Let me share let me share this story with you. About two months ago, a friend over fifteen years felt he had to open up to me.
He said: “I have watched you over the years under all kinds of circumstances, how do you manage to stay so calm and positive. To be very honest with you, one of the reasons I like to be around you is that you have a reassuring personality. No matter what kind of problem or situation I am faced with, I have never left your presence without a new and positive perspective and insight. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t even solve my problems and you’ve never offer advice on any situation I have shared with you over the years and yet after sharing I have always left with new energy, insight and confidence and perspective  of how to handle myself and the situation. Heck, all it takes on occasion is for you to say something unrelated, some flash of wisdom, to what to I am sharing and, boom, I have a new perspective. As a matter of fact, nobody really knows whether you ever have any problems in your life, judging from the way you handle yourself. Everyone needs somebody like you in their life. Everyone once in a while, one ought to tell their friend how they feel about them. That’s what I am doing, Wandji. You make that much difference in my life. Thank you.”
I have done a lot of introspecting since that day. I was pleasantly surprised but appreciated the comment. As I sit in my home office today on the computer putting down these thoughts, I occasionally look out the window and if I permit it these other thoughts from last night’s news are scrolling in my mind: the world economy is collapsing, the United States credit rating has been downgraded (unthinkable), nations are going bankrupt, the middle east is in turmoil, unemployment at an all time high, there is famine again in Ethiopia, people killing each other in major cities. I can go on and on and yet as I look out the window, I can see the leaves moving as the wind blows, I can see the sky where it’s always been, there’s the sun shining as always and always will, I can breathe and I am, thank goodness! I shift my attention back in the home, my family is right here in the next room with me trying not to disturb Daddy at work, and everyone is healthy. Daddy wasn't working. He was reflecting. How can one live confidently amidst this assault and still maintain hope? The answers to life's questions change every day and so do our emotions and feelings fluctuate with them. Why is it that I feel secure one moment and the next, the news come out shatters every sense of that security and hope?  How can we remain so strong that we can see or hear of these events without letting them affect us? Is that a possibility? Is there a way of living that leaves us unaffected?
AS I glance around my home office, the walls are lined with shelves with hundreds of books and tapes of people I have been spending my time with over the years: Kristamurti, William James, Emilie Cady, Emerson, Ernest Holmes, Jesus, Dennis Waitley, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Norman Vincent Peale, W. Clement Stone, Napoleon Hill, Ghandi, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Catherine Ponder, U. S. Anderson, Joseph Murphy, Les Brown, Dale Carnegie, Marcus Aurelius and many more. Not to mention all the personal development programs I have acquired over time.  

What have we learnt from these giants that have made a difference in my life? Why do the teachings of these people stand the tests of time? What insights do they offer us today? We each want to live peacefully, joyfully, abundantly and prosperously. How can we live out our aspirations while we feel assaulted from every area of life?
We can only count on ourselves. We have been given a life to live. To be up to the task, we need to develop ourselves. We need self knowledge which can only be brought about through learning; learning from our own experiences or from those of others' which they share through their writings etc.

 If we really want to live a meaningful life, we need to get serious about really getting to know ourselves and this takes serious study. We cannot afford to do otherwise. What we are seeking is but within us. We have to get an intimate knowledge of ourselves first. I think this is what Jesus may have meant when he said: "Seek ye first the kingdom and everything will added unto you."
I f you are serious about living the joyous life, embark on self study and never let up. It takes energy. Since the dawn of time, man has been searching, we are still searching, for that one thing that can make us satisfied and feel fulfilled. Live upstairs, get wisdom by seeking.
First of all, one thing that I have learned in life is that if you want to live simply and peacefully and not be disturbed, live all the time upstairs.