Top Ten Ways To Be Happy

I believe that everyone wants to feel happier -- sometimes
they just don't know where to begin. So here are ten
sure-fire ways to increase your happiness quotient - and
achieve your goals more easily than before!

1. Don't expect perfection from yourself or anyone else.
Don't forget this is planet Earth. And don't expect
perfection in working these happiness tips, either. Lean
into them everyday, and your life can change. Progress is
good enough.

2. Accept. Stop judging

When we judge ourselves, our circumstances, or other people,
it leaves no opening to settle into and accept "what is." If
your circumstances seem too severe to accept, try to resist
less. And less. You will give yourself emotional space to
move toward acceptance and change at the same time. Sounds
like a contradiction, but that's the beauty. It isn't.

3. Stay in the present

Do not waste time and energy regretting the past or worrying
about the future. Worry is a drain. We might think that
worry teaches us or motivates us, but calm presence is the
best source of happiness, wisdom, and positive action.

4. Be grateful

When we put our attention on all the good in our lives, the
good tends to increase. Remember to be thankful for the
small blessings, the everyday things. At the University of
California at Davis, psychologist Robert Emmons found that
those who wrote in a "gratitude journal" weekly experienced
better health, more energy, and for patients with
neuromuscular disease, less pain and fatigue. The more they
found to be grateful for and the more detail they described
in their journals, the greater benefits they experienced.

5. Decide to be happy

Having the intention to be happy, regardless of current
circumstances, attracts conditions that support you. The old
saying that "like attracts like" even works with your
intentions. They act like a magnet and draw to you more of
what you are already resonating. If you want to be happy,
make happiness your first desire.

6. Be self-authorized

Stop making choices based on what others believe you should
do, think, or be. Stay true to your own innate knowing of
what is best for you. Speak your truth in a kind manner. Let
others be responsible for their reactions.

7. Choose how you feel

We often say that something or someone "made" us feel a
certain way. And yet, as we watch people react so
differently to the same event, we see with our own eyes that
people choose how they feel. Learn to pause. Take a moment
to choose how you wish to react and feel. You may be
surprised at how much leeway you have!

8. Examine your beliefs

Often things in our life we accept as facts are really
self-defeating beliefs. Once you find these beliefs are not
true, they will shift and dissolve. Beliefs influence every
decision you make.

9. Expand your options

Allow for more possibilities in the present and future,
regardless of past experience. Drop the word "can't" from
your self-talk. Allow yourself to dream big. On a weekly
basis, write down all your desires, and let the sky be the
limit. No one has to see this list but you!

10.Create what you desire

Rather than putting all your energy into pushing away the
things you don't want, direct your energy into creating what
you do want. Come up with even just one action step - and
then the next - and start building the life you desire.

Happiness is worth your time and attention because feelings
affect every choice you make, every action and reaction.
They, along with the hidden self-defeating beliefs that
underlie them, create your life. They affect your brain
chemistry, your immune system, your ability to fight
disease, and your longevity. They can make the difference
between creating a relationship of mutual acceptance and
respect, or going your separate ways.

So, go ahead, dive in. Don't feel guilty for wanting more
happiness. As Robert Louis Stevenson said, "By being happy,
we sow anonymous benefits upon the world." And ourselves.