Can You Say Yes To Happiness - Nine Practical Steps You Can Take To Make It Really Happen

We love connecting with wonderful peoople, we were fortunate to connect with Tina, heres what Tina had to share with us ……

Words by Tina

Think about it ... most things you do are intended to make you happier. And yet sometimes we get diverted and do things that actually move us away from this goal. Quite often this is unintentional, and it is easily done, especially when there is so much going on in the world. We all have the potential for genuine happiness. There is no gene or DNA marker that determines who will be happy and who will not. We make choices throughout our lives, and the result of all these choices combined, determines our level of happiness. Make the right choices and happiness can be yours.

So what can you put in place to make your happiness a reality?

To say yes to happiness, by focussing on the right mindset to create a life you love.

These 9 points will help guide you towards genuine happiness: 

 1. Look for The Positive in Everything: 

There is an old saying that nothing is inherently good or bad—what makes it one or the other, is merely your reaction to it. Find the positive and you will be happier. Those who soar against all odds, do so because they look at the positive that could come out of their situation, however bad it may seem to others.

2. Accentuate the Positive: 

From a young age we are taught what we must not do instead of what we may do. Even in day-to-day life, there is more negative influence that positive. Luckily you can work to improve the balance. Celebrate the positive and work to get more of it. When you achieve something, congratulate yourself! Look for things you find uplifting, that make you happy. Get more of that! At the same time, reduce your exposure to negative input, whether it is the daily news, or people you don’t feel good around. You know your buttons…make sure the positive ones are pushed more than the negative.

3. Practice Good Selfishness:  When we were young, we were taught that putting our interests before those of others is wrong. This is particularly true for women, many of whom sacrifice their dreams and ambitions to help others achieve theirs. It is also common in the corporate world where the good of the company is considered more important than the good of the individual. It is good to help others, yet we should have boundaries to protect ourselves from being manipulated or abused by others. You are important, and if you don’t look after yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually, you cannot expect anyone else to do so. It’s so important to fill up your cup first, in order to then look after others. I promote carrying out three small sef-care activities every day; little reminders to put yourself first. This might include planning your day in a beautiful planner, going for a walk at lunch time or reflecting on the day and thinking about what you’re grateful for.

You can download my 3forMe Strategy and enhance your daily self-care, simple ways to look after you-click here to download.

 4. Listen to your Feelings:

There’s so much emphasis on feeling positive, which I’m a huge fan of, by the way. However its worth remembering that all feelings are valid. Every feeling occurs for a reason; it is delivering a message. Sometimes that message is pleasant, other times not. When you feel bad, avoid distracting yourself, and identify the reason—there is some need not being met. Then move on from it.

 5. Make It Happen: 

You have the ability to make things happen using your mind. Top sports stars, and entrepreneurs use it, and so can you. There are many ways of doing this; one of the common methods is to use visualization—getting a picture in your mind of whatever it is that you want to happen. It does not actually have to be a visual picture; it could be a feeling, a smell, a sound, or any combination of the senses. Imagine finding the perfect parking near the entrance as you arrive at the supermarket or finishing that piece of work in plenty of time before the deadline. The sky is the limit but make it as specific to you as you can, using the senses as detailed above.  

 6. Accept the Things You Cannot Change: 

This is not to say that you should complacently accept anything. If you truly desire change, you should work towards that change; but spending time worrying about something without actively working to change it is unproductive and damaging to your wellbeing. Plus there’s another approach; the Prayer of Serenity is a great reminder to keep things in perspective.

grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

 When things get difficult and you’re not sure how to approach a situation, remind yourself of this prayer to help decide how to approach the situation.

 7. Take Responsibility for Your Choices: 

Everything that you do, or don’t do, is because of choices you make (or don’t make). It is easier and convenient to blame outside causes for things that go wrong in life, but your life is the sum of all the choices you make along the way—sometimes that choice it to let somebody else make a choice on your behalf. If you tend to blame other people or things, it may be scary to take responsibility for what happens in your life, but it is really quite liberating because instead of seeing yourself as an effect of outside forces, you realize you are the cause of everything good you achieve. Don’t abdicate responsibility for your life.

 8. Schedule Regular Self-Reflective Time   

This is a perfect time of year to reflect on where you are in life, however it can be done at any time. Think about your values and passions. From those you can dig deeper and create goals you want to work towards. If you want to feel happy and fulfilled in life, make sure you reflect on where you are, compared to where you want to be. Then go after the life you want.

 9. Make Time for Moments of Calm:  We spend almost all our time thinking of the past or planning for the future. We seldom spend time in the present. It has reached a point where, for most of us, it seems impossible to keep our focus on what is happening right now. Your moments of calm could be formal meditation or prayer, but it could be as simple as merely focusing on each breath as it goes in and out for five or ten minutes, dismissing past and future thoughts as they arise—and they will!

It can sometimes feel like an impossible task, but you really can say yes to happiness, with these 9 practical steps. Realise that habit change takes time, stay focussed and know that happiness is there waiting for you. Which step are you going to work on first?

Tina Russell is a Mindset and Wellbeing Blogger and Coach, who helps stressed out women to calm the chaos in their mind and life, prioritise themselves and shine in all they choose to do. Download the strategy to finally get consistent with your daily self-care and get started straight away: https://bit.ly/3forMeStrat