Sunday, October 11, 2009

Are you happy....??

Are you happy with who, what, or where you are today? Are you having fun? Are you enjoying your career? Are you excited about your future? Are you living your life to the fullest? If the answer is no, then I ask "Why not?"

Most of us are searching for something, or sometime in the future when we will finally be happy. We tell ourselves that if we can only get to "that place," then our lives will be perfect. What we miss when we go through life with this perspective is the joy of today, and all the wonderful things that it brings.

So what will it take for you to be happy? Will it be the bigger house, the new car, getting married, getting divorced, becoming pregnant, getting a new job, moving to a new home, etc.? When will you stop running and enjoy what you have today? The search for happiness is internal and impossible to obtain from outside things. Sure, they may make you smile initially, but the emptiness will not go away.

So, how can you be happy today? Follow these easy steps:

1. Accept That You Deserve To Be Happy.

If you don't think that you deserve to be happy, then no wonder you're not. The messages you give yourself determine what direction your life will take. If you are telling yourself that you are unworthy or don't deserve happiness, then how can you expect to be happy?

2. Accept Who You Are.

Being happy today is accepting who you are; the good, the bad and the ugly. It's knowing that you are doing the best you can do, and being content with that. I'm not saying to ignore what you'd like to improve in your life, but if you only see what's missing, you lose out on "loving" what's great about you.

3. Be Comfortable Where You Are.

Being happy today means being comfortable where you are in the present, not where you would like to be in the future. It's about being in awe for the opportunity to learn something new each day. You don't know what your life will bring tomorrow, so you might as well enjoy where you are today.

4. Appreciate Your Life.

Being happy today means being grateful for your life. Whether it's being grateful for having your health, a job, a place to live, food everyday, or a family that loves you. If you knew that you were going to die in 90 days, would you do things differently? Guess what? You are going to die one day, and you don't know if you even have 90 days. Gratitude, not blame will give you happiness and freedom.

5. Ask For Help.

Being happy means not keeping your problems to yourself. It also means that you ask for support when you need it, and let others contribute to your life. Most of us don't ask for help because we don't want to burden the people around us. But, if someone asked you for assistance, wouldn't you lend a helping hand? Then why wouldn't you let others do the same for you?

6. Do Something Nice For Someone Else.

Being happy today is doing something nice for someone else. This could be as simple as holding the door for the person behind you, or as big as volunteering your time to your favorite charity. Your problems become smaller when you are not always thinking about them. When you take the focus off yourself, it is easier to see how great your life really is.

7. Do Something That Will Move You Forward.

Being happy is taking steps that will move you forward. Movement keeps you from feeling like a victim. When you're unhappy, formulating a plan puts you in a different place and helps change your perspective. It also put the power back in your hands!

8. Forget the past

“One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory“

You won’t be happy if you carry the burden of the past. Did you make mistakes? Did you have terrible experiences? Whatever they are, you should let them go. There’s nothing you can do about the past, so you’d better let them go and focus your energy on the present.


So, what is it going to take to have you be happy today? How much more of your life do you want to live waiting for "someday" to bring you the happiness you crave? It's up to you to create your own happiness. It's up to you to create a life filled with joy rather than sorrow. Why not choose a life filled with happiness today?

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