October 6, 2017

The simple truth is this: Happiness is a choice. And your health depends on how you choose. [Watch the video version of this post right here!]

Very few people set out in their lives to be miserable. There are exceptions to every rule, but in general, people would choose to be happy over being unhappy.

So, it’s surprising that so many people in this world are just so miserable. It’s amazing. I’m fairly confident that you could walk into any random fast food restaurant anywhere, and find no small percentage of people currently there actively hating their lives.

I’m not talking about real tragedies. There’s real pain in the world, and I’m not being dismissive of that in any way.

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I’m talking about the difference between miserable, toxic grumps and people that just radiate with a love of life that attracts others toward them. Because you could be either one.

Here are five habits to build to put—and keep—you on the positive, happy side of the equation.

It’s a Choice

Happiness isn’t some state of being. It’s also not something that you just have or don’t have.

Instead, it’s all about perspectives.

For example: Let’s say someone cuts you off in morning traffic, causing you to crash into a ditch. You have a choice between two equal but opposite reactions to that situation once the adrenaline dies down. You can spend the rest of the day fixating on the jerk who caused the accident. On how you’re now going to be without a vehicle for the next week. On how you’d like to give him a piece of your mind because your insurance rates are going to skyrocket now, all thanks to that little so-and-so who needs to go back to driving school…

Or, you can look around, take a deep breath, and be thankful that a ditch stopped your forward momentum instead of, say, a 100-foot drop or a group of kindergarteners.

Same event, two very different responses. It’s your choice.

Gratitude

Being thankful for things makes you healthier. Psychologically, sure. But also, physically. Science says so.

The best way to build a habit of gratitude is starting one of these.

Being grateful makes you happier. Why? There are a lot of theories, but most distill it into the fact that when you feel thankful for something, you understand on a molecular level that you weren’t the first cause. It was something or someone who provided that for you.

So, you feel a little bit of psychic debt. Not in a bad way, of course, but it takes your eyes and pulls it away from your own naval and shifts your gaze—your attention—out into the world. Away from yourself. Toward the rest of the universe. And, for whatever reason, that makes us feel small, but also amazingly vital. And safe. And that’s the nature of happiness, I think. Knowing who you are, understanding your limits, but also understanding that you are part of something way bigger than yourself. Something amazing. Something that pulls you closer to every past, present, and future soul on earth.

Surround Yourself With Positive People

I’ve mentioned this in earlier blogs, but it still holds true. Your mom was right: Be careful who you befriend.

The science is clear on this: Positivity and negativity are contagious.

Hang out with a bunch of angry bums, and you’ll assimilate. Hang out with people who are positive, supportive, and who love life, and you’re more likely than not to catch a serious case of the smiles.

Happy people don’t hang out with unhappy people. At least not by choice. And even then, not for long.

Don’t Live Your Life Out of Fear

This one is a hard for some people. I realize that. It’s easier for some of us to maintain a defensive stance toward life, to react to what comes at us and pivot where needed after the attack has come.

But, I will say that you can learn to shed the fear and move instead toward a braver, more proactive attitude towards the challenges of life.

When I first opened my cardiology practice, I’ll admit that most of the decisions I made were in response to the image of my lawyer sitting on my shoulder shaking his head and admonishing me to make sure I didn’t get sued. That was my main fear at the time. Sure, I wanted to help people. But if you get sued for a trillion dollars, not only is that a bad thing for you as doctor personally, it’s also bad for your current or prospective clients.

It took some time, but as I kind of let go a little and trusted my knowledge and experience—along with my heart of hearts—I was able to shift that focus from fear of losing my practice to digging in and proactively working to help my patients, no matter what that might involve.

And, oh yeah: I was tons happier for it.

There’s Enough Happiness for Everyone

Happiness is not a zero-sum game. Meaning that your happiness never has to interfere with someone else’s ability to be happy. (And if it doesn’t, I would question if what you’re pursuing is happiness at all and not something more destructive.) This idea is even more important now, I think, given the current political and social climate.

Happiness, because it’s a chosen state of being, never infringes. Everyone can potentially be happy, and no one would be left out in the dark.

GETTING STARTED

These are five great places to start. Again, all of it starts with the first one. Happiness isn’t something you achieve. It’s not the other thing on the other side of a winning lotto ticket. It doesn’t live solely in the world of your next job promotion. No, it’s the journey itself. It’s something you choose. It’s a lens you use to view the world. Happiness is a choice.

Sure, bad things happen. But that should just make the great stuff all that much better.

So, you have a choice today—and every day forward. What’s it going to be?

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August 24, 2017

Can you be truly happy? A lot people will say it’s impossible. I’m here to dispel that myth once and for all.

Happiness often seems like one of those unattainable states of being. It’s easy to think about moments when you were happy, or imagine those things that— if you had them, or when you get them— you’re sure you’ll be happy.

But sustained joy is difficult to imagine.

Well, I know from personal experience that it’s possible. And, it’s not even that difficult to achieve.

Here are 4 areas of your life that, if you make them a priority, will drastically raise your happiness quotient.

Others

Although all 4 of these priorities should be equally, well, prioritized… dedicating yourself to making the other people around you happy is the best and most reliable method of achieving happiness for yourself.

As humans, we’re designed to be social creatures. And because of that, keeping the others around us happy feeds our social reward system directly.

There have been a number of studies showing this to be true. But the most reliable evidence for why this works is your own life. Think about a time when you did something wonderful for someone. How did it make them feel? And also, how did it affect you?

More than likely, it made you happy. Do that consistently, and the happiness will keep flowing in.

New Experiences

If you take a look at people who are grumpy and miserable, more than likely they’re stuck in a rut.

Grumpy people don’t really do new stuff. Certainly, there are happy people who follow a strict routine, but for most of us, seeking out new experiences is a great way to pull the choke on your happiness engine.

This might be something big—like going to Paris, or climbing a mountain, or taking a ride in a hot air balloon—but it certainly doesn’t have to be.

Read a new book. Cook something new for dinner tonight. Take a bike ride to somewhere local you’ve never been.

Whatever it is, begin building those happiness habits. Get out there and do something new!

our Health

It’s hard to be happy when you’re sick.

And with our country currently in the midst of a massive epidemic of lifestyle diseases—heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, etc.—it’s not difficult to see why so many people are miserable.

Obviously, you can choose to be happy in any circumstances. But it’s a lot easier if you’re not hooked up to a dialysis machine for 10 hours a week.

So taking back control of your health is an important part of cultivating a happy life.

Here’s a great place to start.

This Very Moment

Dwelling on the past is a pretty great way to feel overwhelmed by guilt. Focusing too much on the future can cause worry and anxiety.

But living inside the present moment—and doing it habitually—clears out all the stuff in your head that brings down your mood. It also allows you to really feel what it’s like to be you. It grounds you, and in that moment you can see what’s really important.

It also gives you an unfettered chance to choose happiness. When the guilt, worry, and anxiety are pushed out of the way, you can understand that, for now, you are alive, so you might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

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I hope you’ll take these four areas of your life and put a priority on them. To start, choose one and focus on it. Build little habits into your daily routine that promote your joy.

Work your way through the list, and by the end, it’ll be difficult NOT to be happy!

Want to take back your health and get happy today? Download our new eBook—The 7 Habits of Highly Healthful People— for free, right here.

The post 4 Things to Prioritize for Lasting Happiness appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

August 17, 2017

Here’s a simple recipe for lasting happiness.

Life can be hard. We deal with a wide range of emotions each day. Some days are better than others, but that doesn’t mean we have to be miserable.

Just the opposite, in fact!

Happiness is a choice. Even if your day is going horribly wrong, you can still shift your focus and remain positive.

Here are a few ideas for how you can get your mind headed in the right direction.

1. Spend 5 minutes with a favorite memory.

Find a few quiet minutes and think about a favorite memory.

Maybe it’s from your childhood. Or maybe it’s a time you spent with someone you love. Or maybe it’s the time you unexpectedly discovered something beautiful and inspirational.

Whatever it is, immerse yourself in it. What does the air smell like? What does the light look like? What else is going on around you? How did you feel right then? Consider how it felt to be you in that moment.

Relish it. Hold it in your hands like a smooth stone.

2. Text a friend something encouraging

It’s a scientific fact that doing things for others is the quickest and easiest way to make yourself happy.
So, take a moment and text something nice to a friend. Maybe she needs some encouragement. Or, maybe, she just needs to know that she’s not alone.
Whatever the friend, whatever the situation, whip out your phone and send some love.

3. Be Someone’s Superhero

Another surefire way to get a jolt of happiness is to look around and find someone who needs some help.
This doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Donating a kidney to a co-worker, for instance, is probably going overboard.
Just look around and you’re pretty much guaranteed to find at least someone who could use a hand. Namely, yours.

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4. Ring ‘Em Up

In our busy lives, it’s pretty easy to let a few relationships sort of fall between the cracks. So, let’s remedy that.
Think of a friend you haven’t chatted with for a while, and give her a call.
A good chunk of our happiness quotient is dependent upon how we approach our relationships with others.
And ringing up an old pal is a great way to boost your mood.

5. Gametime

Next time you’re around little kids, watch them play. They play with their whole selves. And they’re happy for it.
When you’re a kid, fun is king. So even when something isn’t fun, they make a game out of it.
Bored in church? Then build something out of the hymnals. Stuck inside on a rainy day without television? No problem: Just take out all the pots and pans from that drawer under the oven and hide in there until someone finds you!

The possibilities for what kids will come up with to defeat boredom is spectacular. It’s cosmic, even.

But we as adults lose a lot of that. Daily pressures, responsibilities, hectic schedules…. the world saps the child out of us over time.

But, here’s the thing…

It doesn’t have to!

Try thinking like a kid for an afternoon and see how your outlook changes.

Even if you’ve lost some of your imaginative capacity, I guarantee you’ll feel better just by trying to remember what it was like to be a kid.

It’s Your Choice

There are hundreds of other little tricks you can use to get your positivity back. I’m sure you could come up with an even better list than this one. But, the moral here is simple: Misery is chosen. Grumpy people, by and large, have decided to be that way. Again, bad stuff happens. It’s part of life. A necessary part, in fact. (The world renown monk Thich Nhat Hanh titled one of his books “No Mud, No Lotus,” which pretty much sums up everything that comes after.)

But you choose your happiness. It’s your life, and you can make it as enjoyable as you want.

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