Being open and happiness

I love going out and having a good time, but if I did this all the time, I wouldn't be a productive member of society. Moderation is the key to everything in life. I have been truly blessed to have people in my life who actually are interested in me. I will never take this for granted and hopefully people know that I'm interested in them. I'm not here to judge. I don't hide who I am or what I've been through in life. Our experiences are what make us real. We all have pasts. When we try to pretend like we've got everything together, we're not fooling anyone but ourselves. My goal is to never make the same mistake twice...no jokes here please, haha. The greatest tool God gave us is our mind. I strive to never stop learning, through books and through life. Some mistakes I don't have to make in life because I've seen the consequences of others. Religion fascinates me. I have read the Bible and the Qur'an. I am a very religous christian, though most people never know that. I do that on purpose. Jesus, not my mexican landscaper friend, but the other one, had a very simple message of love. We are not intended to shove our beliefs down others throats. Because God knows we hate it when others do it to us. In fact, most people do this because they're not confident in what they believe. It's like anyone that walks a different path is wrong. If we see someone happy that's different, we automatically say well they're not truly happy because they're not just like me. We want to be around like minded people so that we feel stronger about what we believe. Our words are meaningless. Our lives are what people see. People aren't dumb, they know genuineness. What I have found is deep down we all seek the same thing, happiness. Some seek it through money and possesions. Some seek it through religion. Some seek it through drugs. Some seek it through relationships. What you will find is that happiness is internal and a choice. I choose to make the best of my situation, no matter what. There is no external source that is going to make us happy. People think if I was only in this situation, I could be happy. With that attitude, you'll always be chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Ask yourself simply, If I'm not happy what can I do to change my situation. In this economy, we all see that money can come and go. If I'm miserable at church maybe I need to re-evaluate what I really believe instead of what I've been told is right and wrong. I have been with someone who was about to stick heroin in his arm and knew that I didn't do it. He looked at me and said, "you're ok with this." I simply said, "I'm not here to condemn you, I know it would feel good for the moment, but I know how hard it would be to control and the consequences of that, so I choose not to do it" He soon stopped and went to rehab because he realized there was another way. Not that the feeling was bad, but it's where it would eventually lead. It wasn't a sustainable life. I don't care whether he stops for good or relapses, it's his life, not mine. In a relationship, instead of thinking what the other person is not doing to make me happy, maybe I should say, what can I do to make the other person happy? Kindness, some calll it karma, always is paid back to us. What amazes me is that people get a woe is me attitude. Like I said, we all have pasts. You will either use it as a crutch your whole life or you'll overcome it. We can't help the cards we're dealt, what we can affect is how we play them. Today will always be the beginning of the rest of your life. Change can take place at any time.