Practising Gratitude for Daily Miracles

If there's one skill we all undoubtedly effortlessly excel at... it's taking things for granted.

Think about the daily miracles happening all around us... the air we're breathing, the clean water we're drinking, the technologies connecting us to our loved ones, or even that you're listening or reading this right now.

It's a cliche but only because we are so easily bored with what we have. It sounds mawkish and sentimental only because it's so easily available. But what if we didn't have them? Would we still think that being grateful for them was so trivial?

And it's not just the seemingly simple and common things in life... even things we initially find precious and thrilling lose their lustre after a time. This happens to everything from our cars to our partners. How quickly we grow weary of our blessings and start looking for other pleasures!

This tendency to tire of and find fault with what we already have is what keeps us discontented and unhappy. We're inclined to focus on our problems and ignore our blessings. But the very fact that you are walking, talking, breathing, tasting, and touching is a miracle in itself! We live in a world bursting with possibility and here we are complaining!

Life was meant to be savoured. Life was meant to be simple. Sure, it has its fair share of problems, but these are mitigated by its pleasures and joys. The reason why you are feeling all this pain and misery is that you have magnified the complexity of things.

External forces act on us now and then to test our faith and will. Would you really want to give in to confusion, chaos, and complexity... when all you need to do to be happy, is to see things simply, and revel in everything that's being revealed to you?

Most people are so busy waiting for miracles to happen that they fail to notice the ones occurring right under their noses. It's a bit like people who spend their lives hunting desperately for the partner of their dreams, while ignoring the ones who would gladly share their lives with them.

If we open up our hearts, minds and eyes, we'll be touched by the many miracles that occur everyday. Appreciate these daily events as the miracles that they are and they will increase the depth of your life.

Adapted from A Slice of Life by Eugene Loh

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是啊，很多时候，幸福和奇迹就在我们的身边，但是，我们都没有发现。多多欣赏和珍惜眼前的一切，你就会发现世界有多美好。

加油！

^_^g

你是否曾想过放弃？

你是否也曾经想过要放弃？但是，在你以为的“不幸”中，你是否知道这世界有很多人在没有的境界中并不觉得自己有何不幸之处。相反的，他们更努力地过生活、活得比你我更精彩。

你还在那里自我怜悯着吗？

加油哦！为了自己的梦想努力前进！

^_^g

Ten Commandments for Getting Along With People

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2. Smile at people. It takes seventy-two muscles to frown and only fourteen to smile.

3. Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his or her name.

4. Be friendly and helpful. If you would have friends, be friendly.

5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure [make sure that it is].

6. Be genuinely interested in people. You can find something interesting about every person.

7. Be generous with praise … and cautious with criticism.

8. Be considerate of the feelings of others. It will be appreciated.

9. Be thoughtful of the opinion of others. There are three sides to a conversation/argument: yours, the other person's, and the right one!

10. Be alert to give service. What you do for others is important.

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馆主刚巧看到了这个，感觉我们大家应该学习如何与他人交往。

加油哦！

^_^g

五岁了！

哇，时光飞逝。今天已经是微笑学习馆5岁生日了！

创立微笑学习馆的用意还是想在一个空间里和更多的人分享一些读到或看到的故事、影片。只不过现在好像比较少有中文类的文章分享，但是希望现阶段的英文分享也能带来收益的元素。

大家可以继续踊跃分享好的资料哦！

大家学习快乐，记得带着微笑哦！

^_^g

Forgetting to Be Happy

We live in an era where information is power. People who have the ability to quickly assimilate data and knowledge are able to manipulate people and events to their own ends.

As a result, we are obsessed with the procurement and hoarding of information. Devices like the smartphone and computer are indispensable in helping us retain information. We delight in our efficient storage of daily reminders, phone numbers, addresses, progress reports, meeting minutes, discussion agendas, schedules, birthdates, anniversaries, appointments, and other data, but most people still find their lives empty.

Why?

Well, perhaps they've forgotten to store the most important reminder of all --- to be happy.

Hmmm? Forgetting to he happy?

"How is that possible?" some may ask. "One is happy when one is happy. Happiness doesn't need reminding. I know I'm happy when... when I'm not unhappy!"

Too many things in life can make us unhappy --- missing the bus, getting our expensive leather shoes wet in the rain, falling ill during a vacation, losing our phone, paying too much for something, or our date stands us up. There is no sense in putting off happiness until we've eliminated all the things that make us unhappy.

Happiness is a choice, an emotion we can consciously activate regardless of how miserable and frustrating the day may seem. Reminding yourself to be happy may not solve your problems, but it sure makes you feel a whole lot better! A heart full of joy will probably find life's downs easier to bear and to rise from.

So remind yourself constantly to find joy in little things --- smile often, be generous with your compliments, share jokes, help a colleague, pet an animal, treat someone to a meal, laugh heartily, and be thankful for your capacity to appreciate life and all its gifts.

Adapted from 'A Slice of Life' by Eugene Loh

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你是否也忘记提醒自己要快乐生活着？

要常常保持快乐的身心灵哦！

加油！^_^g