Gaia Community: Amabaie's Blog

Most Motivational Songs

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:04:15 GMT

Some songs have the power to motivate. The lyrics can be as powerful as any motivational speech. The music can get our hearts pumping. The words and tune can play in our heads all day long.

Below is a list of some of the best motivational songs (mostly English, some French and Spanish). It is far, far from being a complete list, so feel free to add your favorites to the list using the comments form at the bottom.

Man in Motion (from St. Elmo's Fire)

Makin' It (from the short-lived TV show of the same name)

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

The Greatest Love of All (the ultimate self-esteem song of all time)

Have a Happy (yes, Elvis)

Change of Habit (yes, also Elvis)

I Have Been Blessed (by Martina McBride)

Point of Light (the Randy Travers classic)

My Way (the ultimate classic motivational song by Paul Anka)

Et C'est Pas Fini (the theme song from Star Académie, 1996)

Peace of Mind (by Boston)

Standing Outside the Fire (by Garth Brooks)

Closer to the Heart (Canadian motivation )

Do You Know Where You're Going to? (from the Mahogany)

There You Are (by Clink Black)

Une Promesse (by Cindy Daniel)

Lean on Me

Dream Never Dies (more Canadian Motivation)

Hold On (by Triumph...the song that helped me in my teen years)

Believe it or Not (from the Greatest American Hero TV show)

Una Cancion (RBD)

Living Out Loud (by Aaron Lines)

The Eye of the Tiger (from Rocky III, I believe)

All Fired Up (Pat Benetar)

Don't Stop (another one that helped me during those roller coaster teenage years)

The Kid is Hot Tonight (by Loverboy)

If I rummaged through my MP3s, my CDs and my old record collection, I am sure I could find dozens of other motivational songs and possibly even some music that motivates without lyrics. The one listed here are the ones that come to mind first for me. But now, over to you. What songs do you find most motivational?

Originally posted at http://self-help.thehappyguy.com/2009/01/07/motivational-songs-music-that-motivates (Feel free to comment over there, or to Tweet the post).

Tags: songs, music, inspiration, motivation, culture

All About You

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 15:43:26 GMT

YOU from A Daily Dose of Happiness (weekly personal growth tip)

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

The results are in, and yes, just as you suspected, the world really does revolve around you. All this time the scientists were wrong, trying to convince us that the word revolves around some big ball of burning gas in the sky.

In fact, your world does revolve around you. Every action you take will be calculated on how it affects you and your environment, even if that calculation is subconscious. Every action anyone you see takes, every word they speak, will be judged through your eyes and ears, and again its value will be calculated based on how it affects you and your environment.

Your friends matter most. You may love people, but a stranger will never hold the same esteem in your eyes as your friends do.

Your family matters most. You may adore others' children, but it's your family that will get special attention beyond what you would every consider giving to other children.

You species matters most. Even if you are an animal lover, at the end of the day your actions will serve first and foremost the good of the human species.

Your world matters most. No matter what, your friends, your family and your species are bound to this planet, so we have no choice but to preserve it.

You see, the world really does revolve around you.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: you, happiness, life

Get Positive!

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 13:17:12 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

POSITIVITY

What can be better than waking up and saying, "Today is a beautiful day!"

Not much, except perhaps waking up and saying, "Today is a beautiful day and I am going to keep it that way."

It's not always easy to keep our spirits up. You get to work and there's a grumpy coworker, and the boss wants to see you in his office like yesterday about the latest crisis and the cursed computer just won't boot up - just on the day when your IT helper calls in sick - and ...

Stop. The world can get to you, that's for certain. But only if you let it. I know, I probably sound like that Kit Kat commercial from a few years ago (or is it still playing?) where everything goes into blissful slow motion when biting into the chocolate bar. Yes, in fact that's what I mean. Not the chocolate part, but the break part. Take a moment in the washroom if you must to pull yourself together, gather your composure, determine that you will remain positive (even if everyone around you are pulling what's left of their hair our), smile and return to reality fully armed to ride the waves of life like an expert surfer.

Surf's up!

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, positive, positivity

Cock-a-doodle-doo

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 01:33:17 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Cock-a-doodle-doo.

This is your wakeup call. Each day that passes marks another day that you either made your life what you want it to be...or you did not.

It's not too late. Today is a brand new day. So is tomorrow. So is the next day. Make each day what you want your life to be, and that is what your life will be in the end.

What do you want your life to be? Cock-a-doodle-doo.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, personal growth, wake up, today

Batteries

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:02:10 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Batteries not included.

Yes, that's a great description of your life. You have to create your own energy, your own momentum, your own drive. You have to power your own dreams. You have to take your plans into your hands and make them happen. Don't wait around for someone to lift you up on his shoulders and take you to your castle, because it won't happen. You have to supply your own batteries.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: self, motivation, happiness

All about Boredom

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:29:25 GMT

BOREDOM from A Daily Dose of Happiness (weekly personal growth tip)

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Some people are overwhelmed with a busy schedule; others struggle with boredom. Some suffer from both, which is like getting hit with a double whammy.

One of the best solutions to boredom is to socialize. Sure, you might love to spend hours in front of the TV or the computer, but for the most part it is just a distraction from being bored (yes, sometimes it is entertaining, but mostly it is a mindless way to forget how bored we are). When we socialize, we engage our minds and our hearts. We act and react. We connect to other people, which is never boring (unless someone drones on and on and on and on, which is not a two-way interaction).

You don't have to carry on complex discussions about obtuse topics like the role of the African dung beetle in the fall of the Roman Empire (although that counts as socialization, too). A game of darts or bowling or golf or cards or just sitting around a camp fire chatting about the weather, the stars and the garden will do.

The best part about socialization is that by stamping out your own boredom, you can stamp out other people's too.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, boredom, living, social, friends, friendship, discussions

COMMUNICATION?

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:56:18 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Sadfklfgfmfffflkvvvvoiue3=fop;dc

Did you understand that? Probably not unless you come from the remote island of sadf5yhbcd.

The problem is that it takes so much more time to sit here and type out coherent sentences that succinctly express the ideas, concepts, counsel and suggestions in my head. Not to mention the time it takes to proofread and to revisit bits and pieces interrupted by "Daddy, can you tie this around the....oh no my sister needs you. Come quick!" (Yes, you might have noticed an occasional error creeps into this newsletter when proofreading time gets late at night or interruptions throw me off-course.)

That's no reason to stop trying. If we don't take the time to communicate coherently, how will our message be understood? And if our message is not understood, the wrong result will ensue. For instance, if you interpret my opening sentence today as a Dolphin war cry, you might go out and needlessly build dolphin traps in front of your home. And that is NOT the reaction I am hoping for.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, communication, dolphins

NOT ENOUGH TIME

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:18:58 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Sometimes it feels like there just isn't enough time. I am sure you know what I mean. But, of course, that's not true. There is exactly the right amount of time, not a minute more nor a minute less.

However, our expectations of time are often unrealistic. Given 24 hours in a day, we often try to cram 26 hours (or more!) of activities. Don't blame time; we simply don't plan well.

What we need most is to schedule time to enjoy time, time when we are not rushed, time when we can slow down...even if time won't slow down with us..

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, time, priorities, expectations

BEWARE VACUUMS

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 25 May 2007 20:06:14 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Beware the vacuums...the human vacuums, that is.

There are people around us who are always taking.  They suck up our time and our energy, and they never give anything back.  They are vacuums.  Don't mix them up with people who are simply high energy and high interaction, taking much and giving much.

The vacuums can leave us with very little once they've sucked it all up.  If one of your close friends is a vacuum, watch out...you might already know what I mean.  You have to set some ground rules, most importantly to firmly say "no" when you don't want to go along with one of his or her plans.  That does not mean saying "no" all the time, unless you want to, just setting some limits and some boundaries.

Take control.  Switch off the vacuum.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, friends, friendship, giving, taking

Rain, Rain, Go Away

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:55:11 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

"Rain, rain, go away.
Come again another day."

Everyone complains about the rain except the farmers...unless just too much falls.

But without the rain, there can be no plants.

And without the rain, there can be no animals.

And without the rain, we would have no well.

And without the well to drink from and the plants and animal to eat, there would be no people. Before complaining about something, we should always think about the benefits it might be bringing.

So...let it pour!

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, rain, appreciation, complaining

Instant Gratification v.s. Gratitude

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:29:27 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

In the world of instant gratification, we are constantly being reminded of all the things we don't have that we absolutely cannot do without. Nobody bothers addressing that it might be more than an evolutionary accident that we have survived for millennia without these things. Nor that we should not be coveting the things we don't have, when we spend so little time feeling grateful for the things we do.

The more time I spend talking, reading and thinking about happiness, the more I am convinced that gratitude is the biggest secret to happiness. And that the lack of gratitude is the single biggest barrier we as a civilization face on our path to happiness.

Further reading is my article at:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/happiness-secret.html , which is drawn from an anthology I contributed to (It's actually a fantastic book that's like the greatest hits of self-improvement).

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, gratitude

EMBRACE REALITY

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:13:32 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Sometimes it can be frustrating. Sometimes it can be exhilarating.

Little Sister is good at this; she keeps doing whatever she is doing, oblivious to the little camera in my hand. Over time, we will have a collection of memories of how she would act on a typical day at each stage of her growingupness - all the intonations, the favorite expressions, the sense of wonder and excitement.

Little Lady meanwhile, is quick to perceive the camera and equally quick to become either a) and actor, carefully scripting her actions (no fingers in the nose!) or more often b) hamming it up with her face in the camera (so that's what a close up of a tooth looks like).

In the end, all the smiling photos won't mean as much as just a few minutes of real-life video footage of how the kids spoke and acted when no camera was present.

Embrace reality; it is beautiful.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, photos, memories, reality

Life is for Learning

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 12:59:21 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

LEARNING

Life is a lesson.

A lesson in ethics, as we learn to do what's right.

A lesson in relationships, as we learn to work with others.

A lesson in creativity, as we learn to navigate new situations.

A lesson in self-control, as we learn to manage our actions and reactions.

A lesson in triumph, as we learn to survive unexpected events.

What lessons will you learn today?

==========================================

Speaking of learning, have you signed up for Happy Class to learn the way to happiness?

Tags: learning, lessons, life, happiness

Finding Solutions

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:59:28 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness ezine mailing.

SOLUTIONS

Not bad. Little sister is counting to 20 pretty much without error in English, French and Spanish. It is so exciting to watch little kids grow and how their mind develops. At this age she has made much of the leap from wanting to do the motions she sees others doing to wanting to achieve the results others are achieving.

As adults, this is something we should understand. But it is not always so. Sometimes we get territorial. Does it matter who does something, or does it matter that it gets done? The entire world of diplomacy is centered around endless negotiations over minutia of who does what rather than focusing on making sure that everything gets done. Households can be like that, too. Many workplaces are like that.

What would happen if you stopped being concerned about who does what, and focused on what needs to get done? Or maybe you already are like that.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: solutions, practical, happiness

Appreciating Memories of April Fools

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:12:22 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Time flies, and already it's April Fools Day. You can look forward to the warm caress of the spring sun or look back to all the things you planned to do in winter, but never quite got around to. There certainly were plenty of those in our house.

But we also did a lot of things, visited a lot of people, had a lot of fun. What little snow we got this year did get some use, even if we would have liked more. We did get over to the arena a few times, even if not every weekend (and the girls did get their skating lessons). And just before the snow melted, we finally got that winter campfire we kept meaning to do (not quite "once a week", but at least it was once!).

And now we have spring to look forward to. To finish that stone path, set up the patio table and maybe this will be the year we tame the forest in the loop of the driveway (but you'll have to wait for October to know for sure). Either way, spring and summer will be great for all the things we will do, regardless of the things we don't.

Don't be an April Fool. Look forward to another four seasons to enjoy.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, appreciation, april fools

Awards of Gratitude

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:42:57 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

Here's a great contribution from a reader, that I thought I would share with you, too...

"Just wanted to share something with you and your readers that keeps me in "gratitude mode": I give awards, daily, sometimes many times a day.

"As I drive my car (lease up in a few months; still grateful that I have it in the first place, and it runs well, and I can keep up the payments) or walk along the sidewalk (grateful that I CAN walk, even though I sometimes need a cane), if I see a bunch of flowers (weeds, or a garden, or a bouquet carried by someone, or the plantings at the M***'s drive thru), I look for the prettiest one, or the one with the most surprising color, or the one that obviously had the hardest struggle to survive -but made it-and I mentally present the "Best Blossom of the Day" award.

"Or I'll give someone walking their dog the "Cutest Pup" or "Best Behaved Dog" award. Or present the "Nicest Professional Outfit" award to someone on their way to work. Or a "Most Courteous Driver" award.You get the idea.

"Never are these awards announced to the recipients-they simply remain catalogued in my mind and heart. They keep me alert to the beauty that is everywhere, however, and keep me 'living all the days of my life.'"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: This was feedback to an earlier Daily Dose, but already it is drawing its own feedback. Here are a couple of the comments I have received:

MORE GRATITUDE AWARDS

"That's Great!!! Whoever that reader is, they should get one of their own awards, for coming up with such a cool concept. I'm definitely going to remember this one, and put it to use, on a daily basis, until it becomes a habit. That was truly a gem...

"And thank you, David, for passing it along...you get one of those awards, as well, for doing so."

MORE GRATITUDE EXPRESSED

"I wanted to comment on today daily dose.

"I've done what this man does most of my life. I call it praying all day long. I've told other people that I pray all day long and gotten a few looks like I'm a bit batty. It's nice to know there are others out there being grateful for the everyday ordinary little things.

"It truly helps to focus on the positive especially with so much negative around us every day.

"Thanks for your work, another one of the positives I'm grateful for."

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, gratitude, awards

Coddle Your Failures

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:36:27 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

FAILURE

Failure is the most important ingredient in success. Without failure, you cannot know what success looks like, just as without hunger you can never know what it feels like to be satisfied. The better you taste failure, the more prepared you will be for success.

Don't waste your valuable failures! Coddle them. Embrace them. Learn from them. Harness them in every effort on your path to success.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: success, failure, happiness

Health Body - Happy Person

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 02:16:37 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

I asked Corey Ritter to provide a few fitness tips this week for better energy and more happiness:

"Walk around the block. There are many benefits to be gained from walking. These can include more energy, deeper and more satisfying sleep, stronger leg muscles, lower body fat, higher metabolic rate, and reduce stress! Everyday for 20-30 minutes at a brisk walk. Preferably first thing in the morning!"

Corey Ritter can be reached at http://www.bodydesign.biz/coreyritter

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, fitness, walking, energy, stress, sleep

Constant Happiness? I think not!

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 18:54:37 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

HAPPINESS

Are you happy every day? Are you happy every hour? Are you happy every minute? Me neither.

Happiness is not about wearing a 24/7 grin across your face. Happiness is about being comfortable with who you are and where you are, and feeling that your life is good.

There is room for frustration in happiness. There is no room for being ruled by frustration.

There is room for sadness in happiness. There is no room for being ruled by sadness.

There is room for anger in happiness. There is no room for being ruled by anger.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: happiness, personal growth, anger, sadness, frustration, happy

Silence Wins Arguments

http://amabaie.gaia.com — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 13:37:01 GMT

This week, we post a new personal growth tip or inspiration drawn from a recent Daily Dose of Happiness mailing.

"Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute."

Josh Billings gives us some good advice - I wish I could follow it better! - about how to handle silly arguments and major blow-ups alike. The person who wins the argument is not the person who scores the best "direct hit". It's the person who ends the argument, so that everybody can get back to doing what they really should be doing.

Find more happiness and personal growth ideas...

Tags: silence, happiness, patience, love, conflict, arguments