Category Archives: Writing

Haiku #25 – Sunset at 87


I will defeat time.

Sunset at eighty-seven.

Chase me to heaven.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, 9/30/2016-

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Haiku #24 – Shadows Will Kill Me


Shadows will kill me.

I smile at their distortion

and inhale their pain.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, 9/30/2016-

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Haiku #23 – Find the Little Spark


Find the little spark

to lead you out of the dark.

Good is still in you.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, 9/30/2016-

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Haiku #22 – Treat Life Like a Game and Play


Games are fun for us.

Treat life like a game and play.

Drive, create, and love.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, 9/15/2016-

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Haiku #21 – Our Pleasing Life is Near


Nine of Pentacles.

Our pleasing life is near.

Grab our Ten of Cups.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, 9/14/2016-

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Haiku #20 – We Hop in the Snow


We hop in the snow

and into the ice castle.

You tackle me and laugh.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, 9/14/2016-

(This poem was inspired by my first novel that’s yet to be published.)

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Haiku #19 – There’s Only One You


There’s only one you.

Love yourself and love others.

Live with gratitude.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, 9/14/2016-

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James Altucher


thumb_7151_james-altucher-itunes_1024

James Altucher, an entrepreneur, author, and podcast show host has helped me in my life and career since my friend Ryan Sanada told me to listen to his podcast in April 2015 after my life took a slight downfall.  Altucher’s advice: Generate 10 ideas a day if you can; Idea sex or mix various ideas together; Work with others who have skills and ideas that compliment yours; Take care of your health; and most importantly, “Choose Yourself” – pursue all areas of your passions and dreams.

What makes James Altucher so appealing is his openness to not just his success, but his failures.  He has mentioned how he made millions of dollars and then lost it all; going through divorce; and feeling depressed to a point where he wanted to die. Yet through it all, he comes back and make millions of dollars again, evolves with new business ideas, and networks with other amazing people.

Here’s a link to James Altucher’s website: www.jamesaltucher.com

Also, download his podcast show “The James Altucher Show” and another podcast show that he co-hosts with entrepreneur Stephen J. Dubner called “Question of the Day” where they answer questions and give advice.

 

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Do you hear my heartbeat?


Do you hear my heartbeat?

Follow it.

It will guide you out of the blackness and into my world.

I’m waiting for you in the green meadows.

I’ll take you to the highest hill.

We can lay on the grass and watch the white clouds float among the pink skies.

When the bright blue raindrops fall onto us, open your mouth and enjoy the sweet taste.

 

 

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I Love My Mom


When I was a baby, my mom would talk and read to me.

As a toddler, she made me do math and English workbooks by rewarding me with a penny for every page I accomplished.

As a kid, my mom drove me to soccer, baseball, Aikido, cub scouts, and many other activities until my dad could meet us after he finished work.

My mom and dad attended all my soccer games and watched me progress from an average player to one of the State’s highest scorers.

While I struggled to find out who I was during my teenage years, my mom helped me through it.

On the day I graduated from high school, my mom and dad that was there.

When I broke up with my first girlfriend and saw my college grade point average drop, my mom comforted me.

When I made my college comeback by raising my GPA and graduated from the University of Hawaii with a B.A. in Political Science my mom and dad was there.

My mom and dad flew to Washington State to see me graduate from Gonzaga University School of Law, and later that year they saw me sworn in as a lawyer under the Hawaii State Bar Association in the Hawaii State Senate.

A year later, my mom and dad witnessed me get sworn into the Hawaii State House of Representatives.

When I was in jail for DUI, my mom and dad was there to be bail me out.

When I got attacked by the media, political opponents, and haters, my mom and dad stood by me.

Every time I was feeling down from angry people, power hungry politicians, tyrant and tantrum-filled judges, and selfish business persons, my mom was there to listen.

With every plan and goal I came up with for my business and political endeavors, my mom always told me to give it a try.

Even now, my mom is alway there to cheer me on. Through her I’ve learned that when we strive for what we want, anything is possible, and that having empathy and compassion is the best way to live.

I dedicate this song “Be As You Are” by Mike Posner and remixed by Jordan XL to my mom and to all of you mothers out there.

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They Move in Sync to the Thumping of Our Hearts.


We crawl to the edge and peek over.

The dark blue waves far below us,

crashing against the rocky walls of our cliff.

They move in sync to the thumping of our hearts.

This is how I felt when I first met you.

– Jon Riki Karamatsu, August 10, 2016 –

This song matches my poem.  It’s called “So Good To Me” by Chris Malinchak.

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Sometimes “Doing” Does Nothing


Entrepreneur and Author James Altucher wrote a nice article, which is linked below my article. Mr. Altucher wrote, “The world doesn’t need more DO-ers.”  He also stated, “Stillness ultimately creates, Doing often destroys.”

Sometimes “doing” does nothing such as having meetings that have no new information or purpose, just rehashed things that were already in motion. There are times when “doing” is destructive such as having a meeting where people are offended or where we cannot commit to an action because we didn’t complete the preceding tasks yet. At times, waiting on action such as actions by the government or investors can be a good thing because new investors and opportunities pop up that could never have happened had things progressed faster. Patience is a key to success when “doing” does nothing.

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/08/i-miss-nothing/

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Where is the tenderness?


Humans keep hurting one another physically and verbally.  Anger, greed, and jealousy fuel their flames of destruction.  Yet through it all, love and compassion maneuvers though the smoke and ashes and picks up our spirit so we can see above the gloomy gray and into the light blue skies where our dreams and ideas flourish.

Below is “Tenderness” by General Public.

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Like A Child, I Create Another Dream and Do It All Over Again.


My sisters are princesses. My nieces are now princesses. They rule the world. Since I was young, I’ve wanted to save everyone from evil. I keep coming up with ideas and mix them with other ideas – some good and some bad. Then I pursue them until I live my imagination. But every now and then, my fantasy comes crashing down. Like a child, I create another dream and do it all over again.

20160307_055024With my nieces Sophie and Elyse on the early morning of March 7, 2016, just before flying from San Francisco, California to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

20160308_140313My niece Elyse with Princess Belle of Beauty and the Beast at Disney World on March 8, 2016.

20160310_200315My sister Mia, Elyse, and Sophie with Princess Anna of Frozen at Disney World on March 10, 2016.

20160310_133238My niece Sophie in her Princess Snow White dress and younger sister Lara at the hotel in Disney World on March 10, 2016.

20160310_185542My sister Lara holding my niece Sophie at Disney World on March 10, 2016.

20160311_111113My niece Elyse and I in the dining hall of Princess Belle and the Beast at Disney World on March 11, 2016.

 

A fun song fitting for this journal entry called “Crushin’ My Fairytale” by Celeste Buckingham.

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500 Days of Summer


“500 Days of Summer” is one of my all-time favorite movies. I like it because it’s so real, filled with all of life’s strengths and weaknesses. As much as we want our heart to act, sometimes it won’t, no matter how hard we try. On the opposite side, sometimes we fall in love, but the other person just can’t feel the same no matter how much that person cares for you. In the end, it hurts so much between the two of you. This movie is based on an experience that the screenwriter went through. The song “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap really hits you in the right emotional spot and matches the movie.

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Multiple projects and issues are jumping around in my head.


Multiple projects and issues are jumping around in my head while calls and messages keep coming in. So much so that I made an error the other day on one of my tasks. Studies have shown that multi-tasking reduces our performance. It’s much better to focus on one task at a time to maximize our output and results.

multitasking-o

With all the different projects and goals that I have to accomplish, I think my mind is going as fast as this song “Alone” by Marshmello.

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Aunty May Fumiko Akimoto


On Sunday July 24, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., I served as the MC for my Great Aunty May Fumiko Akimoto who is my mom’s baby sister’s mother-in-law. The service was held at Hosoi in Honolulu, Hawaii. My cousins Chelsea and Jill gave a nice remembrance speech, and it was touching to see the little ones, Tatum, Zoe, and Parker say their “Thank you” to the guests and “I love you” to their late great grandma, May Fumiko Akimoto. I will miss her.

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At Times, My Heart Floats Into A Realm of Nothingness.


With the latest wave of passing of my family and friends, including my cousin Brad Tanaka, great aunt May Akimoto, and Congressman K. Mark Takai, at times, my heart floats into a realm of nothingness. While there, I gain clarity, and then return here to keep trying my best to live with all I’ve got.

To all my friends, my heart is with you. There will never be anyone like you. Keep striving for your dreams. Most importantly, I wish you happiness. I dedicate this song “Surprise Yourself” by Jack Garratt & remixed by Griffin & Manila Killa.

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Thinking of My Cousin Brad.


I’m saddened of my cousin Brad Tanaka’s passing on June 29, 2016 from Type 1 Diabetes.  He was only 46. The cause of Type 1 Diabetes is unknown. My cousin had it since he was about 9 years and from then on, he had to administer shots into himself every day in order to stay healthy. I really hope there will be a cure for Type 1 Diabetes in the near future. I pray to him in hope that he is happy and at peace. When I close my eyes, I can see him smiling.

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Ka Pilina – Our Love and Intimacy


This song “Ka Pilina” churns my heart. It’s a romantic Hawaiian song about a woman attended by native Hawaiian birds that are singing beautifully. The song is accentuated when danced by hula dancer(s).

When I hear this song, my imagination is as follows:

I move through the forest and hear the elepaio chirping. As midnight approaches, the ‘apapane sings with his beautiful voice. At dawn, I listen to the song of the ‘i’iwi polena. Now approaches the woman attended by the birds. Our eyes meet and we smile. Our love and intimacy.

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Ideas Are Like Love


Ideas are like love. When we work on them daily, fruits of joy explode.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, July 12, 2016-

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My Heart Is With You.


My heart is with you. At times, dark clouds follow us – the loss of our loved ones; shattered images of romance; and attacks by negativity. Yet through it all, we keep progressing forward with our efforts, hour by hour towards what we envision. I dedicate this song to you called “Higher” from one of my favorite bands, The Naked And Famous.

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What Is, Is.


What is, is.

What will be, will be.

We can’t dwell on what has happened, and worry about what will happen.

If we do, it will depress us, slow us down, and even kill us.

Good things will happen and so will bad things.

We have to appreciate what we have and focus on what we can control.

By accepting what is and what will be, we can keep moving forward.

To help us overcome our hardships, I dedicate this song to you called “Light It Up” by Major Lazer ft. Nyla and Fuse Dog.

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My R2D2 – JR5


My 2013 Macbook Pro is my best friend like R2D2 is to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. I accomplish work through my Macbook Pro everyday and it comes with me everywhere so I can work anywhere. All my ideas, plans, analysis, documents, and agreements is in it and backed up in 2 or 3 locations. I do all my business and legal work on it. I also do my banking and investments online so I can play the world’s markets through my computer. Through my Macbook Pro, I can learn new things by researching writings and data on the Internet, watching educational videos, and listening to stimulating audio talk shows or music. I need to come up with a name for my Macbook Pro. I think I’ll name it JR5 – JR because it’s my first and middle initials, and 5 because it’s the fifth computer I’ve owned. Like Luke Skywalker and R2d2, we’re doing our best to play our part in making our universe more peaceful, loving, and compassionate.

I dedicate the remixed version of “Star Wars – The Force Theme” by DJ AG located on the bottom of this article to you and your computer companion in your efforts to better our universe. May the force be with you.

Remixed “Star Wars – The Force Theme” by DJ AG.

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A song that takes us into the worlds where only my characters exist.


When I listen to this song, I can picture us in the worlds where only my characters exist – Walking through a Japanese garden filled with white and pink cherry blossom trees and a trickling stream with a crystal clear waterfall; Dancing to a song on a cliff overlooking the dark blue ocean with two small islands placed in it; Swimming in the warm ocean as the shooting stars streak across the sky; Admiring the snow capped mountains from the white palace’s balcony; and Running and stumbling through the snow past the glowing ice sculptures and into the forest so we can lie on our winter coats to gaze at the stars beyond the evergreen trees.

“Oceans Where Feet May Fail” by Without Words: Synesthesia

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You are Starlight, I’m Galileo


Ask me just how much I love you.

You are starlight, I’m Galileo.

 

“Galileo,” one of my favorite songs by Amy Grant.

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Death has always loved Life.


Death has always loved Life like a boy who knows he can never be with the girl he loves. Rather than being jealous of us for having Life, he wants us to appreciate her.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 30, 2016-

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Death seeks us because it wants us to appreciate Life.


Death will always seek us. It wants us to acknowledge its presence, and even befriend it. Why? Because it wants us to be aware of our mortality to motivate us to appreciate what we have and what we can do now. So when the time comes, though hard as it may be to leave our loved ones, we can embrace death upon our last breath because we had embraced life.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 30, 2016-

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Haiku #17


Haiku #17

Parents killed by war.

Dreams are the child’s only friend.

Flying carpet ride.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 25, 2016-

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Haiku #16


Time won’t stop for us.

Please hold me and don’t let go.

Now is all we have.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 18, 2016-

 

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Haiku #14


Knocked down by bullets.

Red eyes glow in the shadows.

I smile at myself.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 13, 2016-

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Haiku #13


Burn me to ashes.

Another me develops.

Rising up with you.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 13, 2016-

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To Do or Not To Do?


In life, we often come across opportunities or get involved with something that seems good, but it’s out of our comfort zone. We can analyze the pros and cons, get opinions from others, and follow our intuition.

Sometimes our situation will be more obvious when red flags start popping up everywhere and people advise you to stay away or leave. At other times, there may not be any noticeable problems for us or anyone to analyze. In either situation, we will get an intuition, if not at that earlier moment, it will occur along our journey.

Marie Forleo, an entrepreneur, life coach, and author said it best in her Youtube Show Marie TV that is linked below, “Do you feel expansive? Or do you feel contracted?” Does your shoulders open up and do you feel excited? Or does your body pull in, your head start to shake, where you dread about it?

Our body doesn’t lie. When you talk about something you shouldn’t do, you start to look pasty and depressed. But when you’re excited about what you’re working on, you light up like a Christmas tree.

Great advice that we can apply in our lives and career.

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Haiku #12


Blackness surrounds me.

I imagine you’re with me.

You lull me to sleep.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 11, 2016-

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Haiku #11


It doesn’t exist.

We just have to create it.

Believe what you see.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 11, 2016-

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Haiku #10


Orange fiery flames.

They rage, anger for anger.

Good becomes evil.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 6, 2016-

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Haiku #9


Images fading.

I try to remember us.

Time pulls you away.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 5, 2016-

 

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Haiku #8


You walk before me.

The cool breeze blowing your hair.

Sun setting with you.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 5, 2016-

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Haiku #7


Dreams keep feeding dreams.

We can live what we believe.

Crazy becomes real.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 5, 2016-

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Haiku #6


All my might I try,

but I can’t get there from here.

Reaching for the sky.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 5, 2016-

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Haiku #5


Stay under their view.

Surpass them and they will kill.

It’s in their nature.

-Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 5, 2016-

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Haiku #4


They say we are ghosts.

When we appear, they want us.

So we disappear.

– Jon Riki Karamatsu, June 4, 2016 –

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Keep failing until we succeed, and keep succeeding until we fail.


For many of us, dreams and goals make life exciting.  I enjoy coming up with ideas, expanding my skill-sets, and building relationships.  However, sometimes in the midst of our hustle to do well in our lives, we forget the importance of having gratitude for what we have now and accomplished thus far.  We get too fixated on what we want and get frustrated when all our efforts are not taking us there.  We all love success, but with every dream and goal we pursue, there will be challenges and even failure.  Some statistics say 8 out of 10 businesses started will fail.  Many have pursued the path to become a U.S. Senator or President of the United States and have fallen short.  Others have attempted to reach the highest levels in their field of work but have failed to attain that level.  Failure is only failure if we don’t appreciate what we currently have and what we have gained.  Shoot to be number one in the world, but number 50 is still pretty darn good.  We can make peace with our mind knowing that we did our best, and won’t have the pain of wondering “What if I had given my idea a shot?”  Through failure, we gain knowledge in areas we may have not been familiar with; build new relationships; and even come up with more ideas to pursue.  With failure, we change and evolve, often leading us to worlds we’ve never experienced.  When we embrace failure as part of success, we can keep moving higher to a level where we can keep failing until we succeed, and keep succeeding until we fail.

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Punching in a Dream.


I don’t ever wanna be here.

Like punching in a dream, breathing life into my nightmare.

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Haiku #3 – Jon Riki Karamatsu


Close your eyes and cry.

Words come to me in the dark.

Can you feel my heart?

– Jon Riki Karamatsu, May 31, 2016 –

 

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Jon Riki Karamatsu – Haiku #2


Her lovely brown eyes.

Past my reflecting image,

lies joy and sadness.

– Jon Riki Karamatsu, 5/21/2016 –

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James Altucher Podcast Show – Interview of Steve Case.


James Altucher interviews Hawaii’s own Steve Case, billionaire, founder and former CEO and Chairman of AOL, and former CEO and Chairman of Time Warner AOL. Mr. Case now runs Revolution LLC, a venture capital firm based in Washington D.C. that invests in other businesses and Case Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in Washington D.C.

Mr. Case wrote a New York Times bestselling book, “The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future.”

In the interview by Altucher, Mr. Case stated the following:

  • 1st Wave: Building the Internet.
  • 2nd Wave: Building on top of the Internet – software, apps, etc.
  • 3rd Wave: Integrating the Internet across our lives – learning, health, food, etc.

From the latter part of the first wave or early part of the 2nd wave in August 2002, I started an Internet retail business selling Hawaii and island-theme products on a Yahoo Store platform. In December 2002, I created this website/journal/blog for my political career and at that time I was one one of the few politicians in the country doing a journal/blog so I was interviewed by Times Magazine for their article on this issue in their December 18, 2006 magazine. I ended my Internet retail company in January 2012 and this website/journal/blog has evolved from a political website to a lifestyle and business focused website in the past year. The 3rd wave in the Internet will be exciting as we all add more creativity to it. For me, I hope to provide content on my website and other websites that inspires you to strive for your dreams and most importantly, be happy.

Link to the James Altucher Show – Steve Case.

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Jon Riki Karamatsu – Haiku #1


I’m neither alive.

Nor am I among the dead.

Emptiness is peace.

– Jon Riki Karamatsu, 5/20/2016 –

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Positive Living Practice #1: Reducing Stress in a Positive Way


As I mentioned in my “Positive Living Practice and Stages Practice” post, I’m creating a Positive Living Practice series that highlights products and services that can help us with our health, wealth, and happiness so that we can live a happy and fulfilling life. By “health,” I mean good physical, mental, and spiritual health. For “wealth,” I define it as time, knowledge, and ideas. And “happiness” is the wonderful joy we get from gratitude, compassion, and love.

Today, I’m discussing a challenge that we all face within our lives – “Stress.” Have you ever received another person’s wrath because of that person’s weakness in not being able to handle his or her stress? Or worse, have you ever directed your anger at another person and blamed your bad behavior because of the stress your were going through?

How often we experience stress is within our control. I personally believe that 99% of all challenges we face are either minor or can be resolved. In regards to the 1% of challenges that we can’t control, we can become stronger by accepting it, learning from it, and moving on.

Studies have shown that stress can cause us emotional and physical problems. Further, if we manage it in the wrong way, we could hurt our relationships and reputation. Instead of handling stress in a destructive way that hurts ourselves and others, we can address it in a positive way that spreads waves of positive energy to others. In this post, I will share with you my strategies to reduce stress. I also include a poster on how to beat stress and boost happiness by Happify, a company that helps you to develop happiness skills through its online activities and articles. You can check out Happify at http://www.happify.com.

If we can reduce stress, we will be healthier physically, mentally, and spiritually; and be stronger in our practice of gratitude, compassion, and love. With good health and happiness, we can make the best use of our time, absorb more knowledge, and come up with more ideas.

The following are some of the things that I like to do to reduce stress:

  1. Exercise: Run indoors or outdoors and lift weights.
  2. Dream of what I want to achieve.
  3. Type my ideas.
  4. Write down and update my goals.
  5. Envision the outcome of my goals.
  6. Listen to music.
  7. Spend time with my family.
  8. Be around positive people.
  9. Have gratitude for all the good things I have in my life.
  10. Meditate.
  11. Self-Reflect.
  12. See the positive in every failure.
  13. Try to get a good sleep and take a nap when I need a boost.
  14. Listen to podcast shows that highlight positive and successful people.
  15. Write fictional stories.
  16. Read novels.
  17. Learn through reading or practice.
  18. Watch a television show or movie that inspires me.
  19. Sensory Therapy – Sight: Vision boards, posters, & light from candles.
  20. Sensory Therapy – Sound: Music and sounds of nature.
  21. Sensory Therapy – Aroma: Scented candles and oil diffusers.
  22. Sensory Therapy – Touch: Shower or bath, swimming in the ocean or a pool, or a massage.
  23. Network.
  24. Enjoy events.
  25. Appreciate the beauty of nature.

Here is a poster from Happify that shows us how to take on stress in a positive way.

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#happy #stress #stressrelief #stressreduction #mindfulness #gratitude #empathy #compassion #mentalhealth #health #positivity #positiveliving #happiness #joy

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