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While visiting the VA Hospital recently, Kira and Bill Van Ittersum experienced first-hand how “Giving Creates Happiness.” Listening to the loving generosity of the Doctors of Song helped take their mind off Bill’s eye appointment and the stressful wait. While reflecting on this gift of love through the sharing of personal talents and experience, Bill and Kira came to the understanding that personal happiness often comes through “doing.”

Mahatma Gandhi once said that “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” A gift of one’s own time, talent, or regard, is a gift from the heart. Giving is a gift that gives back. It creates lasting happiness for both you and the recipient.

You don’t need to be rich to give either. Giving is as simple as saying a kind word, or giving a smile or courteous gesture. Giving include giving time, care, skills, or attention. Often, these kind acts mean as much—if not more—than financial gifts. But start by giving away your “Smile.” It costs you nothing to do so and it means so much to others—it really does!

Links:

1. Doctors of Song Quartet “Touching Hearts One Song at a Time”
   Ray Bradley, Tom Crane, Ralph LeRoy, and Mike Firestone
   Phone Contact: 810-227-5322
   The mission of the Doctors of Song Quartet is to provide an uplifting community experience by ministering to patients, their families, and friends in area hospitals, clinics, and medical centers. Through the universal language of music, the quartet uses their voices to lesson anxiety and stress while offering comfort and cheer.
2. How Giving Makes Us Happy
   http://www. psychcentral.com/blog/ archives/2013/12/22/how-giving-makes-us-happy/
3. UnitedHealthcare Fact Sheet: Volunteering and Your Health—How Giving Back Benefits Everyone https://cuvolunteer.org/downloads/VolunteerMatch%20survey%20findings.pdf
4. Words of Wisdom: Buddhist Inspiration for Daily Living
   Home>Quotes>Happiness http://www.ikedaquotes.org/happiness/happiness893.html
5. Want to Be Happy? Stop Being So Cheap!
   http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119477/science-generosity-why-giving-makes-you-happy
6. 25 Gifts of Happiness
   http://www.livehappy.com/practice/giving/25-gifts-happiness
7. Action for Happiness: 10-Keys to Happier Living
   http://www.actionforhappiness.org/10-keys-to-happier-living/do-things-for-others/details

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On a minute-by-minute basis, your present and future personal happiness is mostly determined by your attitude toward the “What Is” in your life. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have noticed that folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

We create our future by our very own thoughts—no one else is responsible! Other people can try to “force” us to think “their way” but it’s really up to us whether we follow through with their agenda or not. The person who controls their own thoughts is “Master of their own world.” The following are three things that every person can master over time:

• Where we put our attention
• The nature of our thoughts
• How we interpret “What Is”

Listen in as Kira and Bill Van Ittersum share helpful ideas about “Falling in Love With What Is” and re-tell three short stories that help illustrate how to do it!

Links:

1. The story of King Midas: http://www.frankmarrero.com/BigPhilosophy/True_Happiness_Story-Midas.html
2. The Hedgehog’s Changing Sight: http://www.frankmarrero.com/BigPhilosophy/True_Happiness_Story-Hedgehog.html
3. Li-Li and the Mother-In-Law: Compiled from several sites on the internet.

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How does happiness appear in your life? Do you have to catch it? Do you need to pursue it (as in “the pursuit of happiness”)? Or is happiness “your natural way of being” as the Dalai Lama says? Listen in as Kira and Bill Van Ittersum share their feelings on happiness and how to have it abundantly in your life.

You’ll be delighted and surprised as happiness begins spontaneously occurring in your life when you open your mind to your natural state. There is no better way to increase your “Happiness Quotient” than putting your attention on the parts of your life that bring you joy.

You’re invited and heartily encouraged to share the things you do to create happiness in your own life. We’ll be happy to share them with our listeners in a future show and give you a plug in the bargain. Tune in today and get your happy on!