5 EASY WAYS TO FIND HAPPINESS

Most of us have met Destiny. Destiny gets a lot of press. Songs are written about her. Plays are enacted, with her as the star. In real life, one thing is for sure. Destiny is a rebel. A rebel with a strange sense of humor.

We make plans and initiate projects, Sitting in the Ferrari of our life, we speed toward the accomplishment of our goals. And along comes Destiny, tipping us over, just to show us that we’re really riding in a wheelbarrow.

So we become unhappy.

How do we find the path to happiness? Is it even possible?The answer is—definitely.

Let Destiny—or life—tip the wheelbarrow over. You don’t require control over your world in order to be happy.

You only need to incorporate a few simple habits into your routine. Here are:

5 HAPPY-HABITS TO CHANGE YOUR WORLD

1. Smile

Yes, even when you don’t feel like it, smile. Stress fighters, called neuropeptides, are released when you do so. These help release endorphins, dopamine and serotonin, which act as an anti-depressant and help with pain relief 1

And remember the mirror effect: Smiling makes others feel good. They smile back. It makes you feel good. You smile back. And on it goes. The day just seems to get better.

2. Be Thankful

At times it may seem forced, perhaps even a bit insincere, to say “I’m thankful” when what you feel like doing is screaming, “I want more!” Thankfulness takes practice. So next time you look around your home, and are frustrated because it is so small, look up. Be thankful for the roof.

SOME WAYS TO MAKE GRATITUDE A HABIT;

  • Meditate ty le keo—Set aside a time to concentrate on things you have around you that you appreciate. It could be a bird in the tree, or music
  • Keep a journal of things for which you are grateful
  • Send a thank you card or note—When someone else knows you are thankful for something they did, it can make a big difference in their happiness level. Or even just say, “Thank you.”

3. Share with Others

We are made to benefit from sharing what we have with others. In a recent podcast with Alan Alda, Yale professor Laurie Santos discussed happiness, and how each person is in control of their own happiness. One way is to share. It is good to share things we do and things we have, but the bottom line is, we are sharing ca cuoc bong da.

4. Exercise

What do you think of when someone says, “Exercise”? Too often, our ideas are limited to what we have seen on tv, or what media wants us to buy. Exercise has become a rigorous routine of weight-lifting, running, or jumping around to a video filled with muscle-bound caffeine addicts.

But really, exercise can be a walk in the park, tossing a ball back and forth with your kids, or stretching.

Getting the body moving releases endorphins, and they, in turn, help you feel happier.

5. Turn the Focus onto Positivity

A negative mindset can take all the effort put into being happy, throw a rope around it, and bring it down. Negativity takes everything you want to do to make your world more livable, and says, “You can’t”. Throw out negativity.

There are two simple steps that you can take toward a more positive lifestyle. Notice, the steps are simple. That doesn’t mean they will always be easy. After you do them for a while, you will do them without thinking. Then, they will be easy. The steps are;

  • Examine the “n’t” words you use. Do you catch yourself saying a lot of things like: “I can’t do this, “I shouldn’t do that”, or “it won’t work”? Many “n’t” words can go.
  • Toss most “should’s” and “ought’s” . If you are constantly saying (or feeling) that a situation “ought” to be a certain way, or a person really “should” behave in a certain manner, you will never be satisfied. The “should’s” and “ought’s” are history.

Try these 5 simple steps to being happier. Do them for 60 days straight. It is said that if you repeat an action for 60 days, it becomes a habit. Try it. What is there to lose? Frown lines?