Think Happy!

I recently discovered a new self-improvement blog, A Miracle a Day, that I’m really enjoying. It’s written by Jason, who states that ‘You WILL change as life goes on, and if you don’t consciously direct the path of your change into growth, you may not like the direction those changes take.’

So true.

Anyway, I found a post that is so in tune with the theme of this blog, that I had no choice but to point to: How To Make Your Life Happier In One Simple Change. Here’s a snippet:

One of the easiest signs by which you can tell that you are thinking too much about something not being perfect is when you start complaining. Whatever it is that you are complaining about, it’s obviously something you don’t like (or why would you be complaining?). If it’s something you don’t like, why are you wasting your time and energy thinking about it? As I’ve written before, spending energy on something gives it importance in your life, whether that energy is negative or positive. However much impact something has in your life, in who you are, is determined by how much importance you give it.

Simple enough, right? So, how does that relate to Think Happy?

Now, let’s think about the other side of the coin. How often do you specifically mention the things that you do like that are going on in your life? How often do you thank someone for something they do that makes something go well in your life, compared to how often you complain when someone does something that you don’t like? For instance, do you thank your spouse if they do the dishes, or only complain when they do not? Do you thank your boss when he stands up for you, or only complain when he does something you don’t like?

It’s all about focus.

Again, happiness is a state of mind that you choose. If you leave the choice to your subconscious, your conscious mind may not like the results, until you have trained your subconscious to STOP concentrating on the things that are going wrong and instead focus on the things that are going right. Choose to focus on the things you like, and bring those things more into focus, making them a bigger part of your life, rather than the things you complain about.

…Doing this won’t make everything in your life positive, and can’t make you happy 100% of the time. It will, however, make it easier for you to be happy the majority of the time, and make it easier for you to return to happiness after something causes you to depart from that state.

If anything, I think that Jason underestimates the power of his advice at the end. Nevertheless, expect to see me pointing you in the direction of A Miracle a Day plenty more in the future.

You can read the rest here.