The world has told you that the more you do the more productive you will be. Sadly, you then are more than willing to trade your valuable time and energy for the possibility of increased happiness and gratification from your life.

You fill your calendar and To-Do list with far more than you are capable of completing. You take great pride by staying in a perpetual motion and work hard to push through your life each and every day. Then, after you have worked yourself to complete exhaustion, feeling totally empty and unrewarded you ask yourself one of these questions: Why am I so unhappy? Why don’t I like what I am doing with my life? When will it get better?

Fortunately, you can change! It is possible to slow down. You can keep your focus. You are capable of prioritizing your life. All it takes is your decision to make better choices. You can start by saying “no” to all those things that just don’t matter. It is possible for you to be a participant in your own life, which will strengthen your overall productivity. Make a schedule for your life. Give yourself permission to take time off. But, most importantly, schedule yourself that necessary breathing room needed to enjoy every day, not just some days.

Start making a difference in your own life this week and enjoy the magic you create for yourself. Remember the steps below for success.

• Start by doing less – choose to identify the things in life that matter most to you. Then, do that!
• Participate in your own life – Be single-minded and focus on one thing at a time.
• Remember to create breathing room – schedule that free time on your calendar.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

It is true, as life’s daily requirements continue to increase, it is far too easy to put off spending time with the people you need to spend time with, your friends. Face it, you have far more important things to do than just waste time hanging out, or do you?

As studies have shown, spending time with your friends is actually very good for your overall health. When you hang out with friends you tend to be more open with your feelings, which reduces many types of disease and stress relates complications. Additionally, your body will generate more serotonin, which increases feelings of contentment, happiness and your overall feeling of joy in life.

This week, choose to make the time to cultivate your friendships this week. It is time to develop the relationships that give you support on so many levels. Now is the time to feel the love!

• First, schedule a time to hang out with friends this week!
• Then, be sure to check in with your inner circle more often.
• Focus on keeping your relationships alive and well.
• Finally, remember that a good friend is there for his friends too!!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Every person on Earth experiences happy moments. Those moments will lift our spirits, unlock our hearts and increase our overall energy. However, to maintain this heightened state of being takes practice.

Studies show that the average happy feeling lasts for about three to five minutes before beginning to fade away. However, when we make note of these special times and choose to share and relive them, it is then possible to extend the life of our positive emotions.

This is a choice though. It is important to choose to make it a daily practice to identify and be thankful for all of your positive moments. I am going to show you a few ideas specifically designed to increase your happiness. Choose to try one this week and start enjoying the feeling of renewed happiness.

• Start by keeping a daily journal. Write down all of your positive experiences. When you choose to write down these experiences it secures the memory in your brain and boosts your mood.
• Then share your highpoints with others. Make it a habit to tell the day’s highpoints to others. By sharing you joyful experiences you exponentially expand your own positive emotions as well as those of the people you share them with. We call this a twofer!
• Believe it or not, a picture really is worth a thousand words! Try to take a picture of those joyful moments. Then, you can make a slide show, using one of your favorite songs, and start to realize how much you are getting out of life.
• Smile! When you smile it is contagious. Try it! Smile at someone today and see what happens.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE  BETTER!

It is a scientific fact that emotions are infectious. When we experience the emotions of another person, mirror neurons trigger the same or a very similar response in our brain as well as our body. In a way, we are all walking, talking mood rings. (For those of you not born in the 60’s or 70’s a mood ring changed color with your mood, well body temperature to be exact)

When we choose to be happy, approachable and compassionate we naturally lift the emotional condition of those who are around us. Of course, the opposite is also true. When we choose to be apprehensive, irritated or judgmental we trigger those emotions in others as well.

One of the greatest gifts we have, as an individual, is our ability to positively affect others. This is why it is so very important to create those daily situations that will continue expanding the positive energy all around you. This choice in your life will not only help you, but it will support the attitudes and experiences of those you are close to as well, such as your family, friends and co-workers.

• Begin every day by creating positive emotions. Use positive self-talk to lift you up and acknowledge your presence in your own life.
• Then, MAKE THE CHOICE to Be a positive influence in your surroundings
• Finally, watch and enjoy the ripple effect around you.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Every person on earth will experience happy moments. Those moments lift us up. They open our hearts and increase our energy. However, maintaining this elevated state of being is not easy. It takes well planned daily rituals.

Multiple studies suggest that those “happy” feelings start to fade within five to ten minutes unless they are encouraged. By actively choosing to appreciate, share and relive our “happy” moments we can increase our positive emotions, which also improves our health, originality, hardiness and overall well-being.

It is important to make the choice to create positive daily habits that help you appreciate the happy moments you experience each and every day. Take the time to put one idea into action this week and start enjoying your new overall happiness.

• Be sure to share your highpoints. Make it a habit to review the day’s highpoints, perhaps at dinner. When you share your joy it uniquely expands your positive feelings.
• Seize the moment. Work to take a mental picture of the moments that lift your spirits the most. It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. The images you choose to save have the power to bring us back. Thus, making it much easier to relive the experience when you need a pick-me-up.
• Journal your experiences. I know, journaling can be time consuming. However, when you journal you capture those positive experiences on paper. The simple act of journaling anchors the memory and teaches your brain to see more of what lifts your spirits.

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

When you were a child you did not need to be told to go out and play. It was all you wanted to do – play with your friends, laugh and explore.

As it turns out, that a sense of playfulness is actually very good for us – even more so as adults. This playfulness is one key to strengthening our mental, physical and emotional well-being.

When you choose to play – you naturally relax, release and unwind. You lower your stress level, connect to your creativity and open your hearts to areas it has not seen in some time.

This week, make time to go out and play. Trigger your creativity. It is a great way to strengthen your appetite for life.

• Find those things that amuse you, the things that make you happy
• Choose to spend time with people you enjoy
• Stop being afraid to laugh and nurture your sense of playfulness
• Finally, don’t take life that seriously and connect to your creativity, the inner you, and have fun. It will change your life!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Most of us have moments where we feel overwhelmed by life. This typically happens when the daily demands of life far exceed our capacity to handle them. Yet, somehow we find the energy to push through and pray for a period of reprieve.

However, if we are not careful, these feelings of being overwhelmed can become a pattern we cycle through all too often, depleting our energy reserve. Then, when our energy is depleted, even small challenges can push us into crisis mode.

This is why it is so important to replenish your energy on a daily basis. When you make the choice to consistently renew your energy (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) you will feel happier, healthier and more productive. In short, life is better.

This week make the choice to give back to yourself. Begin this process by putting one restorative idea into action each day. Every investment pays off!

• Begin by making a list of simple steps you can take to stay energized
• Next, create daily breaks and recharge your energy
• Then, start to notice how good it feels!
• Finally, Repeat these steps daily

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Did you know that happiness is contagious and positively affects others? This means the positive energy you give off has a multiplication affect and when you surround yourself with happy people you will benefit as well.

Several studies have shown that if you hve a happy friend, your happiness increases by 15%. If your happy friend has a happy friend, it increases an additional 10%. And if your happy friend’s happy friend has a happy friend (even if you don’t know them) your happiness goes up another 10%. That is what I like to call happy math!

Happiness creates an upward spiral that powerfully lifts and expands your energy. Make it a habit to intentionally attract more positive support each day.

• Do something that makes someone’s day
• Spread unconditional joy and acceptance
• Spend time with people who lift you up

Happiness is on the rise! It has renewed our desire to live a life filled with happiness. It has also produced a stream of books that tell how to access happiness by simply creating more positive emotions and encouraging new experiences in our lives.

Of course, happiness is a value all unto itself. Happiness provides several of added benefits too. The positive emotions that go along with happiness have been known to fortify our health, memory, mood, brain, spirit and more.

Even more fun than reading about happiness is experiencing happiness. As a matter of fact, you can start feeling happier right now. All you need to do is follow one of the ideas below and put that idea into action.  

• Pay it forward: Give back and help someone.
• Take measures to reduce the clutter in your life.
• Work towards fulfilling your bucket list.
• Look at your to-do list and complete one important item on it.
• Take a walk and admire the beauty that surrounds you.
• Create a list of what you appreciate.

Laughter is an amazing medicine. It lowers stress, reduces blood pressure and increases your body’s ability to stay healthy and relaxed. There is no wonder why  it feels so good to laugh.
 
Sadly, as we get older many times we actually have to remind ourselves to laugh. Here is an interesting study: in an average day a child laughs more than 100 times while an adult laughs a mere dozen. There is certainly room here for improvement.
 
Fortunately, laughter is free, readily available and overtly contagious. Seriously, when you see someone laughing watch how quickly those giggles spread. Your life is beautifully created. When you are happy you actually attract more happy people, more positive experiences and yes, more laughter in your life.

So, work hard to add more laughter in your day! You will see your problems diminish and your hopes increase.

• Choose to laugh daily, or die trying! (that was a joke)
• Make use of funny videos. YouTube is great for this!
• Rent or watch a funny movie or television show, like “Elf”
• Finally, realize how good it feels to laugh