Portrait of Lanny - Oil Pastel on Black Paper 18X24"January 17, 2009 will mark the 10 year Anniversary of my brother, Lanny Charton's death.
My brother Lanny died at the age of 29 after losing his 4 year battle with Leukemia and complications following a bone marrow transplant. He was a very strong presence in my life as I naturally looked up to my big brother.
I'm sharing this because when he was sick he had a powerful message and philosophy that rings true today.
When he was bed-ridden, he told me that his new motto in life was "Happy, Happier & Happiest". It's pretty self-explanatory, focus on what will bring happiness and joy into your life. It's only complicated if we make it so. I guess being restricted to a bed and eventually, learning that your time on earth is coming to an end, it's easy to see what really matters.
This ties in with a book I'm reading by Deepak Chopra, "Why Is God Laughing?". In it Chopra stresses that we need to find happiness inside of ourselves, regardless of our current situations and problems.
If you are constantly striving for the brass ring and it is always out of reach, then you know what I am talking about!
"I'll be happy if.........I loose 10lbs, I pay off my credit cards, I get that job I want, I get that relationship I want, I get the house, the car, the whatever....I want" You get the point.
I've learned that if this is what we base our happiness on, we will always be striving for happiness and never attaining it.
These are exciting and challenging times in our country right now. We are being challenged to not give into the fear and chaos of the economy and bring our focus on what is really important. To stay positive and hopeful as we figure out new solutions and new ways of looking at life.
If your happiness is based on the price of gas then guess what? The oil companies are in control of your joy. The good news is that you can take back the control! By focusing on our blessings and expressing gratitude for them. By helping out our neighbors that are hurting. By uniting ourselves with our fellows instead of seeing ourselves as separate. We're all in this together and we are all connected.
So, slow down this holiday season. Don't spend money that you don't have. Now more than ever we can use our imagination and creativity to show our friends and family that we care, without spending a lot of money. Give someone your time. Donate a coat or food to the needy.
Focus on what will TRULY make you happy and you can't go wrong!
