6 Habits That Lead To Happiness

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So often we count what is missing from our lives, focusing on what is not there.  

In doing this, we create a form of "negative hallucination," a state of mind that blinds us to so much of what is actually there -- a really self-defeating way to pass our days. 

By dwelling on what we lack we create feelings of deprivation and unhappiness that can eclipse the spirit and block our ability to experience the simple joy of being alive. 

If we really do want to live a more fulfilled and joyful life then cultivating a sense of gratitude is a key ingredient. 

Gratitude for all that we have, for all that is there, brings with it a deeper appreciation of life itself. 

Research has shown (1) that gratitude is an essential element in our ability to experience genuine happiness.  

Change Your MInd 

Not only that, but expressing gratitude can help change your mind in a positive way, and actually have a physical affect on the brain, changing it in positive ways. 

Gratefulness and life satisfaction just seem to go hand in hand (2). 

Here are six habits that grateful people cultivate. They are the keys to increased joy and contentment. 

 1. Grateful people do not expect life to give them every single thing they desire. They live with the understanding that no one can have everything they want, when they want it, and that this is okay. They are appreciative of all they have, and are less likely to envy what others have. 

 2. Grateful people take nothing for granted. They do their best to see the positive outcome in situations and experiences and are not afraid to work towards those outcomes. They do not take the good things in their lives for granted. 

 3. Grateful people work with things as they are. They do not insist that conditions be exactly right before they can be happy. Appreciative of all they have, they accept life's shortcomings, while working on their own, and welcome joy and happiness into their lives unconditionally. 

 4. Grateful people realize that they cannot have the sunshine without also having the rain. They understand that no one can live in a perpetual state of happiness, accepting that difficult times will sometimes come. They have learned to respect and be grateful for life in all its diversity. 

 5. Grateful people cultivate flexible thinking habits. They have learned to adapt to life circumstances and can adjust their thinking to the situation. Gratitude and rigid thinking make a poor fit, and so they make allowances for other people's perceptions and opinions. 

 6. Grateful people do not define themselves by their regrets. They appreciate their abilities while working to improve them, accepting responsibility for their actions while working towards their positive future. Cultivate these habits of gratitude and you really will reap some wonderful benefits. 

What are you waiting for? 

Why not start right now! 

References: 

(1) Emmons, R. A. (2007). Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier

 New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 

(2) Watkins, P. C., Grimm, D. L., & Kolts, R. (2004). Counting your blessings: Positive memories among grateful persons. Current Psychology: Developmental, Learning, Personality, Social, 23, 52-67.--

Use These 4 Tips To Increase Your Self Esteem

Most people need a little self-esteem boost every once in a while. 

Self-esteem is all about how we feel inside. 

When our self esteem is low, we can find ourselves living with anxiety, we can find ourselves in abusive relationships, and be prevented from reaching our true potential.  

There may also be cons to self-esteem. For instance, when a person's sense of self worth is unrealistically high, it can turn into arrogance or what is known as 'narcissism', and this can cause problems. 

Such individuals can find it difficult to accept and learn from their own mistakes and may develop a false sense of entitlement. 

Developing a healthy level of self-esteem is very important. For some people, a healthy, high self-esteem comes naturally. But for others, developing a healthy self-esteem takes more effort. 

Check out these pointers to give your self-esteem a kick start. 

1. Draw up a list of your best points - For some individuals with diminished self-esteem, even considering making a list of their good qualities seems like a gigantic task, but it can be extremely helpful for boosting self-esteem. If you find this task challenging, consider what others say about you. What compliments have you ever been given? Start with those and then work from there. Jot your good qualities down using "I" and the present tense. For example, "I am a thoughtful and considerate person." 

2. Regular affirmations - Take another look at the list you made. Choose your favorite qualities to use to do daily affirmations. Take those statements and write them down on note cards and sticky notes. Put the sticky notes where you will notice them everyday, such as on your computer monitor, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator. When you see them, take a few moments to repeat them over to yourself. Put note cards in your pocket or wallet where you are sure to come across them at least once a day. When you do, take a moment to read them to yourself a few times. In just a little while you can change out some of your best qualities for some of the other qualities on your list. 

3. Gain some perspective - People often don't talk about their challenges, disappointments, and struggles in life, but that's not because they don't have them. How we decide to tackle these things will directly influence levels of self-esteem, joy and success. The really successful and confident people in life aren't those who have encountered few difficulties and challenges, they are people who have viewed them as just a part of life and have pushed ahead anyway, learning as they go. Your failures don't mean that you are a failure, they just mean you need to reassess the situation and the way you approach it and tackle it from a different angle. 

4. Make yourself the priority - Part of boosting your self esteem is accepting you are deserving of your own love. Make time for yourself. Take care of yourself when you're encountering a trying time. Say 'no' when you have to and don't feel bad about it. Make your needs clear to others and ask for what you need. (If you find it difficult to say 'no', then look for some assertiveness training, or check out a book on the subject.)

Use these 4 simple tips and you will increase your self-esteem. Above all, make sure you are kind to yourself and give yourself just as much love as you give to the important people in your life. You truly do deserve it!

Five Steps To An Easier Life

We are meant to live on this planet with ease and grace. Funny, it doesn't seem that ease happens too often, does it?  Now, 'grace' is the generosity of God that brings us extra goodies whether we deserve them or not. Ease, on the other hand, is something we can bring in for ourselves, mainly by eliminating stress. Who wouldn't want an easier life? I'm sure I do!  Here are five concrete steps you can take towards creating more ease in your life:  

 1. Drink lots of water, preferably R.O. (reversed osmosis) water with liquid minerals added. Your body is made up of water and minerals. In order to process effectively, your cells need lots of water! However, R.O. water has no minerals, so you need to top up your mineral content to support your cells and systems.  

 2. Eat as little sugar (or sweets in general) as possible, and no artificial sugars at all. Sweets mess with your hormone system, blocking your pancreas and thyroid, and triggering the 'fight or flight' response of your adrenals. Release of adrenaline and cortisol automatically puts on weight and makes you exhausted.  

 3. Watch your focus. Whatever you focus on, consciously or unconsciously, that will expand in your life. Worried about paying your bills? The universe says Yes to that, and you get more worries. Afraid of loneliness? The universe says Yes to that as well, and attracts more situations that make you lonely. On the other hand, if you are focused on gratitude, blessings, happiness and abundance, the universe says Yes to those as well. The universe always says Yes, so what is your question?  

 4. Make sure you're YOU at all times! Have you ever found yourself doing or saying something that is just not 'you'? Well, you probably have contamination's from other people that are just not compatible with your inner bio-computers. It's like trying to run a Mac program in a PC computer. Identify and throw them out!  

 5. Live in the Now, rather than the past or future. Now is the only time you can make choices, listen or talk to God, or appreciate your blessings. When you find yourself wandering - and you will - observe the perturbation as if it were a cloud passing by. Worry, fear, pain; oops, there it goes again!  

Now, that all seems pretty straightforward, doesn't it? Drink more water, eat little or no sweets, watch your focus, make sure you're you, and live in the Now. Oh, and decide how great a life you would like, and what that means to you. For some people, a great life is about money or love or family or service or spiritual development What's important to you? Find out the essence of your great life and focus on that!  

The key to finding out what you are here to do is PASSION! (Yes, there is an article about Passion, too.) It's ironic that finding and living your passion depends on a certain level of ease, but there it is. Once you have an easier life, your passion and purpose will naturally bubble up. So make it easier on yourself!

Personal Development ~ Closing the Gaps - Journaling for Peak Performance

Ready for change and a life of success, freedom and happiness, then be "willing to be responsible" in making the necessary changes to your current choices to better support the REAL life you want? 

This is a simple YES I WILL! Forget excuses. 

Opening to insights on intuitive reasoning will more easily create flow. To create flow, you must question the norm... the norm of your thoughts, words and actions. In order to position yourself to take original actions to live intentionally... so... moment to moment happiness and success become unshakable and inseparable, you must first learn to turn problems, personal or professional, INTO SOLUTIONS. 

You can live each day in a world filled with "problems," or rise each morning and embrace a world filled with unseen solutions eager for you to find them. The choice is yours both worlds exist. 

Becoming the architect of transformation from any position and time in your life starts with becoming conscious of how you are affecting your life personally, professionally and organizationally through your choices. You must be truthful with "yourself" on how you effect your life through the choices you make. 

Getting to the heart and truth of the matter frees your mind from limiting excuses that only recreate same old same old. To become more conscious of what is motivating your choices, journal your feelings, thoughts, and perceptions. 

Journaling is one form, one tool, to become more aware of you and how you are effecting your life. 

Journaling is credible writing; it is an opportunity to place your true feelings or reactions about any situation you have gone through in a form that allows complete freedom of expression.

Placing thoughts on paper empowers you to become "more consciously aware" of how you are responding to your situations. Through "focused hope", "reality based solutions," or "defeating attitudes". When you express your feelings and place your words on paper this it is how "you" can become aware of where you are coming from... truthfully. The length of your entries into your journal does not matter. You can record a single word or sentence, a paragraph, or however long you require the entry to be. Just record your thoughts, feelings and insights... uncensored. This honest expression allows you to quickly realize how you respond to life situations, either more negatively or positively.  

The first step in writing in your journal is to "quest for the truth of you." Having this intention of honesty with yourself assists you in uncovering what limiting thoughts have influenced you and your situations. 

Stay in the moment of how you think and feel. If you need to take notes in the course of your day to help you to remember important "feelings" or insights that came into your mind before you had an opportunity to write in your journal, do so. 

Each step is a step closer to you becoming aware of what is effecting your life situations. Write with uncensored feelings and interpretations. Remember, once you are clear with you, this exercise in awareness will become automatic and lessen the time required for note taking, extensive journaling or journaling at all. 

Be open to discuss these feelings with someone that you trust has good judgment. If you require either a business or personal coach... get one. 




Common sense does not equate to common action. 

Why? Because information does not necessarily cause transformation. It is what we do with the information that effects change. As human beings, we require different levels of "activation" and change "energetically" to start real change.

Changes must first occur in our brain by resetting negative mindsets and behaviors that create a ripple effect throughout your personal and professional lives. Creating positive ripples brings into existence positive effects that will create productive lives personally, professionally and organizationally. Positivity and negativity spread.

And depending on the intensity behind either... either can spread like wildfire. There is no such thing as a useless outcome or result. Any experience can always contribute to self-awareness... if you use tools to be more aware of you. Journaling is one such tool. You can receive a "reality check", an immediate heads up from journaling your "reality" which exposes a deeper truth. Truth is not right or wrong... just truth. 

Journaling is like a magnifying glass. In assists you in honing in on the details. On the real truth beneath and beyond any drama and mental debates are creating confusion or fear/anxiousness inside of you. "Suffering is holding onto pain." A way an individual often holds on to pain is by creating excuses designed to protect them. Letting go of excuses is often the problem we all face. When you face your problems, you have unlimited courage to be who you are, and to create what you love. 

Creating what you love forges positive ripples which profoundly effect an individuals or organization's ability to transition and change.



It's always good to reread so your mind can fully absorb the empowering suggestions to be successful.