I’ve been feeling a bit down recently – probably because I just had a BIG birthday. I don’t like feeling down, so I went back to look through some of the articles I have collected and decided to share them.
Enjoy!
Are you a glass half full or half empty person? This is a great example to illustrate that there are often two sides to any story and that you have a choice in how you view things. And that choice in turn determines how happy you feel. Happiness then becomes a choice you make every single day.
You can choose to see the glass as half empty, focus on the fact that you are almost done drinking that nice glass of iced tea. With that attitude, you are more likely to feel a little depressed about your tea. If on the other hand you focus on the fact that the glass is still half full and you have plenty of ice-cold tea to sip on, your mood improves and you are increasing your happiness.
When you look at it that way, happiness really is a conscious choice you make, at least to a point. From what I have been reading 40% off your happiness is directly affected by how you think and how you choose to feel. And that is what the next 30 days is all about. Over the coming days I will post here on the blog daily with tips, advice, and strategies to help you make a conscious decision to be happier. Ready to join me?
Be Happy!
Since happiness is a choice, and a choice we make every single day, I want to challenge you to make it a habit. Over the coming days, I want to inspire and encourage you to make a choice each morning to be happier.
It takes time and daily conscious decisions to change habits and how we approach life. That is where the challenge comes into play. The idea is that you have reminders here on the blog to help you remember to make that choice. Of course there will also be plenty of helpful content on the topic of happiness in the form of upcoming blog posts. At the end of the challenge, I hope you have formed new habits, new ways of thinking, and new ways to look at each situation as it arises. With a little shift in thinking and perception, you can craft a happier, more fulfilling life for yourself. I hope this challenge will help you get there.
I have a close friend who is going through a hard time at the moment. She was working hard to look after her mother and son. While she was out at work her Mum looked after the young boy. Sadly, Mum has now gone blind. So my friend had to quit work to care for her Mum and son.
She is depressed and can’t see a way forward. I am doing my best to help her emotionally and to some extent financially, though my contract just finished too, and my next one is a few weeks away…
However, I found this lovely quote from Daily Motivation.
Since I came back to the UK last summer I have been looking for a focus. At first I thought I would become a Property Investor, so I enrolled on an online course. I really couldn’t get into it; I worked in Property in the past and lost a lot of money.
Then an old friend came back on the scene and we were going to live in Morocco. It didn’t work out; too many clashes.
I published my second book featuring Fairy Hanny. Then it got my focus. I have always wanted to write and to teach.
That is my focus.
I am building courses to sell online, and writing.
Creative writing and also Motivational books. I have my third book featuring Fairy Hanny on the way. I also have a set of crime novels featuring the black humour of Inspector Hunter Flaange. I have a plan for a book on Time Management, based on a course I completed a while ago. Then there are plenty of Maths books I can put together from the various worksheets and powerpoints I have developed over the years.
Be aware of what you do have and what’s going well in your life. Take some time off to let the negative emotions run their course.
Then slowly incorporate positive thinking activities into your daily life, such as practicing affirmations, reframing a situation, and gratitude journaling.
If you release self-defeating thoughts and let the dark clouds of negativity dissipate, you will realize that you can find hope and strength within.”
I am working on the third Fairy Hanny story and my first detective novel featuring Inspector Flaange. I also have some Maths and English books that I am editing, and an outline of a book on Motivation.
I get an email every day with a Daily Motivation. So I will share this one;
You are blessed in so many ways. Live your life with gratitude. Notice the little wins every day. There are so many good things you have already received.
So many things go right in a day.
Savour the good.
Don’t let the good moments pass without celebration.
Spend some time cherishing them and hold on to positive emotions a little longer. Appreciate the hard work you have put into the things you have achieved until now.
Savour the sensation of being grateful. Learning to notice and enjoy what’s around you makes it easier to snap yourself out of negative thoughts.
When faced with decisions, you want to have the best information possible. Some people spend too much time trying to find as much information as they can, and they miss opportunities because of it. Information is a key component in decision making. However, sometimes, you simply must decide and live with the decision without any information.
You do not want others to view you as someone who makes rash decisions. You will lose credibility when you do this, and people will not take you seriously. However, you must prepare yourself for certain times where being decisive is necessary. For instance, you may be registering for classes at your college and discover that a few of the courses you were hoping to take are full. You are given other choices but are unsure of how that will fit into your overall plan. Do you enrol in those alternative classes?
You may decide to go for the classes. If they are part of your curriculum, you can always rework your plan so that they fit in. Talk to your academic advisor and ask how to proceed after taking this new path. Of course, you could always drop the classes if they do not fit well.
The point is if a decision does not work out the wrong results can usually be fixed. Do not be afraid to take the plunge. The shoe company Nike has a slogan that has worked for them for several decades now. That slogan is ‘Just Do It!’
A structured living doesn’t fit well with some people. They need the excitement that comes with making spontaneous decisions. Who is to say that their way is wrong? It may not work for others, but for them, it works quite well. You may know people who are like this and are envious of them.
That is not the same scenario as people who do not do much with their lives. Spontaneous decision makers are often doing many activities. You can decide to do nothing, but you will not get far. Unless you are lucky enough to come from money and your parents are willing to give you that money, you will need to find something to do.
Most people will find a balance of decisions they make based on information and spontaneous decisions. The process of decision making becomes easier the more you do it. Therefore, when you need to make spontaneous decisions, it will not be as difficult after a while.
Phoenix Education 