Secrets to the Promised Life ...

[khunpa]

True happiness comes from within...WHERE ONLY YOU YOURSELF HAS CONTROL OVER IT... If your happiness depends on money....or the beautiful house you own....then the thief who steals your money also stakes away your happiness. If a punk burns down your house, he has destroyed your happiness too. In both the above instances your "happiness" is in the hands of other people. I think it's about the ability to detach from the material things for your happiness and find it deeper down within yourself.

Completely agree on this. Together with the choosing of living your OWN life, based on your own needs and not based on what others expect from you.

When looking back on my life, I have spent so much energy on satisfying others and trying to live up to others expectations of me. Instead of making me happy, that only made me constantly stressed and unhappy.

Today, I could care less about what others think of me or the way that I live. I live like I want to live and do what makes me happy. Does not always make you "Mr. Popular", but it does make you happy.

see post http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/686840-post-of-the-year-competition-2013/?p=7127127

Wow, Your life must really suck, since your only ability seems to be to make negative posts and try to put other people down. Feel sorry for you. But I guess Thailand and Thai-people have different effects on people.

Ever considered changing your profile name from JLCrab to JLCrap?

Edited December 6, 2013 by khunpa

[JLCrab]

Thank you. I go with whomever is willing to provide the straight man lines.

[David48]

Thank you. I go with whomever is willing to provide the straight man lines.

Sadly ... that's often me ...

But, that's OK ... it floats my boat and makes me happy ...

[JLCrab]

Thank you. I go with whomever is willing to provide the straight man lines.

Sadly ... that's often me ...

But, that's OK ... it floats my boat and makes me happy ...

Well at least with you I get a lotta 'likes' out of it instead of being told what a miserable life I must have. BTW Congrats and best-of-luck with the twins.

I'll just add when someone writes about their life in a manner that sounds like it could've come off a Hallmark Greeting card, I have fun with the verbiage as fair game.

Edited December 6, 2013 by JLCrab

[khunpa]

Thank you. I go with whomever is willing to provide the straight man lines.

Sadly ... that's often me ...

But, that's OK ... it floats my boat and makes me happy ...

Well at least with you I get a lotta 'likes' out of it instead of being told what a miserable life I must have. BTW Congrats and best-of-luck with the twins.

I'll just add when someone writes about their life in a manner that sounds like it could've come off a Hallmark Greeting card, I have fun with the verbiage as fair game.

Well, good to see that you put no value in what people thinks of you or your posts and that you have no personal problems with other people having a happy life... LOL, You seem to rest very much in yourself. Can only admire your positive look at life.

Edited December 6, 2013 by khunpa

[thaibeachlovers]

True happiness comes from within...WHERE ONLY YOU YOURSELF HAS CONTROL OVER IT... If your happiness depends on money....or the beautiful house you own....then the thief who steals your money also stakes away your happiness. If a punk burns down your house, he has destroyed your happiness too. In both the above instances your "happiness" is in the hands of other people. I think it's about the ability to detach from the material things for your happiness and find it deeper down within yourself.

Completely agree on this. Together with the choosing of living your OWN life, based on your own needs and not based on what others expect from you.

When looking back on my life, I have spent so much energy on satisfying others and trying to live up to others expectations of me. Instead of making me happy, that only made me constantly stressed and unhappy.

Today, I could care less about what others think of me or the way that I live. I live like I want to live and do what makes me happy. Does not always make you "Mr. Popular", but it does make you happy.

I concur.

I used to try and help people, and they rarely were appreciative, including my extended family.

I once spent an hour under a car fixing a clutch for a group of people that had broken down on the road. I didn't do it expecting to be paid, but they didn't even offer me a few dollars for my time. Next time I'll just call the AA for them.

I fixed the starter motor for a girlfriend, and then she dumped me ( waited till I fixed her car though ).

I installed an entire kitchen for my aunt, did the plumbing and everything, but when it came time to go, not a word of thanks, only asked me where I left the tools I'd used.

Plus many many more examples.

Now I try not to do anything unless I can't get out of it.

[JLCrab]

Thank you. I go with whomever is willing to provide the straight man lines.

Sadly ... that's often me ...

But, that's OK ... it floats my boat and makes me happy ...

Well at least with you I get a lotta 'likes' out of it instead of being told what a miserable life I must have. BTW Congrats and best-of-luck with the twins.

I'll just add when someone writes about their life in a manner that sounds like it could've come off a Hallmark Greeting card, I have fun with the verbiage as fair game.

Well, good to see that you put no value in what people thinks of you or your posts and that you have no personal problems with other people having a happy life... LOL, You seem to rest very much in yourself. Can only admire your positive look at life.

I have no problems with someone having a happy life although everybody certainly has their ups and downs. I am just amused at times about someone feeling the need to come on a forum life this and extol their happy life and maybe tell others what they should maybe do (in this case) to warrant the respect of others.

[khunpa]

Well at least with you I get a lotta 'likes' out of it instead of being told what a miserable life I must have. BTW Congrats and best-of-luck with the twins.

Thank you. I go with whomever is willing to provide the straight man lines.

Sadly ... that's often me ...

But, that's OK ... it floats my boat and makes me happy ...

I'll just add when someone writes about their life in a manner that sounds like it could've come off a Hallmark Greeting card, I have fun with the verbiage as fair game.

Well, good to see that you put no value in what people thinks of you or your posts and that you have no personal problems with other people having a happy life... LOL, You seem to rest very much in yourself. Can only admire your positive look at life.

I have no problems with someone having a happy life although everybody certainly has their ups and downs. I am just amused at times about someone feeling the need to come on a forum life this and extol their happy life and maybe tell others what they should maybe do (in this case) to warrant the respect of others.

Well, this thread is actually about just that... The OP is asking users here advice about "the secrets to the Promised Life..." So what are people doing wrong, by telling how they are happy and what made them happy here in Thailand?

Edited December 6, 2013 by khunpa

[JLCrab]

I had not posted to this topic at all until I saw your "I don't care what others think of me..." post when only 2 minutes before I had posted as my generic-post-of-the-year on Poster of the Year "I don't care what others think of me ..." and then posted the link with no further comment.

And the reply I received for that was "Your life must really suck..."

[Naam]

True happiness comes from within...WHERE ONLY YOU YOURSELF HAS CONTROL OVER IT... If your happiness depends on money....or the beautiful house you own....then the thief who steals your money also stakes away your happiness. If a punk burns down your house, he has destroyed your happiness too. In both the above instances your "happiness" is in the hands of other people. I think it's about the ability to detach from the material things for your happiness and find it deeper down within yourself.

Happines might be related to:

Having enough resources, enough knowledge, enough wisdom, enough courage, to go out there, and:

Keep busy from morning to evening, doing all of these things that you really like to do, that bring pleasure...

If what keeps an individual happy is to own, to possess, to acquire wealth, his knowledge, wisdom and courage might be questionable...

if an individual possesses the arrogance to judge another person's ways to acquire happiness or just being content his intellect might be questionable...

[Naam]

replying to Showbags #54. I can't delete a reply to allow posting on that post.

Wrong.

My Thai family are mad at me because I don't give them anything, because I don't have enough, and I certainly don't give everything I have to my wife. If I did, she wouldn't have to go to work 6 days a week.

While she still loves/ lives with me, the family situation does make her unhappy, ergo, I get to be unhappy sometimes too.

I live by the golden rule for men in Thailand- only give what you can afford to walk away from to a woman.

in my [not so] humble view not a golden but a very sad rule

[JLCrab]

Someone above mentioned the ability whilst(e) in the Isaan boondocks to keep busy from morning to night. I am the founder of a small NGO in USA that deals with intellectual property issues both in US, United Nations, & international. This is part of the agenda for what I try to stay on top of this month of December:

World trade Organization Ministerial Meetings, Bali

TransPacific Partnership (TPP) Singapore

World Intellectual Property Meeting, Geneva

Appeals in USA of both Authors Guild vs. Google & Authors Guild vs Hathi (Library)Trust

various US Legislative hearings on ratification of pending UN Treaties

Any replies to my submission of comments to US Patent & trade Office copyright hearings

... which also means spending a lot of time at weird hours (for Thailand) on the computer and TV here is a bit of slack-time relief. Nothing like listening/watching a diplomatic conference (I appreciate the comments of the esteeemed Member from the State of Burkina Faso ...) live stream at 3AM

[David48]

^^ A great point made above for me from the perspective of ...

OK, great, you've retired and can swing in the Hammock all day if you wish but, maybe it's better to combine that relaxed attitude with sometime spent doing things which you have a passion for ... or developing an interest that you didn't have back home.

[ttthailand]

As long as you have your health, food to eat and a decent place to live you can be happy. I think the real key is to Surround yourself with caring people who are happy and enjoy their lives. Your happiness will be a reflection of theirs. I also find that just trying to smile more makes my life better and I feel more happy because people smile back at me