5 Tips To Keep Happy... Even In Wartime

The world is going downhill faster than an Olympic skier. Terrorists lurk around every corner. Climate change will soon melt the tundra and turn Iowa into a desert. Frankenstein foods are flooding the market, cleverly masquerading as innocent potatoes and beets.

And everybody is planning a war.

Sadam wants to unleash unspeakable biological evils. George Bush II wants to unleash unimaginable military might. Germany and France want to just unleash. North Korea ... need I say more? India and Pakistan want to run a nuclear relay race, and worst of all we won't even know who the good guys and bad guys are supposed to be. And I know why my Israeli friend moved back to New Jersey.

Just when we thought it was safe to sit back and take comfort in knowing exactly how bad things are, some fool has to come up with five tips to keep our spirits up in uncertain times. And that fool is me. So here are the tips:

  • Count your blessings. We have so much to be grateful for. Iraq's dime store missiles cannot hit anywhere too important (defined more specifically as "where I live"). Then, of course, there is all the "stuff" we have, like the flush toilet (I would not want to have lived 500 years ago!) and the remote control. We can be grateful for all the variety, such as 32 flavors of ice cream on every corner and at least a dozen flavors of tooth floss. We can count our education, our knowledge and our opportunities. And we have soooo much more freedom than our ancestors. Geez, with all these blessings to count, it gets hard to enjoy living in terror of the big, bad world.

  • Smile at a stranger. If the world shows us a threatening face, why not paint that face with smiles to make it less threatening. Let's face it, if I smile at you, you'll smile back. The more I smile, the more people will smile at me. The more you smile, the more people will smile at you. If everybody follows my advice, at least dentists will be too busy to fear world events.

  • Learn a new skill. Imagine the sense of accomplishment and the power of mastering a new skill. Like mesquite cooking. Like whittling. Like pterodactyl breeding. Oh well, two out of three. And if you learn that skill in a classroom setting, full of other energized new-skill-masterers, you get the bonus of seeing that positive face of the world, complete with smiles and busy dentists.

  • Study history. Bad things happen. Good things happen. That's history. Today will one day be history that somebody reads about. So don't sweat it. (Editor's note: If nobody is left to read about it, scratch this tip.)

  • Volunteer. One of the scariest things about the world today is not just that it seems to be going downhill, but that we feel powerless to stop it. Worse still, politicians and diplomats are in charge. But we CAN take control and send the world uphill right in our own neighborhood. We can help the local animal shelter. We can work at the food bank. (That's my personal favorite, and NO you do NOT get free samples.) We can help little old ladies across the street. We can make a difference right in our own communities where the politicians and diplomats won't interrupt.

    Sorry about those five tips. If you wish to ignore them and return to the regularly-scheduled misery-wallowing, please go ahead. After all, in wartime nobody really wants to be happy, do they?

    About The Author

    David Leonhardt is the Happy Guy, even in wartime (he hopes!) and author of "Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness". Sign up for your free "Daily Dose of Happiness" at http://www.thehappyguy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html or visit the Self-actualization Resource Center at http://www.thehappyguy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html

    http://www.thehappyguy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html

    house refresh service Arlington Heights ..
    In The News:

    The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.
    Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.
    Protect your home network by enabling proper encryption, creating strong passwords, checking connected devices and using VPN and antivirus software.
    The Navy's solar-powered Skydweller drone flew nonstop for 73 hours in Mississippi, proving renewable energy can power long-endurance military missions.
    Moving and downsizing expose seniors to identity theft and scams as data brokers collect real estate records and personal information to sell to criminals.
    ShengShu's Vidar technology revolutionizes humanoid robot training by using AI-generated synthetic video, reducing required training data from hours to just 20 minutes.
    Apple's older Mac computers face security risks without regular updates, but 10 essential tips including FileVault encryption and strong passwords can keep aging Macs protected.
    Self-driving trucks from PlusAI could reshape freight transportation by 2027, addressing driver shortages and reducing logistics costs for businesses.
    Solar farms are turning to sheep instead of mowers to cut grass under solar panels, lowering costs, reducing emissions and creating new income for farmers.
    Fraudsters posing as local officials are making fake calls about missed jury duty, demanding payments in a rising scheme that exploits fear of arrest.
    Honeywell Aerospace engineers developed a "surface alert system" that gives pilots two aural warnings when they are 15 and 30 seconds away from a collision on the runway.
    Anonymous researcher has scraped public Spotify accounts of politicians and celebrities, highlighting major privacy risks in default platform settings.
    AI chatbot toys marketed as screen-free playmates could undermine children's empathy and critical thinking skills, according to pediatric specialists.
    TransUnion confirms a major data breach affecting 4.4 million U.S. consumers after hackers exploited third-party Salesforce apps to steal personal info.
    Scammers use fake DocuSign emails claiming Apple Pay charges to steal personal information using fraudulent phone numbers and fake receipts.
    Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
    Farmers Insurance confirms data breach affecting over 1.1 million customers nationwide, exposing customer info including addresses.
    The iconic Mary Kay pink Cadillac goes electric with the Cadillac Optiq, available only to the company's top 1% of sales force performers.
    Cybercriminals abuse trusted Intel driver to gain kernel access and shut down Windows Defender, enabling undetected malware deployment since July 2025.
    Using email aliases for online shopping and subscriptions can protect your privacy by preventing companies from linking your activity across websites.
    New research shows AI overlap does not equal job replacement, with knowledge-based roles seeing most integration while physical jobs remain least affected.
    Scammers target seniors who avoid social media by exploiting public records like obituaries and real estate filings to steal personal information and money
    Recovery team in Italy use AI-enabled drones to detect missing hiker's red helmet, leading to successful recovery after months of ground searches
    Google Salesforce system breach exposes business data while scammers use incident to target users with fake security calls and phishing attempts.
    Google announces Pixel 10 lineup with Tensor G5 chip and Gemini Nano AI, introducing Magic Cue, Pro Res Zoom up to 100x and satellite emergency support features.
  • Your Frame of Mind May Determine Your Health

    The mind absolutely amazes me. It will never be understood,... Read More

    Take a Gratitude Break

    An old Joni Mitchell song reminds us, "don't it always... Read More

    Self-esteem Boosters: 5 Action Points

    ? Make a list of all your accomplishments in life... Read More

    Life as a Burden Vs. Live as a Privilege

    Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Is the glass... Read More

    Are You Thinking The Right Thoughts?

    "A person is limited only by the thoughts that he... Read More

    When Things Go Wrong As They Sometimes Will... Dont Get Your Knickers In A Twist!

    In frustration it's easy to jump to false conclusions that... Read More

    Short Cut to Self-Confidence: Say Yes to You!

    You are the only one that can give confidence to... Read More

    Five Ways to Be More Encouraging

    We all need encouragement. Even the most callous, hard headed... Read More

    Embrace Change

    We all have a unique way of communicating our story,... Read More

    Why You Want What You Cant Have

    "You can't always get what you want . . ."... Read More

    How to Cope With Your Inner Food Critic

    Every day that I eat EnergyRich? Food, I get almost... Read More

    The Enchanted Cottage

    Decades ago, I saw a metaphysical movie that wonderfully illustrates... Read More

    Living Mindfully

    Normally I race around multitasking. I am always thinking about... Read More

    Thinking About Attitude

    Attitude, has a way of preening itself, often without awareness... Read More

    How I Make And Save Thousands Of Dollars Using Only My Subconscious Mind-You Can Do The Same!

    Thousands of dollars will be yours, just by using your... Read More

    How To Radically Improve Your Everyday Experience Of Life In Two Simple Steps

    Can you do something for me?Tell me?Please don't think tomorrow.What?Yeah,... Read More

    Becoming Excellent: Outsmarting Racism

    Thinkers know better than to be racist. It's generally understood... Read More

    Being Assertive

    Many people find it extremely difficult to be assertive, whether... Read More

    Finding Meaning in Life: Three Steps

    So how do we find meaning? The first step is... Read More

    Life Energy

    There is a growing appreciation of the impact of psychic... Read More

    Self-esteem: Who Do You Think You Are?

    Are you the kind of person who dwells on your... Read More

    Negative vs Positive: The Ever-existing Battle In Your Mind

    WE ARE ALL THINKING ALL OF THE TIME.Can you believe... Read More

    Thought Patterns To Create Success

    Let's say you're ready to change some aspect of your... Read More

    Acceptance as a Path to Inner Peace

    Inevitably in life we will face disappointment from time to... Read More

    The Difference Between the Curmudgeons and the Serene

    Have you ever noticed how many unhappy people there are... Read More

    scheduled maid service Glencoe ..