secret to happiness

Despite the ups and downs in my professional and dating life, I am having a very happy week.

After a depressing week/weekend, where I almost got sick from the stress, I finally snapped out of it. More than any medication, my firm belief in myself got me out of the dark hole.

Ironically, because I have achieved optimal physical health, it is inevitable that I am confronting my spirituality now.

Unlike many of my friends who are pursuing concrete goals like money, life partner or career, I have had all that already. For me, the secret to happiness is spiritual connection to my inner self.

I am happy when I can move through life effortlessly. When I know what choices to make because I am aware and connected to the world at large. Hesitation and worries are inefficient use of my time, and I avoid those moments by always being connected to my inner self.

Cultivating the self takes a lot of time on one's own, but it also requires a genuine interest in the world around us. By caring about others, we develop our intuition and can let our sense guide us to the inevitable outcome.

An example is how to squeeze more time out of the week. This week, I worked M-Th nights. Knowing that I have lots of meetings, I lunched and took breaks with friends. I even caught up with a friend from Japan for an hour yesterday during a 13-hour work day; we took a walk at the marina nearby.

It is by always knowing what I need can I fuel myself physically and spiritually and then in turn live my best life. That is happiness.

what's in a package

When it comes to health, it's good to have a few rules of thumb and stick to it. My favorite one right now is to try to not buy or eat anything that comes in a package.

Think about it, most things that come in a package need chemicals to keep it fresh or edible. Thus, my number one enemy: corn syrup. Some of you may know that corn syrup, especially the partially hydrogenated kind, has been linked to type II diabetes. I just don't like the taste. Sodas and most packaged baked goods have them. Check those labels, even most bread has corn syrup. I only found this out b/c I recently bought bread for a road trip and had to put so many loaves back.

Also, there is the money one saves by buying natural food. Buying packaged food is essentially letting someone else take another cut in the money chain. Very few desserts will be cheaper and healthier than the ones that one bakes by oneself.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, otherwise, life will be too boring. My exceptions to the rule? OJ, soymilk, miso and CHOCOLATE! (There are many more, but that's between me and my grocery store clerk.)

check, check, check

Cannot waste a second to worry or stress. The past few weeks were tough b/c I was letting the stress build up.

The key is to be very organized and to plan in the fun stuff. I am giving myself a golf lesson, a couple of lunches with friends this week. Determined to have it all.

Today, I got all my work done, and I am taking a 2 hour break before heading to a PR event at 8.

Okay, so in this have-it-all world, there is no man and no kids. Still, I have my "baby" in my garage and plenty of people to share food.

A very happy day, and it's only Monday!

work-life balance

In the end, it is outlook. I got so burnt out from work that I ended up just sleeping most of the weekend. Did catch the World Cup Finals with my dad. No matter what, I always have my family.

Decided to focus on work and the friends in my life rather than how I am feeling. As long as I can keep up the health routine, I should be able to handle anything. Been spending countless hours on frivilous emotions that have no resolutions.

It's time to be me again.