“I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible,
to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter and to count, to stand
for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” - Louis D. Brandeis
It’s become popular over the last several years, to create vision
boards in order to manifest your dreams. Vision boards are collages,
made with images cut from magazines. Their purpose is to represent the
abundance you want in to create and obtain in your life.
The manifestation guru’s want you to believe that reaching your goals and manifesting your dreams will bring you happiness.
The problem with vision boards is that they are all about ‘me,’ my
needs, my wants, and my desires. They don’t stand for community, service
to others, or making a difference, things I believe that are required
for personal happiness.
If money, possessions, fame, and status, brought happiness then Amy
Winehouse would still be singing, Michael Jackson would be still be
dancing, and Hollywood would be the happiest place on earth.
Tal Ben-Shahar author of The How of Happiness: A scientific Approach
to Getting What You Want says, “Happiness is a combination of meaning
and pleasure. We need what we’re experiencing to be meaningful.”
Happiness comes from within. Being content requires living from
within, putting more focus on personal values, and loving others.
Happiness is more about internal qualities than external stuff. It’s
more about inclusion than separation. Happiness isn’t something you
search for or go after, it’s a moment by moment decision you make.
Anyone can become a happier person because happiness begets happiness. However it does takes a lot of effort.
Read on for steps to implement your personal happiness plan:
1. Make an intentional choice.
Happiness is an intentional choice. Each morning tell yourself, “I’m
happy today.” Take daily responsibility for your happiness quotient.
Choose to enjoy the next 24 hours, then the next, and the next. If
nothing else ever changes in your life, know that in spite of
everything, you can be happy. Make a commitment to happiness, be happy
now.
2. Practice self-acceptance.
Honor your uniqueness. Dance with your spirit and reach for the
stars. Shine your light on your quirkiness. Appreciate your magnificent
talent and enormous wisdom, use them to make the world a better place.
Stop chasing happiness. When you quit neurosing about a better job, a
bigger home, a smaller body, joy bubbles to the surface. Happiness
isn’t something you chase or become in a distant future. Happiness is
all that you are right now.
3. Invest in the best.
The best investment you can make is in the relationships you have
with your family, friends, colleagues, and community. Communicate. Spend
time together. Participate in volunteering, a feel-good activity. As
you enrich the lives of others you enrich your own. Strong connections
to others increases your well- being. Chasing happiness causes you to
miss the happiness right under your nose. Extend love to others today.
Notice how good it makes you feel.
4. Live in a state of appreciation.
Learning to be grateful throughout the day will change the way you
interpret life. It changes your brain and opens your heart. Writing down
your gratitude list helps solidify it in your brain.The more you
express gratitude, the more you find to be grateful for.
Happiness isn’t acquiring something or in some future event. Gratitude is found in the present moment, happiness follows.
5. Drop grievances and resentments.
Forgiveness is giving up being a victim. It turns ‘poor me’ into
‘free me.’ You create your own suffering, stress, and misery by your
need to be right. When you hold on to resentment, you miss the present
by reliving stories of the past. Happiness dwells in a loving heart and a
healed past. Decide to see things differently. Don’t worry about how to
forgive, instead choose to be a forgiving person.
6. Enjoy your life.
According to University of California, Irvine’s Professor Lee Berk,
“If we took what we know about the medical benefits of laughter and
bottled it up, it would require FDA approval.” Take the time to enjoy
doing the things you love. Don’t allow the pursuit of a dream trump your
time to play and have fun. Be spontaneous, lighten up and laugh.
Untether yourself from technology. Leave your electronics at home. Never
underestimate the power of creating good times for yourself.
7. Get connected.
Know what inspires you and supports you. Draw strength from a daily
spiritual practice, draw, meditate, pray, spend time in nature or do
yoga. When you feel connected and grounded, you rush less, do less, and
desire less. You become happy with your life exactly how it is in this
moment. Spiritual happiness allows you to squeeze all the joy you
possibly can out of everyday. There is no other time, there is no other
place, find happiness right here, right now.
8. Celebrate your life.
Happy people take time to celebrate themselves and their everyday
growth and progress. Validate yourself by being your own cheerleader and
tooting your own horn. Recognize your accomplishments big and small.
Don’t wait or rely on the approval of others. Celebrate that you have
your basic needs met. You are worthy of all life has to offer. Know it,
own it, celebrate it!
Life is a grand event, participate in it fully. Researchers have
found that people are happier being with others, than being alone. When
you are with others, you become more alive, social, and care-free. In
turn others want to be with you and near you. Happiness spirals upward.
I’m all for that, are you with me?
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