Are you or are you not?

March 9th, 2012 by admin

“But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?” ~Albert Camus ~

There is a line of Shakespeare that goes,” to be or not to be, that is the question. I want to add a couple of words that phase. It goes like this, to be happy or not to be happy, that is your choice.

How can we live a happier life? First, what is happiness? People have differing views. Some think it’s a new car or a bigger house. Happiness is simply feeling good. That’s all it is.

True happiness doesn’t depend on things. Things can make you feel happy for the moment but that moment wears off and you need another thing.

Another definition is “Happiness is an attitude”. How many have heard the phrase “You are what you think”? In other words happiness is in the mind. If you think you are happy you are.

There are three considerations in choosing happiness; the first thing to consider is belief. Do you believe you can be happy, that you are worthy of happiness? If you believe that, then the next consideration is Perception.

How do you perceive life? Is it a joyous experience or is earth a penal colony and we are all inmates, sent here to suffer as punishment? I once had someone tell me that this was the case. Can you imagine life with that belief?

The last thing to consider, and the most important, is your attitude. Do you greet each day with positive expectations or with dread. How many have heard the saying that you are what you think, or what the mind can see and believe can become reality? People have more control over their lives than they realize.

Here are three tings you can do to bring more happiness into your life. The first thing to do is believe that good things will happen to you, and they will. Live with positive expectations.

Second, cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Most religions teach that if you are grateful you will be given more. Learn to appreciate what you have and not think so much of what you want. It might be a good idea to sit down each night before you go to bed and list 10 things that happened that day that you are grateful for. You will be surprised how much your attitude will change after doing this for a while.

The third is to use positive self talk to keep upbeat and positive. When you catch yourself feeling down in the dumps, choose to think good thoughts and you will feel better. It may seem like a hard thing to do at first, but life is a game so be persistent and practice. You will find yourself feeling good more and more as time goes on.

We will always have things happen that are negative. The key is not to react, but act in the best interest of all concerned.

TODAY’S TIP: Decide to be happy. Practice feeling good. Think thoughts that feel good.

Will you be happier tomorrow?