To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy, or way of life that focuses on personal spiritual development. Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life, and do not worship gods or deities.

Who was Buddha?

Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism. He was born in the north-eastern part of India into the family of the chief of the Shakya clan in Lumbini (now in Nepal), sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE (around 2,500 years ago). At the time of his birth, several scholars predicted he would become a great king or holy man.

Everybody wants to be happy, and research into what makes individuals and communities thrive has grown in popularity in recent years. One such report, called the Harvard Happiness Study, is one of many that highlights the importance of having a broad range of social connections to family, friends and the community for a happy, healthy life. However, relationships can be tricky, and sometimes we need to work on our own personal development in order to build those relationships successfully. So here’s my list of ten key skills, that in my experience, will help us to be happy.

If you’re reading this blog post, there’s a good chance that you’re not actually accomplishing as much each day/week as you’d like to, and that you’ve begun to suspect a good chunk of your time is being wasted.

I doubt there are many people who, as they look back on their lives, wish they had spent more time watching TV or cute kitten videos on Facebook. But there are probably an awful lot who, with hindsight, wish they’d watched less, and achieved more! Effective time management is about knowing what’s important to you. What would you rather do: work towards your life goals, or spend all night binge watching House of Cards? The more focused and self-disciplined you are, the more likely that you can (eventually) do both.