Designing for Happiness

I was looking out the window today and it looked wonderful out there! The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there wasn't any sign of wind - a wonderful March day.

Then I went outside. It was only about 30 degrees out there! Definitely not what I was expecting.

Have you ever done this? Have you ever thought something was different than what it really is based on a quick peek from the other side of the glass? I know I've done it and I've seen many other people do it. They watch someone else's life and they think it looks perfect. They see things happening that they are longing for in their own life, and they assume a lot; just like I assumed that sunshine and blue skies meant nice weather all around.

So as you are designing your life, be sure to design what YOU want, not what you see other people living. As you design your life, don't compare yourself to others. They might be living a life that is full of sunshine and 30 degrees and you want sunshine and 90 degrees. Decide what you want then aim for that. (And don't forget to be flexible along the way. 90 degrees may have sounded great when you were surrounded by snow, but once you warm up a bit you might decide that you like 75 degrees better, or even 55 degrees.)

Action: Make a list today of things you KNOW make you happy, not a list of things you feel you lack, but things that actually make you happy. Then check off the items that you already have in your life. Choose one without a checkmark and take some action toward adding that to your life.

Recommended Resources!
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(The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.)

Definitions of Happiness and a Happy Life

The Station

Don't Compare Yourself with Others (video)

7 Tips for Getting Happy in 5 Minutes (video)

Keys to Happiness (a ReclaimU interview with Jacqueline Johns)

Why? Are you stressed out, flailing or failing?

When we are changing anything in our lives it's easy to get caught up in the possibilities. We start trying everything we think of and, before you know it, we're tired, frustrated and not enjoying any of it.

At that point it's easy to say that we made the wrong choice and to throw in the towel.

But, before you do that, let me ask you a simple, one word question, "Why?". Why did you do this in the first place? What were you expecting to get out of it? Why do you wan to take that particular action?

When we chase all the possibilities we can get lost in an ocean of them. There are just so many different things we can do, say or try that, if we try them all, we end up overwhelmed and unable to enjoy any of them.

But when we focus, when we know what to say yes to and what to say no to, when we only stick with the options that support our main objective, we can be successful.

So the key is to know what your main objective is, what your why is. Once you know that, make choices that support it.

Action: Choose an area where you are struggling, feeling overwhelmed, or not getting results you want. Write down your why; why you are doing that particular thing. Only choose to do things that support your why.

Recommended Resources!
Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources!
(The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.)

Last 15 min. of the 3-21-2011 Heart Filled Holidays Radio Show

(Although I recommend listening to the entire show, the last 15 min is an excellent explanation on your 'Why'.)

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

'Spring' into Success

As I was looking out my front window the other day I started to see the earliest signs of spring; the snow melting in the yard and birds pecking the lawn to look for dinner.

As I stood there I started to think about this process of spring coming. First the snow begins to melt, but not all of it right away. We will have snow in the shady areas for weeks after the rest has melted. While the snow is still on the ground we may see some early flowers, like Crocus, poking their heads up to look around. After that the trees and shrubs will begin to bud, the flowers will sprout and the birds will return.

Even while all of these things are happening there is so much going on that we can't see; the sap runs in the trees, the ground thaws and the bugs and worms come up in the dirt.

It will be 2 months before we see the full beauty of spring and get to experience the warm breezes and blooming trees and shrubs. It's a process, something that takes time and patience.

And so it is with us. Whether we are changing ourselves, our outlooks and attitudes, our relationships with others, our ideas about money, the way we spend our free time or whether we are starting or changing our business, it all takes time. When we know what we want it is easy to become impatient or to expect instant results. But, like the coming of spring, many things must happen before we can experience the fullness and true beauty of the season.

Action: Stop, breathe, be patient. Be kind to yourself and stop beating yourself up for "a lack of results". Continue moving forward and simultaneously wait for the beauty of spring to burst forth in your life.

Recommended Resources!
Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources!
(The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.)

Practice Patience with Hermit D. Frog

Patience

The Power of Patience

Patience Pays Off

Is your life 'humid' or 'damp'?

When I ask you if it's humid today, what type of weather do you think of? Hot or cold? Sunny or cloudy? Winter or summer? And if I ask you if it's damp, what type of weather do you think of?

Technically those 2 things are the same; a high concentration of water vapor in the air. In fact, they are listed as synonyms for each other in the thesaurus and humid is used in the definition of damp. So what makes them different? Us! The way we think about them, our mindset, is the only real difference.

When you thought about 'humid' most likely you thought about hot weather, even a sunny day. When you thought about 'damp' most likely you thought about cooler weather, even a cloudy or rainy day.

That's the power of our mindset. We have the ability to change the way we see, think and feel about any situation. And it's a wonderful power! Just think, you make any situation easier to handle and maybe even turn a negative around to a positive, just by changing your mindset.

Action: Identify a situation in your life that is not as you would like it to be. Write down the situation. Now identify the good aspects or the positive steps you can take, or are taking, to make it better. Focus on those positives as you continue taking action to make things better.

Recommended Resources!
Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources!
(The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.)

You Have a Choice

Attitude of Gratitude

Will Smith on Success Mindset & Personal Development

The Success Principles(TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Everyday of Your Life

Have you tried this odd solution to being overwhelmed?

What is one of the toughest choices you can make? To stop "doing" when you feel buried. There are those times when I feel like I have tons of work to do, and that if I just get these few things done then everything else will turn around; all the "problems" I am experiencing will go away.

While it is tempting to think that way, and to work harder and longer, there is another truth here - we need to balance our life with our work ethic. Sometimes what we need is a break from the work. I'm not talking about just goofing off but rather taking a constructive break.

Often when we feel buried and ineffective there is something else at play and it is wise to step back and deal with the root of the issue.

You may need to create a master to do list and make some tough choices about what is going to get done and what's not going to get done.

You may need to check the tasks you're doing against your priorities.

You may need to do something that truly recharges your batteries and fills your soul.

Whatever the issue is, working harder and longer will only make it worse until you choose to deal with the root of the issue.

Action: If you feel buried, take a step back and find the root cause. Take an action step that will solve the real issue before you go back to work. And consider taking a little time to recharge your batteries along the way.

Recommended Resources!

Ready to go deeper? Try some of these resources!
(The following resources are things we like and believe to be worth your time to look at. Some products are free and some are for purchase. Sometimes we earn a profit, commission, affiliate or an advertising fee when you buy and sometimes we don't. But the resources are always chosen because we see value in them. We hope you agree.)

Clutter - The Body Mind Connection

Yoga

Time Management - Priorities

Letting Go of Stress