May isang magaling na karpintero ang naging kilala dahil napakagaling niya sa paggawa ng bahay na hinahangaan ng marami. Ang kanyang mga disenyo at craftsmanship ay nailathala sa mga magazines at peryodiko. Sa mga taon na dumaan, siya ay napagod at unti-unting nawalan ng gana sa buhay. Nag-resign siya ngunit nakiusap ang kanyang boss: “Tulungan mo pa ako sa isang bahay na ipinagagawa sa atin. I will sign your resignation once this last project is completed.”

Ayaw man ng karpintero, pero napilitan na lang siya. Makikita sa kanyang mukha araw-araw ang pagiging maiyamutin at lousy na trabaho. Nawalan siya ng sigla sa kanyang dating ginagawa. Hindi na siya kagaya ng dati na masayahin bagkus ay lumikha pa siya ng alitan sa kanyang mga kasamahan. Ang resulta ay naging pangit at hindi maganda ang pagkakagawa ng bahay. Dumating ang boss niya at sinabi: “Please sign this title deed to prove ownership. This is my gift to you. This house you have just finished is yours. By the way, here is your resignation which I have just signed.”

Ang laki ng gulat ng karpintero sapagkat hindi niya alam na sa kanya palang bahay ang kanyang ginagawa! Sana ginalingan nya lalo. Sana inayos niya ang paggawa.

What about you? Do you enjoy your life? Or are you allowing negativity to succumb your life to depression, stress and unhappiness? The life you have right now is like a house you are building. It is your gift to yourself that others will see. Do it nicely so you become proud of it.

When you see that there are hundred of reasons to cry and to complain about, show the world that there are thousands of reasons to keep you smiling. My point is that there are other beautiful things to be happy.

Sinasabi ng Bibliya na: “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it…” Yes, there are times when we feel grumpy, discouraged, upset, but let it pass and don’t dwell on that for a long time. Learn from that and do it better next time. Move on and move forward.

May isang babae ang pangalan ay Lydia. Nagsimula siyang mag benta ng lechon at marami syang naging pagsubok at problema. Nagkaasawa siya na naging malaking problema niya. Nagkaroon sila ng anak at habang nagtitinda sya sa Baclaran, nasa ilalim ng kanyang lamesa ang kanyang anak kase walang mag-aalaga. Naging thankful siya sa kanyang buhay bagamat mahirap…ngunit naging professional sya sa kanyang pakikitungo sa kapwa lalo na sa mga customer. Laging naka bandana, naka apron na puti, malinis tingnan at palaging nakangiti. Napadaan ang may ari ng isang malaking hotel sa Maynila at umorder ng maraming lechon, bulk orders and from that time nagsunod-sunod na ang mga hotels na umorder din at swerte sa buhay. After 28 years nagbago ang kanyang asawa. Ngayon siya na si Lydia De Roca, the owner of a multi-million business, Lydia’s Lechon. She learned that principle, to keep smiling in the midst of difficulty. To enjoy the ride of life while she’s on a journey. 

Iwasan natin na laging hanapin ang mga bagay na wala bagkus ay ma-appreciate natin ang mga bagay na meron tayo ngayon. Contentment is a virtue. It is not a fulfillment of what we want but the appreciation of what we have. When you practice this simple principle, you will see life in a different angle. You will enjoy more. I am not advocating for us to be complacent of not achieving our goals. To be contented does not mean you don’t aspire for more but it means you are happy and grateful for what you have and expecting for something greater and better to come.

Isang araw ang aking 4-year old na si Jewel ay nakikipaglaro sa akin. Sinabi ko sa aking asawa na masyado akong naaabala sa aking pagta-trabaho na parang nagsisimula na akong mag panic dahil may mga deadlines ako na kelangan kong tapusin. Ngunit sinabi sa akin ng aking asawa:

“One day, Daddy, hahanapin natin ang bawat araw na kasama si Jewel. Ilang panahon pa lang at malaki na ‘yan. Hindi na natin maibabalik ang mga panahon. Let’s enjoy while we still have her now.”

It’s interesting na minsan nagbakasyon si Jewel ng matagal, wala na akong kasama sa bahay. Oo nakakapag trabaho ako ng walang abala ngunit dahil hindi ko na naririnig ang mga tawanan namin ni Jewel…ang mga harutan namin at kilitian. I started to be bored and lazy. When she returned home, I hugged her tightly and enjoyed her all the time since then. I changed the way I see things. I changed my perspective in life. The family is more important than my job. I am now a happier person because I choose to be happy. I enjoy more of my life.

Friends, we have to learn how to live a happy life. Whatever we have right now and wherever we are right now, there are still many reasons to be happy.

You may be complaining about your job because of your boss or because of your co-workers. But there is a reason to thank God that you have a job to earn money and feed your family. And there is an employer who still believe in your capability. There are thousands of people looking for work like the one you have and will do anything to take your job.

I remember the life of Sarah. God told Abraham that he will become the father of many nation. Sarah laughed as if saying: “Hahaha! God must be joking. I am too old to bear a child. It must have been a mistake!” God changed Sarah’s name from Sarai. Sarah means princess. God will ask you to change the way you see yourself. You must have a new perspective.

You may be complaining about your spouse or your partner because he or she is like this and is like that. But imagine if he or she is to leave and you will be on your own unhappy. You will pray to God that bring your spouse or partner back. Be thankful.

You may be complaining about your child na masyado pasaway. But thank God that you have a child. Imagine those couples praying to have a baby and queuing up to get an IVF treatment to give them a chance to conceive. Be thankful.

You may be complaining that you are going to clean your house. But thank God that you have the ability to do that. It means you are alive and healthy. It means that God gave you a home, a roof over your head to live. Imagine those squatters living in dirt and poverty under the bridge and don’t have a proper toilet facility, no cozy bed, no heating or electric fan, that when the storm comes and flood arises, they have to find an uncomfortable place to pass the night. Or imagine that your house is burned down by a fire. Ilayo ng Diyos, but I bet we would all pray that we have our home forever. Let’s thank God for that house.

I heard one day: “Don, I cannot be happy because I am not rich unlike some of my friends. I just don’t have anything to be thankful for.” I told that person that his health is something to be thankful for. I asked him that there are billionaires who would trade their death bed into everything they own in exchange for the health he now enjoys. I also reminded him that if he will suffer from sickness and disease and that it would need hundreds of thousands or even millions to cure him, he would be miserable. But he has none of this sickness and ill-health. That is something to thank God for.

I believe to live a happy life is a choice. We have to choose to be happy. Gusto ko tandaan mo ito: “YOU are responsible for your own happiness.” Don’t wait for others to make you happy. Don’t allow others to take that joy off you. Don’t allow circumstances to change the way you smile. No matter what you feel, get up, dress up, put a smile in your face, show up.

I heard this saying: “I had no shoes and complained until I met a man who had no feet.”

I spoke to a nurse and told me that she will be working on a ‘long-day’ shift on a long-weekend. I could see that she was not looking forward to it. I said to myself, can it not be: “I will be working whole day…” I asked her to change her perspective. Don’t try to use “long-day” as if it will be a hectic, burdensome long day…”

According to some medical research, heart attack has a higher percentage of death between 6-9 on a Monday morning. And 10% happiness are added on a Friday. They have this: TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday) mentality. Many people die because of not enjoying what they do. For me, I may not be in the job I want, but it will not stop me from being thankful that I have a job. I will become the best in what I do and perhaps promotion and reward will come upon me.

Why don’t we say, “Ito ang araw na gawa ng Diyos…Ako ay magsasaya at magagalak sapagkat ito ang araw na gawa ng Diyos.” It did not say that we only enjoy our lives on a Friday or on a holiday. The Bible is clear to say that “This is the day…we have to rejoice and be glad…”

The problem with most people is that they keep waiting for the right time, for the right opportunity before they enjoy life. They limit happiness in a container. They set a time frame for it. Their happiness is dependent on others, and on what they feel and on their expectation. But the problem with our feelings is that it tends to be deceptive and is temporary, volatile in nature. The problem with others is that they may not always be there to make us happy. They may be sad themselves.

We always hear:

“I’ll be happy when I pay this debt.”

I’ll be happy once my children are finished school”

‘I’ll be happy when my husband treats me better”

‘I’ll be happy once I get better from this illness…”

I want to encourage you today to enjoy your life and never allow anything, any problem, any sickness to keep you from being happy. Remember, the house you’re building now is yours. Build it nicely. Life is too short. Don’t make it shorter by living life in regrets and discouragement. Enjoy life while you have it.