Is it possible to find happiness??

Can You Say Yes To Happiness?
11 Practical Steps (#12 is a Bonus!)

Think about it … every single thing we do is intended to make us happier...

And yet sometimes we get diverted and do things that actually move us away from this goal.

We all have the potential for genuine happiness. There is no gene or DNA marker that determines who will be happy and who will not. We make choices throughout our lives, and the result of all these choices combined, determines our level of happiness. Make the right choices and happiness can be yours.

Here are just a sampling of some of the tactics we can employ in an 11-point roadmap to help guide us toward genuine happiness:

1. Look For The Positive In Everything: There is an old saying that "nothing is inherently good or bad".  What makes it one or the other, is merely your reaction to it. Find the positive and you will be happier. Those who soar against all odds, do so because they look at the positive that could come out of their situation, however bad it may seem to others.

2. Accentuate The Positive: We all grow up with a positivity imbalance, the result of societal norms and rules, being based on restriction and punishment more than approval and reward. From a young age we are taught what we must not do instead of what we may do. Even in day-to-day life, there is more negative influence than positive. Luckily, you can work to improve the balance. Celebrate the positive and work to get more of it. When you achieve something, congratulate yourself! Look for things you find uplifting that make you happy. Get more of that! At the same time, reduce your exposure to negative input, whether it is the daily news, or people you don't feel good around. You know your buttons, make sure the positive ones are pushed more than the negative.

3. Practice Good Selfishness: When we were young we were taught that putting our interests before those of others is wrong. This is particularly true for women, many of whom sacrifice their dreams and ambitions to help others achieve theirs. It is also common in the corporate world where the good of the company is considered more important than the good of the individual. It is good to help others, yet we should have boundaries to protect ourselves from being manipulated or abused by others. You are important, and if you don't look after yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually, you cannot expect anyone else to do so.

4. Listen To Your Feelings: All feelings are good. Every feeling occurs for a reason: it is delivering a message. Sometimes that message is pleasant, other times not. Our tendency is to distract ourselves from unpleasant feelings, often through smoking, drinking or drugs of one kind or another. When you feel bad, avoid distracting yourself, and identify the reason there is some need not being met.

5. Give Of Yourself: The more you give, the more you receive. There is probably no scientific study proving this to be so, but unconditional giving is hugely rewarding. It seems that the more of yourself you give, the greater the thrill and uplifting effect on your psyche. Help the needy. Give time if you can. Give anonymously, even if you lose the tax deduction!

6. Make It Happen: You have the ability to make things happen using your mind. Top sports stars, and business people use it, and so can you. There are many ways of doing this; one of the common methods is to use visualization. To get a picture in your mind of whatever it is that you want to happen. It does not actually have to be a visual picture; it could be a feeling, a smell, a sound, or any combination of the senses. Imagine finding the perfect parking near the entrance as you arrive at the supermarket or mall. The sky's the limit, but persevere! We are not used to utilizing this tool, so it takes practice. Learn more from #12 Bonus tip!

7. Accept The Things You Cannot Change: We resist things we don't like, and often expend a tremendous amount of energy on this resistance. While this can be good and has resulted in tremendous advances through history. However, we should work to understand those things we cannot change, and then move on. Rather, use the saved energy on something more worthwhile and productive. This is not to say that you should complacently accept anything and everything. If you truly desire change, you should work towards that change. Just realize that spending time worrying about something without actively working to change it is unproductive and damaging to your wellbeing.

8. Take Responsibility For Your Choices: Everything that you do, or don't do, is because of choices you make (or don't make).  It is easier and convenient to blame outside causes for things that go wrong in life, but your life is the sum of all the choices you make along the way. Sometimes that choice is to let somebody else make a choice on your behalf. If you tend to blame other people or things, it may be scary to take responsibility for what happens in your life. However, realize who or what is really to blame, accept that and move onward. The real responsibility is to deal with situations whether it is bad or good. When things are bad, start looking for the good and positive. When things are good, GET MORE! 

Happiness is really quite liberating because instead of seeing yourself affected by outside forces, you realize you are the cause of everything good you achieve. Don't abdicate responsibility for your life. You must create your happiness and find your inner peace. They are  interchangeable. Keep looking for the good in life. The positive path to happiness will be much more clear to see!

9. Schedule Regular Self Time: Spend some time analyzing where you are in life, your strengths and weaknesses. How can you turn the latter into the former? Think about your views on everything from your job to global warming and the existence of the seemingly unsolvable.  Then, work out why you feel the way you do. Ask yourself, "Is your reasoning sound?"  The better you understand yourself, the better you understand the world. 

Practice the "concept" of problem solving. It doesn't have to be the topics mentioned here, but think about the things you sometimes only briefly consider. 

Try to understand why some things work out and some things don't.  Is there a place in the process or solution that seems to reveal the easier way to less conflict? 

Sometimes the solution to a problem may be very simple. A careful analysis of the problem solving "process" may reveal the simple steps necessary to reach an amicable solution.  Practice! That is the key to satisfactory problem resolution. If you can resolve the problems you face, then you can certainly find happiness!

10. Make Time To Meditate: We spend almost all our time thinking of the past or planning for the future. We seldom spend time in the present. It has reached a point where, for most of us, it seems impossible to keep our focus on what is happening right now. Your meditation could be formal meditation or prayer, but it could be as simple as merely focusing on each breath as it goes in and out for five or ten minutes. Physically good for you, a short period of focused breathing may help to find the very moment you are living. Once you are mentally oriented, you are in a much better position to take one small and sure step towards your own happiness. 

11. Remove Your Limitations: When we fail, usually the reason is simply because we don't believe we are able or worthy of whatever it is that we are failing to achieve. Most often, this belief is actually false.  The truth is that most of us are able to do most of what we really want to do, you just have to believe. The best way to start is with small things, working your way up as you notice the limits dissolving.

The more successful you are at assimilating the concepts and processes described in these eleven points into your life, the more genuinely happy you will be, and the happiness will last!

#12 THE BONUS!!

Learn how you can change the way you look and feel about your life by "manifesting" the reality you choose. 

Choose "your reality" and begin to manifest it into real life...

• Did you know that you may help yourself see the world in a better light by just practicing a few simple steps each day? The simple act of practicing "affirmations" and saying "daily mantras" regularly can help you find the good in your life. 

• Say positive "daily mantras" and "affirm to yourself" the positive things in life that are yours to have and feel.

• When you choose to say a "daily mantra" and make an "affirmation",  you are choosing to manifest a reality that can make your life better. 

To think is to see the path to your inner happiness, peace, and spiritual fulfillment. 

Find your favorite daily mantra.

More to come.....here's some music to enjoy.

A big thanks for the music again Kevin.

"Cold Sober" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Positive Thinking – What Can It Do For You?

Positive thinking is an amazing tool, but without action it’s a waste of time. Rather than just having a momentary thought it’s more of a way of life. It’s a technique that you use to create positive affirmations that can counter negative thoughts and doubts by neutralizing them and building the self-confidence you need for whatever you want to achieve.

Thinking this way is a skill you can learn and develop with consistent practice, but is it worth creating a habit of positive thinking?

In some circles, positive thinking is sometimes cynically referred to as pollyannaish, a naive and overly optimistic view of life by overlooking the things we don’t like and focusing only on the good.

So how about you?

How do you view things, negatively or positively? It can be easy for all of us to focus only on the negative but it’s usually just as easy to look for a positive angle to things.  Start first with the positive and the negative will begin to fade away. The positive will overshadow the negative and make it seem smaller. It will also make it easier to begin to tackle the problem while being in the right (positive) mindset for it.

By looking on the positive side we can change our subconscious mind as we invoke the law of attraction. We can then attract a better set of circumstances into our life. Remember to concentrate on the positive and expect a positive result. Did you know that it takes as much effort to think about the negative as it is for the positive? By thinking positive, we are already focusing in the right direction for a successful solutions to our problems and needs.

In some ways positive thinking is infectious and can lead to a ‘can do’ attitude within an individual, a team, and an organization. It’s been said that the only difference between a success and a failure is the attitude of mind the person had before they entered that task.

One cannot pay lip service to positive thinking. You need to practice and make positive thinking your prevailing attitude towards life. The very feel of positive thinking itself will help you to feel confident and move towards your goal.

In order to acquire the great status of a positive thinker, we must realize what positive thinking is all about and what it is not. Our usual misconceptions about positive thinking are that money will drop out of the sky, GOD will come on a chariot to take away the sufferings and pains, and a lot more imaginations. 

While that would be great, unfortunately it won’t happen. However, by staying positive you remain open to new directions and guidance rather than just shutting down and giving up.

Attitude forms an important part of positive thinking. As well, thinking contributes a lot to the attitude. It’s kind of like the chicken and egg, which came first? If you have a bad attitude you’ll never consider changing how you think but positive thinking can change your attitude.

How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking and attitude may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic.

A positive attitude and optimistic thinking are healthy. When you wholeheartedly adopt a ‘with all your heart’ attitude and go all out with the positive principle, you can do incredible things!! Happy, optimistic people are usually described as having positive attitudes and expressing positive thoughts. 

A positive attitude is just practice… and it feels great!!

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conducive to growth, expansion and success.

For some people, a life changing event may be an excuse to give up on happiness. Inner peace is shattered and the road ahead may seem long and bleak. Of course a person could have given up and cursed life for giving them a raw deal, but a strong person will not. Even a weak person must look forward. One small step in front of the other is strength getting stronger every day.

Consider this, if it hadn't been for bravery and positivity, do you really think it would even be possible to see the road ahead? Could a person have survived long enough to gather the strength to even try?  For so long, many people fail to realize that happiness and inner peace come from inside of themselves. 

All we have to do is take the shortest and smallest step. Look inside ourselves for the good and not the bad!

Each day we must start by realizing and affirming that we are our own source of happiness!

When we do this with simple affirmations we can begin the positive energy we need to make our lives feel perfect. By practicing self talk (affirmations) and words formed into a mantra, we can begin to set rules for our brain to find and see the positive. Soon, we will not find the negativity of a situation.  We will find the positive first and be well on our way to making a better situation. 

As you can see, no matter what happens to us, we can choose positive thoughts and choose a positive attitude. It may not be something that we were all born with but it’s a way of looking at the brighter side of life that helps us build the life we want.

You must say instead the positive affirmation of "I know I can…" "This is possible and I know this will work…" "My success is assured, and I must try…"

You could sum it up in a few words, but one would certainly be “Affirmation”.

When we say the affirmations positively and often, we are already forward facing in the right direction for attaining our goals.

You may well be quick to nag yourself because you want to be more than perfect. However, negative self-talk can be damaging because your subconscious believes what you say to yourself when you repeat that negative talk in your mind over and over. How is your subconscious to know otherwise? If you catch yourself using negative self-talk, stop and rephrase. Eliminate the negative words. Focus instead on the best course you can take and do it. YOU MUST FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE DIRECTION OF REACHING A GOAL! Keep your affirmation and daily mantra in the POSITIVE light so your mind can see and begin to believe with you.

Make positive communications a habit. Focus on the positive in goal statements, self-talk, and all communications. Compare the following phrases, and notice how the positive words convey confidence, commitment, and enthusiasm.

For example, instead of "I will try", substitute the phrase with "I will" . 

Instead of saying, "I should do this",  insert the phrase "I will do it". 

Try saying "I choose to…" and "This is for me and I will…"

Focus with affirmation statements. Affirmative statements are positive self-statements or reminders to help you achieve goals. They are positive messages to fill your thoughts.  They're "sticky notes" for your brain!!  Mental notes that you can use regularly to shape and focus your ambition. Use these "sticky notes" for your brain (mantras and affirmations) to remind yourself to accept and enjoy your accomplishments. Stay focused in your direction. Follow the path under your feet. See your destination in your mind! 

When you think about your goals, you may try to motivate your subconscious mind to work for you.

You will begin to see, in your mind, the desired destination.

You will feel the path to it under your feet.

You will begin to make one step after another. You are moving towards your goal until you have arrived. Ultimately, you will reach your destination. Your mantras and affirmations have coaxed your brain to find the solutions you are seeking. You will arrive at a reality you have intended to manifest. It's your brain AND body working towards your desired goals.

Here are guidelines to help you to use the powerful tools of affirmative statements and mantras as vital mental reminder techniques.

1) Make the statements personal to yourself. Not arbitrary or generic. Use the phrase " I", "your own name",  or "you"

2) Keep affirmations short. How can you use the affirmations if you cannot remember them?

3) Phrase your affirmations positively. The mind accepts as truth the words that you give it. Use positive words only as affirmations. Leave out any negative words. For example, say " I will", "I am", "I choose to…" 

Be calm and self-assured.

4) Include a positive emotion. A phrase that triggers a positive emotion strengthens the affirmation. For example, "My goals are valuable and it excites me." 

5) Phrase affirmations as fact. Phrase a goal as though it is happening even if you have not achieved it yet. Your subconscious believes mental messages and works to make them a reality.

6) Say your affirmation at least 6 times a day. Repetition is life. Repetition enhances self-confidence, acts as a reminder, and stimulates your subconscious to help you achieve your goals in life.

It cannot be overstated what the impact of positive self-talk and affirmative statements can do to help you towards reaching your goals. You will find it much easier to reach the vital goals that you have identified for your life. Remember that without goals, even if you work hard, you are like a ship without a rudder. You must have goals!

These powerful tools of positive self-talk and positive affirmations can more than help to speed you along to your chosen goals. 

Positive self talk may be used to help you to create and manifest success in your goals.

You may practice manifestation by using these;

A "mantra" is a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.

An "affirmation" is a declaration of something as being true.

By "affirming" goals and claims as being true, AND repeating "mantras" regularly, it is believed that "manifesting" a person's desired reality is possible.

Begin to manifest your happiness and inner peace with the following daily mantras and affirmations. Pick one for each day of the week until you have used them all. Repeat it over and over again until the positive thoughts outweigh the negative ones.

Feel and believe what you say and think to yourself. Practice day and night. Write these affirmations on paper or in your journal. Practice a happy and serene smile on your face when you begin to feel more at peace. Inner happiness, beauty, and peace are all interchangeable. As you reach the feeling of one, it will be much easier to feel another…..

Here are some daily mantras and affirmations to claim as goals;

Happiness is MY CHOICE.

I am discovering my INNER HAPPINESS.

Happiness is just within my reach.

I CHOOSE to be happy.

Inner happiness and inner peace are interchangeable.

I CHOOSE to be happy.

Happiness.

Serenity.

At Peace.

Fulfilled.

Accomplished.

I am happy. I choose to be happy.

Happy meditating and good luck in your success!

#DailyMantra #Affirmation #Manifestation

For further reading Wikipedia's article,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction_(New_Thought)

Watch on YouTube, #Manifestation.

Here is an article you may enjoy. Read more about manifestation and affirmations. HERE.

Find more easy to follow instructions and coaching advice about using affirmations and daily mantras to begin manifesting your desired reality within this blog.

Also, visit another blog with more articles of information about manifestation and self help at https://busydieterplan.blogspot.com/