Greetings and welcome!!
First of all, thank-you for coming here! It brings me joy to spread joy, as the laughing Buddha would say! Within this online space, I hope I can share with you many insights that will guide you to joyous living!
Before I begin however, I thought it would be a great start to explain where the idea came from. :-D
It's called "What's Buddha say!" with good reason!
When I create these articles, I look upon an image of Laughing Buddha and ask for insight. The result is a flow of thought that I feel compelled to write down. So great were these kind words, that I felt they needed to be shared. Buddha agreed of course!
So, how did it start?
Well, there was a week of my life where I felt so miserable, I began to carry a Buddha around with me. I'd started a new job - one which raised my hopes high - only to find that it was unsuitable for me. I was basically a cold caller.
To me - and a lot of other people - this was the worst possible job I could imagine myself doing. To have the dis-pleasure of intruding on people's privacy, only to hassle them into signing up to our service, then receiving the impact of their anger...it was rapidly affecting my state of mind. I remember arriving home at night and keeping myself awake, simply because I knew sleep would fast forward me to another day of miserable work. I don't know if anyone has ever felt that kind of dread before, but you can imagine how deeply this was affecting me. I'd gone from being a joyous positive person, to an unpleasant, angry, potty-mouthed individual. (Yes, my swearing was getting pretty bad!)
So, I placed the laughing Buddha on my desk and reminded myself to look upon it whenever I felt down...The image had always been enough to brighten my spirits in the past.
It worked well for a while... but I began to realize that I'd be lying to myself. I couldn't FORCE myself to be happy doing something I hate. Not even Buddha could help me there...
My team leader was picking up on my negative state, and would often offer motivation and kick me back into a positive attitude. He'd come over, place his hands on my shoulders and ask...
After a while, I began to ponder...if the laughing Buddha could say something...If he could reveal himself from the ether and smile down on me...could he guide me on the path of joy again...? What would he say?
I looked at him, into the gleam of joy filled eyes and asked a question...in my thoughts, he answered.
I don't know whether I was channeling, or if my subconscious streaming the insight. All I know is that his words brought me joy, insight, and inspiration. He had a way of speaking that was calm, beautiful and filled with wisdom. He also filled me with positive energy! I wanted to laugh, dive around, have fun and share it with everyone!
Eventually, he told me this:
Many walk the narrow path in fear of going beyond the fence. Those fences were planted to protect the traveler, but also to deny them freedom. You have followed the flow of these fear-made fences... yet there is nothing to stop you climbing beyond fear right now. You cannot see what is out there - in the open lands - but there is excitement to be had for sure. There is always joy to be found in the great unknown! What is to stop you forging a path of your own? One that leads you to YOUR OWN joy?
I'd become trapped on this road because I'd given in to fear.
I'd sold out my own dreams and ambitions for the sake of financial security.
Because I felt my passions couldn't support my living.
In the end, the choice was simple. Either continue to follow unhappy roads, or take a risk and opt out. I could find something wonderful out there, beyond fear! If I stayed on the path, the only destination was misery and more misery. I'd begin to accept misery as part of my life, and deny there was ever a possibility of escape. There'd be no chance to find a pot of gold, to do what I love, to live a joy-filled life...
I decided to take a chances, for the sake of my happiness! I cut my losses, got out of there, and haven't looked back since!
Laughing Buddha guided me away from that negative situation, and continues to guide me into positive scenarios that bring me happiness today. All he asks in return is that I spread MY joy unto others. So that's what I'm doing now!
I hope that my future posts can enlighten, entertain and inspire you to follow one path...your OWN path...set the destination for JOY right now!
Until next time, blessings of love, laughter and life! :-D
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