Habits of Happiness
Sometimes I simply forget to be happy. I know that sounds ridiculous but it’s true.
Isn’t it easy to get caught up in the day-to-day concerns that come with living? We have habits of worry, habits of caution, and, over the years, many of us have developed what I call “habits of unhappiness.”
“Habits of unhappiness” are ways of looking at life as a burden. Some of them are downright silly. For example, I get annoyed that I have to put gas in my car. Instead of being grateful for having a car, I yearn for the day when some inventor will figure out a way to get gas into the tank without me having to go to any trouble at all. And while they’re at it, maybe they could figure out a way to keep my teeth healthy without my having to floss!
It’s amazing how quickly these habits of unhappiness can take over our lives.
I know people who fret and moan when they don’t have enough business. When business finally comes in, they start to complain that they’re TOO busy! Remember when you were a kid and couldn’t wait for summer vacation? What was your first complaint to your mother after a few weeks, “I’m bored!”
We are programmed to be unhappy. Let’s face it, aren’t you just a little suspicious of happy people? Don’t you think they’re slightly delusional? Some people get so “happy” we lock them up!
What’s interesting is that, in our society, we make children wrong if they are UNHAPPY. We look at them and say things like, “These are the best years of your life! How DARE you be unhappy!” On the flip side, we make adults wrong if they’re HAPPY!
Think for a moment about what we say to people when, for example, they come into work in a good mood: “You’re certainly in a good mood today. What happened?” The clear implication is that, in order for someone to be in a good mood, there has to be some outside cause that is not the norm of their everyday life.
So what’s the answer? How could we develop “habits of happiness?” Here are some things to ponder:
– If you were happy, how would you greet each day?
– If you were happy, what aspects of your everyday life would you appreciate? (Shower, breakfast, sunny day?)
– If you were happy, how would you feel about going to work every day?
– If you were happy, how would you interact with the people in your life?
In order to develop new “habits of happiness,” you may have to change your daily approach. The questions above are a few things to consider. I highly recommend you come up with some of your own.
There is a shortcut and I am happy to give it to you. The fastest way to develop “habits of happiness” is to spend as much of your time as possible appreciating.
Appreciation is the quickest route to happiness. The more we appreciate, the happier we become. And, because the Law of Attraction says, “You attract more of what you focus on,” you will begin to notice that there are even more things in your life to appreciate. It’s kind of like the small snowball that turns into the huge, icy boulder tumbling down the mountain. A small amount of appreciation turns into more to appreciate, it picks up speed and momentum and, before you know it, you have a HUGE abundance of things to appreciate. And, as a bonus, you have developed new “habits of happiness.”
If all else fails, you might just remember to be happy. Sometimes we simply forget!
