As I try to regain some semblance of a "professional" blog, I find myself posting about things that pops up in my mind from time to time; this is a personal blog I think to myself, never mind that I get upvotes and tips from time to time.

2022 has been a difficult year for most, myself not exempted from the travails of living in a third world country that has politicians doing more politicking than serving the country. It is easy to understand the state that we are in by just reading the headlines on news sites or recommendations from social media. I'm actually trying to write about something positive so this rant is sidetracking my intention. 

So, back to my goal. I'm looking at a "feel-good" wall decor that my wife just bought which clearly states good vibes and something aspirational for all of us to ponder upon while we plan the year ahead:

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![324461993_706874444123282_1633359539909780652_n-a.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/juanvegetarian/242Nua74tcixJYTEPB1Gv3pU9ka18NoRcUxbUPo5SNsJMP5y94n6EJpBNJucNnGy68Br7.jpg)
 

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# 1. Think Positively

Given a choice between thinking positive versus the opposite, I choose to think positively. It doesn't mean to say that I don't think about negative things - far from it - I just prefer to approach things from this mindset and point of view. In my mind, there is much to be learned from looking at the negatives, especially from a risk-reward perspective, but from a general standpoint this is the place I'd like to put myself in no matter what the circumstances, no matter how difficult, or sweet, the situation is. Positive thinking is not the end all that will change your life, but for me, it's a great starting point.

# 2. Be Grateful

Something in being grateful makes life sweeter for me. Being grateful means that I'm content with life, with the people around me, with what's happening in different aspects of living. For one, waking up each day is something that not everyone in the world will get to do. People who don't wake up from their sleep might be lucky because they passed in their sleep or unlucky because they just got promoted at work; we will never know but so will they. What I do know however is that because I woke up, I can still do something good in the world, something that will, can potentially help other people, and that my life will have been worth something when I finally kick the bucket.

# 3. Smile Often

Whether you are in sales or in the customer service industry, smiling often is something that we have been taught to do when facing clients. Especially in some scenarios, a smile can potentially diffuse a  difficult situation and help in mitigating tension. A smile radiates positive, warm energy. Meditation practitioners use it to calm the mind, relax the body, and soothe a tired soul. For me, smiling brings out clarity of character, of what we are deep inside; it says that we have chosen to be happy inside and out, to be cheerful in times of despair, and to be calm in the face of danger. 

# 4. Live Simply

Simple living is a choice. It is not for everyone. Some people choose to be extravagant and "bonggacious" and there's nothing wrong with that because it is a choice. There is something that can be said for this mindset that clears my life of extraneous stuff. It clears my mind of the unnecessary baggage of bad ideas and emotions, of things that I have to let go of. A simple living doesn't mean a simplistic life. It does not oversimplify things. For me, it means that there is a good balance between the material and spiritual, of being practical and having the things that one truly needs versus the wants that just make up clutter caused by impulse spending and mindless card-swiping.

# 5. Give Love

Not the lustful kind, Love here being defined as genuine concern for another. It can also be love for your pet doggo or cat, if you have one or more. In fact, love can be directed at many things such as love for the environment or love for your family. It can also be love for the work that you do. The Holy Bible gives a clear and detailed description of what love is in 1 Corinthians 13, which I will not share here as it is one of the more popular passages in the Holy Book. What I like about it is that it talks about unconditional love, truth, and justice in-depth that we can all find in in the few passages. Something worth reading and pondering upon even if you are not into this kind of stuff.

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# To Conclude

I am a planner, or at least I try to be whenever I can, whenever a situation presents itself. I look at things from the end-goal and try to work from there, and retrace the steps needed to be able to reach my destination. In life and in work, this has always worked well in the things that I do and it always starts with beginning with the end in mind. 

Anyways, I was thinking about writing a post about my new year's resolution and planning out my year but it did not work out that way; maybe for another blog that I might write next.

That's it for now. As always, I'm grateful if you have read until the end. I hope you have gained something from reading this post. Wishing you all a productive and happy day ahead.

Love and peace.

<h1>`~Juan 😎`</h1>

<sub>_*I own the photo used here_</sub>