50 FasinatingFacts about our Oceans!

originally appeared on The Huffington Post

Pokemon GO is out! Stay safe while playing!

As most of us would be playing Pokemon GO, please be safe and aware of your surroundings when doing so! Safety First and Happy National Day!

Don't give up!

Be positive! Attract positivity!

No Man is an Island, Maintain Healthy Relationships

Dreams!

Apps to get Productive!

Your body on your hand!

Keep going! Don't give up!

What makes you happy depends on what you do!

Credit goes to my friend, Limonium Sua, who wrote this passage for MINDS Reach Out Project 30th anniversary souvenir booklet - see original Facebook Post here

There was once a young man who lived in a small village. The village was peaceful and safe, and the young man led a comfortable life. However, he was not happy and did not know why.

The young man decided to seek a wise old lady in the next village for advice on how to be happy. The old lady heard the young man's request, and told him, "Do you see that pile of bricks over there? Build a house for me."

The young man was bewildered. How would THAT make him happy? He is building a house for someone he barely knows. Clearly, only the old lady stood to benefit from this endeavour!

The wise old lady saw his reaction and knew what he was thinking. She smiled and said, "You have asked me for my advice and I have given it. It is up to you now whether to heed or ignore it."

The young man decided to do as the old lady instructed and started building the house.

It was challenging at the start. Unaccustomed to such exertions, the process was painful and progress was slow. The young man returned to his lodgings each evening with an aching body, covered with fresh sores and blisters from his labours. He glanced at the pile of bricks, doubtful that he could ever make a house of it. Even if he did, what good was it to him? Only his exhaustion stopped him from dwelling on these thoughts.

Gradually, however, work became easier. The young man felt the bricks becoming lighter in his hands. His nimble feet could now maneuver the hazardous terrain with ease and his mind felt refreshed. The daily rigour ironed the frown off his increasingly ruddy face, and he found an inner calm laying brick upon brick.

The villagers became familiar with this hardworking young man building a house. They brought him water to quench his thirst, towels to wipe the perspiration from his brows and shared with him the food they prepared. The young man played with the children and had pleasant conversations with the other young people in the village as he rested.

Little by little, the house was eventually completed. The delighted young man proudly presented it to the wise old lady. She gave him a knowing gaze and asked, "Are you happier than you were?"

The young man looked at himself. He had grown more muscular, fitter and more mentally alert than he had ever been. He looked around him and saw the beautiful smiles on the faces of the villagers - his new friends. He looked at the sturdy house that he had built, feeling a gush of satisfaction and pride such as he had never felt before.

Yes, he was happy! Even if the house did not belong to him, it was the process of building the house that mattered and which helped him discover happiness.

Such is the way with volunteering.

The volunteers build a house that we will not live in, but we become better people in the process - stronger, kinder and more confident. It was never the house that mattered, but the experience, the lessons, the friendships, and the incomparable feeling of purpose behind it.

As for those whom we term "beneficiaries", they are the ones who have bestowed us the rewards and happiness that would otherwise have eluded us in our little village. We learn to share their ups and downs, their laughter and tears, through the gift of their deepest friendship and trust. They shower us with their heartfelt smiles, reminding us of how much there is to embrace in life by demonstrating the pure bliss that can be derived from three hours each week. Most of all, they bring us many wonderful memories that enrich and brighten our lives.

Surely, we are the true "beneficiaries".

Take courage to begin!

Don't let failure take control of you! Get motivated!

Stay positive! Happy Monday!

Motivation Monday: Get out of bed on a high note!

How to get lucky!

Don't question why, for everyone you meet serves you an experience

Motivation

Sometimes you just need a push in life! Believing in yourself is the first step to do so!