“WHAT’s your personal legend?,” my friend asked me over a cup of coffee.

“Is that a Paolo Coelho question? Did you get that from The Alchemist?,” I reply, just making sure we didn’t get our wires crossed.

“Yes. Personal legend as in the destined path one takes to achieve real happiness,” she answered.

“Then for me it is to write. At least I think it is to write,” I sipped my coffee, a bit unsure. After a few moments, I nodded. “Yes, I think it has to do with writing. And you?”

“I don’t know yet,” she shook her head. “I do wish I knew what it was.”

Our talk was inspired by discussing life paths. Were we really happy in the corporate world? What were our passions? If we knew what they were, was it wise to blend passions and career? What life path made us the happiest? Borrowing from Paolo Coelho, what was our personal legend?

According to Coelho’s The Alchemist, one’s personal legend is the path that makes us the happiest, the path that fills our heart the most. For some it is easy to determine what it is. Others may think of several things that make them truly happy. And there are those who haven’t determined what their own legend is. How does one know what it is?

In his blog entry, “Following Your Personal Legend,” Paolo Coelho shares some steps from Alan Cohen on how one can rediscover their personal legend. The twelve steps to finding that personal legend look pretty simple on paper, but the challenge is in really gathering the guts to pursue it. Check out his entry and be inspired to rediscover your personal legend.

My favorite items are “Follow your intuition” and “Take risks.” Have faith in yourself. Go out on a limb and pursue it! Have faith in your happiness. Have faith in pursuing what makes you genuinely happy, and that desire will come true for you soon.

I forwarded the link to my friend after our talk. She did the exercise briefly and says she has a pretty good picture of what her personal legend is. While it’s still a little bit vague, she says, at least she knows what path to take. So far, that path is making her happy and is fulfilling her like no other.

As for me, I continue to write, write, write. I write poetry. I blog. I write in my personal journal. Writing is my passion and happiness. Helping others is another happiness of mine. Perhaps helping others through my writing IS my personal legend. I am happily walking down this destined path. This is real happiness for me.

What’s your personal legend?

I am not a morning person, but I sure do want to be one.

Waking up early is such a struggle. I do realize the morning tug-of-war begins with turning in late at night. That said, I know I should sleep earlier. But the bulk of my relaxation time comes in during late evenings after work — unwinding by playing video games, late dinners with the husband, a DVD before bedtime. I wanted to try waking up early one time though. It was difficult, but worth the try.

It started with setting the alarm 30 minutes earlier than usual. No pressing of snooze buttons allowed! Within those thirty minutes, I was able to:

Enjoy quiet time with myself. The sunlight was slowly streaming through the windows. There was a tall glass of hot lemon water across me. I was sitting quietly on the couch, not thinking of anything at all, just enjoying the calming bliss of that moment. Connecting with myself first thing in the morning was refreshing.

Calm my nerves. Getting out of bed is typically followed by my routine of heating water, munching on fruit, drinking water, taking a shower, rushing to work. It feels connecting the dots under time pressure. This time though, I was able to pace the chores in a gentle manner. There was no need to panic as there was more than enough time to get everything together.

Eat a good breakfast. Instead of eating breakfast at work, or worse, skipping the meal, I was able to prepare a healthy, filling morning meal. Better yet, I was able to enjoy every morsel of it. No quick munches on fruit, no big gulps of water to wash it down. It was a breakfast date with myself that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This went on for a couple of days until a late night sent me back to my old ways. Mornings were panicky again and I completely forgot about the beauty of those morning moments with myself.

And then I stumbled upon a post in Zen Habits called 10 Benefits of Rising Early and How to Do It. The entry talked of how getting up earlier is good for you, and shared tips on how to achieve that morning nirvana. While reading it, the memory of that early morning sunlight came back to me, and I resolved to greet the morning earlier than usual again.

It starts tomorrow.

Are you a morning person? Do you enjoy quiet times in the morning? Share your happy morning experiences. Let’s learn from each other.

THANK you to the yuppie who held the elevator open for me as I rushed into the hallway screaming “Up! Up!”. You saved me from being late for a meeting. Thank you to the security guard who greeted me with a cheery “Good morning, Ma’am!” You reminded me to start my morning with a smile. Thank you to the taho vendor who carefully placed my plastic cup of taho in a little bag. You helped keep the liquid from spilling all over my hand. Thank you to the guy at the ATM for helping pick up the coins that fell from my purse. Thank you to these and more random saints that I’ve encountered. Those little acts of yours had a great impact on me and my day.

Amazing how little things can lead to something big. The “Pay It Forward” concept is quite familiar to a lot of us now; it’s like chain mail without the irritation. Beverly Keaton Smith over at Embrace Your Gifts and Soar! writes about ARK: Acts of Random Kindness, the term inspired by the movie Evan Almighty. Ms. Smith shares tips on how to bring ARK into your life.

And remember, when an ARK does come docking into your life, don’t forget to say thank you. Now, go and build yours.

INSPIRATION begets creation.

A pond of water lilies and a Japanese bridge in his garden inspired Claude Monet’s beautiful Water Lilies series. It is said he even built a studio in his garden so he could continue to paint the water lilies rain or shine.

In the early ’70s, a rocker took a break from a concert his band was giving in Rizal Park. He entered the comfort room and minutes later, came out with what was to be an anthem of a generation. Pepe Smith had just written “Ang Himig Natin.”

The best creative spark comes when you’re most inspired. When that positive force begins to move you, you cannot help but pick up a pen and begin to write, to pick up your guitar and strum a tune, to grab a blank canvas and start preparing your palette. The moment inspiration strikes you to create — ah, this is one of the simplest yet most thrilling experiences one can have.

An article from the DailyOM talks about being “Compelled to Create.” The piece shares how muses inspire our creativity, how to identify our muses and how to embrace them. Do check it out and be inspired.