What is Life's Happiness Secret? CHOICE

by Michael Corthell

Define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, 

rather than simply as an emotion. A happy life is a positive life.

Life is both a serious business and a game we all play. Some of us play at it better than others, and they are the people you see smiling all the time - they are happy, and joyful in their lives. Do you want to be one of them? I believe that you do.

There are some parts of life that are seemingly secret. I say secret because they are so obvious we often take them for granted sometimes. Some of us need to be reminded often, others are just naturally happy.

''The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.'' 
― Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking

What is the number one secret?  Choose to be happy! When you rise out of bed in the morning you have two choices, we all do; choose to be unhappy and negative minded or HAPPY and POSITIVE minded. I was told by a customer a few of weeks ago that it cost too much to think positive all the time. I told him, ''No, choosing to be negative and unhappy costs everything, including your very existence, your life.'' Choose the light and the goodness — always.

When you move toward something, it comes to you. The universe has a way of meeting us half-way, sometimes all the way. When we commit ourselves, then God moves too. All kinds of things then happen to help you that would never would have occurred otherwise. Don't worry too much about how you're going to get to your goal, just start walking down the path leads to your dream.

Manage your stress, and you'll heal most of what ails you. Stress is the cause of many of our health problems. It also worsens them. Here are some tips.

Sleep on it! We sleep to both heal our bodies and clear out our minds. If we don't get enough sleep, everything else we do suffers. Sleep deprivation changes our metabolism and make us more likely to be overweight, It increases our appetites, decreases our productivity, lowers our immune systems, and makes us tired, moody, anxious and more likely to be depressed. Get enough quality SLEEP.

Just say NO. Respect your own boundaries, and others will respect you. Did you know that bullies most often target people pleasers? Yes, they do. A happy life, is a respectful life. Let other people know that you respect yourself and your TIME. Put this into practice by saying no when something doesn't match with who you really are as a person. Some people will get mad at first, but then most of them will come to respect you. The ones who don't? You don't need them. Plus you won't secretly feel resentment toward them any longer.

Just be you! And don't apologize for being you either! There is no need. Many of us grew up focusing on what other people or society thought we should do. Our families and society told us who we should be. Millions and millions of people, good people, are in careers, places or situations that cause them to feel depressed, even hopeless. What would you really love to do? What is it? How would you love to live? In anyway you are able, move your life towards living as the real you. Just watch what happens next. Happiness? Yes!

It is sometimes good to remember how we all thought as a child. Be full of curiosity and wonder. Re-grow the very best of that thinking. Practice childlike wonderment for the majesty of all things, be silly once in a while. Laugh when people fart! Find childlike faith, childlike hope, and childlike play. All of it is still inside of you.

Don't wait, jump right in to it. Don't put off your life. We shouldn't wait until things are perfect. Start right now, wherever your are Figure out. Start small. But just start. You'll be HAPPY you did.

Ask your heart what to do. We shouldn't let our critical minds rule the show all the time. Our heart's much kinder to ourselves and others.

Have FAITH. Spirituality and faith should be at the center of your personal and professional life. Believe in the Universe as God. Most do, in many different ways. Study after study confirms that faith in a higher power has physical health and mental health benefits that contribute to a happy life. Everything in life just goes better with faith.

STOP. Your body is the vehicle God gave you to operate and get around in this material Universe. It has built in sensors, and gauges (some call them  'idiot lights'). When your body says stop, listen to it, just stop doing the things it doesn't like...easy enough.

To quickly summarize: Thirsty? Drink water. Hungry? Eat good food. (but stop when you are full!)  Sleepy? Sleep when your body wants to sleep. Stop pushing your mind and body when you are tired. Take a break from work when your body and mind tell you. STOP and listen to your body and it will take really good care of you and carry you through that HAPPY LIFE.

__________________________

 Start the day with a positive mindset...

''It's a beautiful mornin'

I think I'll go outside a while,

An just smile...''

- The Rascals, 1968

_______________________

The Secrets of Happiness

Hours of thought by the team at the School of Life have led us to a 60 second film,
 summarising a lot of what we know about satisfaction.