Toby Ord Leads the Way to genuine Giving

Through a survey done by Coca-Cola in 2010, the people of East Africa, revealed that money contributed least as a source of happiness. Good health , knowing that loved one’s were okay and good friendship were top in the list as sources of happiness.

The survey showed that the source of happiness is based more on simplicity than on more money and gadgets. Toby Ord, a thirty year old academician at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, actually proves that this is true. Dr Ord pledged to give one third of his £33,000 salary to charity living him with £20,000 to live on for the year.

Toby also pledged to give one million sterling pounds in the course of his career and to ensure this happens he further pledged to give 10% of his income through out his working life.

Dr Ord is married and lives with his wife in a one bedroom flat (apartment). His wife works as a junior doctor and has also pledged to give “away everything over £25,000” of her salary.

What makes it possible for Dr Ord to do what he is doing is that he is not materialistic and has discovered that life is not made up of the abundance of stuff but in the simplicity of the little things that life brings to us. He says that "The things I gain most from – spending time with my wife, with friends, listening to beautiful music, reading beautiful books – don't cost money."

In a materialistic society where one is judged not by the conduct of their deeds but by how much gadgets and money they have amassed, Dr Ord’s action is commendable. It seems like we live in a generation where the amassing of things is of more importance than investing on relationships.

Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/498570_toby-ord-leads-the-way-to-genuine-giving#ixzz1OLmRE7dv

What is the Source of Your Happiness?

We live in a world where most people are unhappy for one reason or another hence the high cases of depression. People have defined happiness to consist of material things or a particular status and because that is lacking, they are unhappy.

The interesting thing to note is that the happiest people in the world today are found in the least materialistic societies. Ed Diener, a University of Illinois Psychologist observes that “materialism is toxic for happiness”.

In an article titled, “Psychologists now know what makes people happy”, (New York Times of Sept 2009), Marilyn Elias wrote that “ it was apparent that the happiest people surround themselves with family and friends, don’t care about keeping up with the Joneses next door, lose themselves in daily activities and most importantly forgive easily”.

Happiness is individually defined and when people stop looking outside of themselves to be happy then they start to find happiness in the simple day to day things. This was indeed established in a recent survey done in the three East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania on the level of happiness of the people in the region.

Kenyans came up top as the happiest and the most optimistic in the region and had a happiness score of 79% compared to Tanzanian 69% and Ugandans 63%. The survey on happiness was conducted by Coca Cola and is based on a theory emerging from Bhutan a state in Asia recommending the “use of the national mood instead of economic statistics as a measure of social development”.

A good health as opposed to money, to most Kenyans is what makes them happy. Further more “money means less for the self employed than the employed”. Perhaps being in control of one's ife through self employment, is more pay than being subject to the whims of an employer.

Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/502422_what-is-your-source-for-happiness#ixzz1Nwtvrz18

The ten vitamins of love necessary for success

True success is not based on how much wealth or power one has amassed. To experience inner and outer success, it is essential to fulfill our emotional needs for love and support. Without the support of love, we tend to look back with resentment and shame and miss the important lessons and growth.

When we are happy we are getting exactly the kind of love we need. If we are unhappy it is always because we are somehow deficient in a particular kind of love. Happiness is our true nature and to experience and connect with it we simply need to feel a particular kind of love and support.

Receiving love gives us the power we need to connect with our true selves. The soul needs different kinds of love to grow and express itself fully through the mind, heart and body. The mind, heart and body work with the soul as follows;

a) The mind assist’s the soul in fulfilling its purpose in the world by intention, setting goals, positive thinking and believing.

b) The heart assist the soul by drawing in what it needs to grow

c) The senses feed the soul by providing necessary information and pleasurable experiences in the outer world.

To make a connection to our souls, we must be able to open our hearts and receive the kind of love we need. According to John Gray, We need ten kinds of love ,which he refers to as vitamins, to function as God intended us to and to be successful in life. These are,

1) Vitamin G1- Love and support from God. In other words we need a relationship with God to function properly in this world.

2) Vitamin P1- Love and support of our parents

3) Vitamin F- Love and support of family, friends, and having fun.

Read more: http://socyberty.com/relationships/the-ten-vitamins-of-love-necessary-for-success/#ixzz1Kgath446