Learn rules to the game of life one day at a time.

You'd think we would know how to live a happy life by now, with all the years we've been listening to people share about how to create a happy, prosperous life. But we still don't get it. Life is one crazy game of rules that we must follow whether we like it or not, but far too many people are overwhelmed.  As a result, they opt-out of the day to day struggle for self-improvement and happiness, relying instead on "quick-fix" solutions that don't solve problems at all.

The way to live a happy, prosperous life is to follow good examples that reflect who you are, who you want to be, and what you are able to do. It is very important to tackle only a few rules at a time. Once you're comfortable, add another and then another rule. It takes six to eight weeks to learn something new, so learn rules for the game of life one day at a time.You can create or google your own, but I'm offering a few rules that I totally copied from a website simply because they make a lot of sense::

The 12 Rules To Live By

by Craig Ballantyne | Articles, Motivation, Perfect Day Formula, Self-Improvement, Spirituality

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The 12 rules to live by should act as a guiding structure for you to make your own…

The one thing I admire about people who have strong nutrition rules is their dogmatic behavior.

For example, a vegetarian, under no circumstances, will ever eat meat. There is no, “well, everyone else is having a burger, so just this once, I will too.” That’s not how it works. Not when a vegetarian has a strong personal philosophy that they never, ever, ever eat meat.

That strong personal philosophy guides them to guilt-free behavior that is congruent with their goals.

I’ve taught both my fitness clients and CEO coaching members to develop their own personal philosophy – essentially a set of rules that dictate decisions. I’ve also created my own rules that determine how I live my life so that I reduce guilt, stress, and wasted emotional energy.

I’ve also created my own rules that determine how I live my life so that I reduce guilt, stress, and wasted emotional energy.

My personal philosophies are not wrong or right, but they work for my unique ambitions and health. And I’m offering them to you as encouragement you to adopt your own rules for the sake of living a better, more productive, stress-free life.

You may have rules in your head that you’ve always followed, but I encourage you to put them in writing. You can adopt a set of rules for every aspect of your life, from health to financial to family and business.

My 12 Rules

1. I go to bed and get up at the same time 7 days per week (8 p.m. and 4 a.m.) I stick to my diet, avoid caffeine after 1 p.m., and avoid alcohol within three hours of bedtime.
   

   SUGGESTED: The Ultimate Guide to Morning Routines

2. I write for at least 60 minutes first thing every morning.
3. I do not check email before 11 a.m. and I do not talk on the phone unless it is a scheduled interview or conference call.
4. I act polite and courteous, and I do not swear.
5. I create a to-do list at the start & end of every workday and update my daily gratitude & achievement journal.
6. I do not engage in confrontations with anyone, in-person or online. This is a waste of time and energy. If I have caused harm, I apologize and fix the situation. And then I take a deep breath, relax, breathe out, and re-focus my efforts back on my work and goals.
7. I am guided by these two phrases:a) “Nothing matters.” – I can only work towards the major, massive goals and my vision of helping others, while the opinions of others do not matter to my goals.b) “It will all be over soon.”
8.  Everything that happens to me – good and bad – is my personal responsibility. I blame no one but myself. These are the choices I’ve made – this is the life I’m living. I will accept the consequences of my actions.
9. I will help 10 Million men and women transform their lives.
10. I will not be the person I don’t want to be. I will not be petty, jealous, or envious, or give in to any other of those lazy emotions. I will not gossip or speak badly of others, no matter who I am with or what environment that I am in. I will not be negative when it is easier to be positive. I will not hurt others when it is possible to help. I will know the temptations and environments in life that I must avoid, and I will, in fact, avoid them, even if it means loosening relationships with others who “live” in those environments. It’s my life and that matters more than what other people think of me.
11. “I will always keep the child within me alive.” – Ted Nicholas.
12. “I will write with honesty and feeling.” – Ted Nicholas. The opinion of others does not matter. What matters is the number of people that I can help by sharing advice and encouragement in my writing.

Retrived on December 9, 2017 from https://www.earlytorise.com/12-rules/

You have a right to change your mind (even if you're the only one who really knows why you quit).

We lost Della Reese on November 19, 2017, an actor who defied stereotypes and set new examples of what's possible for black female singers and actors. "Don't You Know?" is an example of success in changing perceptions about what's possible. This is something you do because you feel you must and nothing can get in your way.

Who said it can't be done, just because it hasn't been done? Where there is a will, there is a way. Sometimes, you think you want to achieve something but after struggling against the odds or against negative attitudes, you realize you're glad somebody stopped you from doing something you didn't really want to do. However, in actuality, you allowed your plan to be destroyed before the hard work ever began.

You can fool others, but you can't fool yourself. You know it's impossible to stop someone who lets nothing get in the way of success. So be true to yourself; you have a right to change your mind (even if you're the only one who really knows why you quit). Now, what do you think Della Reese faced and overcame?
"Don't You Know?"("Puccini") https://youtu.be/N86nxxZW6UY  via @YouTube

Losing one's temper due to anger is only a cover-up.

Losing one's temper due to anger is only a cover-up. Because we don't like to feel vulnerable, we default to what seems a more aggressive emotional response, like anger. Are you hiding your true emotions behind anger? 


If you want to know what you're hiding when you become angry,  stop yourself as soon as you start to feel flushed and flustered, before you've had time to strike back. If you ever wonder why you get so mad at certain times or around certain people, check your feelings and see what shows up—intimidation, fear, rejection, belittlement? It's good if you can notice the feeling but it's much better if you can also name and target the emotion.


When I was in elementary school, I fought a lot because I was bullied. I felt sadness, but my first outward response was anger. Internally, I was feeling something I was too embarrassed to admit. It was only in high school that I learned to hide the anger, at least for a minute or two so as to discover what was really making me respond. It took years for me to stop responding to insults and injury with anger, but I finally grasped the concept. It's not the outward emotion of anger that we need to control. The control must start with recognizing and addressing the inward feelings, those we hide so no one is the wiser about our vulnerabilities. These feelings are attached to emotions that must be named before they can be conquered.


So the next time you feel anger, ask yourself if the incident or situation is worthy of anger, upsetting you for longer than necessary, or is there another emotion you need to address?

Difficulties I face and overcome are signals that I am adapting to change.

When you travel outside of your country of origin, you understand people, places, and things a lot better.  You see how we are connected in the universal scheme of things, and you understand the needs of humanity--compassion, forgiveness, and love. My perspective has changed over the years, from trying to change the world to allowing the world to change me. As a result, I feel less alienated, less differentiated, and less on my own. I feel that no matter what I am experiencing, I am not alone, and the difficulties I face and overcome are signals that I am adapting to change and one day, I will truly overcome and be the person I was meant to be.

"No pain, no gain" is not a cliche'. Hardships can be a gift.

"No pain, no gain" is not a cliche'. It's a commentary on life and attempts to explain why suffering exists. When we face negative circumstances, we must overcome or endure. In the process of suffering and learning to overcome, we build emotional, physical or spiritual strength. But the concept of suffering as something positive is not easy to accept. No one wants to suffer, especially when the suffering never seems to end. When pain and suffering never stop, these words seem lame and useless. But ancient writings and scriptures reinforce the importance of suffering.

First, there is the example of winter, how it seems so dead and barren, but in order to prepare the natural world for the new season known as spring, the harsh weather is needed to protect the flowers and trees. The colder the winter, the more bountiful the fruit on trees and the more colorful the flowers when they bloom in the spring. Henry David Thoreau explains this very well in his book, Walden.

Everyone has heard the words, "diamond in the rough," meaning that something has potential, and with the proper fine-tuning and shaping, it can become a precious gem. To make a diamond requires the right environment, great pressure, extremely high temperatures and a little bit of luck.

Extreme pressure transforms elements into things which are not only useful but also, quite beautiful. Without unbearable conditions, extreme pressures and painful circumstances, life would be ordinary, substances would be ordinary, and people would be ordinary.Through trials and tribulations, we learn deep meaning in life. Not only that, we learn to find joy in the little things and appreciate life as it comes each day.

It's natural to complain sometimes, but the next time you find yourself complaining about your level of suffering, think again. Your suffering means you are meant for greater things. You only need to find meaning in your experiences and determine what lesson you need to learn. Eventually, you will find joy inside of pain and you will truly appreciate the words, "No pain, no gain" because hardships can be a gift.

Writing is fundamental to positive thinking and overall physical and emotional health because the mind and body work together

Writing is fundamental to positive thinking and overall physical and emotional health because it allows the mind and body to work together for the sake of self-expression. These two aspects of our being are not separate entities and should be understood and appreciated as one. In the act of writing, the mind and body function holistically, each aspect of our being benefiting equally. Not only is writing a mental act, it is also a physical act of creativity that allows us to release energy in positive ways. Daily writing leads to a state of happiness much of the time.

We will face challenges in life, but writing allows us to reflect on our experiences and use them as learning opportunities. Writing makes a difference in our ability to problem-solve, empathize, and stop negative thinking because writing causes us to lose ourselves in a moment of creativity. Like reading, writing causes us to suspend all life around us until the moment of creativity has passed. When we immerse ourselves in writing, we give it our "undivided" attention. Whether it's writing to express emotions or create a fictional or poetic world, we don't think about the outside world turning nor the fact they we are turning along with it. We don't think about what happened to us in the past nor do we worry about the future because we are fully engaged in the present moment. Writing is liberating, relaxing, and inspiring, and it increases our opportunities for happiness.

Writing is an act of self-expression or creativity that causes us to become absorbed in the moment. It's a moment when we don't worry about anything, except the writing. Life might offer challenges, but writing turns the challenge into an opportunity for changing the way we live so that we experience happiness much of the time. Writing is fundamental to overall health and emotional well-being. Try it; you'll see.

Don't rely on anyone to do something you can't also do for yourself in a pinch. Plan A and Plan B work together and you are the responsible party, always.

Don't blindly "trust the process" because as long as the process is formulated by people, there is room for error and when an error is made, nobody stands up to take responsibility. In fact, people will find a way to blame you for any failures in communication or functionality. And they would be right. So when you make a Plan A, make sure to include a backup Plan B that centers around who you are. Your job is always to trust your intuition and abilities because that's what you will be relying on, ultimately.


So for your own assurance,  question "the process" or the way things generally work, and the people behind it. Trust your intuition and abilities and have a strategy for overcoming a setback or abandoning your Plan A altogether. You are responsible for your clarity of vision, and success depends on you. How you manage your life so that success is inevitable depends on how much faith you have in your intuitive qualities and in your abilities to get the job done, even if you have to do it yourself.


If you have a vision and a clarity of purpose, and if you are willing to do what it takes to succeed, you are a strong contender in life. However, not everyone will want to reckon with you as a competitor, so many will secretly find ways to sabotage your project, undermine your credibility, or cause you to lose faith. To avoid any of this, rely on your intuition to help you weed out the culprits. Then invite only people who support your mission and efforts to make a difference. 


Every primary plan, Plan A should include having a plan B. Plan B is the plan that is based on your beliefs, your strengths, and your abilities. It is the plan that centers around who you are, what you know how to do, and what you want to accomplish. You'll need a network of support, but only a network that believes in your mission and is willing to help you achieve it.


Stay true to yourself and rely on your intuition and abilities.The ultimate truth will be revealed if you listen to your thoughts and feelings well enough. Trusting the "process" is only as good as the people who formulated it, so trust yourself, more than anything. Don't rely on anyone to do something you can't also do for yourself in a pinch. Plan A and Plan B work together and you are the responsible party, always.

She was supposed to be in school but was expelled the first day for fighting: A thought in progress

Sometimes angels walk among us, protecting us. I don't have proof, but I know people who believe so. I can talk about it now, but I still can't reveal her name, so I'll just call her Tania, a girl-child born against all odds the couple would divorce and that she'd be on her own with no one to guide her and nothing to indicate she was loved, though she probably was, if not all of the time at least some of the time, enough of the time for her to grab a few precious moments, slip them into her pocket and store them away for a rainy day. When days were gloomy and nights were long and sad, she focused on the good times they had, living in the apartment just a few blocks from downtown.

That's how she survived after the rent increased and couldn't be paid and they all had to move away. One day she awoke to the sad news that her father would be moving back to his hometown down South, but they could find a place at the homeless shelter. He had checked. They had an opening. So whenever she could, Tania found herself capturing positive moments and saving them for the rainy day when there was nothing to do but walk the streets, sleep underneath benches at Grace Episcopal Church, and savor each gesture of kindness she received day to day.

She created happiness moment to moment and smiled at the passersby because each and every one had a beautiful smile. She considered their smiles to be a gift, so in order to receive their gift, she willingly gave one of her own. If people walked by when she was sitting on a park bench or if someone sat down next to her, she would wait for them to speak before she smiled. That way, there would be no mistakes.

She was supposed to be in school but was expelled the first day for fighting a girl who was laughing at her unruly hair. They didn't get an answer when they called for her mother to come pick her up but put her out anyway. She continued to stay in the shelter at night but during the day, she had to disappear. Next semester, she would be able to return to school and her mother would be able to sign the papers.

One day while Tania sat on the bench next to the church, a passerby parked his car, walked to her bench and handed her a bag of popcorn. She smiled and said. “Thank you.”  Side by side they sat in silence, she at one end of the bench, and the tall older man at the other. Finally, after about an hour, the man stood up and said, “Have a nice day.” Then he returned to his car and drove away. Once he was out of sight, she started nibbling pieces of popcorn.

Before long, the sun began to set and she could return to the homeless shelter where they thought she was still enrolled in school. She couldn't wait to return to school. All she had to do was stay safe and stay out of trouble. She stole a bag of Cheetos the other day. The man in the car saw her, which is probably why he brought her the bag of popcorn, which means he was probably looking for her.

She didn't know if she should continue to sit on the bench next to Grace Episcopal Church or if she should find a new place to hide in broad daylight. If she stayed, the man would probably return, bringing her something to eat. If she stayed, it could also mean trouble. “Angels walk among us,” her mother always said. She couldn't tell if the tall brown man was an angel or not. To find the answer, she knew she would have to pray.

Her mother got arrested the other night. It happened once before, and her mother was gone a week. Before being handcuffed her mother had said, “Go home.” Tania knew that this really meant, “Find your Uncle Sam,” which she did, but Uncle Sam had a little secret; he always liked her in a grown-up kind of way. This was what he told her the last time she stayed with him. So two nights later, before he arrived home from work, she disappeared. She didn't know where she was going, so she ended up on the other side of town. She was only twelve at the time. Tania didn't know how her mother found her once her time in jail was up. Maybe one of the men her mother knew had been keeping an eye on her.

Again, Tania didn't know how long her mother would be gone. She was only fifteen but she looked older. She had learned how to survive on the streets mostly by not talking to anyone and reading a college history book somebody had thrown away. She was homeless, at least for now. They told her at the shelter that one in 30 children in the state public schools was homeless. She was one of them, but she knew she wouldn't always be. “Angels walk among us,” she reminded herself. Each day, she felt she was on the verge of a miracle. All she needed to do is pray, stay safe, and take life one day at a time.

Warning: "Emotional Contagion" is an energy that can be absorbed without warning or prior knowledge.

Most people are able to pick up emotional energy from others. This means they are vulnerable to negative or positive emotions carried by strangers or people they know. The person who receives the emotional energy can be a participant in the conversation or an innocent bystander. Without realizing what has happened, their attitude or mood can be impacted without warning or prior knowledge. Since some people's negative attitudes are highly contagious, it's important to be aware of any unexpected or inexplicable change of mood you might experience and be aware of people you encounter. 

"Emotional Contagion," was once considered a questionable concept. But there's a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. The following excerpt from an online article, "Are You Catching Other People's Emotions?" explains it best:

"Research has found that upbeat emotions such as enthusiasm and joy, as well as negative ones, including sadness, fear and anger, are easily passed from person to person, often without either party's realizing it. Emotional contagion occurs in a matter of milliseconds, and it depends on an incredibly basic, even primitive, instinct: During conversation, human beings naturally tend to mimic their companion’s facial expressions, posture, body language and speech rhythms, without being consciously aware of it, explains John T. Cacioppo, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago" (Colino, Stacey).

In the article, Stacey Colino offers suggestions which help guard against receiving emotional energy from negative others. She concludes with, "If that doesn’t help, pull the escape hatch by leaving the scene or taking a break (even if it’s to visit the restroom so you can regroup). Think of it as a way of coming to your own emotional rescue."

Colino, Stacey. "Are You Catching Other People's Emotions?", 20 Jan. 2016

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2016-01-20/are-you-catching-other-peoples-emotions.

Sierra Club and #NorthCarolina governor need 70,000 signatures to stop FRACKING legislation in North Carolina & you can help!

Duke Energy, the largest energy company in the USA,  wants to do seismic drilling on the Atlantic coast and make customers pay through higher utility bills. On behalf of the people of NC, the Sierra Club needs to collect 70,000 signatures needed by NC Governor Roy Cooper to make Duke Energy and other "clean energy" proponents go away. Their argument is, this creates clean energy. But how can it be clean when it pollutes our waters and destroys the natural environment?

FRACKING or seismic drilling will upset the balance of a delicate ecosystem in the area, a natural habitat that has been in existence since prehistoric times. Some plant and animal species living in North Carolina live nowhere else in the world. Despite the imminent threat to wildlife and their natural environment, landowners and clean energy proponents downplay the dangers to this stable ecosystem while the media turns a blind eye or downplays the devastating effects of #fracking seen in states that have allowed it.

I have provided an excerpt from the Sierra Club's email response to my inquiry. It outlines a few things we might do to help get signatures and spread the word about this challenge that North Carolina faces. States that received the needed signatures were able to STOP legislation that would allow this invasive practice of fracking.

Please read the information below. If you need more information or resources,

contact me here: www.survivingaday.blogspot.com or @survivingaday on Twitter.

*******************************

Hello,

Thank you for speaking with me! There are so many upcoming opportunities to participate in as we move closer to stopping this pipeline, so I'm excited to work with you on making some of these things happen.

1) Get your voice heard (and get your friends / neighbors to submit comments too). The easiest way to do this is to go here and get as many people to sign this as possible through August 19th! sc.org/nc-acp

Do Something for the Environment!  Ask the NC Department of Environmental Quality to protect waterways from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline – do it before August 18th. 

2) A group meeting on this -- Every 3rd Thursday from 6:45p to 8:45p at Eastover Recreation Center, 3637 Pembroke Lane, Fayetteville, NC 28301 (Eastover Community) there is a local meeting of folks concerned about the pipeline.

Facebook: Cumberland County Caring Voices

3) Write a letter to the editor at the Fayetteville Observer. They wrote a great piece about the hearing, now they need to keep hearing from people on this issue. The Sierra Club has a short guide on how to do this.

4) Host a house party and show a 20 minute documentary on this pipeline -- Won't Pipe Down.

5) Paper petition is available from the Sierra Club. However, it's most convenient to.use the online form (sc.org/nc-acp) whenever there is wifi or internet capability. 

Thank you!

Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington committed suicide yesterday. One day you're listening to them; the next day they're tragically gone.

Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington committed suicide yesterday. Although I didn't know him, I heard his music and I feel the loss. You never know when someone is making one last effort to overcome negative thinking, negative influences or negative habits. You never know how close they are to falling off a cliff, drenched in hopelessness. One day you're listening to them speak or perform, and the next day they're tragically gone. 

I've heard the music of Linkin Park, saw a performance online. But somebody important to Chester Bennington had committed suicide in May, 2017. Now it's only late July 2017 and the surviving best friend is also dead. You'd think someone would have suspected that this first tragic event might trigger a state of depression for a survivor. We continually miss the signs that all is not well with someone we know and love. We smile and watch as they plunge deeper into hopelessness.

A colleague of mine committed suicide a year after my friend attempted a murder-suicide. The suicide was not successful. For a few years, I blamed myself, thinking surely there was something I could have done. My friend had vowed to come from the Midwest to the Northeast just to visit me and my family. Two weeks prior to her visit, I got the tragic news. She had attempted but failed to commit suicide after successfully murdering her son. 

Hearing the news, all I could feel was anger and betrayal that she misrepresented her thoughts and feelings without saying a word. Then I felt sadness and guilt that I didn't detect a problem, didn't notice a change in her disposition, didn't sense that something was wrong. I could have volunteered to keep her son, would have kept him as long as she needed. As for my colleague, we said goodbye in June, at semester's end. By October he had completed a suicide.

I think of all of the people we have lost in our society--in plain sight. My quesion is always the same: How do they manage to complete a suicide with so many people around them, looking after their every need? 

So we've lost another one at age 41. It's such a tragic thing to know that people can feel they have outlived their usefulness. That's got to be what happens because when we feel useful, wanted, needed and appreciated, we hold on to those positive feelings. We receive validation and support. We feel connected to a higher purpose in life. I'm often at a loss for words when someone commits suicide. All I can do is pray for their peace and tranquility.  Chester Bennington, may he R.I.P.

Linkin Park Singer Chester Bennington Dead, Commits Suicide by Hanging (UPDATE) http://www.tmz.com/2017/07/20/linkin-park-singer-chester-bennington-dead-commits-suicide/ via @TMZ

Choose to be around people who validate you.

We are motivated by our wants and needs. We can postpone or eliminate our wants but our needs must be fulfilled. Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who studied human needs. He created a list of human needs that must be fulfilled. The list is called, A Hierarchy of Needs. It begins with our basic need to survive and ends with our highest need, the need for “self actualization.” 

“Self-actualization” is an emotional need. It inspires us to do our greatest good and to achieve our very best. In order to fulfill this need, we must first fulfill all lower needs. For example, if the need for validation is not fulfilled, our need for "self-actualization" will never appear. If the need to become “self-actualized” never appears, self-actualization can never be realized.

The general order in which our needs appear is:

• Basic needs: food, water, air, survival

• Safety needs: security, protection 

• Psychological needs: love, relationships and belonging

• Emotional needs: self-esteem and validation

• Spiritual needs: self-actualization and achieving our greatest good

Being validated by others is the last need to be fulfilled before the need for “self-actualization” appears. Meeting the need for validation depends on positive feelings about ourselves and others. It's the key to healthy self-esteem and positive social relationships. Validation involves interacting with others and being appreciated by them. It requires connecting with people who appreciate us. Validation closes the gap between meeting lower needs and fulfilling our highest need for “self-actualization.”

It's important to choose our relationships carefully. It's necessary to build connections with people who appreciate and validate us. We build self-esteem when we are around people who offer positive reinforcement and value us. This enables us to become “self-actualized,” achieve our greatest good, and find happiness in life.  

Whether the Pro-Life movement is about babies dead or alive, it does not respect a woman's abilities & right to choose.

You can't legislate morals and you can't judge a woman by the choice she decides to make. It's a personal matter and no one but the highest Universal Power can determine whether she is fit for Heaven or Hell. Which is the lesser evil--bringing a child into hopeless circumstances or stopping the madness before it has a chance to take root? Such is the dilemma of a pregnant mother whose only obligation is to make the right choice for herself and her child based on her circumstances.

No one can know the future of a child born into unfavorable or detrimental circumstances. A woman must decide what's best and she should be provided weeks of counseling and emotional support, not just ten or fifteen minutes. Once she has had the counseling she needs, she must be trusted to make the decision that's best for herself and her unborn child. But choosing to terminate a pregnancy has karmic consequences. The universe will be the judge, not the people.

What happens to babies once the mother decides to have an unwanted child depends on many things that I suspect to be true. Is it about babies or about the market to provide fresh babies to adoptive parents? If such is the case, what happens to babies that are not adopted? You see, I don't think the Pro-Life movement is about all dead babies. It's also not about caring for unwanted babies after they are born. Once the baby is born, you can't return it to be womb, and there is no expiration date for a newborn child. We seem to care more about babies in the womb than about children in the livingroom (if they are lucky enough to have one).

Regarding a woman's right to choose, all we can do is provide knowledge, compassion, and emotional support with the understanding that the choice she makes is not up to us. Each woman must do the right thing--for herself based on her reality. I've known of abortions since childhood. There were fancy names for it but the results were the same--termination of pregnancy. I've heard of women dying by clothes hanger injected into the body to cause miscarriage. I've heard of unwanted babies being shaken to death, starved and neglected, beaten to death, or stuck into foster homes only to be abused and thrown away like yesterday's trash. Once they age-out of the social services system, the horror continues. The horror stories are endless. What mother would want to bring a child into a world like this? What mother would want to watch her child grow up on the streets as a victim of poverty living in a state of hopelessness, destined for failure? What mother would want to feed the prison system or the predators on the street, knowing her child didn't stand a chance?

Who are we to decide how a mother chooses to save the life of her child? If we lived our lives with a sense of compassion for mothers who face dilemmas regarding the future of their unborn children, if we stopped the trafficking of newborn children, if we stopped persecuting mothers who make the best choice under the circumstances, if we stopped prejudging and ostracizing would-be mothers, I think this world would be a better place in which to raise a child. Society would be filled with children who are loved and who have a chance at living happy and prosperous lives.

If you're planning to relocate to a new city, here are a few findings you might appreciate.

Are you happy where you live? America is the land of opportunity but whether we succeed or fail to achieve happiness in a particular city or state can depend on more than a job or circle of friends. 

Achieving success and happiness in a place often depends on whether we understand the politics of the majority population and especially, the religious preferences of that majority. Knowing how people view their religious preferences will determine how to interact with them, and interacting with members of a community is a requirement if we plan to live there for very long.  

No matter which state you choose to live in, whether relocating or staying put, it usually requires some type of mental adjustment or compromise. The question is, are you prepared to compromise, especially where religious practices are concerned? If you're planning to relocate to a new city or state, here are a few findings you might appreciate:

Source: "How Religious is your State?" Pew Research FactTank (2016/02/29).

1. Alabama	77%
1. Mississippi	77%
3. Tennessee	73%
4. Louisiana	71%
5. Arkansas	70%
5. South Carolina	70%
7. West Virginia	69%
8. Oklahoma	66%
8. Georgia	66%
10. North Carolina	65%
11. Texas	64%
11. Utah	64%
13. Kentucky	63%
14. Virginia	61%
15. Missouri	60%
16. South Dakota	59%
17. Ohio	58%
18. New Mexico	57%
19. Iowa	55%
19. Kansas	55%
19. New Jersey	55%
22. Indiana	54%
22. Wyoming	54%
22. Florida	54%
22. Maryland	54%
22. Nebraska	54%
27. Michigan	53%
27. Pennsylvania	53%
27. Arizona	53%
27. District of Columbia	53%
27. North Dakota	53%
32. Delaware	52%
33. Illinois	51%
33. Idaho	51%
35. California	49%
35. Nevada	49%
35. Minnesota	49%
35. Rhode Island	49%
39. Montana	48%
39. Oregon	48%
41. Hawaii	47%
41. Colorado	47%
43. New York	46%
44. Washington	45%
44. Alaska	45%
44. Wisconsin	45%
47. Connecticut	43%
48. Maine	34%
48. Vermont	34%
50. New Hampshire	33%
50. Massachusetts	33%