Trust

Remember that wee, small voice inside you, telling you what's right? It's there to tell you what you really want, too.

Trust that you are capable of creating the life you want.
Trust that you can be happy.
Trust that you can make happiness happen.
Trust that you are lovable.

When you firmly believe in yourself, in the goodness in others, in the beauty and happiness of life, all else will follow.

Simplify

Having more stuff is not the road to happiness, folks.

Clear out the clutter that's weighing your life down. Nobody needs more shit to dust.

Turn off the TV. We had our satellite disconnected nearly three years ago. It's fabulous. We talk more. We enjoy leisurely dinners, paying attention to the food and each other. We listen more. I write more. He reads more.

Whenever there is a choice to go simpler, take that way. You'll give your spirit some breathing room when you simplify.

Resolve

Resolve to choose happiness.
Willfully turn away from negative thoughts, from self-pity, from blame and the blahs. Before anything else, make a resolution to choose happiness.

Quiet

Learn to love the quiet.
Turn off the TV.
Turn off the iPod.
Listen to the sound of your own breathing for a little while.
Make peace with silence.

It will transform you.

Learning to embrace silence is the first step in learning how to listen to your heart.

Privacy

(This is one of my top five favorite tips.)

Maintain some privacy.

Don't share every gruesome detail of every single thing that bugs you. You don't have to tell anyone that you're having a bad hair day, that your dinner last night was a little overdone or that your significant other farted so much in their sleep that you need to repaint the bedroom. You don't need to tell anyone about the most recent spat with your spouse, or how someone cut you off in traffic.

Sometimes, talking about those things gives them an importance they don't really merit. Your friends will probably comfort or commiserate, and then tell you their latest tale of woe. The next thing you know, the whole world seems gray.

So keep the minor mishaps of daily life a private matter. Tell yourself they aren't important enough to think about anymore, let alone share with someone else. You'll see it makes a difference in how important those mishaps seems to be.

Opt

Opt for happiness. Every moment is a choice. Look for the good. Look for the joy. Look for the beauty.

By choosing to think happy, you are choosing to BE happy.

Noel

It's Christmas!

You don't have to be a Christian to appreciate some of Christmas' messages:

Hope.
Joy.
The promise of a new baby.
Forgiveness.
Wonder.
Generosity.
Love.
Singing.
Family.

Measure

Use the right measure for all things.

Measure joy and love by the warmth that fills your heart. Measure people by their intentions and their heart. Measure love by how much of it you can give. Measure success by your contentment. Measure your job by the comforts it provides for you, such as a warm house and a full belly.

Stop using your bank account, or a comparison to someone else's finances, as a measure. Money? It's really no measure at all.

Love

No, I don't mean you have to have romance in your life in order to be happy. It's wonderful if you do, but there are other kinds of love to value, too.

Love your home. Make it your soft place to land every day and cherish it.
Love your family. Focus on their good qualities, and try forgetting about their flaws for a while.
Love yourself. Focus on your good qualities and try forgetting about your flaws for a while. (Deja Vu)

Kindness

Practice kindness.

Be kind to yourself: take care of your health. Eat properly. Be mindful of the words you use for yourself, even if they are just your own thoughts.

Be kind to others. Hold the door, let someone in front of you in line, smile at people. If you can afford it, pay off someone's layaway. Leave a small gift for your letter carrier. Tell someone that their baby is adorable, even he looks like a troll. Listen to an elderly person's story for a few minutes. Bring a loaf of homemade bread to a neighbor. Whatever you do, it will be appreciated.

Joke

Laugh every day. Even every hour.

There is humor and silliness in abundance around you. Take the time to notice it.

Learn a new joke, practice telling it well, and make other people laugh, too.

Invent Yourself

If you aren't satisfied with where you are at the moment, you need to invent your own destiny.

Feeling unfulfilled at work? Volunteer after work. Or start writing. Or singing. Or knitting caps for soldiers overseas. Or training your dog to do a new trick. Or find a new job that does get your motor running.

Marriage seems blah? Take charge of that and do something to liven it up. Buy a red lacy corset and a bottle of wine. Do something unexpected. Don't wait for your spouse to change it up, to romance you or act better or whatever. Set it motion for yourself.

Hear Yourself

Do you hear yourself?

What are you saying? Would you talk to other people that way?

If you look in the mirror and give yourself a ration of sh!t, it's time to rethink the way you talk. You wouldn't walk up to me and point out my oily skin and the extra fluff around my middle, would you? Of course not.

Try talking to yourself in the same uplifting, encouraging way you would talk to your best friend. Stop the tape of negative comments that has been on an endless loop since you hit puberty (or before). Do you even need to hear any of that? Of course not!

Glean

Dictionary.com says:

glean

  [gleen]  Show IPA

verb (used with object)

1.

to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.

2.

to gather (grain or the like) after the reapers or regular gatherers.

3.

to learn, discover, or find out, usually little by little or slowly.

verb (used without object)

4.

to collect or gather anything little by little or slowly.

5.

to gather what is left by reapers.

I think gleaning is what we need to with the joys in every day. Notice the things that others may overlook. Find the little bits of beauty and kindness and pay attention to them. Pick them up and put them in your gleaning basket, for you can feast on them later. 

Last night, the moon was about a quarter full, hanging like a smile in the night sky. The entire moon was visible, though, a slim band of light barely showing the other 3/4. 

And it was beautiful.

Face It

One key to achieving happiness is to face it.

We're not getting any younger. We might not be getting any richer, or thinner, or whatever.Other people aren't going to change their behavior because we want them to. Our C-average student isn't likely to make the dean's list overnight. It is what it is, sisters.

And that's OK. Live in the moment and stop worrying about what you're not. Because what you are is here, now and that is a blessing.

Eat

Make peace with food and eat like a happy person.

Slow down. TASTE your food. Pay attention to what you are eating and appreciate it. Even if you are eating  at your desk again, slow down and notice what you are eating.

Trust me on this. If you eat like a happy person, you will enjoy your food more, you will probably make better food choices and you will probably eat LESS.

Define

Define what you mean by happiness at its most basic level.

Money won't buy it, and neither will fame. What makes you happy? A few moments to yourself? A bubble bath? Michael Buble singing to you? A good book? A clean car? Empty laundry baskets?

Make a list of the moments in your life when you felt that simple bliss, and strive to create more of those.

Commit

Commit to making happiness your own responsibility.

Don't wait for X to happen, or for Joe Blow to fall in love with you, or for the winning lottery ticket. Commit to doing it yourself. Take the first step and take ownership of it. It is your job, and no one else's.

Breathe

Take a deep breath. Count to five. Before you react, before you complain or light up or pitch a fit...breathe.
Give your negative feelings a chance to calm down before you respond.

With just a few moments to calm down, you may find that THIS (whatever it is) may not be worth all the drama.

Act

Act in a way that LOOKS happy. If you drag your feet going into work in the morning, try bouncing in tomorrow like you have the best job in the world. When you feel like screaming at the slow checker at the grocery store, act like you're enjoying a few moments to stand still and read the headlines.

Eventually, if you keep acting like you're happy, you will convince yourself.

Welcome to TAKE ME TO HAPPY!

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