The Alchemist

"Reading The alchemist was like getting up at dawn and seeing the sun rise while the rest of the world still slept." - An American publisher.

"Reading Paulo Coelho, thinking Tal-Ben Shahar was like hearing awake voices while most/many people are sleeping away their whole life." - Ran

"I weep for Narcissus, but never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected." - A perspective. 

Destiny. Kongzi (Confucius, 孔子, Kǒngzǐ) said he got aware of his destiny at the age of fifty. Coelho enlighten about destiny in his books. Tal encourages you to find your destiny, your calling, and provides you methods to strengthen yourself.

"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon." vs "Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the jouney on our way toward a destination we deem valuable." 

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” - Paulo Coelho

"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” 

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting”. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure”. “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” 

Have you noticed these two words, destiny and destination? :-)

Malaga first visit

I love to walk along the sea. Costa de Sol, sun and sea. My first vist of Malaga last week. 

I chose the hotels on the map. First two nights at Eurostar Astria in Malaga city center, other four nights at Sol Timor Apartments by the sea in Torremolinos. I flied with Ryanair on Sunday morning, and back with SAS on Saturday afternoon. 

Malaga airport has the most convenient traffic communication. The commute train goes every 20 minutes from the airport. It takes 12 minutes to Malaga Centro and costs 1.80 Euro. http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercanias/malaga/index.html

I like everything there, the historic quarter and the beautiful seafront. Malaga has many museums and nice parks. Some museums have free admission on (part of) Sunday. I visited Alcazaba, Centre Pompidou Malaga, Picasso Foundation (Casa Natal Museum), Catheral and Centre for Contemporary Art. The next day many churches on my spontous wandering, Picasso musuem, Gibralfaro Castle, Muelle una, the beach, and sea-walk. Rented a bike the third day, four hours for 5 Euro, eastward 20 kilometers. Lovely days.

Long sea-walks in Torremolinos and Benalmadena. Wonderful time.

Thanks Malaga. Thanks nice people. Thanks the friendly receptionists for rum changes. Thanks wise Chee for your pleasant company beside the queen's lake while the king's path was closed, thanks for tips of book and app. Thanks the sweet girl Leonor at Cafe National park for your kindness. Thanks my glad neighbors and German Torsten who's been living in Spain for 8 years for inspiration. 

What makes this holiday special is I made a date with Chee - we will speak Spanish with each other after five years. :-)

A tip to you who are going to visit Malaga is to find Caminito del Rey in advance. 

Help by shining

For about 10 years ago I was depressed after a seperation. When I saw the safe-instruction-video on a flight with my son I understood the meaning - put your gas-mask first then help your child with the gas-mask. Help yourself first, then you have the ability to help others.

Love others as you love yourself. How could you love others if you do not love yourself?

Think positively. Enjoy the journey. Coping. Learn from failure. Permit to be human being. Find out what I/you really want. Be on the upward spiral. :-)

Help by sharing. Help by shining. Think God. Thank God. 

Tal-Ben Shahar also refers to the flight-safe-instruction in his lecture. Tal describes Warren Bennis so, "He would walk into the classroom, and the room would light up. It was his smile, his posture, his openness, his expressiveness ... made the person feel better about themselves."

Tal quotes a part of Nathanieal Branden's definition of self-esteem, “Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It is confidence in the efficacy of our mind, in our ability to think. By extension, it is confidence in our ability to learn, make appropriate choices and decisions, and respond effectively to change. It is also the experience that success, achievement, fulfillment – happiness – are right and natural for us. The survival-value of such confidence is obvious; so is the danger when it is missing.”

Harvard University 21 Positive Psychology 1504

Harvard University 22 Positive Psychology 1504

Harvard University 23 Positive Psychology 1504

Benefit finder

If someone came to the restaurant where you were sitting with hundreds of guests and shot you in the arm. What would you think? Are you unlucky because there were hundreds of other people who did not get injured and why just you were shooten? or are you lucky because the bullet did not hit your head or heart?

Before I visited Casino Cosmopol Stockholm with some friends I gave myself permission to lose 4000 sek. I quit the game efter a loss of 2000 sek. Gladly I told my friends that I "I have won 2000 sek. As I have a permitted loss of 4000 sek and an actual loss of 2000 sek."

To have humor, to be a benefit finder, to be an optimist, that's the easy way to a happier life, that's the happy way to an easier life. :-)

A talk about humor at "Harvard University 20 Positive Psychology 1504".