How to Be Happy
I recently listened to a book called Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. This version was edited by Dan Kennedy and is more current than the original, which was written in 1960. In this book, Dr. Maltz creates a formula for success for individuals looking to improve their lives. One of the chapters that really resonated with me was about happiness. Dr. Maltz teaches that to be truly successful, you need to be happy. Most people spend much of their lives unhappy. Happiness is a habit and a choice. We go through our lives and develop habits along the way. We may react to situations and get angry about them, upset, and downright sad. After listening to this chapter I realized that I am currently practicing many of the suggested techniques, but also realized he recommends some strategies I can incorporate into my life. Below are 7 tips to make yourself happy and help lead you to the life you want and deserve.
7 Tips to Creating A Happy Life
- Don’t get upset over things you can’t control – Too often, we get upset about things we can’t control. Traffic jams, bad weather, other drivers, things other people say or do, plans that change, company policy changes, taxes, the list goes on and on. Instead of getting upset, try releasing the emotion. Getting upset over things we can’t control is like getting upset that the wind blew over your lawn furniture. You can’t control it. Instead practice gratitude about the things in your life that you are grateful for.
- Create different reactions/habits – Dr. Maltz suggested in his book that you try putting your shoes on the opposite way that you normally do for 21 days. This is enough time to change the habit of how you usually do this. And every time you put your shoes on he suggests thinking of breaking your habits of how you think of things from negative to positive.
- Create and write down goals – Goals help us to be focused and have a mission in life. When we write down our goals, our brains come up with ways of achieving them. It’s how we’re wired. By focusing on your goals, it’s hard to be in a negative mindset.
- Avoid watching the news – The media business today is very competitive. It seems that all news is sensationalized to get us to watch it. Everything is a “News Alert”. It’s hard to watch the news and be happy afterwards. I suggest we should limit our news watching or eliminate it altogether. Instead, read the headlines in the Wall Street Journal. If something really important happens, you’ll hear about it.
- Decide you are a happy person – When we make the decision that we’re really going to do something and just DECIDE, good things happen. One technique to help with this is to run through things you are grateful for just before you go to sleep and first thing when you wake up in the morning.
- Be around happy people – We are highly influenced by who we surround ourselves with. If you hang around with unhappy, negative people, you will have to work very hard not to be one of them. Find people who are happy and positive and surround yourself with this energy instead.
- Meditate – Daily meditation can do wonders for our brains. I find I am a happier person and think happier thoughts on days I meditate. Make it a practice to meditate first thing in the morning and you will start the day out fresh, focused, and in a positive direction.
Was this helpful? If so, I’d really appreciate it if you leave a comment below or share on Facebook or your favorite Social Media!
Skype: Michael.hurd4
Email: mike@hurdmarketing.com
