'How To Be Happy’nn A few simple guidelines for more golden days...
I’m a professional composer and songwriter, writing music for film, television and advertising. I’m optimistic, anxious, sensitive, creative, introspective, enthusiastic, a guitarist and pianist, a writer of stories, a disaster at DIY, borderline obsessive, laid-back, a devoted husband, a lover of ideas and emotion, a dreamer, a realist and a parent. I’m also the co-founder of
www.azurecalm.com, the revolutionary new relaxation and meditation mp3 website.
Over the years I’ve learned a few golden rules that have helped me wake up happy, go to sleep happy, and generally have a better class of day in between. I offer them up here without clinical qualification, academic support or gilt-edged promises. But they’ve worked for me....nnn1. You Are At Your Best When You Are The Most You.
This is a quote from the brilliant English cricketer and writer Ed Smith. It’s not selfish or self-obsessed to say that everything starts with the SELF: your relationships with the world around you and your loved ones, your direction in life. Get to know yourself.. what makes YOU happy? Listening to music? Building a house? Seeing a movie? Stroking your cat? Shopping? Do it. Don’t pretend, don’t act, don't try and be something you’re not, just because you’ve read it somewhere or you’re trying to impress someone. Be the best and truest ‘YOU’ that you can be. Start there and everything else comes easy...
2. Do The Right Thing NownnDon’t obsess about the future or the past, either worrying about what’s going to happen, or chewing over past failures. Just focus on the next task - and make it The Right Thing.....99 times out of 100 you will know what that is. If you need to finish a project on a tight deadline, then going to the pub or listening to your iPod probably ain’t it...if it’s a lazy, sunny Sunday then it probably is. I know this sounds like baby steps, but believe me it’s spectacularly easy to do the wrong thing now, or the right thing ...tomorrow. Be aware all the time, and ask yourself ‘am I doing the right thing now?’
3. Go To Sleep HappynnAn eye-opener for me... once I’d learned not to take worries to bed with me I started to sleep like a baby. I’d wake up ready to face the day, full of energy and optimism. There aren’t many problems that can’t be sorted with a bit of mental energy and a violently executed plan... But one of the biggest causes of modern-day fatigue and depression is a lack of restorative brain rest - deep sleep, to you and I. You wouldn’t leave your PC churning out a big calculation overnight or rip its power cord out of the wall mid-process; you quit applications, shut it down, and leave it off until morning. So do that with your brain. Before sleep, do something you love (OK, easy tigers...!) Read a book, think about something, somewhere or someone you love, plan a trip, listen to beautiful music, write a diary, draw a picture. (I’ve written a whole article on this elsewhere). The result of this enlightenment was the launch of
www.azurecalm.com, where you can download relaxation mp3s that teach you how to achieve that deeply relaxed and calm state. The mp3s are narrated by Harley Street hypnotherapist David Samson and soundscaped by me - listening to one before bed is the best way I know of ‘parking the hard drive’ and guaranteeing a blissful night’s sleep....
4. EcholocatennWhen you feel good - which is hopefully going to be more and more often if you’re reading this - share those feelings. Call a friend, text a relative, e-mail someone you haven’t spoken to in ages. It could be a ‘hi, how are you?’, a joke, an invitation, or an idea. Imagine them smiling when they’ve received your thoughts.... this really works. How many depressed dolphins have you ever met?
5. Dare to Dreamnn“Nothing comes of nothing. Dare mighty things!” (That Shakespeare wrote a good line.) There are two extremely good reasons for doing this: first, new and exciting new ideas get made. Second, the act of having the idea is itself a massive mood-lifter. In the last month I’ve had these ideas: a new sports team run by me and my friends, a children’s novel, a new guitar website, 2 new articles (this is one of them), a cool job offer to a friend, a new training programme, a fan letter to a hero, a weekend away with my wife in a place that's special to both of us.. A few of these have happened already, a few are being planned, and a few are a little further away, until time and money allow....but the process of having those ideas gave me the biggest boost.
6. Eat & Drink NaturalnnVery personal this one.. and it may be just me, but to misquote Mr Micawber: “lots of processed food, stimulants (caffeine, alcohol) and artificial sugar - result? Unhappiness!” (As well as bloating, lethargy and irritation....) “Lots of natural food (fruit, vegetables, water - basically nothing with a list of ingredients on it ) - result? Happiness!” And a clear head, a happy mind and more glorious sleep. I used to hear people saying this on TV and I’d want to throw stuff; but I’m sorry guys, this one falls into the ‘dull but true’ category - for me, anyway....
7. The 80/20 RulennWe’re all human, right? And if you did all these great things without a moment of self-doubt or procrastination you’d be an android. So try and do the good stuff 80% of the time, and don’t worry too much about the 20%..... when I’m on holiday I drink Sangria till 3 in the morning , ingest vanloads of nibbles coated with artificial flavourings and listen to music from the ‘guilty pleasures’ playlist (Boz Scaggs, anyone?)
8. And This Is My Favourite: nn..from Chris Difford, the brilliant English songwriter. It applies to literally everything: “don't stay up too late, don’t get caught up with computers, and - never give up.”nnnKeith Bayley
2007nnwww.azurecalm.comninfo@azurecalm.com