Happiness… It’s something that everyone wants but to some, it may appear to be out of reach. An anomaly that happens for some and skips over others. At least that’s the story a vast majority of individuals desiring happiness will tell themselves. Truth is, happiness is something that each person can have. It’s neither an anomaly nor something that happens to everyone else. Happiness is something that can happen to anyone.
Where does Happiness begin? There are countless stories of individuals finding happiness in unimaginable circumstances. So, what makes them different from the majority? They decided to look within and there they found the acceptance and happiness they were looking for. The problem for some is their approach to discovering happiness. Most are setting back wishing for happiness or not being an active participant in creating happiness their happiness. Here’s something that we all have to accept as truth. Happiness begins with you. It is an inside job that requires continuous action. It is not something that someone outside of you can create for you. They can only enhance your happiness through gestures of kindness and appreciation. But it IS NOT something that someone can create for you. Countless times a person will leave the responsibility of their happiness to others and become upset because the individual did not create their happiness in the way they desired it.
‘Take responsibility for your own happiness, never put it in other peoples’ hands.”
-Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Never coming to terms with the hard truth that individual happiness begins with the individual. This seems simple, but yet there is still a majority that has yet to grasp this concept.
How to get & keep your happiness.
Understanding that happiness begins inside is one thing but searching inside to find it is another. As a person matures, they can sometimes lose that childish wonder that allowed them to find happiness in any and everything. The woos of life has stripped them of this ability. Think about a baby or toddler, how they smile and laugh from falling when running, playing with their favorite toy, or having a gibberish conversation with their parent. The goal is to get back that childish wonder and create more happiness. Here are a few steps to consider.
Establish a Morning Routine – What a person does in the morning can set the tone for the rest of the day. So it’s important to set the right tone. Do things that will empower you and make you feel good. Here are some examples:
- Breath – Upon awakening, sit on the side of the bed and take some deep breathes, a minimum of 3; in through the nose and out through the mouth. This will help you wake up and feel more alert.
- Express Gratitude – Start the day giving thanks. Express gratitude for a minimum of 3 things. When the focus is placed on thankfulness – resentment, and disappointment quickly disappear. If you feel you have nothing to say, start by saying things like, “I am grateful to awake.” “I am grateful for a new day to begin again.” “I am grateful for life.” Expressing gratitude is also a way to bring more of what you are thankful for and things desired into your life.
- Journal – Journal at least 15 minutes in the morning. This inspires creativity, declutters your thoughts, and helps establish focus and clarity. It is also one of the habits of highly successful people.
- Move Your Body – Do some type of physical activity. This can be yoga, stretching, walking/running, etc. Exercising not only gets your blood pumping but it raises your energy level.
Once a morning routine is established, two things should be done continuously throughout the day. That’s discipline thoughts and speech. The way a person speaks is reflective of how they think and vice versa. Monitoring your thoughts can seem overwhelming initially
because we have an excess of 60,000 thoughts a day. It would be seemingly impossible to manage that many thoughts. However, you can monitor the thoughts that linger and disempower. The negative lingering thoughts that encourage you to quit or that you aren’t good enough. The process of interrupting and replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts may seem daunting initially.
because we have an excess of 60,000 thoughts a day. It would be seemingly impossible to manage that many thoughts. However, you can monitor the thoughts that linger and disempower. The negative lingering thoughts that encourage you to quit or that you aren’t good enough. The process of interrupting and replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts may seem daunting initially.
- Allow the negative thought to play out. Once it has played out, replace it with something that is empowering. Here is an example: “I can’t get this right. I should have just left it alone. Replace it with, “I made a few mistakes, I’m still learning. I can and will complete the task.”
- Use affirmations along with expressing gratitude. Affirmations help set the tone for expectancy. When you awake, take a deep breath and say, “I am happy.” You have set the tone for the day.
Changing thoughts is an ongoing process, but it’s directly correlated to your speech. Once you began to correct your thinking into something more empowering, your speech will change as well. It’s important to know that words are the vibration of attraction. Words can manifest both wanted and unwanted events and/or things into your life. Words can determine your happiness for the day or a lifetime, but it all begins in the mind. That’s why thought and speech are so important.
Having a positive expectancy leads to optimism and now you will begin to feel more confident. All the aforementioned lead to one thing, happiness. Happiness is a combination of optimism, confidence, positive thinking, and speech. For someone who has lost their sense of wonder, doing this initial work is important. These are the first steps to feeling more joy and fulfillment, ie happiness. They are the main ingredients.
Why happiness is important.
The reason happiness is important is simple. Happiness determines your quantity and quality of life. Simplistic in concept but it may seem complex to comprehend. When a person is happy, stress hormones lower that cause disruption or disease in your body. Mental illness, such as depression and anxiety. Physical problems, such as cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal issues, and much more. Unhappiness can limit your ability to live. So by limiting your quality of life, your quantity has been limited also.
Being happy, joyful and any other adjective that describes happiness is vital. It’s key for improving any aspect of your life, personally or professionally. Realistically will a person be happy every moment of their life, no. Conversely, when one begins to learn from mistakes and/or perceived failures, not dwell in the past, and use processes that promote joy in their life, there will be more days of happiness than not. Happiness is connected with longevity and fulfillment. Learning to be happy and being happy is an ongoing process. It is something that should be put into practice each day. As aforementioned, happiness begins on the inside, but it radiates outwardly.
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Start living by turning lack into abundance, unhappiness to joy and unfulfillment into appreciation for every part of your life. Click the link and grab a copy of the 30-Days of Gratitude journal. Download now!
