The Chemical Brothers:
The Salmon Dance
Don Hertzfeldt:
Billy's Balloon
Daft Punk - Daft Hands
How to be Happy
"Everyone just wants to be happy. That's why people go on diets, spend too much money for clothes, or suck up to popular people - because they think it will make them happy! However, if you get to know all different people, you will see what makes the happiest people happy.!
1.
Change your thought process. If you catch yourself thinking that things aren't going to work out, then think again. Remember that most things work out better than you fear - so imagine that your fears are ungrounded and that success is ahead. Rather than thinking of the problems and getting desperate, imagine the best outcome and then work out what you need to do to make that happen. You'll not only be more likely to get a result - you'll also feel happier.
2.
See the world for what it really is. You have friends and family that love you. Learn How to be thankful. Think of all the things you have to be happy about. Look around you and learn to experience the beauty of nature. Notice the new green leaf, the small flowers, the wide expanse of sky above you. Relax, calm down, take things slower. The cliché is passé, but there’s a big element of truth to it: When you stop to smell the roses, the world is just a brighter, happier, and more beautiful place to live.
3.
Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
4.
Let go of the past. We cannot change the past, but we can enjoy today, and look to the future. Change is never painless and moving on is very difficult at times. But if we are prepared to take credit for the past and accept that everything that happened in our life, good and bad, has made us the person we are - the battle is half won. Don't hold post-mortems. Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.
5.
Lighten up. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people. Stress can cause many mental, physical, and spiritual problems in your life. One of the major causes of stress is worrying about things that are out of your control. Learn to recognize these things and if you can truly do nothing about them, then just let them go. Take time to laugh at yourself and the situations you find yourself in. Laughter is a powerful, positive medicine and the calmer and more peaceful you can take things, the happier your life will be.
6.
Be yourself. Don't let your neighbor set your standards. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you. Don’t compare yourself to other people – at work or in your personal life. In the first place, no one knows what other people are going through. More importantly, when you compare yourself to other people, you always tend to see yourself on the "short end". So this is never a good or helpful thing for you to do. One way to get in touch with yourself is through journaling. Ask yourself lots of questions about how you think and feel about everything going on in your life (i.e. your job, marriage, friends, self image, etc...) and let yourself be as honest as possible (no censorship!). The goal is to open up completely to yourself and learn to be your best friend by knowing that the truth (to yourself) will set you free from fear! The more honest you are with yourself, the better your relationship will be with you. Practice self-acceptance no matter what. Intimacy begins with you! Never do something you're not comfortable with. Don't accept being bullied, harassed or pressured. You'll respect yourself for sticking to your guns, and that self-respect will make you happy.
7.
Make a scheduled time every day for relaxation. This is not a "lazy" relaxation, but a time when you regroup, let go of your stresses, and read something that is positive and uplifting. This is a good time to go over any therapy that you’re working on. Having a "relaxation" time or a "quiet time" every day strengthens you, allows the stress and tension in your life to evaporate, and keeps you more on a positive, even keel.
8.
Get a job you love. Human instinct is to work towards something meaningful. If you have a job you hate or dislike, seriously consider changing your job, or even changing careers, as difficult as that may be. Having a job that makes you look forward to your day when you wake up in the morning is critical to a happy, fulfilled life. At the same time, remember that work is not the only facet to your life. In these demanding times, it’s easy to focus more on the workplace, but finding a time to "play" is just as important. Making special time to enjoy interests, hobbies, and family, not only makes life happier, but helps us be more productive on the job.
9.
Develop a strong relationship with your family. That includes trust. If you are in an abusive family, you must find a way out. If you want a stronger relationship with your family, you're going to need to be honest with them. Tell your family about your life and don't insult them - it hurts them just as much as it hurts you to be insulted.
10.
Choose the right companion. If - and this is an important if - you feel like a boyfriend or girlfriend can make you happier, then find one who shares your interests and values. Get involved with activities that reflect who you are, and get to know people who like the things you do. Don't rule out the Internet as a place to find a significant other, just get to know them over the phone or through a few months of emails before agreeing to a meeting in person.
11.
Choose your friends carefully. Nearly everyone needs someone who cares for them and treats them well. The mistake people make about making friends is that they make it with people who never really care about them. If you have friends who are treating you badly, then ditch them and find friends that do care about you. If you can't find any friends like that in your current circumstances, then look elsewhere. If you're feeling sad, there's nothing like going out with your friends to make you feel better. Apparently it's a little known fact of life, but having fun and being silly can overcome more than most people realize. Surround yourself with friends who are positive, encouraging, and helpful. This has a nice reciprocal benefit: As you are positive and encouraging to others, your friends become positive and encouraging to you. We all need this continuing, positive encouragement to make solid positive progress in life.
12.
Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself. Volunteer at a hospital or be a part of a program, which take care of patients in some way. When you leave the hospital, you will be so much happier knowing what you have.
13.
Wish the best for others and mean it. It is so easy to be jealous and petty and forget to celebrate the good fortune of your coworkers, friends and family. How can you be happy with your own life if you do not wish for others to be happy as well? Relax, there is plenty of good fortune to go around.
14.
Keep learning. Whether it is a new hobby or a new dance, just keep learning something that interests you. It is exciting to paint the first stroke on canvas, and equally exciting to write the first page of a book. Just find a new interest and go for it!! It will give you something to keep you occupied, and a new outlook on life.
15.
Set goals. Live up to them. When you accomplish a goal, it's a great feeling. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.
16.
Take full responsibility for your own life and stop blaming others. If you put all your failures down to other people, you put yourself in their power. The message you send yourself is that you can't do anything. So while you mustn't take everything on board, do take responsibility for when things go wrong in your life. Do what you can to put things right and if you can’t ’fix’ it, then it’s someone else’s problem - move on."
Daft Bodies - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger