SPEECH DRAFT #3

Hello, everyone! 

I invite you to look at my speech draft, which was slightly modified. I also worked on the prosodic component of my future speech (the second draft). 

Happiness is the  meaning and the purpose of  life, the whole aim and end of human existence.

- Aristotle.

Do you consider yourself a happy person? Right now; at this very moment. Or are you a member of  “be happy from tomorrow “club? Happiness plays a pretty important  role in our lives and has a huge impact on our mind-sets.  However,  many of us postpone happiness – we believe: “When this happens, I’ll finally be  happy”.  When the "time to enjoy" points to the future, we lose some of the precious moments of our lives. That's why today I’d like to talk to you about the value of enjoying every moment of the present. We’ll find out:

1.                    What makes us postpone happiness?

2.                    What is the impact of delaying happiness?

3.                    How can we cultivate happiness in our everyday life?

To start with, let’s answer the question: what actually makes us postpone happiness?

The first and most common excuse is: “ I’M TOO BUSY FOR HAPPINESS”.  Are you familiar with the feeling, when you wish to do something which makes you happy, but then you realize that there are so many things to do, which are more important, than just doing something for pleasure? It feels like an indulgence, a careless waste of time. Just imagine: you feel a strong desire to read a book from your wish-list, to watch a film or to go out with friends. And what stops you? A thought of tons of homework you’ve got to do. You won’t let yourself do something that makes you slightly happier, so you put it off until the work is done. It'll never actually be finished.  You want to accomplish some assignments for the following week, thus to have some free time later. But this “later” comes with new tasks and duties. A vicious circle, isn’t it? In other words, you decide that you are way too busy to be happy at the moment. 

Moreover, you must have noticed, that we turn to prioritizing things that do not contribute to any real, lasting happiness. Instead of reading we find ourselves watching a silly sitcom, wasting time in Instagram, vk.com or Facebook, watching pictures, reading some useless stories – scrolling, browsing, surfing. Why? To immerse ourselves into the so-called “illusion of business”.

The next excuse you may find: “HAPPINESS IS A REWARD”. We often see happiness as something that is to be reached. We think we need to work hard to achieve it. For example, you allow yourself to meet your friends at the weekend as a reward for all your hard work during the week. Until that time you delay the moment that can make you a bit happier. And that's where the other excuse appears:

“I DON’T DESERVE HAPPINESS”. Deep down, you may have a reoccurring negative thought that you don’t really deserve this level of happiness that doing pleasant things can bring you. There’s actually a bug in our system that constantly reminds us that we probably should work more, to achieve higher professional and personal results. You come to believe, that you are not as productive as you could be. And then you ask yourself: “who am I to strive for soul-filling joy?” Bronnie Ware, in her book “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying” reminds us that we don’t have to feel guilt about happiness — “it is a lighter feeling that we all desire and all deserve”. Let's pass to the next important point:

Postponing happiness, you postpone your life. Have you got a list of things you want or wanted to experience, but always put it off until tomorrow, next week, next year, next life..? Even if it’s not in written, I’m sure you do. If you look closely, you may notice, that most of them don't need a great amount of cash or conditions that you already possess in your life… In fact, you may realize that most of those barriers are invisible they only exist in our mind-sets. Then the question in your head arises: “Why do I plan for the dentist or the hairdresser and I don’t plan when I will go for painting in the woods? Why I don’t just make time for that??

Just imagine yourself in a several decades time, looking at your list of “all the things that I wanted to experience but…” What would you feel? Again, coming to the book of “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying”, we see the point: “I wish I had let myself be happier”.  Sooner or later most of us have to face the so-called existential crisis when we start finding and creating purpose. You come to understand: there’s nothing more consistent with unhappiness than spending your time in a way that doesn’t serve who you are.

Having learned about the negative impact of postponing happiness, let’s now find the clue which will help us to turn our lives into a positive direction. So here’s the question to answer: How can we cultivate happiness in our everyday life? 

First of all, we need to understand that happiness is a mindful choice. We tend to rely on time, people, circumstances for achieving the state of happiness. We seek for the “happy if,” arguments.

Referring to the quotation of the Great philosopher Epictetus, - “Happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things”, you eventually come to understand that happiness is not a coincidence, something that just happens to us - it’s entirely your choice and responsibility.

Enjoy as you go, every step, every day, whenever you can. On a daily basis, make use of the micro moments to feel joy — the sun on your skin, the children’s laughter, a short, silly video. Take a moment to read a book, to meet your closest friend - notice what makes you happy and lean into that. The sooner you start to cultivate the feeling of happiness, the more prosperity you’ll achieve in your life.

Let’s now sum up what we learned today:  

1.     We tend to find excuses for putting happiness “on hold” (constant business or treating happiness as a reward that we don’t deserve);

2.     Postponing happiness, we postpone our life;

3.     Happiness is a mindful choice.

So, is there any better kind of journey, than traveling your own path? Do you need to wait for a certain occasion to start being who you are?  The way to be happy is simpler, than you might think it is. Enjoy every moment the present gives you!

You CAN choose to be happy. Right now. And every single day.

Make the decision today, and never forget the brilliant quote by Leo Tolstoy:

“If you want to be happy, be”.

fast pace; 

average pace;

low pace;

↘ - falling tone 

↗ - rising tone  

 | - pauses

↗Happiness | is the ↘ meaning | and the ↘ purpose of  life, | the ↘ whole aim | and end of human ↘ existence.

- Aristotle.

Do you consider yourself a ↗ happy ↘ person? Right ↘ now; at ↘ this very moment. Or ↗ are you a member |of  “be happy from ↘ tomorrow “club? ↘ Happiness | plays a pretty important ↘ role in our lives | and has a ↗ huge impact on our ↘mind-sets. ↘↗ However, | many of us ↘postpone happiness – | we ↗ believe: | “When this ↗ happens, | I’ll finally be ↘ happy”.  When the "time to enjoy" |points to the ↗ future, we lose some of the precious ↗ moments of our ↘ lives. That's why ↗ today |I’d like to ↘ talk to you |about the ↗ value | of enjoying  ↗ every moment of the ↗ present. We’ll ↘ find out:

1.                    ↗ What makes us postpone ↘ happiness?

2.                    What is the ↗ impact of delaying↘  happiness?

3.                    ↗ How can we cultivate ↘ happiness | in our everyday ↘ life?

To ↘ start with, let’s answer the↘  question:↗ what actually makes us postpone ↘ happiness?

The ↘ first and | ↘  most common ↗ excuse is: “ ↘ I’M TOO BUSY FOR ↘ HAPPINESS”.  ↗ Are you familiar with the ↘ feeling,| when you ↗ wish to do something which makes you ↘ happy, |but then you ↘ realize |that there are ↗ so many things to ↘ do, |which are ↘ more important, |than just doing something for ↘ pleasure? It feels like an ↘ indulgence,| a careless waste of ↘ time. Just ↗ imagine:| you feel a strong desire to read a ↘ book from your wish-list, |to ↘ watch a film |or to ↘ go out with friends. And what ↗ stops you? A thought of ↘ tons of homework |you’ve got to ↘ do. You ↘ won’t let yourself do ↗ something |that makes you slightly ↘ happier, so you ↘ put it off |until the work is ↘ done. It'll ↘ never actually be finished.  You want to accomplish some assignments for the ↘ following week,| thus to have some free time ↘ later. But this ↗ “later” comes with ↘ new tasks and duties. A ↘ vicious circle,| ↘ isn’t it? In ↘ other words, |you ↘ decide |that you are way ↘ too busy |to be ↘ happy at the moment. 

↘ ↗ Moreover, |you must have ↘ noticed, |that we turn to prioritizing ↗ things |that do not contribute to any ↘ real, |↘ lasting happiness. Instead of ↗ reading |we find ourselves watching a silly ↘ sitcom,| wasting time in ↗Instagram, |↗vk.com |or ↘ Facebook, |watching ↘ pictures, |reading some useless ↘ stories| – ↘ scrolling,| ↘ browsing, |↘ surfing. ↘ Why? To↘  immerse ourselves |into the so-called ↘ “illusion of business”.

The ↘ next excuse you may ↗ find: “HAPPINESS IS A ↘ REWARD”. We often see ↗ happiness |as something that is to be ↘ reached. We ↘ think |we need to work ↘ hard |to ↘ achieve it. For ↘ example, |you ↘ allow yourself |to meet your ↘ friends at the weekend |as a ↘ reward for all your hard work during the week. That's where the ↘ other excuse appears:

“I DON’T DESERVE HAPPINESS”. Deep ↗ down, |you may have a reoccurring negative ↘ thought |that you don’t really ↘ deserve this level of ↗ happiness |that doing pleasant things can ↘ bring you. You ↘ ask yourself: |“who am↗  I to strive for soul-filling↘  joy?” Bronnie ↘ Ware, |in her book “The Top Five Regrets of the ↘ Dying” |reminds ↘ us| that we ↘ don’t have to feel guilt about happiness |— “it is a ↘ lighter feeling| that we ↘ all desire |and ↘ all deserve”.

Postponing ↘ happiness, |you postpone ↘ your life. Have you got a list of ↗  things |you wanted to ↘ experience,| but always ↘ put it off until |↘ tomorrow, |↘ next week,|↘ next year,|↘ next life..? If you look ↘ closely,| you may ↘ notice,| that ↘ most of them |don't need a great amount of ↘ cash |or ↘ conditions |that you already ↘ possess in your life. Then the question in your head ↘ arises:| “Why do I plan for the ↗  dentist | and I don’t ↘ plan |when I will go for ↘ painting in the woods? Why I don’t just make ↘ time for that??

Just imagine yourself in a several decades ↘ time, |looking at your list of ↘ “all the things |that I wanted to ↘ experience but…” What would you ↗  feel? Sooner or ↘ later |most of us have to face the so-called existential ↘ crisis. You come to ↘ understand: |there’s nothing more consistent with ↘ unhappiness |than spending your time in a ↘ way| that ↘ doesn’t serve who you are.

Having learned about the negative impact of postponing ↗  happiness, |let’s now find the ↘ clue |which will help us to turn our ↘ lives into a positive direction. So here’s the question to ↘ answer: |↗  How can we cultivate happiness in our everyday ↘ life? 

First of ↘ all, |we need to ↘ understand |that happiness is a ↘ mindful choice. We tend to rely on ↘ time, |↘ people, |↘ circumstances |for achieving the state of ↘ happiness. We seek for the ↘ “happy if,” arguments. The sooner you start to cultivate the feeling of ↘ happiness, the ↘ more prosperity you’ll achieve in your life.

Let’s now sum↘  up what we learned today:  

1.     We tend to find ↘ excuses |for putting happiness ↘ “on hold”;

2.     Postponing ↘ happiness, |we postpone our ↘ lives;

3.     Happiness is a ↘ mindful choice.

Is there any better kind of ↗  journey, |than traveling your ↘ own path? Do you need to wait for a certain ↘ occasion |↗  to start being ↘ who you are?  The way to be happy is ↗  simpler, |than you might think it↘  is. Enjoy every moment the present ↘  gives you!

You ↘  CAN choose to be happy. Right ↘  now. And ↘  every single day.

Make the decision ↘  today, |and ↘  never forget the brilliant quote by Leo Tolstoy:

“If you want to be ↘  happy, |↘  be”.