XDF TMC

时间：每周六晚19：00-21：00

地点：济南市历下区历山路142号凯旋商务中心A座3层新东方3楼3教

I lived in Yantai over the past two years. The community I lived in is called Xingfu, which means happiness. Every time when people asked me questions like, hey Harry, are you happy? I would say, well, I live in happiness. Tonight I would like to share with you two lessons I learnt about this word.

Lesson one: less is more. Or in Chinese we call断舍离. It is said that throwing the unnecessary things is the best way to be a happy person. For most of us, we are easy to be obsessed with things around us. We believe we are connected with those belongings. Although you know you do not need it any more, you still wouldn’t want them disappear in your life. Days ago, when I moved from Yantai, I was amazed by the fact that I still kept the mp3 I bought 10 years ago, though it didn’t work 9 years ago. To be a happy person, you are suggested to get rid of your stuff occasionally. It could be shoes, little art sculpture from the cute store, or the extra electronics. Plan a Sunday afternoon, and throw them out. If you don’t feel good about that, you can also give them away to the people who need them. It can be the pity orphans, or someone like me, who just moved in this city.

Also, the unnecessary stuff I mentioned above does not only mean practical objects, they can also be persons. How many people are you interacting with throughout the week that makes you feeling bad about yourself? Who inspires you on the other hand? Spend time with those people. Too often we keep people in our lives that we don’t like. Having too many old acquaintances adds to the excess in your life. If the relationship isn’t a win-win for you both, then take a step back and focus on those that do.

Lesson two: more is better. To be a happy person, you not only need to throw out stuff, you are also suggested to add some possessions to your life bucket. Possessions are not stuff, stuff adds clutter in your life, while possessions enable you have enough choices. In other words, if you want to throw out the bad apples, the first thing you need to do is grow an apple tree. Read more books. For a long time, we are not happy simply because we don’t have our own time. We are busy working, going shopping or socializing with other people, and we don’t have time to read. Reading makes people feel true inner peace. Reading the book we are favor of is like to talk with our soul mates. You can always find answers to get rid of your worries, hatreds, and negative feelings. Secondly, develop more new interests for yourself. It can be running, swimming or learning a new language. And please avoid doing this all yourself. Find a partner who share the same interests, do this together and make friends with them. That’s the reason when I decided to practice my oral English, I choose to join this wonderful club, and I never regretted for my decisions.

Ladies and gentlemen, those are the two lessons I learnt about happiness. If you think my theory is not so wrong, why not trying to throwing out some unnecessary stuff from tomorrow. On the other hand, try to squeeze more your own time, and acquire more valuable possessions. Thank you.