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I know. When you read the title, you were like, yeah right! If it were only that easy! Well if you listen to all of the experts who have achieved sustainable happiness, they all say that it starts with a decision to be happy!
Think about it. Before you go to the bathroom, you decide to go to the bathroom. Before you do the dishes, you decide to do the dishes. Before you go on a date, you decide to go on a date. Do you understand my point? Before you do anything you have to decide to do it!
Since we are thinking about happiness as a skill and a lifestyle, we need to make sure we are all on the same page, with the same basic understanding of the words "skill" and "lifestyle". According to Princeton's World Dictionary, a skill is an ability that has been acquired by training. Basically, you have entered into happiness training! In sociology, a lifestyle is the way a person (or group) lives. This includes patterns of social relations, consumption, entertainment, and dress. A lifestyle typically also reflects an individual's attitudes, values or worldview.
Take a minute to ponder the idea of happiness infused into a life skills repertoire that you can use in your social relations, consumptions, entertainment, clothing, and general world view.
It looks awesome, doesn't it?! You are happy! You are feeling like you never felt before, and you see happiness everywhere you look! You are experiencing what people call the "sunny side of life!"
Are you ready to make the decision to be happy?! To learn happiness as a skill and a lifestyle?
What about telling your friends? And family? That they too can learn how to be happy? No person is an island. And why should we keep this as a secret to ourselves? Please, this is what most people have been dying to know…. How the *%#! Can I be happy in this *%#! up world?!
Well it is possible. Imagine sitting around the dinner table with your family while everyone talks about what they are happy about. What they liked about their day. What they are grateful for. And then imagine each member of the family going around the table telling everyone what they like about the others. Amazing! And they would feel happy. And as long as a few people are feeling happy it spreads to the others! Imagine the happiness benefits coming to your whole family!? You can all make the happiness decision right now together!
No one is going to make it for you! Only you can make this decision for yourself. It would be like telling someone else that it is time to go to the bathroom. No one is going to do it for you. Now is the time for you to stand up and take responsibility for your own happiness! When you make this decision you realize you can no longer depend on all of those people, places or things for your happiness. This is the time we stop making excuses for the lack of happiness in our lives and give ourselves permission to take control of our own happiness!
I know that when I'm PMSing, I'd have to down a bottle of happy-pills for them to work. I'd probably overdose and die but at least, the cramps, random crying, and bouts of depression would be over and so, I guess that's "happy."
During that hellish week, no amount of self-talk helps. Jesus himself could appear and tell me that everything would be ok and I'd probably tell him to cry me a river and take a walk on it.
I've been thinking about posting some PMS tips or something. From recipes and herbs, to supplements and hard-core prescription drugs. It took me a while to get pro-active about maintaining my happiness when all I wanted to do was kill everything. Once I realized there was indeed "hope" by addressing the biochemical issue, which affects the way you think, the sunny side to life didn't seem so corny.
Taking control of our happiness, as you say, is indeed a valid and useful point. Thanks for underlining it with this post.
Amanda, thank your for your authenticity! I love when women talk about PMS! and I would definitely encourage you to talk more about it. I teach people how to access a deep inner sense of contentment and joy that is unmarked by circumstances even in the worst of pain or PMS. I myself live in chronic pain and have had my fair share of PMS and I know my happiness is not associated with my pain ultimately. The ordinary happiness that most people have experienced which is based on circumstances (hedonic happiness) definitely is effected because painful circumstances do not help us be happy in that we we are used to. That being said, it is the deeper happiness (eudaimonic and chaironic happiness) we need to be focused on developing so we can combat those circumstances with a better frame of mind using our positive emotions for pain management. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Aymee's SO right...AND a cleansed & well nourished body was the missing link for me. I'd read a lot about positive thoughts, choosing emotions and gratitude, but was stuck anyway...not loving myself. After making the COMMITMENT to make life happy again, Aymee came along (my "angel" who shared two key divine messages) and turned me onto a nutritional cleansing program that REALLY "de-junked" my body and brain, and WOW! What a difference. Life is SO worth living now, and I've had the best year of my life since making the choice and taking MASSIVE ACTION!! NO MORE "that time of the month" blues, feeling like the mirror was my worst enemies, feeling sorry for myself, wanting to hide behind someone at parties, listening to the icky "monkey" on my shoulder who'd LOVE to make me feel fat, ugly and stupid so I'd sit home in the dark alone, complaining all the time. NO WAY, I'm so happy I could just shout it from the rooftops. As a matter of fact, I'm jumping up to do "the gratitude dance" right now! Try it! And if you want to know about the foundation of cleansing your body at the cellular level to make room for all that joy....let me know!! I'm on a mission to spread the word to as many people as I can, and change the world!
Dear Amanda,
Around that time of the month, my body/ mind used to: hurt, my moods would swing, and sometimes I think my head even did a 360, ask my exboyfriend!
What I have found to most helpful over the years if you would like some advice:
#1 chiropractic adjustment, made my back and whole body feel bareable and easier to be in it!
#2 avoid caffine and salt, as well as sugar just before. during and a perhaps a few days after.
Ok, hope that serves you well!
Blessings,
Dr. Anna DC
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