I’ll be on vacation from 9/25 to 10/13, going back to Hawaii and China. It’s always great to take a break and really enjoy time with family and friends. Since I’ll be away from the computer and because WordPress is blocked in China, I’ll be away from this blog starting today, but I’ll be back once I’ve returned to California.

Wishing everyone a wonderful autumn…today is the start of the fall season!

Sometimes you just need a pick-me-upper to get your day going in the right direction, and it all starts with a good attitude. This post is from Gretchen Rubin’s blog, http://www.happiness-project.com and lists out the 7 tips to make yourself happier immediately.

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You can make yourself happier – and this doesn’t have to be a long-term ambition. You can start right now. In the next hour, check off as many of the following items as possible. Each of these accomplishments will lift your mood, as will the mere fact that you’ve tackled and achieved some concrete goals.

1. Boost your energy: stand up and pace while you talk on the phone or, even better, take a brisk ten-minute walk outside. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up, and the activity and sunlight are good for your focus, your mood, and the retention of information. Plus, because of “emotional contagion,” if you act energetic, you’ll help the people around you feel energetic, too.

2. Reach out to friends: make a lunch date or send an email to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Having warm, close bonds with other people is one of the keys to happiness, so take the time to stay in touch. Somewhat surprisingly, it turns out that socializing boosts the moods not only of extroverts, but also of introverts.

3. Rid yourself of a nagging task: answer a difficult email, purchase something you need, or call to make that dentist’s appointment. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of energy and cheer, and you’ll be surprised that you procrastinated for so long.

4. Create a calmer environment: clear some physical and mental space around your desk by sorting papers, pitching junk, stowing supplies, sending out quick responses, filing, or even just making your piles neater. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizeable dent. Try to get in the habit of using the “one minute rule”—i.e., never postpone any task that can be completed in less than one minute. An uncluttered environment will contribute to a more serene mood.

5. Lay the groundwork for some future fun: order a book you’ve been wanting to read (not something you think you should read) or plan a weekend excursion to a museum, hiking trail, sporting event, gardening store, movie theater—whatever sounds like fun. Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; people enjoy almost all activities more when they’re with other people than when they’re alone.

6. Do a good deed: make an email introduction of two people who could help each other, or set up a blind date, or shoot someone a piece of useful information or gratifying praise. Do good, feel good—this really works. Also, although we often believe that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act. When you act in a friendly way, you’ll strengthen your feelings of friendliness for other people.

7. Act happy: put a smile on your face right now, and keep smiling. Research shows that even an artificially induced smile has a positive influence on your emotions—turns out that just going through the motion of happiness brightens your mood. And if you’re smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable.

Some people worry that wanting to be happier is a selfish goal. To the contrary. Studies show that happier people are more sociable, likeable, healthy, and productive—and they’re more inclined to help other people. So in working to boost your own happiness, you’re benefiting others as well.

Feel happier yet?

Want more? Check out her one-minute movie: http://www.theyearsareshort.com/

One of my passions is traveling. I’ve been fortunate to visit a bunch of countries across the world and plan to visit more in the future. I’ll be going to Hawaii, Tokyo, and Hangzhou starting later this month.

I came across this award-winning slideshow on Guy Kawasaki’s blog. “Footnotes” maps the joy of traveling through a foot journal.

The entire post is definitely worth a read and should make your day, as it did mine.

*From “The Psychology of Happiness: 13 Steps to a Better Life” post from Get Rich Slowly blog by JD.

13 steps to a better life
What does all this mean to you? If money won’t bring you happiness, what will? How can you stop making yourself miserable and start learning to love life? According to my research, these are the thirteen actions most likely to encourage happiness:

1. Don’t compare yourself to others. Financially, physically, and socially, comparing yourself to others is a trap. You will always have friends who have more money than you do, who can run faster than you can, who are more successful in their careers. Focus on your own life, on your own goals.
2. Foster close relationships. People with five or more close friends are more apt to describe themselves as happy than those with fewer.
3. Have sex. Sex, especially with someone you love, is consistently ranked as a top source of happiness. A long-term loving partnership goes hand-in-hand with this.
4. Get regular exercise. There’s a strong tie between physical health and happiness. Anyone who has experienced a prolonged injury or illness knows just how emotionally devastating it can be. Eat right, exercise, and take care of our body. (And read Get Fit Slowly!)
5. Obtain adequate sleep. Good sleep is an essential component of good health. When you’re not well-rested, your body and your mind do not operate at peak capacity. Your mood suffers. (Read more in my brief guide to better sleep.)
6. Set and pursue goals. I believe that the road to wealth is paved with goals. More than that, the road to happiness is paved with goals. Continued self-improvement makes life more fulfilling.
7. Find meaningful work. There are some who argue a job is just a job. I believe that fulfilling work is more than that — it’s a vocation. It can take decades to find the work you were meant to do. But when you find it, it can bring added meaning to your life.
8. Join a group. Those who are members of a group, like a church congregation, experience greater happiness. But the group doesn’t have to be religious. Join a book group. Meet others for a Saturday morning bike ride. Sit in at the knitting circle down at the yarn shop.
9. Don’t dwell on the past. I know a guy who beats himself up over mistakes he’s made before. Rather than concentrate on the present (or, better yet, on the future), he lets the past eat away at his happiness. Focus on the now.
10. Embrace routine. Research shows that although we believe we want variety and choice, we’re actually happier with limited options. It’s not that we want no choice at all, just that we don’t want to be overwhelmed. Routines help limit choices. They’re comfortable and familiar and, used judiciously, they can make us happy.
11. Practice moderation. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. It’s okay to indulge yourself on occasion — just don’t let it get out of control. Addictions and compulsions can ruin lives.
12. Be grateful. It’s no accident that so many self-help books encourage readers to practice gratitude. When we regularly take time to be thankful for the things we have, we appreciate them more. We’re less likely to take them for granted, and less likely to become jealous of others.
13. Help others. Over and over again, studies have shown that altruism is one of the best ways to boost your happiness. Sure, volunteering at the local homeless shelter helps, but so too does just being nice in daily life.

Remember: True wealth is not about money. True wealth is about relationships, about good health, and about continued self-improvement.

I stayed up late last night to watch the entire game versus Spain. You should’ve seen me: pumping my fists, silently cheering, and feet and hands sweating profusely in anxiousness at 1:30am in the morning!

When Spain came within 2 points within the 4th quarter, I could just feel the incredible pressure mounting on the Redeem Team, even though I was watching thousands of miles away. However, from that point, Kobe took over and made an incredible 4 point play.

In this true test, the Americans showed what makes them the world champs. They dug down deep and showed tremendous heart to fight to the very end of the game. All the millions of dollars, NBA championships, and MVPs were forgot about and everyone was focused on winning this gold medal game. The end result was a team gold medal, something that Lebron James said was his greatest achievement ever.

The Redeem Team has been fantastic, and I am truly happy the way this team represented America at the Olympics in China.

If you haven’t ever seen this, you’ve got to see this. It’s been viewed over 9 million times on YouTube and it’s just great.

For high-res version and more info, go to his website at http://wherethehellismatt.com.

This weekend, we all witnessed greatness. Michael Phelps defied all odds and won an unprecedented 8 gold medals in an Olympic Games. Pat Forde of ESPN described Phelps as “An Embodiment of the Olympic Ideal.” He says, “In Phelps’ eight medal races, we saw the Olympic ideal: athletic excellence, gripping competition, incredible drama, admirable sportsmanship, earnest teamwork, visceral humanity.”

He was an exhibition of all of the above and so much more. He showed that dreams do come true with a supreme combination of talent, motivation, hard work, and belief in oneself. He is a citizen that makes every American proud, a man that encourages boys to pursue their dreams, and an athlete that even makes Lebron and Kobe excited and pumped up to watch swimming.

Sharing the moment with mom and two sisters. *Photo courtesy of ESPN.com.

What stood out most for me was his incredible humility in victory and tremendous love for his family. When he was being awarded his first gold medal of the games, you could see him telling his teammate that he could not find his mother. Eventually, he found her and he was finally at ease to receive his gold medal. In one of the most glorifying times of his life, he looked to share that moment with the person who sacrificed the most to get him there. Truly admirable.

Congratulations to Michael Phelps. You deserve all the fortune and the fame you’ll be getting after your performance as an athlete and as a human being at the Olympic Games.

This week, we’ve watched the intense competition in the Beijing Olympics. All the participants want to be the first to the finish line. But it’s all the blood, sweat, and tears they’ve had along the way that make the race worth even racing. Life is the same way. We need to enjoy the race as much as the result.

Here’s a creed I’ve read over and over the years and it is still universal in it’s meaning.

A CREED TO LIVE BY

by Nancy Sim

Don’t underestimate your worth by comparing yourself with others.

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important.

Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart.

Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or the future.

By living your life one day at a time, you will live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give.

Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks.

It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love is to give love;

The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly;

And the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t dismiss your dreams;

To be without dreams is to be without hope;

To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been,

but also, where you’re going.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each and every step of the way.

A house that once was in Beichuan, China

My friend, Scott Wong, just came back from an eye-opening experience in Beichuan, a city near the epicenter of the huge earthquake that shook Sichuan, China on May 12th. He wrote a letter to my friend, Leah Kim, and said:

But in all of this darkness, there is a significant amount of hope that exists in the community and particularly the young people who are becoming accustomed to this new way of life. Outside volunteers like Jia Guo Peng, as well as some of the other local volunteers are everyday heroes, helping to bring back a sense of normality and community to the lives of younger and more vulnerable people. The students who showed us around demonstrated immense courage and maturity to deal with the earthquake and its aftermath and make-shift schools have been put in place to educate them. Business was brisk for those few stores and restaurants still operating. Spiritually, the community is rebuilding and I’m happy to see their determination to move forward.

Check out Leah’s post for the full letter from Scott. Click here for Scott’s photo album of the stark reality of the situation in Sichuan.

I’ve been waiting for 8.8.08 for a long, long time. Ever since I moved to Beijing in August of 2003, I have been in anticipation of this day. I was in Beijing from August 2003 to July 2006 and got to witness and experience first-hand the development and changes in the city. So, I got all the dust from the roadwork and the construction, all the traffic from that construction, and all the days of haze and pollution. But in all that madness and chaos, there was a deep sense of hope and excitement for better things to come.

Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Fireworks

Now the day has come and Beijing is ready for the international stage. I am in eager anticipation for the Opening Ceremony, which will be a delayed broadcast tonight because of NBC. From the photos I’ve seen splashed over the Internet, I’m sure the show will be nothing short of impressive.

As a Chinese-American who lived in China and in Beijing for a few years, this Olympics is special. Somehow, I feel like I share in a piece of the growth of this country and this event, albeit in some small and minute way. The Olympics will almost be like my homecoming back to the city that I started my post-college life in.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about my thoughts and feelings as a Chinese-American in the midst of this Beijing Olympic fervor. It should be a fun ride! I can’t wait!

*Photo courtesy of New York Times