FInding Joy in your life- Stop complaining already.

Sometimes I really miss the early years of my life when everything seemed possible and I believed that the world held only good.

Of course this perspective has to change as we grow up and see the dirty reality of so many parts of life. As time passes it becomes easier and easier to become discouraged or even depressed by the tragedies and disappointments of everyday life.

On top of the daily challenges we seem to be compelled to always compare our lives and situations to others who have it better than us. We wonder why they have the nice house and cars while we "endure" life with the '"meager" things we have earned or been blessed with. In fact it seems like the tendency to look up rather than down has little to do with income bracket or position in life. No matter how good people have it they seem to always be able to find someone with a life better than theirs.

I have to admit that I spent the majority of my first 34 years on this planet looking up and wondering the same things. I had the same feelings until I spent my first week in Haiti and realized just how desperate and disheartening life can really be. From the very moment we arrived in Port Au Prince I knew my perspective in life would never be the same again. I quickly realized that even the most humble circumstances in the U.S. would be viewed as living like a king for most in this impoverished land.

I witnessed people that were living in the most desperate conditions where food and water are a constant battle. Children are dying from starvation and people constantly get sick from something as simple as a glass of water that is often filled from filthy gutters.

It took me too long to gain perspective and understand where happiness can always be found. So many chase happiness by shopping, drinking, drugs and constantly moving from relationship to relationship. These things may have the ability to make you happy for an instant but will do very little to help you gain the true and sustainable joy that comes from helping others.

Nothing will make you feel as good as grabbing the hand of someone who is struggling and providing them the assistance they need to either improve themselves or simply survive. I personally will never forget the feeling of holding children that were literally dying in my arms, it simply broke my heart. I will also never forget the feeling of signing the first of many checks going to the orphage that have been so generously donated by my staff.

As you focus on helping people who are in more difficult circumstances than your own will help you keep perspective and go through your life with a full heart knowing that you are doing good things with your time. Love is found in service and opening our arms and hearts to people who are less fortunate than we are.

Find a cause, find someone to help or at very least look for little actions you can do to make someone elses life a little better each and every day.

Love,

Dad