Tag Archive for genuine living

Powerful Goals Are Yours If They’re S.M.A.R.T.

May 20, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

The lockdown gives you time to make plans and set goals. When it’s over you’ll want to resume your life with a full head of steam.

GenuLines offers a list of steps to make sure your goals are powerful- and genuine!

Powerful Goals Are Yours If They’re S.M.A.R.T.

There are smart goals and then there are S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. can help you set better goals.

The letters stand for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Timely. Let.s take a look at each one.

S

Stands for specific. Be precise.

Use language that spells out what the goal is.

Why you want to reach it. And how you will get there.

Detail is important here. Take the time to do this part right.

M

Stands for measurable. For example, you want to add 100 dollars a week to your income. So you decide to write 5 articles a week for buyers that will pay you for them,

A

“A” can stand for several things, like actionable, assignable, or achievable. Actionable goals give you daily activity to get you closer to them.

Goals should also be achievable or you will only get frustrated. Be accurate about the time it takes to reach a goal, and what actions it takes to get there.

Also, know who will be responsible for doing it.

R

This can stand for realistic or relevant, and either or both are important and are true. If you want your goal to succeed, it should be something that is realistic or you’ll fail.

It should also be relevant to your life’s vision and match with your values.

T

Various authors refer to the “T” in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym as time-bound, timely or trackable. These are all important parts of the goal creating and setting process.

If you don’t set a time limit and you can’t track what’s happening, your goal will be hard to count as achieved.

There are plenty of words you can use to help you craft your goals. The important thing is that you need to have a process to help you set smart goals.

The ones you know you’ll follow through on and know when you’ve met them.

JohnK 5-18-2020

chiforyourself.com home page

Overheard: “A goal properly set is halfway reached”

~Zig Ziglar

You Can Find Joy In Challenging Times

April 15, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

“There’s no joy in Mudville” is a line from the poem “Casey At The Bat.” Today there doesn’t seem to be joy anwhere in the world.

But GenuLines reminds you can build a foundation of joy, even in an age of social isolation.

(listen to this article by clicking on the radio image or scroll down to read)

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You Can Find Joy In Challenging Times

They are life’s ups and downs. A constant fluctuation of emotional highs and lows.

We spend most of our time in a rather even, mundane state of emotional normalcy.

This is broken up by peaks of the best times and unfortunately, valleys when nothing goes right.

The lows of everyday life are tough. But in times of crisis such as a worldwide pandemic, they only intensify.

Daily news of death, isolation, fear, grief, and loss can strip us of our joy. And, this can lead to depression.

While you can’t control what happens outside your door, you CAN control yourself. There are things you can do to maintain a positive and even joyful mindset.

Let’s look at three of them.

Surround Yourself With The Right People

It’s often said that we are the sum total of the five people we surround ourselves with most often. If so, make sure you get the right people around you.

Many times when life is beating us up, we retreat into the solitude of our home. We want to throw the covers over our heads and be alone with our thoughts.

Sometimes periods of solitude are healthy and necessary. Right now, isolation is the norm as we experience a health crisis.

But when you find your spirits cratering you feel robbed of your joy. So connecting with joyful types is crucial.

It’s not hard to stay connected to them during Shelter In Place orders. Technology has seen to that.

• Face Time on iPhones and Video calls on Android

• Skype

• A simple phone call

• Email

• Text

• Zoom and other video conferencing software can safely bring together friends and family.

• Good old-fashioned letter writing

Remember That Nothing Is Permanent

The time-honored adage says “THIS TOO SHALL PASS.” It would suggest that nothing in life is permanent.

So we tend to see extreme happiness and joy as temporary, and we play them down.

Yet keeping this expression in mind during the low times can be very beneficial. Whatever you’re going through, no matter how bad it may be, it WILL pass.

And consider this. Most of the difficult times you experience in life will end without any extra effort on your part.

It’s so easy to get into a mindset of having to put out a huge amount of effort to make something bad go away.

This is possible but most of the time TIME is the only remedy for tough situations. To maximize your joy in hard times, remember that your situation is not the way things are.

It’s the way they are RIGHT NOW.

Base Your Happiness On Yourself

So far we’ve discussed how life takes us through highs and lows. And that nothing lasts forever.

There’s one more thing to keep in mind during the best AND the worst periods.

To have more consistent joy never let your circumstances dictate your attitude.

Elation in good times and near despair during the bad can cause emotional exhaustion.

Stable, consistent, sustainable joy can only be created and found within yourself.

Life is far less about what happens to you than it is how you react to it.

You are in charge of how you feel. Don’t fall into the routine of letting happiness get to your head and failure to your heart.

JohnK 4-15-2020

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “Joy is untouched by circumstance”

~Anonymous

Article image by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Junk Food Is NOT Food, It’s Junk

April 1, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Are you a junk food junkie? Today GenuLines gives you an idea of what you’re taking into your body.

You may want to re-consider.

(You can listen to this article by clicking on below or scroll down to read)

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Junk Food Is NOT Food, It’s Junk

Marketing can be a powerful tool. How so?

Well, think about it. Marketing can fool the masses into believing things are good for them when they’re not.

This opens the door for, say, the pharmaceutical companies to come in.

Many junk foods are so processed that their original products disappear. The fact is, junk food is NOT FOOD, it’s junk.

Need more information about processed food? Consider:

They’re Loaded With Sodium

A lot of our daily sodium consumption comes from processed rather than whole food. So many foods contain excessive sodium yet you’re unlikely to realize it.

For example, you may not have a natural liking for “salty foods”, but you love sweets. That sugary soda you’re drinking is also loaded with a sodium derivative, even though you can’t taste it.

Such are the hidden dangers of processed food.

Loading Up On Simple Sugars

If you rely on processed foods for “nourishment”, you’re falling short. You may often find yourself constipated if you use junk food for sustenance.

This is due to a lack of complex carbs and fiber. Simple carbohydrates enter the bloodstream and are quickly absorbed.

The result is blood sugar disruption.

Natural foods have more complex carbs that are low on the Glycemic Index. They have more fiber that promotes digestive health and regularity.

Processed Foods Contain Artificial Fats

It’s wrong to think all fats are bad. In fact, natural fats are ALL good for us and even essential. But it’s a different story for trans fats.

Trans fat is a modified variety of oil that allows it to remain solid at room temperature. Oils are usually liquid at room temperature.

This kind of fat is pro-inflammatory.

Inflammation speeds up aging and contributes to many of our chronic diseases. The list includes high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.

Many Processed Foods Contain Anti-Nutrients

One such anti-nutrient is the white potato. It prevents the absorption of other nutrients.

This brings down the nutritional value of the entire meal. And guess what?

White potatoes are a favorite ingredient in processed food.

White potato is cheap, and some say, tastier than sweet potatoes. This helps increase the profits of big brand junk food companies.

Preservatives And Additives

Food doesn’t keep for months without spoiling or turning rancid. So how does processed food last so long?

You can thank additives and preservatives. They’re chemicals for the most part.

And they extend the shelf life of food.

Are they helpful? Sometimes, definitely.

But more often than not, they’re a hazard to your health.

Many are “safe” in very, very low concentrations and approved for human consumption by the FDA. But they’re often used in amounts far exceeding their safe limit.

And their consumption is more than occasional.

Conclusion

Processed foods are far from natural- even with the word “natural” on the label. And many are genetically modified.

There’s been a lot of debate in this area, too. If you’re in doubt eat whole foods, closest to their original source.

JohnK 4-1-2020

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Overheard: “Nourish the mind like you would your body. The Mind cannot survive on junk food.”

~Jim Rohn

Can You Learn To Be More Optimistic?

March 18, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Optimistic outlooks are pretty rare these days. It’s easy to point to everything that’s going on in the world to back this up.

GenuLines takes a look at some optimism building blocks and how you can use them to build a new outlook.

(You can listen to this article by clicking on below or scroll down to read it)

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Can You Learn To Be More Optimistic?

We all know that one person who sees the positive in every situation. Some of us hate that person.

Some of us love that person. And some of us ARE that person.

If you’re not that person, you may be wondering if you can actually learn (or teach yourself) to be more optimistic. While some people are inherently positive, others lean toward the negative.

Are we capable of changing from one to the other?

There are many benefits to a positive mindset. Optimists tend to be healthier and they lead lives that are better in most ways.

Changing the Way you Think

It turns out that optimism is more than thinking things will be better and pessimism means they will not. Instead, we use these words to describe the way a person thinks about what causes adversity.

A pessimist tends to think about these things in a way that makes them feel powerless. For example, a pessimist might say their adversity is due to internal forces.

They’ll say it’s all their fault, and there’s no way they can change it.

It’s possible to change the way that you think about things. When adversity makes your first thought a negative one, take a step back.

Re-examine it from a different angle

Let’s say you’re studying for a test and you’re struggling to understand the material. It’s easy to fall into thinking that you’re going to fail.

Rather, think about ways you might better understand the material. Then work on learning and studying what’s needed to help you toward a good grade.

Re-route your pessimism away from making failure inevitable.

Change your thought process and study the material to boost your chances of success. Our attitudes toward things are somewhat inherent.

But it’s possible to change your thinking and be more optimistic in the process.

Don’t rely on clicking off positive quotations to yourself and nothing else.

Do teach yourself to look at every situation from different angles.

Do that and don’t be surprised when your attitude improves, too.

JohnK 3-18-2020

chiforyourself@gmail.com

Overheard: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree”

~Martin Luther

Article image by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Patience Is A Virture And It Can Be Yours

March 11, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

So patience is a virtue. Well, let’s get a definition of virtue.

Merriam Webster defines patience as “the ability to remain calm and not become annoyed when dealing with problems or with difficult people.” Simple but not always easy!

GenuLines drills down a bit deeper to help bring patience a little closer to you

(Listen to the article by clicking on below or scroll down to read)

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Patience is a Virtue And It Can Be Yours

Patience is one of those things that can make life go more smoothly. But, a lack of patience can cause serious problems, even health issues.

Some of life’s irritants move us to squeeze a little harder on the hair-trigger of impatience. But we can learn to overcome and enjoy life one day or even one minute at a time,

Circumstances

What triggers your impatience? For some, it’s certain situations or circumstances, such as a job or a family problem.

Others may lose their patience when they’re driving or cooking. Impatience with job or family situation can be especially tough to address – and even harder to fix.

A good start though is to acknowledge it. Then focus on anything that may help relieve tension.

Seek help

Work toward focusing on pleasant things in your life. If a certain task at your job is causing your impatience ask your supervisor or co-worker for help.

They may be able to offer help or suggestions.

Also, they may have a better way of dealing with it or be able to adjust your workload. The problem with many of us is that we don’t want to ask for help.

We want to be able to take on everything even though we aren’t able to do it.

If it’s a family situation the best way to handle it may be to talk about it, which can be difficult.

Again, many tend to shy away or avoid difficult situations.

But, getting it out in the open and talking about it is often the best solution. Seek outside help if a difficult challenge amps up the impatience.

The problem itself may not cause the impatience. But it may trigger something in you that causes you to be impatient.

Focus on other things

Impatience can affect your driving, housework, or other routine tasks. Be ready by conditioning yourself to relax and focus on your breath.

You could try relaxing before you start or listening to music while doing any of these tasks. This is where gratitude comes in.

Be grateful that you can do routine tasks.

Some only imagine cooking or driving but aren’t able to for any number of reasons. Keep this in mind during the tense moments.

It’ll help you to focus on the task at hand, but it may also make you more patient.

JohnK 3-11-2020

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.”

~George Savile

Article Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay

Should You Take a Chance On Finding a New Career?

February 26, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Your career takes up a big slice of your life. It informs many of the decisions you make along your path.

Today GenuLines helps you consider whether it’s time for a change of direction.

(you can listen to the article by clicking on the player below or scroll down to read it)

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Should You Take a Chance On Finding a New Career?

When I was a kid we looked for jobs right out of high school or college. And we usually stayed with that same job for as long as we could.

Finding work automatically meant we were doing the right work.

Those of us who questioned what we were doing got an earful. Criticism came from friends, neighbors, and especially family.

You might be in a similar situation and disillusioned with your career. It just doesn’t seem to be what you thought it would be.

Change gonna come

You’ve thought about changing careers, but that sounds a lot like starting over.

It’s scary, especially if you’ve been in a certain career for several years, or you’re older.

Hey, you’re earning a decent salary and you’re even climbing the “corporate ladder.” Leaving means you’ll have to work for less money and no seniority!

You think to yourself “what if this affects the people in my life?”

Breaking it down

Sometimes, getting out of a bad situation is enough to overcome a salary hit. You can make money online, either by selling or working for others.

Being at a physical location is no longer necessary if you’re looking to make extra money.

The second factor with a lack of experience is the newness of it all. This can be exciting as well as scary.

Think back to when you first started in your original career. Any new achievement put you on top of the world.

The third factor concerns the lack of seniority. Remind yourself that you’ve got job and life experience that you bring to the table.

Any management experience that you have can work in your favor, too. And your age brings wisdom you can draw on in adverse situations.

Staying in a career that you’ve grown tired of can make you bitter and take years off your life. If you’ve thought about taking a chance on starting a new career, remember that many others have done it.

And they’ve made it work.

JohnK 2-26-2020

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle”

~Steve Jobs

Article photo by kate.sade on Unsplash

Find The Value In Criticism

February 11, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Where’s the value in criticism?

After all, taking criticism can put you in a funk.

Today GenuLines unpacks this thing called criticism and gives you some ways to put it on your side.

(click on the image below to listen to the article or scroll down to read)

Find The Value In Criticism

The concept of value is kind of unusual when you think about it. Most every person on earth has a different system when it comes to determining what’s important.

In general, the three things that we tend to value the most include our lives, our families and our jobs. And within each of those aspects, everyone will, again, have a very different value system.

And what is that system based on? What gives value to something?

(continue reading)

Often it’s determined by your upbringing, your experiences, and your education. This sets you apart from others.

And it touches off more than a few debates.

But who says those debates and differences have to be bad things?

You may meet someone who has the same values as you do, but there are still plenty of possible areas of disagreement. We all have different experiences and we all bring a different point of view to a relationship.

Value and Respect

Now let’s say that you have great respect for someone. Each of you has the same values in life.

You know their past. You could even say that you respect their opinion.

Now ask yourself if you would respect their criticism? Would you keep an open mind when it came to their critique of your work?

Is it only because you know them?

Why is it that we’ll value the criticism of a friend, but we’re quick to shy away from the criticism of a stranger? Don’t they hold the same value?

Could be it’s the mere fact that they don’t know us, they don’t know our experiences. But in reality, you don’t know their experiences or level of expertise either.

All too often we seem to equate the word value with respect. In some way, this seems to justify ignoring the opinions of someone we don’t know.

Or it could be that for personal reasons, we don’t care what their opinion is.

Does not knowing someone well mean we have to find no value or worth in their opinion? I mean, in the final analysis, criticism is an opinion.

What if we could find value in every opinion, of every criticism we ever received? Imagine how enriched our lives would be if we could put value to everyone’s opinion.

No matter who it’s coming from.

JohnK 2-11-2020

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Overheard: “The trouble with most of us is that we’d rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”

~Norman Vincent Peale

Article image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

A Good Morning Routine Can Change Your Life (re-sending)

January 21, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Your morning routine is on automatic pilot for the most part. You don’t give it much thought.

But what if you tweaked your routine a bit? It could help send you on your way to more success in life.

GenuLines explains how that works.

(You can listen to this article by clicking on the player below)

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A Good Morning Routine Can Change Your Life

How would it feel to start your day motivated and organized? It would be great, wouldn’t it?

You’d know what you were doing, and that everything was sorted out. You’d feel brilliant.

It wouldn’t take much to get a great start to your day every day. The key is to create a morning routine that motivates and organizes you for success; every day.

One of the secrets of success for the very successful is a morning routine. It doesn’t need to be complex nor does it have to be time-consuming to create or follow.

First, you’ll need to commit to planning it. Then practice it daily until it becomes a habit.

Now let’s look at the morning routine of motivated and organized people:

Early Start

Forget about long lie-ins and putting the alarm on snooze every 5 minutes. Set your alarm for an hour (or even two) earlier than normal and see your productivity soar.

The early start may be tough at first. But if you go to bed earlier and get enough sleep you’ll soon notice a positive difference.

Positive Visualization and Affirmations

Set the tone of your day with a positive charge. Visualize your success from the get-go.

Use positive affirmations. To boost their efficacy display those affirmations where you can see them often.

Do this step within the first 20 minutes of waking. The affirmations will reach your subconscious before your conscious mind takes over.

Exercise

Do some form of exercise. It will get your blood flowing, send oxygen through your body, and generally wake up your entire system.

You don’t need to go for a 5-mile run every day. Your regimen could consist of morning stretching, yoga or Tai Chi.

These will help calm and ground you as well as provide time for inner contemplation.

Hydration

Make sure you keep your body hydrated. Many people start their day with a glass of water and lemon.

Herbal tea or green juice are also good choices for an early morning drink to get your day started the right way.

Planning

When you know what needs to be done you increase your chances of having a successful day. Have a to-do list ready and identify the order of priority.

Make sure the list isn’t too long, 10 items or fewer is an ideal length.

Nutrition

A healthy breakfast fuels your body for the day ahead. You’ll feel more alert.

And you’ll be better able to concentrate on what needs to get done.

Reading

Take some time to read. A few minutes of inspiring material will help you be positive and motivated.

Even 10 minutes can be enough to get your mind working and your motivation kick-started.

The list of possible reading material is endless. From biographies to self-help the writers can inspire you and even act as role models.

Money Tasks

Somewhere during your day, you want to do something that will either make you money or keep you from spending it. Pay your bills so that you don’t get overdue notices and charges.

Kitchen Patrol

Prep the day’s meals so that you don’t feel tempted to get take out when you’re feeling tired at the end of the day. Load the dishwasher.

Clear (and clean) the kitchen counters.

If you want to have a successful day, start it in a positive way. Having a morning routine will ensure that you’re organized for success.

And you’ll feel motivated from the start.

JohnK 1-22-2020

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “The sun is new each day”

~Heraclitus

Is True Happiness Possible?

December 26, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Happiness has a reputation for being elusive. Some would say it’s not even possible.

GenuLines offers you some points to consider as you do your own evaluation.

Is True Happiness Possible?

When your struggles get to be too much it’s easy to think that happiness is not even possible. The truth is there are different levels of happiness that you can experience in your life.

The process doesn’t move in a straight line. Your attitude is the difference maker.

Look Around You

It’s one thing to say that people can’t be happy unless they have their basic needs met. But there are people all around you who don’t have their needs met yet are very happy.

Studies of affluent people tend to show find they’re not happier than poor people in general.

It’s Not About Stuff

If you look at a list of the happiest countries in the world, you tend to find that being happy isn’t about owning things. Often the happiest people live in the poorest countries.

It’s common to find that the USA ranks in the teens on these lists. Stuff doesn’t guarantee happiness.

It’s Not Even About Goals

You may insist that it’s all about about reaching your goals. If you often say things like “I’ll be happy when…” then happiness may elude you.

You can be happy now, before you reach your goals.

It’s Not About Your Circumstances

Now, of course, some things in life can really get you down. But a happy disposition can serve you well.

You’ll be better able to navigate the murky water.

*Dr. Gillian Mandich is a well known name in this area. She believes that our circumstances account for only 10 percent of our happiness.

Happiness is about accepting that you can experience it and understanding it’s meaning. A happy person isn’t going to be the same level of happy 24/7, 365 days a year.

Think about cancer sufferers who manage to have a happy attitude. Or children around the world who don’t get enough to eat.

Be in that state of mind and you can be happy, too.

JohnK 12-26-2019

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.”

~Lucille Ball

*Dr. Gillian Mandich

Learn the Facts Before Passing Judgment

November 26, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Mark Twain once said, “facts are stubborn things.” And GenuLines knows that not checking the facts can kick you like a stubborn mule!

Learn the Facts Before Passing Judgment

Adversity often occurs when people react without having all the facts. Sometimes, they’ll think they have the facts but they’ve learned the wrong information.

Avoiding these situations is a matter of getting the facts and making sure they”re correct.

When you have the facts on your side, you can present your argument.

Further, you will be less likely to make a judgment about a situation because the facts back it up. This will prevent you from getting yourself and others into any trouble.

The internet offers us a vast pool of information. But people tend to be too willing to trust any information they find.

They get a false sense of security, believing that the first search engine results are the best. That’s not always the case.

Search engine results change with time. You can get different results from one search to the next on the same search engine.

Look for a variety of sources that you believe carry authority.

For instance, when you look for medical advice, don’t stop at a site such as WebMD.com and call it quits. While this website may have qualified advice, it’s not the only source.

Another could be the Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA) website.

When you find other websites, look for sources that the articles cite.

Are they valid sources?

Check to make sure they’re from authoritative people.

Watch for red flags. Like blogs that make claims but don’t cite sources.

Anyone can create a blog, and have it published in minutes. They’re free to publish whatever they like.

That’s why readers must be critical of every source they treat as fact.

There’s nothing wrong with a blogger posting an obvious opinion piece. But, don’t accept the post as fact.

Treat it as a good starting point for your research.

You’ll hear people cite Wikipedia.org as a source for their facts. While that resource has gotten better at fact-checking, don’t lose sight that anyone can add and make changes to it.

Still, it does have some uses. At the end of most articles, there’s a wealth of resources and links that authors often include.

Use them for further research.

JohnK 11-26-2019

chiforyourself.com home

Overheard: “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”

~Arthur Conan Doyle (The Boscombe Valley Mystery)

Post image by Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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Chi For Yourself

Raising Consciousness..Living Genuinely!

Tag Archive for genuine living

Powerful Goals Are Yours If They’re S.M.A.R.T.

S

M

A

R

T

Share this:

You Can Find Joy In Challenging Times

Surround Yourself With The Right People

Remember That Nothing Is Permanent

Base Your Happiness On Yourself

Share this:

____________________

Junk Food Is NOT Food, It’s Junk

Many Processed Foods Contain Anti-Nutrients

Preservatives And Additives

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____________________

Can You Learn To Be More Optimistic?

Changing the Way you Think

Re-examine it from a different angle

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Patience is a Virtue And It Can Be Yours

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____________________

Should You Take a Chance On Finding a New Career?

Change gonna come

Breaking it down

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Value and Respect

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A Good Morning Routine Can Change Your Life

Early Start

Exercise

Hydration

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Is True Happiness Possible?

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Learn the Facts Before Passing Judgment

Are they valid sources?

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