Take Control of Your Happiness

Time magazine reports when it comes to happiness, you’re in the driver’s seat!

Know this . . . unhappy circumstances don’t change by themselves. You and I are the ones responsible for our own level of contentment.

Our mistake is to take a passive role towards our happiness and do nothing but complain. It’s almost guaranteed that this course of action will backfire on us every time. Why?

A lack of effort on our part to take charge of our happiness will cause us to gravitate towards a gloomy attitude . . . just by default.

Here are several keys to help make the effort toward happiness a lot easier.

•Finding happiness is not a treasure hunt. A Live Science article claims the recipe for happiness is found by trying the following practical easy-to-do activities:

•make lists of things for which you're grateful
•practice acts of kindness
•notice life's small pleasures
•take care of your health
•invest time and energy into friendships and family.

You’ll notice that “becoming wealthier” is not on the list. With all the money in the world you could still have a negative, ungrateful attitude and slip into unhappiness.

•Realize success ultimately comes from being a happy person. Scientists reviewed cases involving 275,000 people and found happy people are more successful. Why? The Psychological Bulletin reports when a person has positive emotions, he is more confident, optimistic and full of energy. The happy person is more energized to do his best on the job.

Don’t you find that to be true?

A wonderful story from Henry Kissinger explains how the benefits of happiness motivates us to greater success.

The 56th Secretary of State of the United States assigned a writing project to one of his aides. The aide wrote the piece and sent it in. The next day the manuscript was back on the aide’s desk with a yellow note from Kissinger saying, “You can do better.”

The aide reworked the material and sent it in once more and received the same response from Kissinger.

The aide rewrote the material, ruthlessly edited it, added some powerful facts and figures, proofread it and then hand-delivered it. He told Kissinger, “Sir, this is the best I can do.”

Kissinger accepted the manuscript and said, “In that case, I’ll read it.”

The positive attitude of the aide enabled him to give his best. Success came of out his sense of confidence and perseverance to do a top-notch job.

This principle is worthy of repeating: happiness does not come from being successful, but success is born out of being a happy person.

•Stop comparing yourself to others. No matter what you have or what you can do, if you look long enough you’ll find someone who has more and can do it better. Even those who are abundantly blessed have their shortcomings. The wealthiest person in the world is not always the best looking and the best looking person is not always married to best spouse.

When it comes to increasing our happiness, here’s my best piece of advice: It’s not having what we want but wanting what we have that brings us happiness.

John
Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Comments

[Jeff Karlin]

Happiness is a funny thing , it is a little tricky and most of us spend our entire lives chasing after it. Happiness can be elusive.I however, after 52 yrs. I am starting to get it,heres how..Often we look to the "Destinations" in life , the big events,the graduations,the vacations,when the kids grow up,when I get married,when I make $10,000.00 a month, when this or that happens,"Then,Ill be happy". The problem is,that the Destinations, number one,are so few and number two,so fleeting. I am learning to enjoy rather "The Journey" the everyday normal happenings. You have heard "It is more blessed to give than to recieve" it is true! There are a multitude of opportunities through out the day to give of myself,for example, at work, after all, Im there at least 8hrs. a day..I try to give something everyday to somebody, wheather it be listening to someone who is hurting or having trouble in their lives..or maybe, just share some of my lunch with someone , or go out of my way to say an encouraging word to a co-worker.There are people around you who need what you have, you are a gift, start sharing yourself. This is "The Journey" the stuff that makes up most of our lives..Start being thankful for where you are,you were put there for a reason, we are not a bunch of accidents floating through the day..You have been given a purpose, and that quest for happiness that we all strive for will be found in the giving, not the getting..Try it , I promise,it works!!