“Ordinary happiness depends on happenstance. Joy is that extraordinary happiness that is independent of what happens to us.Good luck can make us happy, but it cannot give us lasting joy. The root of joy is gratefulness. We tend to misunderstand the link between joy and gratefulness. We notice that joyful people are grateful and suppose that they are grateful for their joy. But the reverse is true: their joy springs from gratefulness. If one has all the good luck in the world, but takes it for granted, it will not give one joy. Yet even bad luck will give joy to those who manage to be grateful for it.
We hold the key to lasting happiness in our own hands. For it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.“
~Brother David Steindl-Rast
- Choose to be the best YOU can be. John Wooden once said, “Success and happiness is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” So give it your all in everything you do, and if you feel compelled to compare yourself to someone, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
- Choose to be around the right people. Surround yourself with people who reflect the person you want to be. Relationships should help you, not hurt you. Choose friends who love and respect you – people who make your day a little brighter simply by being in it. When you free yourself from negative people, you free yourself to be YOU – and being YOU is the only way to truly live.
- Choose to focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t. When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness – and that’s without having to buy something new. You will have a hard time ever being happy if you aren’t thankful for what you already have.
- Choose a good attitude. Our greatest downfall in life is the picture in our head of how it’s supposed to be. One of the reasons so many of us give up is because we look at how far we still have to go, instead of how far we have come. Research shows that although we think that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act. A great attitude always leads to great experiences.
- Choose to smile more often. The simple act of smiling sends a message to your brain that you’re happy. And when you’re happy, your body pumps out all kinds of feel-good endorphins. This reaction has been studied since the 1980’s and has been proven a number of times. Bottom line: Smiling actually makes you happier.
- Choose to take care of your body. Physical energy, mental energy (focus), emotional energy (feelings), and spiritual energy (purpose) are all interconnected; when one is off balance, all are affected. This is when it’s good to go for a walk, take time to relax, eat something nutritious or do anything else you find nourishing to the mind, body and soul.
- Choose honesty. Start being honest with yourself and everyone else. Integrity is the essence of success. When you break the rules of integrity you invite serious complications into your life.
- Choose to help others when you’re able. In life, you get what you put in. When you make a positive impact in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact in your own life. Give selflessly.
- Choose to embrace the next step in your life. Are you going to hold on to the past? Or are you going to create your own happiness today? Each day is a new beginning. Embrace it.
