Are you having troubles at work? Or perhaps you're going through a divorce? Does it feel like your life is falling apart? Don't despair! A positive attitude can go a long way toward creating
happiness. The one most important thing
you have to always remember is that happiness IS NOT dependent upon
exterior forces or circumstances, but is a condition of the heart.
Something
else you want to remember is that you are not alone. Everyone has problems at some point or
another. In fact, over 12.5 million work
days were lost in the UK alone in 2017 due
to stress, anxiety, or depression. This
is a common problem in most parts of the world.
And it isn’t getting any better. Stress
affects people mostly because of money, work, poor health, or family
responsibilities. But stress is
something that can be dealt with. And
dealt with successful!
Remember,
when one door closes, another one opens. The problems you're facing now will
soon be just a bad memory. The old
expression “it is darkest before the dawn” has much truth to it. When things seem their bleakest, that is when
we need the greatest hope. That being the case, what can we do? Wouldn’t you like to know: what's the key to staying positive when things
are looking bleak? Let's look at just a few things to consider.
Don’t
Wait to Be Happy
How
many times have you told yourself that you'll be happy as soon as you switch
jobs or get a raise, or move to a new location, or “get out of the house”? The truth is that these things might not
happen anytime soon and when, or if they do, you’ll find out that you still don’t
have happiness. The reason is because of
what I said earlier, outside situations or occurrences DON’T bring you
happiness. And if you rely on them to live your best
life, you deny your right to happiness NOW!
Appreciate
every moment and focus on the good in your life. Plan the best you can for the future, but live
in the present moment and be grateful for what you have now. Many times we can’t be happy because of what
we WANT and we can’t appreciate what we HAVE!
Stop
Playing the Victim
When
times get tough, we tend to blame others for our problems. Have you stopped and considered that we most
often don’t have happiness within our lives because of what OTHERS
have done to us or what THEY have prevented us from getting? At least that’s what we tell ourselves. It’s always someone else’s fault and never
any cause or reason of our own. However,
doing this will only keep you from finding solutions and solving your problems. It will prevent you from changing your
present circumstances to those that you want them to be.
Take
responsibility for the current situation and then find a way to fix it. Break free from the "poor me"
mentality and be proactive in your quest for happiness. Also, learning the quality of contentment will
take you a long way. Once you are
satisfied with what you have you will find greater enjoyment within your life.
Jump
into Something New
Just
because you’ve never done something doesn’t mean that you can’t do it! Opportunities are everywhere. It’s a matter
of going out and looking. Stuck
in a bad job? Find something else that
you really enjoy doing! Assess your
skills and figure out how you could use them to boost your income and help
others in the process. Exert yourself in
new areas and you may be very surprised at how much happier your life
becomes. You may also learn that when you
help others make their lives happier you are, in turn, blessed by more happiness
in your own life.
Have
you just lost a big client? Start
pitching potential customers. Dedicate
at least 30 minutes every day to cold emailing and job hunting. The more options you have, the better. You may also find that by opening more doors
of opportunity and building new connections and relationships within your life
you will discover never before conceived means to add greater joy to your life.
Start
a Meditation Habit
Meditation
is one of the best ways to calm your mind and ward off stress. It's so
powerful that it alters the brain's structure and triggers positive changes in
the areas associated with memory, creativity, and cognition. I’m not suggesting that you become some type
of “religious” fanatic about meditation, but consider meditating over the events
in your life and seeing where or how you can make positive changes for the better. Make a habit out of meditating every single
day. Do it for at least 10 minutes. Close your eyes, ponder over the situations
within your life, and take deep breaths. The benefits can be truly amazing.
Just
because your life isn't perfect right now, it doesn’t mean it will be like this
forever. Problems come and go. What has
you completely upset today at this moment may be but a faint memory in a few
days or weeks from now? What truly
matters is to look on the bright side and hang in there. I used to tell my wife after we got married
that according to our vows it was for “better or worse.” “Just hang in there, honey, it’s bound to get
better sooner or later!” I don’t know
how encouraging that was to her, but it’s now been over 53 years and we are
still very much happy together.
Get
out and enjoy yourself for a little bit. Read a good book, call an old friend, or start
a new hobby. These small things can make
a world of difference. However, never
forget that we have within us a troublesome enemy who is always trying to make
things more difficult for us and that’s because we’re only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
"We cannot let others
set the markers of OUR success."
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