Enjoying a Happier Life Now!: Practical Learning, Reflections and Actions on Living a Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually Empowered Life, While Helping Others to Do the Same

By Angelia K. George-Lundy, Eureka F. Collins, Flora H. Henry and Goldia H. George

Inspiring, prolific and full of wisdom. These women have provided a timeless volume that is a roadmap to the root causes of happiness and unhappiness. It is a refreshing message.

- J. P. Norris, Senior Pastor

This is an excellent read! I learned a lot about myself and how to become truly happy. I think everyone who reads this book will learn and grow, becoming immeasurably happy!

A. S. Hunter, Clinical Psychologist

I really enjoyed this book and have some rethinking to do. I am determined to put real happiness back into my life.

P. Minor, PhD., University Professor

This book covered a lot of information that will be directly relevant to the readers life. I found it to be extremely useful. I will be able to apply all of its concepts and principles into my life and help others to do the same.

G. Collins, Author, The Leadership Mind

This book opened my eyes to how happiness is perceived and what is needed in order to truly enjoy it. Now I have the knowledge and understanding of happiness to live a happier life and to explain its importance to others.

G. G. Parker, Counselor

Co-authors Eureka F. Collins, Goldia George, Flora H. Henry and Angelia K. George-Lundy, have written a personal, well-informed, and highly enjoyable book on enjoying a happier life now. The four women teach that happiness isnt some far-fetched concept that cannot be obtained as they commit the knowledge of their combined 243 years of experience to paper. Though everyone desires to be happier, how many of us are really happy? For answer-seekers, this book will show you how to increase your happiness no matter how happy you may think you were when you start reading.

As you read this book, you will soon realize that accomplishments, status, material possessions, and relationships dont have inherent value; then, you may desire to rethink your approach to enjoying life and change the way you motivate yourself. Additionally, this book will help you focus on looking at yourself in ways that you may have been afraid to before as well as knowing Gods plan for your life. Open these pages and start your journey to Enjoying a Happier Life Now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468575132

Book preview

© 2012 Eureka F. Collins, Goldia H. George, Flora H. Henry, and Angelia K. George-Lundy. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Printed by AuthorHouse: 6/18/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7514-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7513-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012903956

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture is taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?

(Part One)

CHAPTER 2

ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?

(Part Two)

CHAPTER 3

GRANDMA’S RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS

CHAPTER 4

HABIT AND BEAUTY OF HAPPINESS

CHAPTER 5

SISTERHOOD OF HAPPINESS

CHAPTER 6

THE CHRISTIAN’S WAY TO HAPPINESS

CHAPTER 7

THE GOD-PLANNED LIFE

AFTERWORD

NOTES

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Christian women and men all over the world. A special dedication to First Calvary Baptist Church, New Calvary Baptist Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Virginia Beach Human Services, Virginia Beach Toastmasters Club #3267, Norfolk Police Department, Joint Expeditionary Base/Little Creek-Fort Story’s Tailor Shop, and the Armed Forces.

The idea for this book was derived from Eureka F. Collins’ Virginia Beach Toastmasters Club #3267’s High Performance Leadership project.

Thank you all for your support and love.

This book is designed to provide sound principles and concepts for self-improvement. While all of the stories and anecdotes described in this book are based on true experiences, most of the names are pseudonyms, and some situations have been slightly modified for educational purposes and to protect each individual’s privacy. To the extent, this book may contain text in the public domain; the authors make no claim of ownership.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Eureka: I thank God for inspiring the words in this book and revealing the message to our readers. Thank you to my husband, Gregory. You have continuously supported me in all my endeavors, goals, and dreams. I love you and thank God for you. To my son, Mekani, I love you and thank you for your patience during the course of writing this book. Hugs and kisses! I thank my co-authors (grandmother, mother, and aunt) for their wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and experience that brought this book to fruition. I also thank the remaining members of my family and friends for your love and support. God bless you all. It is important to know that we can enjoy a happier life now and our children’s children will know the same.

Goldia: I thank God for loving me and blessing my seed. Our family has listened to the voice of God, and through us, His voice will continually be heard throughout future generations. Thank you to my children: Flora, Stephen, and Angelia. If I had one wish, it would be for Garfield Jr. to have witnessed this family’s achievement. To all of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I love you very much. May God bless the generations to come.

Flora: I thank God for capturing this moment in time with my daughter, mother, and sister. I love and thank you all. You are truly women of wisdom. To my loving son, Antonio, I love you dearly. To my godson, Ralph, thank you for being a support to me. To my brothers, Stephen and Garfield Jr. (deceased), I love you. To my wonderful grandchildren, Mekani and Gray, I love you dearly.

Angelia: I thank God for loving me and placing my husband, Kenneth, at my side. All things are possible with You in my life. To Kenneth, thank you for being the godly and supportive man that you are. You are solid as a rock, and I look forward to standing beside you each day. We are making our dreams come true. I love you! To my mother, love and blessings. Thank you for the Christian foundation set before your children; it will last for the generations to come. To my sister, Flora, and brothers, Stephen and Garfield Jr. (deceased); I love you. Garfield, you exist in our hearts forever. To my niece, Eureka, thank you for conceptualizing this project. To my family and friends, blessings and love.

INTRODUCTION

We have written this book from 243 accumulative years of experience, with confidence and assurance of its truths. It is of priceless value, and we ask that you give it your careful attention.

We start with the basics: Are you happy? If not, why? You should be; it is in your power to be happy. It is in your power to have few or many pleasures. You must have the right character because it will lead you to blessedness. Blessedness belongs to character. Whatever your circumstances may be, if you have the right character, you will have blessedness.

The first step towards happiness is the determination or will to be happy. The second step—without which the first may be of no avail—is to determine how to be happy. How will you order your days that your life will bring forth the fruition of happiness? In order to reap a harvest of happiness, it is necessary to plow the ground and prepare it, plant the seeds, and pull the weeds.

The amount of happiness one gathers is greatly increased by the plan God has made. In His plan, one of the principal sources of humanity’s enjoyment is doing good to others, endeavoring to increase the happiness of those around you.

Choose to be happy to assist someone else whenever there is an opportunity. Make it a habit to work more for your family than for yourselves. During your struggle of daily life, do what is right and just, despite personal loss. Be willing to allow God to help you move past any wrongs society places upon you. By doing so, you are ready to enjoy a happier life now.

When you have changed apathy for action and substituted thoughts for others in place of desire for yourself, there will gradually dawn within your consciousness a clearer understanding of the nature of a happier life. You must take this journey on your own. You may gain hints from speeches, books, and meditation, but the true meaning of a happier life will not be understood until you begin to live a life of service.

We have a simple recipe for happiness: when you awaken in the morning, form resolutions to make the day a happy one for someone else. It can be easily done. You can donate clothing to those in need, give a kind word to those who are unhappy, or offer an encouraging expression to those striving to do well. Depend on this advice if you are young; it will return to you when you are older. If you are older, rest assured it will send you gently and happily down the stream of life to eternity. Think about it. You strive to send one person happily through his or her day. There are 365 days in a year. Now, suppose you live forty years more after you begin doing well and serving others. You will have made 14,600 human beings happy. Isn’t this simple, and isn’t it worth accomplishing?

As the writers of Enjoying a Happier Life Now! we feel a sweet assurance that our experiences and perspectives—which span four generations—will be of service to you. At the end of each chapter, you will find a summary of what you learned and thoughts on which you should reflect. These will help you decide what action to take. We are confident that the Learning, Reflection, and Action (LRA) method will increase your understanding through deep thinking and yield high impact results. The Bible says, Truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy.¹

We trust that God will agree to add His blessing to this work. Ask Him to make it a blessing to your heart, while increasing your happiness, so that you may enjoy a happier life starting now. Happy reading!

Women of Wisdom

CHAPTER 1

ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?

(Part One)

There is nothing new in the title and question of this chapter. Since the times of Adam and Eve, this inquiry has presented itself more than any other has.

Be assured that the life that Jesus gives us is a happy life. There is a way to be happy, and that is to be useful. God has made everything to fit in some particular place and to do or to be something good and useful. When things are in their proper places, they are right. When people are in their proper places, they are content. To forget self, to think of others, and to live to be useful is a definite way to happiness. Yes, we have a right and a duty to be happy, and if we aren’t happy, there is something wrong. However, when I say we must be happy, I don’t mean that we must have everything we want, live greedily, and do whatever we like. No, that’s not happiness. People who enjoy a happier life now are quiet, clearheaded, and cheerful people. They are people who are doing right, in their right places, and are content with their fate. Let me share with you the story of a meeting of eight friends who hadn’t seen or spent time with one another for quite a while. It appears as if they were brought together by what may be called chance, but I have humbly traced this meeting back to God.

The eight friends were all diverse women who were considered the favored and happier ones in their communities. Yet, after confessing to one another their histories and most secret feelings, an unexpected discovery was made. In reading this story, your hearts may be startled. I have received so much benefit by the perusal of the conversations that I hope and pray that a similar effect will be produced on your mind as well. The friends met in a literary café in New York. The value of the conversations lies in the true picture given of those usually considered as moral and caring women. They all belonged to various social communities, but the majority of them were not connected with the most needful thing that allows true happiness in life.

If any of you belong to that class, may it please God to touch your heart as you read this chapter and to allow you the comfort in saying, I will enjoy a happier life now.

Were it not that I had traced each event to God, I would have said that coincidence brought Janet to a city where had arrived (only a short time before her) seven old friends, from whom she had been separated for several years. It is scarcely necessary to say that they were what the world would call moral women. None of the women abstained from bringing their views before the group. Their friendship was strengthened, and their hearts were opened. They desired to make known to one another their past experiences.

The women chose a morning that they all possessed some free time, with the exception of Danielle, the doctor, who promised to join them later. It was agreed that Anita, a wealthy realtor in Manhattan, should take the lead. She began to speak, You all know that I turned forty-nine earlier this year, and I am happy to have retired last year, after twenty-five years of hard work, from a calling which enabled me to enjoy a comfortable income. For years, I had looked forward to an early retirement to be with my husband and children. I knew that when it was accomplished, I would be happy.

But were you really happy? exclaimed Patricia.

I thought I was, but the feeling didn’t last. In my social circle, there was nothing I wanted, yet I was not satisfied. I succeeded in increasing my income, although with some tough times and anxiety. Next, I traveled to and visited many countries and cities with great and varied enjoyment. However, I realized that I couldn’t own any of those places—even this withered on me. More than once, I found myself thinking, ‘Of what use is all this?’ Even now—let me freely confess it—everything around me seems so small, so superficial. I look at my magnificent collection of paintings that cost me a lot of money, and even they don’t satisfy me. As I gaze at the inanimate canvases, they appear to exclaim, ‘We will outlive our owner.’ I think of my age, what’s around me, that which I see, which I hear and do. They all seem to have one voice: ‘You are leaving us.’ And as I listen, I despise.

You are a philosopher, Anita, remarked Patricia, "and I admire you for that. I will probably arrive at the same conclusion. The account of my past life, ladies, will be concise.

"I was a Navy recruit at the age of eighteen and was delighted in my profession. A joyous life is that of ships and barracks. I cannot regret the youthful days that have passed. I do believe that I not only enjoyed my life, but also, in some ways, made it useful.

"I was promoted numerous times. From grade to grade I rose, and before the age of forty, I achieved my current rank, one I have enjoyed for the last five years. A year ago, I left the service to make room for the younger Officers. Besides, it was time for me to rest. This is what