Force positive thoughts
If you had a choice between being happy or not which one would it be?
I am sure you’re saying to yourself “Hey! That sure is a silly thing to ask”. I do however think it’s a valid question, so I hope you’ll take a second to ponder it. If I had to guess I would say the answer is to be happy (in the remote possibility that I am wrong I do hope that you’ll humor me on this). Here’s where I am going to run the chance of reaching some disagreement. You see, I do believe that we have this choice. Now I certainly don’t mean that if it’s going to take you being a millionaire to make you happy that it’s necessarily going to happen for you (of course that is a whole other topic all together). What I am talking about here is the overall approach we take to our day. You see friend, much in the same way that one negative thing might have a snowballing effect on our day and make it ultimately appear as a “bad day” so can positive things happen (daily successes) to us, and before we know it we look back on our day and say, “this sure was a great day!” Here are a few tips that I use to “force the positives” in my life. I know they work for me and I feel confident that if you implement them in your life that you’ll have equal or better results. Besides even in a worst-case scenario where it doesn’t work for you at least you will have tried right?
First off I keep several books near my bed (sometimes I have so many books going I forget what to read next…lol). The books I choose to read are motivational or inspirational one’s. I don’t have a whole lot of disposable time so when I do, I like to know that I am doing something that will advance me in some way. When I am in the car I try to split my time between listening to the radio as well as listening to a motivational tape. You know like a recorded seminar or audio books, etc.
Sometimes I will listen to the same tape several times. You’d be surprised by how reviewing you’ll pick up things that you didn’t catch the first time around. Another thing that I do that is a big help for me is to stay in contact with people that are positive (my mentors). When I feel that I need a little boost I shoot off a quick e-mail or just drop by for a quick visit. You see my friend; these are not great insights, rather just simple steps that we can take to boost our positivity level.
However, I have found them to be extremely helpful in my quest to “choose happiness”.
“Goals that are not written down are just wishes.” — Unknown
I still remember the first time I heard the above quote about goals.
You see at the time as I recall I had a lot of big plans, things I wanted to see transform into reality in my life. Looking back I now realize that my problem was that I had the vehicle (my ideas) but I was missing my road map! (The written goals for achieving them).
You see my problem at the time wasn’t my lack of ambition or my belief that I could make it happen. Rather it was that in my effort to achieve I was simply “all over the place” in my efforts. When I began to do simple things like commit my goals to paper (actually I use a software solution myself) things began to come together more easily.
It was as if there was a puzzle that someone had taken the time to mark where each piece went for me in advance. I hope this message finds you well.
We say “Happy New Year” or “Happy Birthday” or “Happy Anniversary.” Now all of these expressions refer to the pleasant feelings — the joys or satisfactions which we may have at one moment and not at another. In this meaning of the word, it is quite possible for us to feel happy at one moment and not at the next. This is not Aristotle’s meaning of the word. Nor, when you think about it for a moment, can it be the meaning of the word in the Declaration of
wealth, knowledge, friends, etc., that lead to the perfection of human nature and to the enrichment of human life. This requires us to make choices, some of which may be very difficult. Often the lesser good promises immediate pleasure and is more tempting, while the greater good is painful and requires some sort of sacrifice. For example, it may be easier and more enjoyable to spend the night watching television, but you know that you will be better off if you spend it researching for your term paper. Developing a good character requires a strong effort of will to do the right thing, even in difficult situations.