GET HAPPY

I've been reading a fun article called GET HAPPY in the LDS living magazine. It is 10 strategies for bringing more joy into your life. So I want to share these with you. I will post one each day for you to work on, think about or just plain ignore! Research shows that happy people are healthier, more successful, and more creative! YEAH! Lets make 2009 a truly happy year.

I know you want to be happy, everyone wants to be happy-- Did you know that happy people earn more money and are more likely to get married and stay married. They also attract more friends, are more productive at work, and even outlive their gloomier counterparts by about nine years.....see I know you want to be happy!

So how do you become one of the happy people?

Experts agree that small acts can make a big difference when it comes to life satisfaction.

Here is the first suggestion for you to start on the road to a more joyful life........

1. Choose to be Happy (Nature vs. Nurture)

it turns out you can blame your parents for your unhappiness--genetically speaking. Some people are genetically predisposed to be happier than others.

They have done all these test....yadda yadda yadda!

Genes determined a person's happiness more than any other factor, including income, education, or social status. (Yes, hopefully that is what I shared with my children, they can at least thank me for some good genes!) But that is no excuse for not being happy. You can consciously choose to be happy and adopt a positive attitude.

Here is the analogy of a man riding an elephant ....The elephant represents the thoughts and feelings that drive our behavior; even though the man is not nearly as strong, he can still control the elephant--just as we can control our thoughts. What we see depends on what we look for. If we seek out the good, we'll find it; if we search for the negative, we'll find plenty of that, too.

Simply put, instead of pursuing happiness, you need to consciously choose it.

Okay, so say this over and over today.

I AM HAPPY, I WILL BE HAPPY, I LOVE BEING HAPPY!

I want all of you to be happy! Starting a new year is great time to look at yourself and decide what you need to work on to lift up your spirit and move forward. January can be a really long month, hard for lots of people to be happy. Lets work together and make those around us feel happy also. Have a great day, and don't forget to smile. ♥♥

Time to Blog it UP....♥