza

Assumptions save time, but at what cost?

Check them with reality or you might get lost.

[episode script below]

Ep. 390 - Happy Assumptions

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!

You ever assume things? ‘Course you do, we all do.

We assume big things like that tomorrow will arrive as expected,

And small things like a rubber ball will bounce back to you,

And even medium things like mistakes will repeat if left uncorrected.

I once assumed a driver who cut me off on the road had it in for me,

So I raced up beside him and threw him a glare,

Only to realize that he was in his own world on the phone and did not see,

Didn’t care, wasn’t being mean because he was completely unaware.

My assumption met reality and my assumption failed,

I had built something up that existed entirely within my own mind,

Oh, how spectacularly wrong I was, I wailed,

How quickly I felt justified in becoming monumentally unkind!

I thought it was my right, nay, my obligation to fix that guy’s wagon,

When he was already having a hard time of it and so I immediately felt bad,

Was I the bully? Oh, no! That mustn’t be! I didn’t want to be a fire breathing dragon!

Laying waste to the countryside because someone made me slightly mad.

So, I slowed my roll,

calmed myself down,

regained control,

and unclenched my frown.

I thought of all the things we assume that may not be helpful at all,

Assuming all plants are safe to eat, for instance, is not the best way to go,

But also assuming that some activities are no fun when they could be a ball,

You have to try new things to know for sure, but you can be careful even so.

I’ve assumed that bullies were all out to get me, but they were making assumptions too,

They thought I was a threat to what they considered cool and so wanted to mock me,

But if they got to know me, some of them actually quite liked me--a friendly breakthrough!

Where they saw that reality wasn’t quite as bad as they had assumed--and that’s the key!

Having assumptions is a handy shortcut for a lot of things--water is wet, fire is hot,

But we still have to test those assumptions against reality to make sure we’re staying on track,

Otherwise we may discover truths that are exactly the opposite of what we thought,

And instead of moving forward we find ourselves lost and having to go all the way back.

Haha

Yowza

Providing encouragment and support to others feels Nice,

And so you provide empowerment not once but twice.

[entire script below] Ep. 391 - Happy Empowerment

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!

There’s two kinds of empowerment upon which I shall report,

Those you give others, and those you give yourself, being the two I shall name,

The kind you give others contains encouragement and support,

While the kind you give to yourself contains exactly the same.

I am always trying to streamline complicated processes that frustrate and irk,

I don’t break the rules, I just try to find loopholes where people seldom look,

And as a result I often come up with new ways of solving problems at work,

And then I write down those protocols so I can train others with my little guidebook.

But I often find that others would rather that I continue to do those tasks still,

And they don’t even bother reading my directions even when I add a cartoon,

Turns out they don’t want to be empowered to do some things and never will,

So, I seek my own empowerment elsewhere to find an escape that can’t come too soon.

So, I write, and I draw--and I sing and dance too but that’s just for fun,

I do these works to empower myself, to encourage and someday support, hopefully, too,

And I share them because if they can encourage this human I know I can’t be the only one,

And going by the encouraging feedback, that which empowers me also empowers you!

Happy Empowerment is that supportive encouragement that helps me and you cope,

“If this guy can do it, then I should be able to as well,” is what you may well say,

I don’t have my ideal career, freedoms or family life and yet I still allow myself to hope,

And I share that hope with others through art and the Inherently Happy Way.

And sharing can be its own form of empowerment--it feels Nice,

So, I encourage you to utilize the same methods that I myself employ,

Namely to be empowering not once but twice,

First by giving encouragement and support to others and in so doing increasing your own joy.

Haha

Yowza

We seek to solve the mystery of our Life Sentence--is there a cause at the end of the line?

Will we find paradise, doom or is it all just an endless merry-go-round operated by the Divine?

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 2 - Detective of Divinity

Ep. 67 - The Happy Skeptic

Ep. 175 - Happy Divine

Ep. 212 - Divine Happy

Ep. 327 - God Happy [entire script below] Ep. 392 - Divinely 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!

Humans live with the knowledge of our own impending death,

From even before we’re born, the terminal countdown begins,

As we only have a limited time before we’ll draw our final breath,

In a race we all must run, but one that nobody ever wins.

And so we cling to beliefs that afford us some peace along the way,

We try to catch a glimpse of the divine to get some clue as to what’s out there,

We meditate, vision quest, lucid dream, we hope, we wish, we pray,

All to solve the mystery of our Life Sentence--are we doomed or does somebody actually care?

If we ask for answers, will we get them? Or is it far beyond what’s even possible to know?

And if we feel changed by the pursuit, is that merely from our efforts or something more?

We just want to discover the cause, so that when we seek a certain effect, it’ll actually show,

Then maybe we’ll feel like we understand something, and get a hint at what’s in store.

When we go past this living organism phase--do we carry on, transform, or just end?

I grew up down the street from a cemetery where several generations of my family are buried,

I used to fear it after dark until I discovered that my bullies feared it more--’twas a godsend!

Then I spent many nights among the dead trying to commune, but the results never varied,

Answers came there none.

Ghostly friendships, not a one,

I tried as hard as any late night divinity seeker could--not one to be outdone,

But my ancestors and their grave neighbors remained silent and decidedly un-fun.

I was there on moonlit nights when the fallen snow made it bright in all directions,

I was there on gloomy nights too, when I had to feel me way around,

At the very least I found it peaceful there, even if I made no direct divine connections,

It was still less hectic than my own world beyond that tranquil ground.

Nowadays when I see people who claim to have a direct link to the divine, I wonder,

What am I doing differently? I try to be helpful, I try to be patient, I try to be kind,

I sometimes have to cut off contact with toxic people who try to pull me under,

But still I offer words of encouragement through my work, a product of my heart and my mind.

And this work isn’t meant to replace faith, of course, it’s more of a bridge from here to there.

For those who have nothing, it can be a framework at the very least, something to cling to,

And for those who already have a belief system, it can still act as mental health care.

Humans are obsessed with the unknown, we’re Divinely Happy in everything we do.

I’m no different, I want to know what’s out there just like everybody else does,

And I’ll keep looking for clues just like the Detective of Divinity I am and always will be,

And in the meantime, I’ll also try to focus on being Happy just because

Being Happy is better than focusing on bitterness and hate, this I know, believe you me.

Haha

Yowza

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.

Supporting Media (goes to Artwork page):

The Three Great Considerations

Recommeded Episodes:

Ep. 81 - Happy Art

Ep. 344 - Art Happy [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

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

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

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]

Supporting Media (goes to Artwork page):

The Three Great Considerations [Artwork Edit: "Logic" switched to "Math" to clarify the kind of Logic (Mathematical) as opposed to Rhetorical]

Recommended Episodes:

Ep. 81 - Happy Art

Ep. 82 - Happy Science

Ep. 83 - Happy Philosophy 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 [Mathematical] 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.

[Mathematical] 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

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

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

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! Recommended Episode: Ep. 385 - Happy Fortitude [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

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. Recommended Episode: Ep. 409 - Happy Understanding

[full script 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

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 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

The importance of being Pleasant is not to be dismissed,

You may think it means being a pushover, but I disagree,

It can sometimes take far more strength than just making a fist,

Because it requires you to have empathy to a significant degree.

[full text below]

Ep. 403 - Pleasantly 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!

The importance of being Pleasant is not to be dismissed,

You may think it means being a pushover, but I disagree,

It can sometimes take far more strength than just making a fist,

Because it requires you to have empathy to a significant degree.

I encounter people in bad moods on a regular basis,

And I sometimes want to tell them to go take a flying leap,

But that just pollutes the waters of my mental oasis,

Resulting in nothing more than a psychological garbage heap.

But being Pleasant, on the other hand, can sometimes work wonders,

Once they realize I'm unflappable, they can stop pushing quite so hard,

They might even apologize for their attitude and their blunders,

And then I get to be the bigger person and someone they can’t disregard.

I grew up on a street that provided access to the cemetery in my town,

They called the street Pleasant to make it seem nice and quiet,

I imagine a name like Cemetery Lane wouldn’t have had the same renown,

And if it was called Death Road, the town parade might’ve turned into a riot.

But Pleasant Street wasn’t always peaceful, there were fights, funerals and speeding cars,

We lost more than one beloved housepet over the years to drivers not paying attention,

And there were dog attacks, rivalries and acts of bullying that left lasting scars,

As well as forms of cruelty beyond levels of above-average comprehension.

So I learned to be tough because in my house you needed a thick skin,

And yet I didn’t want to grow up to be cold, bitter, angry, hateful or afraid,

So I left Pleasant Street, while still carrying some of those feelings deep within,

And ridding myself of that pain has been something of a lifelong crusade.

Who else but such a one as that would do a weekly podcast about Balance and Growth,

Trying to come to terms with the unpleasantness that can sometimes bubble forth,

But I don’t just want to pretend to be Pleasant, which can come off as fake and forced both,

I try to find real reasons to actually feel and be Pleasant letting Happy be my True North.

Used to be that behind my smiling mask was a face of pure vengeance and hot fury,

I couldn’t fight all the Mean People at once, so I sat brooding, plotting their eventual demise,

Someday, I vowed, when least they expected it, I would be their executioner, judge and jury,

And then I’d laugh, and bury them so deep that no one would ever catch wise.

But the further I got from Pleasant Street, the more I could let those bad old feelings go,

And as I did I realized that underneath all that darkness there was light,

I remembered the days long before bullies ever came into my life and brought me low,

Back when people arguing who could claim to be my best friend was the only fight.

I was Pleasant and Happy, and what I once was, I was sure I could be again,

I just had to strip away all the old bad habits, aggression and grudges I was holding on to,

Not for anyone else, but for myself, I needed to decide there and then

That I would aim for Balance and Growth in all that I say and do.

It took me a minute, and it’s not smooth sailing always even now,

I’ve had to suffer through heartbreak and tragedy, near death experiences and loss,

But even when I get stressed I still find causes to smile and you want to know how?

I remember that Happy comes from within, and knowing that makes me my own boss.

Haha

Yowza

It’s crucial that we maintain our own sense of integrity and self-rule,

Success isn’t chasing someone else’s prize, but building something with meaning,

It’s not about polishing someone else’s imitation crown jewel,

Manufactured by those that can’t even be bothered to see which way people are leaning.

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 363 - Happy Ten Thousand [full text below]

Ep. 404 - Happy Hundred Thousand

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!

It took a little under seven years to reach ten thousand downloads on this podcast,

And now it’s taken a little over nine months more to reach one hundred grand,

So every month since hitting ten K, that old seven year record has just been blown past,

So, thanks! It’s great people get the Inherently Happy Way, I’m so glad you understand.

As more people listen and share,

We all become more aware,

But then--with them come the promoters and the sellers,

Those advertising gals and marketing fellers,

They say, ‘I see that your podcast is gaining some ground,’

‘You know what’d make it better? Selling our stuff--by the unit, liter, bushel, and pound!’

‘We have books, we have drinks,’

‘We have apps with hyperlinks!’

‘We’d love to turn your platform into our vending machine merry-go-round!’

But to them I ask this, ‘have you ever even listened to an episode?’

For it may not be the kind of thing that you require or expect,

They’re reminders for Balance and Growth, not a place for your trucks to unload,

The only guest is me and the only merch is mine designed to help folks connect.

Then sometimes I receive arrogant and aggressive emails demanding my reply,

They give me deadlines and ultimatums and warn me not to waste their time,

So, I don’t--I simply don’t respond, not even to thank them for stopping by,

I don’t much care for bullies, so I don’t even bother sending them a “no thank you” rhyme.

And besides, I’ve met corporate sales people before, I know the tactics they employ,

Everything is urgent, and limited, and will make all your wildest dreams come true!

When what they really want is ownership and to take away one’s independence and joy,

They pressure and threaten and before you know it they control everything you say and do.

But that’s not Balance and Growth! That’s not the Inherently Happy Way!

I make these shows to try to distill what I learn about life into something I can use,

To help me the next time I feel stressed, angry, upset or unsure after a really tough day,

And if people want to share that--great! it’s available to all to listen to as you choose.

It’s crucial that we maintain our own sense of integrity and self-rule,

Success isn’t chasing someone else’s prize, but building something with meaning,

It’s not about polishing someone else’s imitation crown jewel,

Manufactured by those that can’t even be bothered to see which way people are leaning.

So to those who just want to get your hooks into me, well, maybe you need to listen too,

Maybe you’ve let the world make you forget that you’re Inherently Happy as well,

Maybe you’ve lost your way, and need to start deciding for yourself what’s best for you,

It’s never too late, the time is now!--and maybe your soul isn’t something you should sell.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Context means taking all things into account,

Not assuming you know everything based on a first impression,

There’s usually more to a person than that initial amount,

So, give people a chance beyond just that first session.

[full text below] Ep. 405 - Happy Context

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 we only get part of someone’s story and as a result may miss the meaning,

So we jump to conclusions thinking we got all we need, or all there is to know,

Thus dismissing the critical thinking part of our brains with no plans for reconvening,

And in so doing we underestimate others, and wind up with nothing to show.

For when you judge people based on a single action or trait, you ignore all other factors,

Culture, upbringing, thoughts and experiences all play a part in who we are,

And when we discount someone’s unique circumstances we encourage their detractors,

And shortchange ourselves as Variety is what’s helped Humanity get this far.

Happy Context means taking all things into account,

Not assuming you know everything based on a first impression,

There’s usually more to a person than that initial amount,

So, give people a chance beyond just that first session.

Now, sure, this still doesn’t mean you’re going to get along with everybody you meet,

You could give them every opportunity to reveal their true selves and they still fall short,

Some people don’t even give themselves a chance to grow and so will settle for defeat,

And that can prove a draining burden that it is not your responsibility to support.

I’ve tried giving some people the benefit of the doubt, but they just lashed out instead,

I let them know that if they kept that up, then I might stop returning their calls,

But rather than change their behavior, they doubled down, completely ignoring what I’d said,

It can be a pity when every attempt at raising up others results in catastrophic falls.

But then there’s those who at first seem awful, but after giving them a chance are great,

Because sometimes they need another opportunity to get to know you too,

All of us can put up walls to protect ourselves, and lash out at things that we hate,

But when we put in a little extra time, effort and intention we can sometimes break through.

I’ve had friends who later betrayed me, and I’ve had bullies who became my defenders,

So, I’m not saying every person you meet deserves a second chance, or a third,

But that we should still try to look past the surface to separate supporters from offenders,

And let them do the same in return to clarify the image that was previously blurred.

Haha

Yowza

Always Aim for Balance and Growth.

For when you reach for dynamic sustainability,

It helps you achieve not just one but both.

[full text below]

Ep. 406 - The Inherently Happy Rule

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!

There’s lots of rules out there describing good behavior and proper conduct,

There’s the Silver Rule, the Golden Rule and even the Platinum Rule too,

But there’s still exceptions to those rules--allow me to deconstruct:

Let’s start with the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want them to treat you.

Sounds good--at first, but what if I don’t want to be treated the same way that you do?

Maybe you like brutal honesty, so you decide to attack someone while they’re down,

You’re just following the Golden Rule--so how can that plan possibly fall through?

It’s because not everyone needs the same things, overwatering can make you drown.

A cousin to that is the Silver Rule: Don’t treat others how you don’t want them to treat you.

That’s fine, right? Well, what if you hate it when people ask you for help when they need it?

So, you, in turn, never ask for help either, even when you could really use it too,

So, you just create a situation where nobody helps anybody and we all lose bit by bit.

Then there’s the Platinum Rule--well, that’s got to be the best one, right?

Treat others the way they want to be treated. What could go wrong with that?

Well, what if they want to be mistreated because they feel they deserve spite,

And the reason they feel bad is because they are bad--when they are not a doormat!

The problem is--all those rules are relative, They depend on who likes to be treated how.

Except one, of course, The Inherently Happy Rule: Always Aim for Balance and Growth.

Now you could say that’s relative too--Balance and Growth depends on what’s happening now,

But when you reach for dynamic sustainability it helps you achieve not just one but both.

Let say you’re overwhelmed, things are getting frantic and you’re getting stressed,

You want to give up, but you can't because you haven't finished your work yet,

But if, instead, you stop trying to fight everything, which is only making you more obsessed,

You’ll see that treating things as connected challenges--not hardships may be your best bet.

Haha

Yowza

Sometimes hitting snooze may be just the thing you need,

Pressing pause on worry now to help you later succeed.

[entire text below]

Ep. 407 - Happy Apathy

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!

Do you ever just want to do nothing at all?

People, current events, the news,

Everything just makes you want to hit snooze,

Staying in bed curled up in a little ball?

Well, sometimes that may be just the thing you need,

As long as you acknowledge that it doesn’t have to last,

You can use it to take a break until the storm has passed,

Sometimes turning off worry can help you later to succeed.

We all need some downtime now and then,

It doesn’t make you a quitter to press pause,

It can even help you bring new life to your cause,

And help prevent total burnout now and again.

Haha

Yowza

Handling your moods is your right, you can make them obey,

For that is The Inherently Happy Way.

[full text below]

Ep. 408 - Mood 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!

Why are we all saddled with these various human moods?

What reason is there for such a mess of sensitive interludes?

The primary moods, as I call them, of Mad, Sad and Glad,

And the secondary moods of Guilt, Fear and Hope--

Why are we subjected to each and every emotional doodad?

What is their purpose, their measure, their scope?

Why must we be victims of such strong feelings that so intrude,

Are they not a sign of great weakness and all that that may include?

To that I say, nay,

It’s only weakness to be at their mercy, letting them win night and day,

Being able to handle them is our right, get them to obey,

For that is

The Inherently Happy Way.

It’s a human thing, it’s very plain,

Please allow me to explain!

Glad is for bonding and for making close friends,

Sad is for empathy and for sharing troubles and pains,

Mad is a warning of danger, and unpleasant ends.

Fear is the jolt that helps us escape ropes and chains,

Guilt is the shame that compels us to change and make amends,

And Hope is the outlook that encourages both hearts and brains.

They are tools, they are instruments, they are partners, pals, and chums,

And when wielded expertly they can help you face whatever comes.

So, make friends with your moods, get to know how you feel,

Practice them till you own them, or they’ll control your steering wheel.

Only use them as needed, don’t go wild, or get unhinged,

And the passions that might’ve overwhelmed you, will barely leave you singed.

Haha

Yowza

Being able to understand opposing viewpoints isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength,

Challenging our assumptions can help us enhance our critical thinking,

Boosting innovation and sparking creativity on a whole new wavelength,

Allowing us to face the future bravely, well-equipped and unblinking. Recommended Episode: Ep. 400 - Happy Grace

[full text below]

Ep. 409 - Happy Understanding

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!

We’re all part of the same species, all human beings here on Earth

The things that are true of any one of us, are also true of the rest,

We all live in the brief mortal span between death and birth,

We all laugh, cry, eat, sleep, drink, relax and occasionally get stressed.

We can understand each other just by virtue of being part of the same Human Race,

We know the extremes of our own lives and can imagine the same in another’s,

Perhaps differing in intensity, frequency, quality, type, context or pace,

But we feel, think, live and love along the same lines as our sisters and our brothers.

And understanding this fact is the first step towards appreciation and respect,

We may not always agree, or even always get along, but we can still connect,

Our approaches may differ, but our goals are things we all hate to neglect,

And our failures are what we learn from despite being the things we’d like to reject.

We can cultivate our imaginations, and practice empathy, and compassion,

As long as we don’t discount others for not being part of the home team,

For they may still have things to teach us, as wisdom is never out of fashion,

And sharing different perspectives on humanity is easier than it may seem.

Being able to understand opposing viewpoints isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength,

Challenging our assumptions can help us enhance our critical thinking,

Boosting innovation and sparking creativity on a whole new wavelength,

Allowing us to face the future bravely, well-equipped and unblinking.

Haha

Yowza

The Meanness Test

Helps you gauge your threshold for emotional unrest.

What would it take for you to turn Mean?

How far must you be pushed to fully vent your spleen?

[full text below]

Ep. 410 - The Meanness Test

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!

Would you like to take the Meanness Test?

It can help you gauge your threshold for emotional unrest.

You just ask yourself what it would take for you to turn Mean?

How far must you be pushed to fully vent your spleen?

With some people, all it takes is a Monday morning,

With others, someone would have to burn their house down,

What’s it for you? What can cause you to rage out with little to no warning?

And make your inner vengeance monster escape, and go to town?

Let’s test it, shall we?

Not for real, but just to see.

Let’s say you drive up to a four-way stop and it’s just you and one other car,

You got there first, so you have the right of way, but they take it away from you.

Do you lean on the horn? Do you race after them and tailgate or follow from afar?

Do you internalize their actions and let them decide what you do?

Or, let’s try this--you get to work early in order to get a jump on the day,

And someone chooses that moment to grind their coffee beans nearby,

The sound is so loud it sends all your thoughts into wild disarray,

So, do you start plotting their downfall, or just shrug your shoulders, smile and sigh?

Or how ‘bout this one? You’re pulling into a parking space, but you’re off center,

So, you back up a tad to re-do it and get blasted by someone leaning on their car horn!

You get out and come face to face with some abusive, screaming tormentor,

Do you listen quietly or do you wish someone would’ve kept him from ever being born?

Still feeling good? Or are you starting to crack?

Do you regret agreeing to this test? And wish you could take it back?

Hey, you can stop at any time, but you’ll miss the lesson if you do,

Because I am only citing examples that happened to me, in order to help you.

Here’s the capper. You come back early from your lunch break and are met by your boss,

He proceeds to berate you at the top of his lungs about something he blames you for,

And the kicker is, you didn’t even do it, so it leaves you at an utter and absolute loss,

So, do you fire back? Do you read him the riot act and bang his fat head against the door?

You want to know what I did?

I did not act Mean--heaven forbid!

Sure, I felt the unease,

But this is about Happy, so, please!

With the stop sign runner, I laughed and said “go get it, son!”

With the coffee bean grinder, I filmed myself reacting to all that fun!

With the parking lot yeller, I wrote down his license plate while I smiled,

And with that toxic boss, I talked to him calmly for an hour until he was no longer riled.

Having a sense of humor and the heart of a storyteller keeps me focused on the tale,

‘Cause it’s only when I take things too seriously that I start to crumble and fail.

I’ve laughed off punches, and insults, and bullies galore,

I’ve even helped others find the funny where they couldn’t before.

That’s my secret, that’s my trick, when someone makes me mad, I make a joke,

It helps me release all the fury before I suffer a Meanness stroke.

I want to stay Nice and I want to stay calm, it’s how I want to be, and what I want to do,

And why I drew a cartoon of someone being pushed off a cliff with the words “Okay, fine. Now I forgive you.”

Haha

Yowza

If you know the old saying about Luck being Opportunity meeting Preparation,

And then go looking for opportunities first, you may be focusing on the wrong side,

For it’s the preparation that reveals the opportunities, and causes their activation

Of all the luck you couldn’t see before because you hadn’t yet hit your stride.

Supporting Media: (goes to Artwork page)

Mood Wheel

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 347 - Happy Daily Mood Drills

[full text below]

Ep. 411 - Happy Preparation

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 know the old saying about Luck being Opportunity meeting Preparation,

And then go looking for opportunities first, you may be focusing on the wrong side,

For it’s the preparation that reveals the opportunities, and causes their activation

Of all the luck you couldn’t see before because you hadn’t yet hit your stride.

One thing you can do to prepare is build your emotional intelligence--your mood intellect,

Like, when things get stressful--How do you react? Do you rage, cry, and complain?

Or are you able to take a breath, stay calm, reevaluate, and then redirect

Your efforts and intentions, so you can find a way through instead of focusing on the pain.

I get frustrated. I get mad. I sometimes want to slap a fool for being so unkind,

but that just adds more Meanness to the world, and I prefer to keep things Nice--

I acknowledge it to myself, and then dismiss it from my mind,

--Resist worrying about anything not worth the mental sacrifice.

And if you find it hard to tap into your inner feelings, then look at it another way--

Don’t think of it as being weird or soft, but instead as a way to build your agility.

If you can keep your emotions from scaring or controlling you, then you won’t fall prey,

And will, instead, be able to regulate your own moods with artful ability.

When you get upset at someone and they don't take it seriously--doesn’t that make you mad?

You wonder why you can’t affect their mood, and that they must be very tranquil and wise,

To be self-regulated like that, deciding when they want to be mad, sad or even glad,

--The more familiar you are with your own moods, the easier it is to spot their compelling lies.

They tell you that the madder you get, the more triumphant the release of righteous indignation,

The sadder you get, the deeper the connection you’ll have with yourself and humanity,

The gladder you get, the more power you can tap into for higher levels of operation,

But sometimes you just feel bothered, down, or manic trying to maintain your sanity.

If you keep letting the world determine your extremes, then you might not return,

That’s why you need to practice control of your emotions for every situation,

Opportunities for Balance and Growth will reveal themselves as you learn,

Boosting confidence, and that all begins with Happy Preparation.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Self-Confidence is about accepting yourself as you are,

About owning the moment, and trusting that you can succeed,

Even if that moment is you apologizing, you do it like a star,

You don’t second-guess or shy away, you just confidently proceed.

[full text below]

Ep. 412 - Happy Self-Confidence

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 Self-Confidence is about accepting yourself as you are,

About owning the moment, and trusting that you can succeed,

Even if that moment is you apologizing, you do it like a star,

You don’t second-guess or shy away, you just confidently proceed.

You face the music, take responsibility, and do what needs to be done,

You don’t wish for a different past, you just work towards a better day,

You don’t cower, complain, act cocky or deflect blame onto anyone,

You just try to improve yourself to be a little bit better in every way.

A tall order, to be sure, but I’ve seen people who simply refuse to even try,

They prefer to deny reality, to avoid growth, to have a temper tantrum, to hide,

Wishing things were different while doing the same things and wondering why--

Why they doubt themselves and have no trust or individual faith deep inside.

The first step is getting to know your limits, learning what frightens you,

Maybe being wrong makes you so mad that it keeps you from striving,

Which means those are the things you have to practice and work through,

If you ever hope to go from struggling and hating to learning and thriving.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Loss is understanding that the things we care about are precious to us

Precisely because they have a shelf life, and a temporary lifespan,

People, pets, and potential don’t last forever, which is why we make such a fuss,

And should appreciate and connect with them now, and for as long as we can.

[full text below] Ep. 413 - Happy Loss

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 lose things--your keys, your socks, the remote, or maybe even your way,

And it can be quite heart-breaking because suddenly life stops making sense,

Now, I’m not suggesting you should be glad to lose the things you had hoped would stay,

But neither should you let it derail you or make you think it’s a deliberate occurrence.

I was eight before I first started to doubt that things would always work out for me,

Which really hurt because when I was seven I was so sure I was the chosen one,

I’d been so cute and popular that people used to fight over whose best friend I’d be,

But as my cuteness faded so too did my popularity and with it all my hope, joy and fun.

I turned bitter, angry and fearful, I broke things, I burned things, and I learned how to hate,

I got bullied by what seemed to be everyone, some actively, some passively,

But as they all contributed to my maddening isolation, I couldn’t really differentiate,

And so I cursed them all, some just slightly, others quite massively.

Why had I lost everything? I howled. Just when things had been going so well, too?

If I hadn’t been so popular to begin with, then the fall wouldn’t have been quite so tragic,

But I became a widespread subject of scorn and ridicule and there was nothing I could do

Except vow revenge on all those who I blamed for taking away my good luck and magic.

But when things end, finding perspective may be the only thing to save you from despair,

I had to tell myself that at least I wasn’t dead or imprisoned, I was merely mistreated,

The world had abandoned me and so I turned my back on it--which is only fair,

And I started rebuilding my life in spite of my losses--for I’m not one to be defeated.

It got worse before it got better, but the time I took learning about myself was time well spent,

Often we go through life not really testing or pushing ourselves and I was basically asleep,

It took losing my illusions to make me realize that I should never be idle or overly content,

Because time is too valuable to waste being lazy or shallow, and never digging too deep.

Part of being human is dealing with loss, it’s just how it sometimes goes,

Relationships end, loved ones pass away, good fortune turns bad, and dreams disappear,

But to go insane, to cut yourself off from living, or to stop caring is not what I’d propose,

For it’s the very fact that things only last for a limited time that makes them feel so dear.

Happy Loss is understanding that the things we care about are precious to us

Precisely because they have a shelf life, and a temporary lifespan,

People, pets, and potential don’t last forever, which is why we make such a fuss,

And should appreciate and connect with them now, and for as long as we can.

Haha

Yowza

Emotional Inertia is the tendency for moods to stay as they are,

Whether they're an iceberg or a shooting star,

Learning control can improve our skill,

So we don't go wild our lose our will.

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 5 - Emotional Inertia - Emotia

Ep. 347 - Happy Daily Mood Drills [full text below]

Ep. 414 - Happy Emotia

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!

Emotia is a word I made by combining the words Emotion and Inertia into one,

Emotion is Feelings, and Inertia is the tendency for things to stay as they are,

So, like, a car may be hard to move, or hard to stop because it weighs a ton,

Just like a heavy mood may be the same way because of how much we care.

If you’re having a meltdown and someone tells you to chill--your mood might not change,

Though granted, it’s not quite the same as trying to stop a speeding car, of course,

Emotia is just a way of saying that moods have momentum both short- and long-range,

Like, a heavy mood is harder to lighten up because it just seems to have more force.

Then, once you see moods as having weight, practicing them becomes exercise,

And just like you wouldn’t enter an athletic competition without training first,

You need to practice agility, strength and control over your emotions to maximize

Your ability to be able to handle whatever life throws your way from best to worst.

This is why you may find it tough to “snap out of it,” when things begin to confound,

Or why it may take a minute to get “in the mood,” whatever mood that may happen to be,

And this can apply to phobias as well--if you’re afraid of dogs, then don’t visit the pound,

And if every attempt to kick a bad habit fails, it may take a gradual approach to break free.

Happy Emotia is having a good handle on your moods, good craft, good skill,

You don’t try to rush them or run them too hot from a cold start if you can help it,

You do your warm ups and cool downs so you don’t pull something or make yourself ill,

And you make sure you get in some good mood drills every day to stay ready and fit.

And that could just involve thinking about a mood like Sadness or Hope,

And then maybe moving on to Anger, Joy, Guilt and Fear,

Watch a movie, listen to a song, write out your feelings in order to cope,

Learning to get comfortable with emotions prepares you for the next time they appear.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Flow is choosing to go in the direction of Balanced Growth,

Not to paddle upstream or let your mind wander and your thoughts scatter,

But to fully immerse yourself in the activity, in the form and the content both,

So that you can focus, attend, and fully apply yourself to the current matter. Recommended Episode: Ep. 424 - Happy Trying

[full text below]

Ep. 415 - Happy Flow

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!

Some things hurt more the more you fight them, while other things may simply break,

If you’ve ever had a sudden dread about what might happen, like a health scare,

Then you know the fear it can instill within you and all the stress it can make

As you try not to think about it, you try to carry on, even while the panic is still there.

But fighting your possible future can destroy your actual present and leave you wanting,

Unable to cope with the business of living because of something that may not come to pass,

Robbing you of vitality, hope and good cheer, turning your dreams into something haunting,

Where every effort is painful, every decision dire, and every doubt is just there to harass.

Happy Flow is choosing to go in the direction of Balanced Growth,

Not to paddle upstream or let your mind wander and your thoughts scatter,

But to fully immerse yourself in the activity, in the form and the content both,

So that you can focus, attend, and fully apply yourself to the current matter.

This allows your efforts to work in unison, and not be fragmented, wasted, or lost,

You become absorbed and carried along, your attention becomes effortless and controlled,

You’re able to keep going without self-consciousness and with very little mental cost,

Because your actions and intentions are aligned making the process a thing to behold.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Learning is about finding the simplicity of a subject so it’s not something you hate,

This starts with first breaking it down to its most basic forms, it’s okay to start slow,

Don’t get hung up on having to be complex, if you understand the basics, you're doing great,

And then it might click for you and you’ll want to keep at it and see where it, and you, can go. Recommended Episode: Ep. 60 - Happy School

[full text below]

Ep. 416 - Happy Learning

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 like to learn new things and then share the things I’ve learned,

Sometimes I share those things with myself in case I forget,

So it has to make sense to me first, as far as I’m concerned,

But if I get it well enough to teach myself, then it’s no sweat.

When I was a kid, I didn’t really pick things up very quick,

I figured I must be slow and so I readjusted my life to match,

But then when I got to my late teens things started to click,

I finally could take subjects I liked and so I rebuilt myself from scratch.

But even after I actually got into college and made the lofty Honor Roll,

I still never lost the feeling of all those years when I thought I was dumb,

So I took my time to make sure I understood things completely, as a whole,

And once I did I could then convert them into simple rules of thumb.

No matter how complex the subject, if I could take my time, I could break it down,

And if I could do that, I could fully understand it backwards and forwards, inside and out,

Whether it was physics, poetry, computer science--you name it! I could go to town!

And then I could teach it to others, if it was something they cared to learn about.

Like, for some classes, we had to read stories from hundreds of years ago,

I’m talking like four-hundred, six-hundred, even a thousand years ago or more!

And if you think your parents talk weird compared to you--you don’t even know!

It’s like learning a foreign language and it took me forever--talk about a chore!

But once I read all the footnotes and the study guides and it finally made sense,

Then I realized why people still liked those stories--they’re good, and funny, and deep,

So, I went to class excited to delve into them, expecting the debates to get intense,

But instead, nobody said a word! All my work was for nothing! It made me want to weep!

But rather than waste my time in dull classrooms, I decided to share what I’d read,

So, I told my classmates that I’d tell them the plots of the reading, so class could be fun,

So, they sat on the carpet in the lobby outside the library, and listened to everything I said,

I told them tales of adventure, scary dreams, lasting love, and everything else under the sun.

They sat cross-legged, their chins resting on their fists, all shining eyes and smiling faces,

And then, the next time we had class, they all chimed in, and the teacher was delighted,

It made for an engaging discussion, everyone was animated and we were off to the races,

Because they were informed, and in a simple way, so they could get it, and be excited.

Did I dumb it down for them? I think I just made it clear, really, and it made it fun for me too,

Like, if you have to learn a dead language just to read the homework--who’s going to do that?

And for most of them this wasn’t even their major, so really not something they were going to do,

Which meant I would’ve been doomed to painfully silent classes that fell completely flat.

So, what’s the lesson here? What am I reminding myself about, and for what?

Is it that you’re smarter than you think you are? That education can be fun?

Am I revealing my outlook on life, that you can go with your head, and go with your gut?

You know, probably a little of all of those things because who’s just one thing? No one.

Like me, I like to read now, but sometimes I get lazy and would rather watch TV,

I like to write, to research, to discuss, but I also like games and a really good nap,

You can bring creativity and play into your study subjects, you can let them be free,

Education doesn’t have to be painful, because then you’ll dread it and that’s the trap.

I’ve studied all sorts of subjects across every discipline of science, philosophy and art,

And I’ve always tried to bring some playfulness to it, and teachers have responded well,

This is their life’s work, after all, their calling, their passion, they love it with all their heart,

And the way you catch a glimpse of that is by simplifying, and turning it into a show-and-tell.

Happy Learning is about finding the simplicity of a subject so it’s not something you hate,

This starts with first breaking it down to its most basic forms, it’s okay to start slow,

Don’t get hung up on having to be complex, if you understand the basics, you're doing great,

And then it might click for you and you’ll want to keep at it and see where it, and you, can go.

Haha

Yowza

We can get stuck into habits, our movements get restricted,

Our quick fixes become crutches, making us addicted.

When really it’s connection we need, not escape, not solitude,

But people to relate to, mind to mind and mood to mood.

[full text below]

Ep. 417 - Happy Tools

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!

Don’t fight your moods, they aren’t monstrous ghouls,

They aren’t traps or weapons either, they’re just tools.

Moods are your instruments, your dials, and your gauges,

Helping you navigate all your mortal human stages.

We can get stuck into habits, our movements get restricted,

Our quick fixes become crutches, making us addicted.

When really it’s connection we need, not escape, not solitude,

But people to relate to, mind to mind and mood to mood.

We’re social creatures, and so we long for meaningful relationships with others,

That’s why we form groups and clubs, treating our friends like sisters and brothers.

And when those connections fail, it can feel like a terrible and tragic loss,

Making us want to dull any and all pain we happen to come across.

And for a moment we feel better, because we released some of the pressure,

But then it comes right back all the stronger with a pain that only gets fresher,

And then we use that same crutch again, that last resort fix that becomes a vice,

But we need more each time just to feel less than normal and not even halfway nice.

It makes you not want to be alone with your thoughts, because thinking turns to worry,

But that’s because you avoid your own moods, always trying to shut them off in a hurry,

If instead you would change your approach, and stop thinking of them as things to avoid,

You’d see that for living a fuller life, they are the best tools that could ever be employed.

Happy Tools are those that make our lives easier to handle, not harder or more demanding,

Moods let us cope with hardships freeing up our horizons to be ever expanding,

They’re meant to be tested, honed, practiced and drilled, skills to be improved upon,

Not things to be shunned, resented, silenced, hidden, disregarded or wished to be gone.

Laugh, cry, scream, frown, smile, just a little bit every day,

If you fight or suppress your moods, then their power will decay,

But if you get familiar with them, little by little, and bit by bit,

Then you’ll have greater control, and life will be a better fit.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Discomfort is realizing it’s okay to feel a little uneasy if it helps overall,

Like how you “feel the burn” when you exercise and know you’re getting stronger,

Discomfort can lead to making changes for the better, and the steps can be small,

Don't avoid your emotions, practice and tame them, and they'll be wild no longer. [full text below] Ep. 418 - Happy Discomfort

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!

It’s the natural tendency for most people, I think, to avoid discomfort--I’m the same way,

Like, if I have a memory that bothers me, or a topic that triggers me, then I want to run,

I want to avoid such things, deny them, and bury them, so I can get on with my day,

But the whole sweeping-things-under-the-rug method of mental health helps no one.

It’s a great way to make sure those issues fester and become toxic, ready to explode,

When you could, instead, chip away at their power until they can be controlled,

Working to, if not stopping their effects, making them something that can be slowed,

And from there being able to even raise your tolerance, you’re discomfort threshold.

Happy Discomfort is realizing that it’s okay to feel a little discomfort if it helps overall,

Like when you “feel the burn” when you exercise, then you know you’re getting stronger,

Discomfort can lead to making a change to something better, and the steps can be small,

Like how I used to be afraid of my own emotions, they were too wild, but not any longer.

As I teen I was violent, destructive, loud, reckless, prone to injury and getting in trouble,

I hated being sad and lonely and told what to do and put down and I’d fight you about it,

And as a result I alienated people, tearing down relationships until they were rubble,

Never dealing with my emotions or facing my role in anything, and still refusing to quit.

It took me losing my fiancee, totalling my car, going into debt, and getting in trouble at work

Before I finally decided I should maybe try a different approach before I dug my own grave,

And that was this podcast, reminders to myself to stop fighting every little thing like a jerk,

And to learn how to use my emotions, and not to let discomfort keep me from being brave.

Listening to these episodes can help you build up your mindfulness and gratitude,

It can remind you to seek balance and growth, to become familiar with your feelings,

And no, you don’t have to turn soft--if anything the idea is to strengthen your attitude,

To gain control and empower yourself to handle all your present and future dealings.

Haha

Yowza

Suffering comes from resisting pain, refusing to accept it, thinking it will go away,

But that just makes it worse and leaves you completely unprepared and weak,

You’ll lose all your defenses and will further crumble when life refuses to obey,

But if you can learn to accept the crashing waves, you’ll find the strength you seek.

[full text below]

Ep. 419 - Happy Acceptance

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!

Acceptance isn’t the same as giving up,

Just ‘cause life has pain doesn’t mean you quit,

Use that pain to temper your steel,

Toughen you up and let you heal,

‘Cause acceptance isn’t the same as giving up.

Ever feel drained, bruised, battered, mistreated, abused and taken advantage of?

Well, you’re not alone, but you survived it, and perhaps you’re surviving it still,

And you don’t know why life is being so mean when all you ever wanted was love,

So, you fight ‘cause you think to win you need to be the one with the strongest will.

But if you see everything as a conflict, then every interaction becomes a war,

Every setback is a battle cry, every mishap a landmine, and everyone a foe,

But if you can accept that we’re all just trying to survive lives we never signed up for,

Then acceptance becomes an act of strength--don't give up, just go with the flow.

Suffering comes from resisting pain, refusing to accept it, thinking it will go away,

But that just makes it worse and leaves you completely unprepared and weak,

You’ll lose all your defenses and will further crumble when life refuses to obey,

But if you can learn to accept the crashing waves, you’ll find the strength you seek.

Because

Acceptance isn’t the same as giving up,

Just ‘cause life has pain doesn’t mean you quit,

Use that pain to temper your steel,

Toughen you up and let you heal,

‘Cause acceptance isn’t the same as giving up.

I don't know why I just turned into a country singer, I confess,

But it's just another thing you gotta learn to accept, I guess.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Responsibility means having integrity and being self-aware,

About being trustworthy, thoughtful, reliable, even-tempered and wise,

Being resilient, ethical, and able to communicate how much you care,

About being considerate, strong, mature, and being able to empathize.

[full text below]

Ep. 420 - Happy Responsibility

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!

Do you let things happen to you or do you take ownership of your life, good or bad?

Are you accountable for your choices and actions or do you let others be blamed?

Like, if you gave someone bad advice would you apologize or even be sad?

Or if you took bad advice would you make the one who gave it to you feel ashamed?

Happy Responsibility means having integrity and being self-aware,

About being trustworthy, thoughtful, reliable, even-tempered and wise,

Being resilient, ethical, and able to communicate how much you care,

About being considerate, strong, mature, and being able to empathize.

If you spend all your time trying to grab what you can, and never sharing,

Then you’ll become someone greedy, which is how others will see you too,

But if you can look beyond yourself and simply notice how others are faring,

Then you’ll start to develop a sense that they have full lives just like you.

Being responsible isn’t just about yourself, but contributing to humanity at large,

Empowering others, teaching, helping, and being a good steward of the general trust,

If you only look out for yourself, it isolates you--making you desperate to be in charge,

But by creating inclusive communities you build connections that are not only good but just.

Haha

Yowza

If we base our sense of self on what others demand of us, and try to conform to that,

Then we won’t know who we are, how we feel, what we think--and that’s never any good,

But if you make mindful choices of who you see yourself as, then you won’t be a doormat,

You’ll become the person you always wished you could be, but never thought you could.

[full text below]

Ep. 421 - Happy Identity

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 Identity means being true to yourself, knowing who you are and who you want to be.

And then becoming that Happy version of you. I used to sign my name in cursive letters,

I hated it, but what could I do? Well, anything. So, I stopped. And it instantly felt more like me,

And nobody cared, and here I thought I’d face the same backlash that meets all trendsetters.

So, then I started to look at all the other things I did just because I thought I had to--

I stopped eating foods I never really cared for, and cut out friends I could never please,

I even changed the way I coughed--you didn’t know you had control over that, but you do,

I used to cough in sharp, violent bursts, and then I switched it to a painless wheeze.

It might sound weird, but I also stopped caring so much about what other people thought,

They didn’t have to live my life, that was mine and mine alone, and I just had to do my best,

I could read what I liked, and watch what I liked, and think what I liked, believe it or not,

I could sleep on my side, I could sneeze loud or soft, I could pick up and move West.

And so I did. I moved thousands of miles away from anyone I knew to find my tribe,

Artists and filmmakers and free thinkers and rebels and people looking for connection,

And I found them--buried amongst monsters too strange to convincingly describe,

But we all have the potential to become monstrous if we don’t fight the identity infection.

If we base our sense of self on what others demand of us, and try to conform to that,

Then we won’t know who we are, how we feel, what we think--and that’s never any good,

But if you make mindful choices of who you see yourself as, then you won’t be a doormat,

You’ll become the person you always wished you could be, but never thought you could.

Haha

Yowza

Temper your passion with wisdom, your frenzy with good sense,

Aim for Balance and Growth in your pursuits so you don’t panic,

Or turn what once seemed fun into something far too intense,

But can develop naturally in a way that's healthy, sustainable and organic.

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 34 - The Happy Love

[full text below] Ep. 422 - Love 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!

I used to be in love with Love,

A state I was rather fond of,

But Love can be a tricky thing,

So, play it cool, and never cling.

I was conditioned, you see,

Into thinking that persistence and grand gestures were key,

That passionate, imaginative pitching of woo

Was all a suitor had to do!

Alas, alack and mercy be,

I finally learned that ain’t for me.

The tragedy is not that you’ll lose a Love you could’ve had,

But, much worse--that you’ll win the heart of someone bad,

Because the promise of Love can cloud every thought,

So that you realize too late what such folly has brought.

I used to chase after dates and show my affection with poems and gifts,

Without ever getting to know them first, through connection or trust,

I also used to love finding a new hobby, who doesn’t love one that temporarily uplifts?

But if it had no real staying power or substance it would wind up a bust.

New things can be exciting, all mysterious and attractive and stuff,

But if there’s no compatibility, then it’s doomed to breed discontent,

Because no matter how much you try to force it, it’ll never be enough,

That’s why when it comes to Love, you’d do well to start with mature intent.

Is how you’re behaving something you plan to sustain?

Or is it just a big show that will be over far too soon?

Then what will you do when pleasure turns to pain?

Can you get over yourself after being over the moon?

Love Happy means to temper your passion with wisdom, your frenzy with good sense,

To aim for Balance and Growth in your all interests and pursuits so you don’t panic,

Or get so carried away that what at first seemed fun becomes too intense,

But can develop naturally in a way that is healthy, sustainable and organic.

Haha

Yowza

Do your best to communicate with people in ways they prefer,

To match their comfort levels, so connection and understanding can build,

Our shared humanity taking us where we could go from where we were,

Allowing us to be Communication Happy, which can help keep us fulfilled.

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 176 - Happy Communication

[full text below]

Ep. 423 - Communication 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!

People like to understand people, and to be understood in return,

This is why I like those who talk plainly, and keep their points short,

Who teach using simple lessons that are easy to learn,

With diagrams and illustrations for aid and support.

They could use big words, sure--they could get fancy, and all that,

But then who would they have left to talk to and what would they gain?

Why try to dress up their meaning in a fancy coat and hat,

When they can include more people without needing to explain?

I, myself, like to write because it gives me time to compose my thoughts,

But some folks prefer to talk, so I can do that too, of course,

Other folks like to visit and gather in numbers at all the hot spots,

But that can make me feel less heard, so it’s not something I tend to endorse.

Misunderstandings can cause trouble and confusion,

You can wind up fighting with people with whom you actually agree,

So, when someone speaks, listen--don’t just jump to a conclusion,

Let them know you heard, then let them hear you, so you both can see.

I do my best to communicate with people in ways they prefer,

To match their comfort levels, so connection and understanding can build,

Our shared humanity taking us where we could go from where we were,

Allowing us to be Communication Happy, which can help keep us fulfilled.

Haha

Yowza

Happy Trying means you see everything as an opportunity to grow and explore,

To find value in the journey instead of just spoiling the ending from the start,

Sometimes you’ll fall, but don’t let that stop you from what you were climbing for.

Recommended Episode:

Ep. 415 - Happy Flow

[full text below]

Ep. 424 - Happy Trying

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 Trying means you see everything as an opportunity to grow and explore,

To find value in the journey instead of just spoiling the ending from the start,

Sometimes you’ll fall, but don’t let that stop you from what you were climbing for.

It’s true that even the best plans, which take a long time to develop, can still fall apart,

But it doesn’t mean never plan again, if anything it means you should plan more--

Have several backups, so that stumbles merely break your stride and not your heart.

Happy Trying is getting absorbed in the process rather than in the treasure you hope to find,

It’s where mindfulness reaches its peak, and every gesture is made with intention,

Where you aren’t just doing some chore, you’re connecting spirit, body and mind.

It’s about getting into the flow state, where mundane movements gain a new dimension,

Where previously disjointed and scattered efforts suddenly become aligned,

And an action you’ve taken a thousand times before seems like a new invention.

If you don’t pay attention, then even doing something for the first time can be boring,

But if you can lock in and attain total focus, then balance and growth become self-starting,

And old routines that have gotten tired finally become aspects of life worth exploring.

Haha

Yowza

I’m what you might call Consent Happy and I’m in no way being sarcastic,

I CRAVE consent, in fact--for all manner of interactions and activities,

Consent is Informed, Conscious, Revocable, Affirmative, Voluntary and Enthusiastic,

The first letters of which spell out “I CRAVE”--thus satisfying my poetic sensitivities. Recommended Episode: Ep. 130 - Happy Consent

[full text below] Ep. 425 - Consent 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!

I’m what you might call Consent Happy and I’m in no way being sarcastic,

I CRAVE consent, in fact--for all manner of interactions and activities,

Consent is Informed, Conscious, Revocable, Affirmative, Voluntary and Enthusiastic,

The first letters of which spell out “I CRAVE”--thus satisfying my poetic sensitivities.

Consent must be Informed or else you won’t know what you’re agreeing to,

And Conscious, since you can’t agree if you’re all passed out with nowhere to go,

And Revocable, meaning you can take it back if that’s what you want to do,

And Affirmative, meaning it’s a clear decision and not just the absence of the word No.

Consent must also be Voluntary, and not the result of some pressure or threat,

And it must be Enthusiastic, meaning it is clearly, positively and actively stated,

And I CRAVE Consent because this world doesn’t seem to have gotten that memo yet,

This means I think people should ask before they so much as hug--even if you’re related.

Maybe someone’s suddenly shy, or has back pain or just feels icky inside,

Consent is just a good habit to get into as it gives people a choice,

And it also means that people who do the asking have to be okay with being denied,

‘Cause it defeats the whole purpose if nobody listens to your voice.

And the right of Consent is not just for some people, but for everyone,

Regardless of gender, age, culture, relationship or any previous consent,

Just ‘cause you hugged somebody once doesn’t mean consent is over and done--

Reestablish it each and every time in case something changed in preference or intent.

Now I know this must seem like overkill to some folks ‘cause who’s going to bother?

Like, what kid is really going to ask for consent to hug or kiss his mother or father?

And I get that, which is why I say it’s something I CRAVE, since I know it’s in short supply,

And I can’t even claim that I always insist that others comply.

Sometimes it’s tough to stop someone before they grab you,

And saying something then might be seen as unfriendly and a bit cuckoo,

But I still prefer consent, regardless, and I want to normalize it,

So let it just be a reminder that we all should decide what we’re willing to permit.

Haha

Yowza

Over 145,000 podcast downloads!

Ep. 1 - Intro to Happy

Ep. 2 - Detective of Divinity [link in description]

Ep. 3 - Mindfully Happy

Ep. 4 - Emotional Agility [link in description]

Ep. 5 - Emotional Inertia - Emotia [link in description]

Ep. 6 - Emotional Honesty

Ep. 7 - Imagine Happy

Ep. 8 - Challenge Happy

Ep. 9 - Happy Juice

Ep. 10 - The Happy Way

Ep. 11 - Happy Sight

Ep. 12 - Happyland

Ep. 13 - The Happy Constant

Ep. 14 - The Happy Mind

Ep. 15 - The Happy Will

Ep. 16 - Mad Trip Happy Journey

Ep. 17 - The Happy Joy

Ep. 18 - The Happy Heart

Ep. 19 - Happy Discontent

Ep. 20 - Happy Helpers

Ep. 21 - The Happy Benefit

Ep. 22 - Happy Reality

Ep. 23 - The Happy Faith

Ep. 24 - The Happy Cause

Ep. 25 - The Happy Source

Ep. 26 - Our Happy Home

Ep. 27 - The Happy Question

Ep. 28 - The Happy Energy

Ep. 29 - Happy's Law

Ep. 30 - Mood Fatigue

Ep. 31 - My Happy Flock

Ep. 32 - The Happy Stance

Ep. 33 - The Happy Life

Ep. 34 - The Happy Love

Ep. 35 - Happy Happy Mad

Ep. 36 - How To Start A Happy Faith

Ep. 37 - The Happy Music

Ep. 38 - The Happy Light

Ep. 39 - The Happy Self

Ep. 40 - Am I Happy?

Ep. 41 - Happy Goals

Ep. 42 - The Happy Family

Ep. 43 - The Happy Release

Ep. 44 - The Happy Choice

Ep. 45 - The Happy Breath

Ep. 46 - Chill Happy

Ep. 47 - Are You Creative?

Ep. 48 - Love Happy Love

Ep. 49 - Happy Rage

Ep. 50 - The Happy Tonic

Ep. 51 - The Hope Test

Ep. 52 - Happy Nice

Ep. 53 - The Happy Ego

Ep. 54 - The Happy Habit

Ep. 55 - Happy Awareness

Ep. 56 - Happy Spice

Ep. 57 - The Happy Guru

Ep. 58 - Happy Humor

Ep. 59 - The Happy Secret

Ep. 60 - Happy School

Ep. 61 - Happy Friends

Ep. 62 - A Happy God

Ep. 63 - Happy Submission

Ep. 64 - Happy Happy Win-Win

Ep. 65 - Happy Romance

Ep. 66 - Happy Grief

Ep. 67 - The Happy Skeptic

Ep. 68 - Why Happy?

Ep. 69 - Happy Moves

Ep. 70 - Happy Motives

Ep. 71 - Happy So Far

Ep. 72 - Happy Stress

Ep. 73 - Happy Gossip

Ep. 74 - Happy Wrath

Ep. 75 - Happy Fear

Ep. 76 - Happy Guilt

Ep. 77 - Happy Envy

Ep. 78 - Happy Cheer

Ep. 79 - Happy Attitude