My World

I always tend to think positive even when I feel hopeless. I never see my glass half-empty - it's always half-full. In my life, I've been through thick and thin, yet I've always thought these difficulties were a blessing in disguise. My father used to tell me that a pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities while an optimist is one who makes opportunities out of his difficulties. So I've learned to make opportunities out of my difficulties and construct instead of destroying. Beyond the darkest of nights, there's always the promise of the dawn, the greeting of the rising sun. And as Maria says in The Sound of Music , when God closes a door somewhere opens a window. Every cloud has a silver lining. Can you see that silver lining? While I was surfing the Internet last weekend, I came across a site which caught my eye. You might like to have a look as well. THE OPTIMIST CREED Promise Yourself - To be so strong that nothing can disturb your...

I am a christian, a Greek Orthodox, and I solemnly observe our religious events and ceremonies. I am not a very religious person, though, in the sense that I rarely go to church and I only fast during the Holy Week before Easter. Does that make me a sinner?   I've often wondered if going to church every Sunday or fasting or having a spiritual father will make me a better christian. A very good online friend of mine, Morris, once explained the importance of visiting the House of God. Why? Will God love me more if I visit His house every Sunday? Will He punish me if I don't? In my religion, God is omnipresent, He is ubiquitous  and He is certainly not a punisher! God is Love and He is there to help us in rocky times. My God's son, Jesus Christ, was persecuted and crucified in order to save us from sin. So, how can God be a punisher?   My God is compassionate and merciful and He can hear me wherever I am. I believe in the power of prayer. But I don't th...

I had a wonderfully carefree childhood and a relatively easy adolescence despite the fact that I experienced war at the age of sixteen. Thinking positive has helped me to mature a lot and realise that what matters most in life is counting my blessings instead of crying over spilt milk. There's no point in thinking negatively or trying to change an irreversible situation. There are so many benefits in thinking positive including health benefits. For instance, you walk tall, your voice is loud and clear and your whole attitude shows the way you feel. What's more, you emanate a blithe, cheerful and light-hearted  air, you anticipate happiness, health and success instead of brooding over problems or situations that cannot be undone. I've always looked on the bright side of life. This doesn't mean that I keep my head in the sand and ignore hard times. I just think the best is going to happen, not the worst.  Life, however, isn't always a bed of roses. The worst may o...

In the walk of life you will find several people. Some are there with you only for a momentary phase while others walk the path of life with you for a considerable distance.  Friends come and go. But it requires true courage and spirit to be friends forever and to walk the journey of life till the end. As a Jewish saying goes- "Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure". And I guess you have. But it is not easy to find this treasure. Only very fortunate ones succeed in achieving it. Once it is found, try your best not to lose it. An anonymous author very aptly described friends forever as- “Some people come into our lives and quickly go.” Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.   A true friend is someone who understands you even without your having to explain anything- someone who understands you and cares for you. ...

Regardless of colour, race, religion, social status, nationality or ideology, our main purpose in life is to be happy. To me, happiness is subjective and relative to what each one of us expects in life. It's variable as it changes with age.  In my childhood, happiness was playing with my dolls and listening to my grandma's amazing fairy tales! Later in my teens,  happiness was doing well at school, hanging out with my friends, falling in love all the time and getting on well with my parents. Now, as an adult, my priorities have changed. and happiness has become entwined with my family and all these little things  in everyday life that make me feel so happy- for example, watching the sunrise or the sunset, listening to the rain while reading "Jane Eyre" for the upteenth time, listening to Neil Diamond's Seagull and other songs like Love on the Rocks and September Morn, writing, blogging  or simply cooking a meal with Alkis. I have now realised that hap...

My positive outlook on life has often helped me get a much better quality of life even when things go wrong. Life is certainly not a bed of roses, but what's the point of being negative in rocky times? When things go wrong, I never think of the negative consequences which would certainly lead me to misery and depression. My illustrious ancestors - the ancient Greeks - said that that there's always a good thing in every bad thing. For example, in 1989 I lost a good job after an argument with my boss.  My first thought was: "Never mind, I will find a better job, with a better pay and great job satsfaction." I refused to cry over the spilt milk. Three months later, I got a great job. And I had the best boss ever! Seven years later, I started running my own language school. I think it's very important to be thankful and feel thankful for all the great blessings we've had in life. Surely, we also experience some rocky times. - then we're the least ...