Message from Thailand - "The Land of Smiles"

At the moment, I am sitting on my balcony in a beautiful 5 star resort over-looking the pristine waters of the Adaman Sea with picturesque rock formations jutting out of the water like fingers attempting to touch the clouds.  There is the faint sound of long tail boats passing by and a beautiful sight of the sun glistening off of the limestone cliffs that surround the hotel.  As I sit here in the solitude of my own thoughts, I realize a simple yet profound truth.  Happiness really is an inside job.  There is only one thing that determines our happiness - our choosing it to be so.  You see, with all this beauty that surrounds me here, one would think I would be happier than a normal day in the office or enjoying a good book and a coffee.  I even thought as I was planning this holiday, once I had the experience of being here, the environment would bring more happiness into my life.  The truth is, if you are truly happy; if you truly have joy in your life; if you are really at a place of peace and love, you find just as much joy and happiness in a book or a good conversation as you do in traveling to the other side of the world.  Don't get me wrong, amazing experiences like this add culture and new dimensions of creativity, however, it will not make you happy if you aren't already so.  Many people are constantly looking for happiness and joy in a relationship, a new job, a holiday, or more money.  We, as a culture, are looking for the next best thing to make us happy and fulfilled, but happiness, and I am talking about true happiness and gratitude, not a fleeting sense of elation from external stimuli, is an inside job.  When we can see the same beauty and gratitude in our job or in a child's smile as we do in the sun glistening limestone cliffs reflecting off the clear blue-green waters of the Adaman Sea of Thailand, then we have the whole world in our hands.  It is then that we experience and express the pure nature of our being.  It is then that we shine as bright as the brightest star on a dark night, and with that shining, we illuminate everyone in our path.  If you don't feel like you are there yet, join the club, and we can both be on this journey together.  

Love,
Matt