The Five As of Happiness

Holla my friend..., I hope you happy today...nice to meet you really..!

In our Declaration of Independence it is written that we have the God-given right to pursue happiness (please note that it says we have the right to pursue it but does not guarantee that we will find it). We all seek happiness and we look for it in all kinds of places -- sports, entertainment, sex, food, therapy, relationships - and we are often disappointed when we don't find it there. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote a Hall of Fame song about this disappointment - Is That All There Is? - and Peggy Lee won a Grammy for singing it. It sings of the disappointment of seeking happiness and coming away empty handed and disappointed.

How many times do you start a thought with "If only..." with the remainder being an unspoken "then I would be happy"? How many truly happy people do you know? Do you consider yourself happy? What makes you happy?

There are five As that may point you in the right direction and these are appreciation, awareness, acceptance, acknowledgment and amazement.

Appreciation really doesn't have to be defined, it just has to be practiced. Look around you and take notice of all the things you have to be grateful for. Who and what do you appreciate? The little cheer that my grandson yells after every T Ball game comes to mind - "two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate?" They appreciate the other team.

Who do you appreciate? Keep a running list of things you appreciate. Right at the top of my list are family who love me, fresh air, clean water, good food, freedom. Each one of those could spawn a new list. The list should grow longer and longer and never stop. But be careful, because appreciation can change your life for the better. Only do this exercise if you are serious about being happy.

Awareness goes hand in glove with appreciation. The more aware you become of everything around you, the more appreciative you will become. Do you see beauty everywhere? How long has it been since you picked up a fallen leaf and noticed the colors, the structure, the beauty of it? How long has it been since you "smelled the flowers." As a driver I'm always surprised at what I see on a daily route when someone else is driving.

When I drive I only see the traffic, the directional signs and the things I need to see to be safe and get us to our destination. When I'm a passenger I can be aware of the people, the architecture, the plants and flowers, the blueness of the sky, clouds and whatever is along the way. Become aware of other people and their expressions, their energy, their joys and sorrows. Become more aware of yourself - who you are and what you want and need, what you enjoy and do not enjoy. Awareness is a key ingredient for happiness.

Acceptance keeps you from trying to change yourself and everyone and everything around you. It allows you the freedom of being who you are and allowing others to be who they are as well. You have heard the saying, "I love you warts and all." That's acceptance. You don't have to judge or remake anyone you know. It's a very freeing concept and opens you up to happiness with yourself and others.

Acknowledgment lets you recognize your own talents, abilities, accomplishments and uniqueness as well as the talents, abilities, accomplishments and uniqueness of those around you. Acknowledgment of someone else's successes does not detract from your own or diminish you in any way. Nor does it generally make them arrogant.

Remember how good it feels when someone says sincerely to you, "Great job. Thank you?" You can give that gift to someone else. Start with your spouse and children if you are married. Those are four magnificent words: "Good job! Thank you." When is the last time you used them? Get them out, dust them off and use them until they become second nature. Thank you!

Amazement lets you look at everything through new eyes and exclaim "Wow!" When you are aware and you really see, you will be amazed by more and more. My grandson is a constant source of amazement to me because of his sweetness, his intelligence, his wit and his tenderness. He is six now and very wise and our conversations range from silly to profound.

I was too busy raising my own sons to be in such amazement but as a Gramma I have time. Look for the things in your life that make you say "Wow!" Amazement is great for your spirit as well as for your blood pressure, so make an effort to allow amazement back into your life.

Those five A's can bring you closer to happiness than almost anything I know. Happiness is an inside job, after all, and appreciation, awareness, acceptance, acknowledgment, and amazement are some of the tools that help you work there.

http://www.theselfimprovementblog.com
http://www.theselfesteemblog.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irene_Conlan

Top 10 Steps to Your Happiness

Holla my friend..., I hope you happy today...nice to meet you really..!

The first key to creating the rich life you desire is as simple as waking up the happy inside you. The Law of Attraction gives us insight to like attracts like. If you're not happy and you're not thinking happy thoughts or feeling happy then you may be unknowingly attracting unhappiness. Breaking the cycle of unhappiness will break you free to the life you desire.

Being happy is a state of mind. As simple as it sounds, being happy is a choice that you make. Many people feel unhappy because they have not learned how to focus on their desires. They don't know that there really is a way to create the life you desire. Therefore they're like lost souls in the fog. They want to be happy. They wish they could be happy. But without the secrets to happiness they walk around unknowingly manifesting more and more unhappiness in their lives.

The following 10 steps will get you on the right road to manifesting the happiness you desire.

1. Focus for a moment on what makes you unhappy. What is the opposite? What would make you happy?

2. Picture in your mind the happiness you want in your life. I mean a clear picture. What does it look like?

3. Visualization is a key component in creating the mindset of your desires. A visual reminder of what would make you truly happy is a must. Create a vision board with pictures and words of what you want in life and be sure to look at it at least 3 times a day.

4. Feel the outcome of your goals in the pit of your stomach. You can never achieve what you set your mind to unless you first feel a heated desire and believe it is possible.

5. You may trip, but do not fail. Just when success is within your reach you may be tripped up by what you might see as a failure. Do not stop. As you keep going and stand back up success may within your reach just over the next hill.

6. Take time to celebrate even the little accomplishments. This will refresh your brain and give you the mental capacity to keep moving towards success.

7. Look inside the word impossible and you'll find the words I'm Possible. Don't let anyone tell you that your goals aren't possible. You wouldn't be able to see the possibilities if you didn't already have the capability within you to accomplish your goals.

8. Be conscious. Whether you realize it or not, what you've done on a daily basis has gotten you to where you are today. Make a conscious decision to strive to create what you really want in life.

9. Don't be afraid of what other people think. Look, you are the only person that can create the happiness in your life that you desire. Worrying about what other people think is what all too often holds people back from living the life they dream of.

10. Give yourself permission to want. If you have the ability to dream it, you have the ability to achieve it. You are only on this earth once and you get to choose which road that journey takes.

Following the 10 steps mentioned above is the first step to your happiness. Make it a habit to practice these 10 steps on a daily and hourly basis and you'll find your way to happiness before you know it.

Tammy Matthews has published widely on the subject of living the life of your dreams. She is excited to be able to empower others to succeed. If you found the information in this article helpful, claim your Free Report on Living the Life of Your Dreams available at =>

http://www.truelifesuccesssecrets.com/list.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tammy_D_Matthews

The Secret of Being Genuinely Happy

Holla my friend..., I hope you happy today...nice to meet you really..!

Happiness is a decision and understand when you ask the question when you will be deeply and genuinely happy you are putting out resistance and not living in the now.

If you find yourself saying this....

- I won't be happy until my business is really taking off

- I won't be happy until I meet my soul mate

- I won't be happy until my debts are paid off

- I won't be happy until I buy a huge house

Then you will never be happy and will struggle with never feeling like your life is good enough. The biggest thing that truly takes us away from being happy is seeking approval of others, especially in a particular form. You may think that you need your business making a certain level of income before others will acknowledge to make you happy.

If you are not getting the approval from where you expect it like your parents or friends find it in other forms in your life... because it's there!

Essentially, true happiness comes deep from within and not from material things, or people. Nothing outside of yourself will give you this.

Happiness is a moment to moment choice. You chose to be happy, sad, depressed, or angry. Understand with happiness there is also sadness because no one can be 100% happy every day. We experience a range of emotions all the time and the key is to always reset yourself to your happy point when you get pulled back into emotions that are of a lower vibration.

How to have a happy day...

Look at your life and find the joy that you have in the smallest things...

- Your pet

- Your children laughing

- Your coffee

- Your significant others smile

Absorb the joy each day brings and always look for the smallest things during your day that makes you happy. Choosing to be happy IS a decision... once you chose to be happy no matter what your life will support you.

Your happy vibration will send a ripple of good back to you as it increases the flow of prosperity in all areas of your life.

Email me about private coaching at heather@TheSpiritTrainer.com.

Heather Picken is "The Spirit Trainer" who helps spiritually minded entrepreneurs energetically align themselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Her unique blend of inner and outer principles in her Quantum Entrepreneur program helps entrepreneurs magnetize money and clients easily and effortlessly.
She is also an inspirational speaker, Certified Holistic Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, Spiritual Life/ Business Coach and Founder of the Virtual Prosperity Network For Women. She has over 13 years in integrating mind-body connection, Law of Attraction, intuition, and spiritual principles.

Go to Heather's Website to learn more about her and her products/programs.
http://www.thespirittrainer.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heather_Picken

Tips on Dealing With Happiness

Holla my friend..., I hope you happy today...nice to meet you really..!!

All of us want to be happy and are in constant pursuit of it. But it seems to be all elusive. It comes for a while but is fleeting! It is probably like catching the clouds. When we were kids, we thought being an adult was fun. But ask most adults and they will tell you how much they miss those care free days of childhood!

They badly want to be kids again! When one is unemployed they yearn for a job and pray for anything to come by their way. When one gets a job, the thrill and excitement wanes with time. And then before one realizes it, unhappiness and discontent about the new job creeps in. Either it's the supervisor or the compensation, but one conveniently manages to find a reason.

The single ones envy the married while the married look back at the great times they had being single! We human beings are constantly looking to have what we don't. Is being happy a problem? Well, not really! Without this attribute, Mankind could not have managed all the marvelous inventions and discoveries over thousands of years. We would have remained where we were 50,000 years ago or we might have even become extinct! If this is a boon, and then what is the problem?

This desire to have more, to have better things drives us to perform and is the engine of our progress. While desires are good, it is dangerous when we get obsessed with them. So much so, that we ignore everything else and eventually land up being unhappy.

We have become good at counting our failures or miseries when we should in fact be counting our blessings. How many times have we praised this great miracle called life? How many times have we bothered to count our blessings in the form of family, friends, eyes, ears, hands legs etc.? If we just close our eyes for 5 minutes and try living our life we will realize that we are blessed! We take the goodness of life for granted!

Happiness is not just about success in our goals, it is about learning to enjoy what we already have while still dreaming and working for the unachieved, bigger better things! Next time we feel bad about the big hurdle on our way in achieving the next big goal in life, let us take a minute to appreciate the wonderful aroma of the morning coffee, watch the birds fly up in the sky, gaze at the sky and look at the countless stars and the ever changing cloud, spend some time to smell the flowers or take a look at the blooming flowers or the humming bee!

If that doesn't work, we could reflect on some good incidents in life or an instance of success in our life! Each one of us would surely have some achievement or some incident in life that makes us feel great or proud or happy! If that too doesn't excite us because we think our misery is worse, let us think of the soldier who is willing to give his life for the nation just so that you and I can be safe! Let us think of the laborer who works many more hours with no hope of a better life while struggling to barely make enough to feed himself and his family.

Hopefully, this will help us realize how blessed we are. This will then reenergize us and help us chase our dreams with renewed vigor! Great pleasure is in some way our ability to count our blessings and not count our miseries! Whilst there are may ways to happiness, chasing dreams while being excited about all the wonderful gifts of life, the happiness one has conquered, yet not forgetting the struggles of others and the vastness of the cosmos and the success of the self would surely take us in the right direction.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sanjana_Uthappa_N
thank you : Sanjana Uthappa N

How to Have a Happy Life

Holla my friend..., I hope you happy today...nice to meet you really..!!

While people own several diversified purposes, there is an almost general fundamental goal: to be happy!

There are lots of things which make us happy, but often we stress over not having accomplished our purposes or, worse, we reach them and we discover that we are not happy yet. This may be bedeviling and implores the interrogation "how does one accomplish the goal of being happy?".

Researches show that happiness is a mood that does not have to do with tangible goods or great accomplishment, it appears to wear away to your expectation about living and the quality of your relationships with the others.

Most of us spend a lot of time producing money because we think that they are going to bring happiness in our life or they will defend us against matters which can make us unpleasant. We should know that jobs gives us happiness. .

Lifestyle is just component of the happiness equation. Your mental attitude about living and the matters which encounter to you daily may also affect your general degree of felicity and life gratification.

So lifestyle characteristics have an important impact on individual happiness levels, but what is more significant is ones posture towards life.

As we all know, optimists incline to be happier then the others because they have a specific way of thinking which offers more achiever, dandier wellness, great satisfaction and they have an internal locus of control; they believe that they are the masters of their destiny instead of victims of hazard.

Most people have done everything that was possible in order to have the best career and they are successful, but still unhappy. . It is also common that you are surrounded by a wonderful house, a great car and stuff like that and you still have little individual satisfaction. What make you happy?. . . . .

It can be said that there lots of factors which make you happy but you should keep a balance between them:social affirm, individual evolution, personal wellness and significant goals, financial security and meaning career. These factors combined are expected to bring you the happiness that you are waiting for.

Try to be happy. . . Make some positive changes in your life gradually, following three important steps:

- for the beginning, adjust belittled gettable goals

- then, repay your advance for every small purpose, offering yourselves the opportunity to be proud and to have an reward

- and, finally, do not forget to draft social support. Tell the others about your successes, this is going to offer you more strength and will make it less likable to abandon. Explain yourselves to the ones you care!

In conclusion, you should know that what really makes you happy is the way until happiness and not the purpose of being happy itself. . .

http://here-first.blogspot.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eva_Conduce
thank you : Eva Conduce

Don't Worry - Be Happy - 10 Steps to Happiness

We have all heard the song 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' and we really should take this message to heart.

Living a happy, carefree life is very beneficial for your health. Being happy can even protect you from added stress in your life.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. Everybody is different, you need to accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and see it from another point of view.

To be happy is relatively easy, just decide to be a happy person. There is a great quote from Abraham Lincoln, he says that, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

The following are 10 great ideas to bring more happiness into your life:

1. Be grateful it is a great attitude. We all have so much to be thankful for. Thank the shop assistant for serving you, thank the taxi driver for getting you home safely. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mail, thank your friends for being your friends and thank God for being alive.
2. Avoid too much news. 99% of all news is bad news, that is not the way to start your day. News causes stress.
3. Manage your time. Time is so valuable and much too important to waste. Set yourself goals, keep to do lists and prioritize. I get so much more done if I have a planned list of tasks, it is also very satisfying to tick them off when completed.
4. Laugh and laugh heartily everyday. 'Laughter is the best medicine' - if you hear a good joke share it. If you look hard enough at your surrounding there is always something that can make you laugh.
5. Don't be afraid to express your feelings and passions to people around you. You will find that they will do the same.
6. If you feel anger and frustration find a way to release it that will not cause hurt or injury to others.
7. Enjoy your work, take great satisfaction in completing tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for everyone they give you a great sense of achievement.
8. Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new everyday. Learning makes us expand and broaden our horizons, this could also give us more opportunities in the future.
9. Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.
10. Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.

Just these few simple things can make such a positive impact on your life. Don't Worry - Be Happy

Jill Jackson http://www.jillsreview.com

REAP Your Own Happiness

One of my favorite expressions is that "you reap what you sow". While I often hear it used negatively by someone who expects some "chickens to come home to roost" I prefer to think of it as something positive. How comforting to think that all our hard work and toil will be rewarded with a crop of something good? How wonderful to think that putting love and care into some project or person will indeed be rewarded.

Of course, while most Americans give lip service to the notion of our right to pursue happiness all too many people do not really believe it applies to them. Many people simply believe they don't deserve happiness. And even those few who do believe it seem to accept unhappiness as simple bad luck.

Every person does indeed deserve happiness and what is more happiness is contagious. The more happy people there are around then even more people will find happiness. We owe it ourselves to work on our own happiness and we owe it to society as well. Our own happiness will help others and inspire others to find happiness. If we are unhappy then we are likely making others unhappy as well (even if unintentionally) and it is extremely unlikely we are doing much to contribute to the happiness of others.

So how do you become a happy person? You simply REAP your own happiness. But how? Take these four simple steps:

Step one -- Ready Yourself For Happiness

You can accomplish this step by first determining that you want to be happy. Part of being happy is wanting to be happy. Once you have committed yourself to the course of finding happiness for yourself then you must rid yourself of the notion that happiness is luck or based on possessions or persons. No thing and no one can make you happy. Happiness comes from within yourself.

Step two -- Envision Yourself As Happy

Every day when you first wake up and at various points during the day spend some time envisioning yourself as a happy person. Picture yourself laughing, smiling, relaxing. Imagine yourself as happy. The more you can fix this image of yourself as happy in your mind then the easier it will be for you to truly become happy.

Step three -- Assume You Will Be Happy

Many people tend to assume that they will spend much of their lives either unhappy or at least not really happy. However we have all seen those people who do seem to be genuinely happy with their lives. They smile frequently, laugh often, and seem to be in good humor most of the time. Yet this is not because they are richer or more successful.

Sometimes these people were just born with the good fortune to have an optimistic outlook that life has not yet knocked out of them, but often these people have simply chosen that they will be happy and they recognize that there is always something about their lives that makes them happy. You know this is true of yourself as well. Concentrate on the areas of your life that give you happiness whenever you feel unhappiness seeping in and no matter what assume that you will be, you can be, a happy person.

Step four -- Pursue Your Happiness

Happiness is rarely a wonderful accident of fate. Happiness is rarely found by accident. While you may find happiness in unexpected places you must first open yourself to the possibility of happiness and prepare yourself to accept it when you find it. Some people are so miserable that they step right around happiness when they encounter. Don't let this happen to you. What is more, don't simply sit at home waiting for happiness to come knocking on your door.

Go out and live life. Think about what currently makes you happy and spend time in those activities and think about what might make you happy and spend time experimenting. The more time you spend actively living your life then the more likely that you will also lead a happy life.

Remember, you deserve a happy life and you can lead a happy life, but in the end you reap what you sow. If you are sowing happiness in your life then you will reap happiness as well.
( By Deanna Mascle )

Secrets to a Happy and Motivated Life

Whether you want to lose weight, end emotional eating, overcome stress, or move beyond sadness and depression, creating any major change in your life can create feelings of discomfort. You are here, and you want to be there. As enticing as the outcome of your goal appears, you cannot instantly jump into a happy, motivation filled life.

Instead, achieving happiness and success means that you have to venture out of your comfort zone into an unknown journey. On your path between here and there, you will most likely face many obstacles, experience setbacks and failures, feel emotions you don't want to feel, and discover you must learn strange new ways of thinking, acting, and behaving if you want to reach your outcome.

One-step at a time you walk across the middle ground between where you were and where you are going. This middle ground tends to feel shaky and unknown. You may stumble along with unsure footing wondering if you will ever feel confident again. One of the secrets of achieving a happy outcome requires acknowledging and understanding that the changes you are asking yourself to make will be uncomfortable. Your success rests on planning ahead to give yourself the tools and support you need to make yourself feel safe even in the midst of change and uncertainty.

The following strategies are designed to help you find that trust and self-assuredness when you are in the midst of creating your happy and motivated life.

Acceptance of Your Journey

Whenever you are feeling uncertain, stop and take a moment to breathe deeply. Take several deep, slow breaths. When you breathe, you allow yourself to come back to center and your inner resourcefulness. From center, you can regain your larger perspective about the importance of the changes you want to make.

You can remind yourself that you are in transition because you made the conscious choice to experience more happiness. You are not a victim of this change, and no one forced you into this decision. Although your journey from here to there may not be an easy journey, remind yourself that the joy and success you want to experience is important to you.

It's Okay to Fall, But Get Back Up Again

When you are walking across the transitional middle ground between where you were and where you want to go, there will be times when you may feel uncertain and doubtful about your ability to have what you want. Perhaps you encounter a roadblock or obstacle, or perhaps the amount of effort you must put forth on a daily basis was more than you bargained for. You will consider quitting. The question becomes, when you want to quit, will you curl up, tell yourself you can't have what you want, or desperately pray that someone comes along to rescue you?

Or are you going to gather up all your courage and find some way to gain motivation move forward once again? It's okay to stumble and fall, we all do it at one time or another. It is even okay to lie in the dirt for a while. What is important is that you remember that you are still on your path, still facing forward, and you can still have what you want. What is the one step you can take right now that will serve to raise your level of motivation higher?

Choose Faith

Have you ever heard the expression, "Feed your faith, not your fears." I love how this phrase can boil down a complicated situation into a very simple choice. Use this phrase to perform a reality check on yourself. When you feel doubt or fear, are your thoughts and actions helping to build your self-confidence that you can have what you want, are they causing you to go further down a dark spiral of negativity and despair? The issue is not whether or not you will experience fear. Fear is a natural by-product of going on your goal journey. The issue is how you will deal with fear when it shows up - will you feed faith or will you feed fear? ( By Annette Colby )

Happiness Increases Longevity

According to U.S. research, you can add seven and a half years to your life just by being happy!

Backing this claim up is Laurie Hayes, Life Strategy Coach from Ontario, Canada who also states that genuine happiness is the key ingredient being sought after by most people who come to her.

Ms. Hayes has been working with people who have recognized this missing element in their lives and want to take corrective action towards a more meaningful, balanced existence.

"The pursuit of authentic happiness is an ongoing quest for many," says Laurie. "Some people believe that by earning more money, working longer hours, and taking on more and more responsibility, they will somehow reap big benefits that will in the end guarantee happiness. Unfortunately that just isn't the case, and research has now proven that the more comfortable life becomes, the more discontented and unfulfilled we become."

Incredibly, professional men and women polled in a recent U.S. study were rated to be unhappiest of all. Most attributed work pressures, the need to achieve, family responsibilities, social pressures, busy lifestyles and the absence of personal and reflective time to feelings of discontentment, detachment, anxiety and even depression.

Ms. Hayes says people often wait so long to do anything about these feelings that by the time they come to her they are out of sync, overwhelmed, feeling heavy and isolated, and that it's only through supportive, strategic life coaching they are able to learn how to live, laugh, play, and dream again.

Coaching used to be reserved for top-level executives, movie stars and large corporations, but is now being sought after by average, everyday people seeking positive life change. Already mainstream in the U.S., it is still relatively new in Canada. Coaching identifies core values, personal strengths and obstacles blocking people's happiness and provides the forum for planning and carrying out a plan to create desired results. Unlike therapy, it focuses on co-creating a desired future based upon the person's natural abilities and skills.

Laurie explains she got involved in helping people find their happiness because she lost herself many years ago.

"I know personally what it's like to become so wrapped up in one thing that everything and everyone else in life seems to disappear. I experienced it years ago while building my first business. I was so caught up in success and achievement that everything else took second place, and I lost everything that really mattered to me - my home, my partner, etc.

Back then there wasn't such a thing as a life coach. I took a break, got my act together and reconstructed a more authentic and happy life. I learned a valuable lesson and now I want to do my bit to help others realize that they too can find happiness by not denying themselves. A lot of people don't have anyone to support and listen to them, and that's where I come in."

Thankfully, real happiness is attainable and doesn't have to come at the expense of something else. As a matter of fact, the source might be so close to us that we can't even see it! The secret of extended life might be right under our noses, only waiting to be discovered! ( By Laurie Hayes )

More Secrets to a Happy and Motivated Lifes

Your journey between here and there is your own unique experience that you must navigate on your own. No one can take the journey for you, and no one can pick you up and drop you off on the other side. The journey itself is what offers the strengths, insights, wisdom, and joy that you are looking for.

Therefore, you must walk our own path - but that doesn't mean you can't hold hands with some friends for a awhile. Meet with a nutrition therapist, life coach, friend, or advisor on a regular basis to keep you motivated. Your support people can help you though periods of self-doubt and instability and remind you that being able to feel more happy and motivated is what you want most.

Words Are Powerful

Be acutely aware of the words you use. Do the words you speak to yourself empower you or leave you feeling powerless? Are your thoughts self-supporting or self-defeating? Do you encourage yourself when things are going well and when things are difficult? Learning to motivate your self with positive, self-affirming, resourceful, and loving language is what allows you to feel happy and gain motivation to take each next step. Look into your own eyes in the mirror and speak kind, persuading words. It is up to you to provide the motivation you need to achieve success.

Take A Risk

Change requires you to move from your smaller, confined circle of comfort to one that is larger and more expansive. To achieve ultimate success, you will need to move beyond the edges of your comfort zone. Like Columbus sailing off to explore the edge of the ocean, you too are exploring unknown new territory. Allow yourself to be a beginner again - this is how you grow and transform. If you take a risk and fail, learn from the experience and adjust your actions. Just don't give up!

Create A Ritual to Honor the Change

Symbolically acknowledge your journey by creating a ritual to honor the growth and changes you have been making. A ritual can be anything metaphorical that has meaning to you. Perhaps it might be burying your scale, donating all your larger clothes, giving your diet books to the local library, a celebration of your journey with friends, or even listing all the things that have been holding you back on little strips of paper and burning them.

Take some sort of physical action to acknowledge the path you are moving along. Doing this creates a deeper sense of meaning and importance to your daily actions, and raise your motivation level. You develop respect for the transition that you are engaged in. A ritual may help you close a door that you are ready to close.

Get a Transitional Object

Your ability to feel happy and keep motivated can also be increased when you carry a transitional object. Your transitional object can remind you of your successes so far, and keep your vision on your overall goal. The object could be something that reminds you of your journey, or it could be an item that provides comfort.

Link your sense of touch to the feeling of being happy or motivated. For example, think of how a toddler is able to comfort itself with a stuffed animal or blanket, or how rosary beads can help move thoughts back into love. Find your own transitional object that you can touch, stroke, or hold to remind you of the importance of your journey and provide you with motivation to continue forward. Below is a list transitional objects you could easily carry in your pocket or on your body:

o Small smooth stone

o Crystal

o Special necklace

o Ring for your finger

o Sea shell

o Symbolic lapel pin

Your goals to end overeating, lose weight, overcome stress, or move beyond sadness and depression are important goals. Congratulations on your courage to move forward and make a better life for yourself. Use these tips and suggestions to keep yourself motivated, feeling happy about the changes you are making, and believing in yourself. Although your path may seem shaky at times, you truly can live the life of your dreams. ( www.LovingMiracles.com )

Are You Happy?

When somebody ask you this question, what will be your answer? Can you answer right away? Or you have to think for a few seconds before you can answer? Others will need a lifetime to answer this.

One of the reasons why when a person being asked this question think before answering is because he/she is not sure if he/she is happy with his/her life now. He/She might need to think and balance things up to come up with the correct answer. But all should learn how to get the answer.

All of us should keep in mind that happiness is not just being happy with the things we have now or how much money we saved in the last few years but what we have accomplished. Happiness comes after contentment. And we should first need to find this contentment before we can find happiness.

Having so much problems and so much pain in life shouldn't stop us from saying: "I am happy." We have to find a way to make ourselves be able to say this short but meaningful statement. We need to walk on the road that leads to contentment so we can find happiness which is next to it. Very easy to say but it's very hard to be done.

In life, we will always find someone who can make us laugh. He/She might not be the one who will make us happy for the rest of our lives but we should treasure and take good care of this someone who comes along the way. As he/she might not be there in the end but he/she is with us to help us along the way.

In the next few weeks, I'll be submitting some more articles on how to make ourselves be contented and happy afterwards, not just looking happy but feeling happy inside out.

Alona has been working in a foreign country for almost six (6) years now. Experiencing a lot of ups and downs in her life inspired her to write some articles that would make people be inspired despite of all the challenges in life: from emotional to financial challenges in life. You can check out her blogs on how she made it through with all these challenges at [http://lucas528.blogspot.com] and [http://work2brich.blogspot.com] plus know more of her dogs at [http://gretriever.blogspot.com]

Choose To Be Happy Right Now

We all want to be happy. The right to look for happiness is even guaranteed in the United States Declaration of Independence, and in the constitutions of some other countries. Unfortunately, no one has exactly spelled out the steps we must follow if we want to be happy.

The problem for many of us is that even when we find happiness, it always is temporary. No matter how happy we feel for a while, the sensation of happiness eventually goes away, and sometimes we don't know what to do to get it back.

Many of us are very busy trying to do the things that we think will make us happy, and buying the things that we think will make us happy. We have learned to think about happiness as something we will achieve in the future, instead of something we can actually have right now.

The problem is that if we think that happiness is something we might have in the future, those future moments of happiness may never come.

How many of us say "I'll be happy when I lose twenty pounds" Or "I'll be happy when I get a new car" Or "When I have kids I'll be happy". Or "Winning the lottery will make me happy."

Sure, we may feel very happy if we accomplish these goals. But if you think achieving a particular goal or buying a particular car will make you feel happy forever, you'll quickly find out that any lift is very temporary.

If you've had a big improvement in your life, such as winning a lottery, marrying the person of your dreams, or having wonderful children, after a while you get used to the change in your life. For a few years the change may make you feel very happy, but in a couple of years you'll get used to your new situation, and you're left back where you started in terms of how happy you are.

Happiness is very elusive. Even when we have it we can't hold on to it.

And happiness isn't a goal you can actually set out to achieve. You can feel happy as a byproduct of other positive things you are doing in your life. And you can be living your life in such a way that you are always driving away whatever chance of happiness you might have.

So, if you want to be happy, accept the fact that it's not a permanent thing.

And realize that happiness is not something that you should put off for the future. Don't tell yourself that you have to wait until you do something or have something before you allow yourself to be happy.

If you think you have to tie your happiness to some future accomplishment or some future purchase, you will find that any happiness you look forward to may not happen. Once you have the thing you thought you really wanted, you may find out that you feel disappointed instead of happy.

Or the happiness may wear off very quickly, and then you go off chasing something else that you think you need to make you happy. Instead of postponing your right to happiness to some obscure time in the future, live in the here and now, and look for opportunities to be happy right now, where you are. Instead of looking for happiness in external objects, learn to develop your capacity for being happy just by existing in this world.

There can be happiness in a lot of little moments you have every day. Get in the habit of looking for those moments Remind yourself often how many gifts you have been given. Get in the habit of staying in a state of appreciation. ( By Royane Real )

Happiness By Way Of Visualization

Most successful business plans start by visualizing the outcome, and using that visualization to work backwards through a plan of action. This same process can be used (sometimes called the Law of Attraction) to help you visualize a successful and productive and happy life for yourself.

Understand that happiness is important too. All the material success in the world is meaningless if you work yourself into a knot of misery and stress. One of the best ways to make sure your success doesn't kill you is to visualize the things that make you happy as well. Using visualization to bring yourself happiness is a gradual process. Be patient and don't skip to the next step if you haven't mastered the previous one.

The first step is to be honest with yourself, and figure out what makes you happy. Build your life around what makes you happy, because being happy is the most important part of being alive. Happiness comes from within. Genuine happiness is born from intrinsic goals, and it's important that you know your goals before you begin. Then break it down into the following steps:

What - What are your goals? What about this goal makes you happy when contemplating it?

Who -Who can help you achieve your goals? What can you offer them for this help?

Where - Where does this goal, and your happiness, take place?

When - When do your goals happen? Are you going to put them off to do other things first?

Now that you've itemized what brings you happiness, it's time to put those elements together, and make them real. Visualization is good for planning, and essential for execution, but visualization by itself isn't enough without action. Make sure your goals for happiness are concrete, and focus on achieving them every morning when you wake up - review them, consider them, and run with them. Make an internal image of completing these goals, and memorize every detail of that image to help you achieve them.

After your morning review, choose three things to accomplish towards your goal at the start of the day, and make sure they get done first. Work towards your own happiness - nobody else will. Don't let present limitations confine your imagination. Determine what you have to do to accomplish your goals and commit to doing them.

When you do this regularly, your brain will get used to what it's hearing from you until it's convinced that you're virtually destined to make your dreams come true.

Mastering your visualization skills will take time, so be patient if it goes slowly at first. The ultimate payout is your happiness, and you deserve it. ( By Leon Edward )

How to Live the Life of Happiness

It is the goal of every human to live happily. In actuality it is more than a goal, it is the reason we exist; to be happy. Without happiness life is not worth much, without hope of happiness life is not worth living.

So what is it that can start you on the road to happiness? What do you need to do to start being happy? Find out your needs, and fulfill them. Sounds simple enough, yet so many people just can't seem to do it. Satisfy your needs, and happiness will follow.

Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. You need to eat good food; fruit and vegetables are basics that should be consumed with fervor. You need exercise; a walk in the park, a bike ride, jogging, or a full workout routine, something to burn off the bad stuff that accumulates in our bodies.

You need human contact; someone to talk to, to do things with or for, a person to be a friend to. Meeting your needs is just the beginning of happiness. List your top four needs and get them met before it's too late!

What else do you need to become happy? You also need a dream. What is it that you want to accomplish in this lifetime? Does working a job that barely pays the bills, and watching TV all your spare time seem like a good life to you? Probably not or you would not have found this lesson.

So what is involved in this dream? Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? What is it that would both meet a need and go a step beyond to meet a desire? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. Are you next? Depression, or happiness, it is up to you to make your own life. Happiness comes from inside you and is not given or taken from others.

Discover what you desire from life: Know your passions. You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you. Always endeavor to become the very best person you can be. You can't be someone else as they are already taken, but you can be the best the ever was, if you try.

Even if you hate your job, do your best. You do not have to compete with your co-workers; you only have to compete with your self. Be a little bit faster every day, a little bit more efficient. Be a little better than you were the day before. Soon you will be the best there is, do not worry if others do not notice right away, you know what you have done, so you can be proud of that accomplishment.

Take action, do something every day that brings you closer to your dream life. Set some goals and work towards them. If you are not used to having goals start small; for example set a goal to get all the laundry done in one day. Once you have done that; take a moment to realize that you set a goal and then accomplished it.

Train yourself to set and accomplish goals. When you get good at the small stuff; move on to another goal that is bigger. Continue to grow in this way until you have the ability to accomplish anything you set your mind to.

Following the simple concepts you have learned today; will lead you to having and enjoying a happy life. When you can see what is real and what is not you will be well on your way.

Take care of yourself and do not expect or rely on others to do it for you. Stay true to your self, and always be honest with your self. ( By Ralston Heath )

To Master Emotions and Be Happy

To master emotions and be happy is the ambition of every person. Emotions are the energized feelings. A person cannot avoid emotions since it the impulsive response to circumstances. Emotions include a wide variety of feeling such as fear, guilt, anger, and unworthiness.

Any how, emotions will impair the happiness of a person, when the person gets affected in the flood of emotions. To maintain a happy outlook, it has become an essentiality to control the emotions.

Emotions become most dangerous, when it affects the peoples, interacting with you. It is common that in the events of uncontrolled emotion, it results outraged behavior and may hurt the others feeling. Thus emotions are a sequential action, which in effect, may badly affect the whole society.

The history of mankind shows that many of the black marks happened because of any single emotional out break of the person. The mastery over emotions is essential, also because, it will help you to better mould as a good human beings.

As told, avoidance of emotions is not practical in the daily life; a person can only control the emotions. The first step to control the emotions has to begin from the realization of the emotions. You have to first make up your mind to control the emotions. Remember, emotions become dangerous, when you react to the impulse. The basic thing to be happy is to prevent your response.

The repeated thought process and regular reminding will restrict your outspoken nature. However, be cautious and seek the advice of the experts while getting started since the suppression of the feelings may cause any other sort of mental disturbances. It is also advisable to a primary investigation about the behavior of the person since in many cases, the emotional out breaks are caused because of mental disorders.

The practice of mental relaxation techniques is an ideal way to control the emotions. The relaxation techniques such as meditation, Yoga, bio feed back and imaginative therapies will help to relax your mind and keep your mind, in your control. Religious faith is also major factor that can give you consciousness.

Involvement in your favorite sports and arts is also a preferred method, which will relax both mind and body. Some recent studies show that diet plays a role in the emotional out breaks and hence, you hence you have to practice a balance diet. The step by step self control exercise is focused to remold the persons for a problem free and happy life.

Being happy is the intention of every one. For that, keep in mind an old saying, which means, if you want to be happy, keep others happy. Hence, stop for a moment, when you get in touch with any thing that raises your emotions. Take a deep breath and think about the details of the issue. It is sure that, if you can spare a moment to rethink, you can definitely progress to mastering your emotions and be a very happy person. ( By John Khu )

You Deserve to Be Happy!

Those ten words by Aristotle pretty much summarize what today's article is about. You deserve to be happy and you have the power within to make it that way. You don't have to settle for being unhappy, sad, depressed or anything else that disempowers you.

If you're feeling bad I pray that this week's article will help you to feel good. If you're feeling good I hope that you'll feel even better! In the words of Suzanne Falter-Barns, "How much joy can you stand?"

I'm not much of a math guy, but I want to drop a few statistics on you. In a 24 hour day the average person spends anywhere from 8-10 hours at work, including travel. The average American starts working a full-time job at age 19. That person will work for the next 46 years. That's an awful lot of time dedicated to your job! If you're going to spend this much time working, don't you think you should be doing something you enjoy?

I know that you have to do what you have to do. Maybe you have kids or you've got bills; you've got that vacation coming up. Hey, you're grown and you have to take care of your responsibilities. But, are you truly happy? Is this really what you want? Or are you just settling for what you have? Do you believe that you deserve to be happy?

For the first 5 years after I graduated from college I had 5 different full-time jobs! That's right, 5! Can you imagine how unstable I was? Hopping from job-to-job and even getting fired twice. I had even launched business ventures that failed. My self- confidence took a major blow. There were times when I felt like a loser and even felt tempted to tell other people that. There were years when I just wasn't sure what was going to happen next. It was pretty scary.

But even during the tough times I'd remind myself that eventually things would work out and I deserved what I wanted. I deserved to feel good, be happy, and be successful. What I'm trying to tell you is that happiness is a state of mind. You can change your life instantly by changing how you think and how you speak.

Do you know that your words and thoughts have power? They are actually forms of energy that flow from your mouth and mind out into the universe. The universe (also known as God, the Creator, etc) then takes what you say and think and gives it to you. You deserve to be happy because God wants you to be. You need to be at your very best in order to give your gifts to this world that desperately needs them.

With that said, check this out. YOU CAN ASK FOR HAPPINESS! When I'm in the midst of an unpleasant time I say to myself, "I want to feel good." In essence, I'm requesting happiness. You can do the same. (For more on this, read works by Wayne Dyer, Jerry and Esther Hicks, and the Bible)

Before I go, I want to leave you with 5 Steps for Being Happy.

1. Think about times when you have felt happy, good or content. Where were you? Who were you with? What were you doing, thinking or feeling that made you feel happy?

2. Decide to make more time in your life to do more of what is important to you and makes you feel happier. To be happy, you have to make happiness a priority in your life.

3. Focus on what is positive about yourself, others and life in general instead of dwelling on the negative. In a journal, write down as many positive things as you can think of.

4. Appreciate what is working in your life right now. In the major areas of your life, such as your health, job, love life, friends, family, money and living situation, what is going well?

5. Get some help. Talk to someone like a psychotherapist, career counselor, or spiritual advisor (minister or teacher) to help you sort out what would make you happy.

For the past few years Derek Felton has engaged audiences all over with his philosophies on Purpose, Passion, and Attitude. Affectionately known as “Mr. Positive”, Derek has an uncanny ability to relate to a wide range of people – from skeptical teenagers to worldly adults.

Derek believes that each of us has a unique Purpose that we are responsible for discovering and nurturing. Without a clear focus of our mission we become stagnant, our decision-making falters, and our lives aren’t as fulfilling. His Passion is helping those who want to be empowered and encouraged. He also helps others to understand their potential. When you are Passionate about your Purpose your Attitude will allow you to achieve greatness! ( By Derek Felton )

A Formula For Happiness?

Did you know that psychologists have now come up with a formula for happiness?

They call themselves "positive psychologists" and led by Professor Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, who has been described as the father of positive psychology, they have a formula for happiness.

It is simply: Pleasure + engagement + meaning = happiness.

I do not have a degree in psychology but I am a student of human kind and it seems to me that while it seems simplistic (and these "positive psychologists" will be the first to admit it is overly simplistic) it actually touches on the central issues that I have expressed to my readers over the years.

In order to be happy we need pleasure in our lives. We need the small pleasures of a tasty treat, a beautiful sunrise, or laughter. We also need larger pleasures found in success and love.

We also need engagement to be happy. This means that our lives must include activities or enterprises that capture our wholehearted interest. You know, the level of engagement when we forget about the clock, the outside world, and just about everything but the object of our focus.

Finally, we must have meaning in our life. We must feel that we matter and that what we do matters. We must know that we are valuable, valued and that our lives make a difference.

One of the faults with this simple formula is that it does not include an urge to balance. It would be too easy to focus on one area to the detriment of others. While engagement and meaning are essential to the formula, for example, overlooking the need for pleasure could make happiness impossible to attain.

While some may mock this "happiness formula", I would argue that it can be useful in the pursuit of becoming a happier person. We all need reminders that being happy is not serendipity but rather an active choice. In fact, more than a choice, being happy really is an action that must be taken every day.

Are you happy most of the time? Then share your own secret formula! But if you are not happy then it can be well worth your time to consider the "happiness formula" and how you can apply it to your life. Remember, it is not enough to wish for or think about happiness -- but rather you must live it.

You can live a happier life with the help of the happiness formula as well as your own active pursuit of happiness. ( By Deanna Mascle )