I know this may sound too easy. "You think I don't want to be happy!?" I'm sure that's what you're all yelling at me right now. But seriously, the first step to happiness is deciding that you want to be happy. A lot of people self sabotage and create unhappy situations because that's where they're most comfortable. We think we want to be happy, but then we won't allow ourselves to really let go and be in that happy place.
So you need to (quite literally) think of happy thoughts throughout your day. Whenever you're feeling down, or that you may be heading in a sad direction, remind yourself of a time when you were really happy. Envision yourself in that place. Feel all the feelings, think about the scents that were around you and the noises in the background. How were you feeling? Really place yourself in that moment. Can you feel that smile trying to form? Let it happen.
Every time you choose to think a happy though, you are rewiring your brain. Too many of us decide to ruminate on the negative. We retell negative stories and we can't stop thinking and obsessing over them. The more we do this though, the more "normal" this way of thinking becomes for our brain. In order to rewire our brain, we must work at redirecting our thoughts to happier places.
Optimistic people naturally have a very positive look on life. No matter what is happening, they are grateful to be living it and know things could always be worse. So work on building the "optimistic muscle" in your brain, and start looking at things with a glass-half-full attitude.
The next time someone cuts you off on the way to work, I want you to pause, take a deep breath, and let it go. That person may be rushing to the hospital to visit a dying loved one. Or maybe they just got laid off and they're so preoccupied with the stress of what's going to happen, that they don't even realize what they're doing. Or, maybe they're just an asshole 🤪. Either way, you can't give their actions on the road the power to your diminish your happiness. They don't even know that they got your blood boiling. The only one suffering is you.
So from here on out... choose happy thoughts.
Post this quote on Instagram as a daily reminder to stay positive!
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