How I took back control of my happiness and my life by Jinna Yang

1. I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I often struggled (and still do, sometimes) with feeling like a victim. One minute I am on top of the world, and the next minute I am completely alone feeling sorry for myself. And then I replay the hardships of my past over and over again until I get lost in my own head. There comes a time when you have to make the decision to stop getting in your own way. Life is not ever going to be perfect. And I am not so sure that it gets “easier” – I think that you become stronger, and more resilient – more capable of handling stress in a healthier way. There will be moments when all you will want to do is quit, and there will be people who do not choose to stay by you when you need them the most. But strength is developed through hardships and solidified with time. You have to save yourself, from yourself. Make the decision to believe in you. Choose to stop listening to your doubts. Own your mistakes, then forget them. Love yourself first, and get on with your life. 2. I didn’t let failure convince me to quit. There’s something about failure that sucks us in and spits us out – it takes away a little piece of our confidence, preventing us from wanting to try as hard. And this is the absolute worst thing that you can do – let the fear of failure prevent you from continuing on and pushing through. I have failed more times than I can count. I am not the best at everything – I don’t even know if I’m the best at ANYTHING. But I didn’t let that thought prevent me from trying over and over again. There are so many examples of iconic, successful, famous, AND everyday people that have been known throughout history to have admit that they have failed, but more importantly – admit that their failures are what helped make them who they are today. Because our perception of failure is what we need to overcome. Failure is NOT a bad thing. It’s actually a wonderfully productive blessing – that will guide us in the right direction. If you know that something doesn’t work, you’re going to get smarter, so that the next time you try – you know what NOT to do. Why do you think that failing is a bad thing? Maybe it’s a blow to your ego – but pride is for the birds. Failure is a gift, and without it – you won’t ever be successful. 3. I took a risk, and did something that scared me. This is something that people often struggle with in life – it goes hand in hand with the fear of failure. But I’ve realized that when something scares you – it’s usually a sign that you should be doing it. I had dinner with a friend recently and she started telling me about how she felt unfulfilled at work – she had a new boss who didn’t get along with her, she felt like her responsibilities were decreasing, she didn’t feel as though she were learning anything new – all of this, and also told me that she had the opportunity to work on something completely new. She went on to tell me that she was scared – she wasn’t sure if that were the smartest thing for her to do – leave her team (who she loved) and work that she was good at, to do something she had no idea about. And I couldn’t stop screaming, “YES! YES! YES!” You have to do things that scare you. Comfort zones may be a wonderful place, but nothing ever grows there. Imagine being too scared to try something new, and choosing to be in your comfortable situation for months, or even years. Will anything change? Probably not. Being content is fine if it makes you happy, but in my case – in my story – I had reached a point where I had no choice but to do something completely radical to change my life and take back control of it. If I had stayed with what made me feel comfortable, I never would’ve been happy. I would’ve been miserable, continually, until I felt like I had nothing else let to be live for. There will be moments that you encounter throughout life when you become nervous, anxious, scared, fearful of what could happen – but it is absolutely possible for you to harness those feelings, and look at them as signs of what to do moving forward – instead of moving away from them. So if the idea of doing something scares you, maybe you should actually do it. 4. I stopped putting my happiness in the hands of others. Why doesn’t he do this for me? Why doesn’t she do this for me? How could she do this to me? How could he do this to me? Why don’t they care about me? What is with wrong with me? What did I do? He doesn’t make me happy. Forget all that. I used to find reasons for why I was sad or unhappy or unfulfilled or unsatisfied by placing my happiness in the hands of others, giving people a certain kind of responsibility to make me happy. And yes, it’s great to be in a committed relationship or expect certain things like that from your good friends, but at the end of the day – no one is responsible for your happiness but YOU. If you constantly depend on other people to make yourself happy, you are constantly going to be disappointed. And it’s important to remember that you very well do possess the power to make yourself happy. You don’t have to depend on others for your own happiness. And when you start to do things for yourself – become independent in this pursuit of happiness – no one will be able to take that happiness from you. 5. I started doing things that made me happy. Art? Music? Travel? Eating? Writing? Sketching? Walking? Running? Swimming? What is it that you like to do? What is it that if you woke up every single day, and could do without having to worry about money or your problems, what would it be? I wanted to get away from my immediate environment – I wanted to get away from my everyday life – the everyday life that made me unhappy because I didn’t do anything to change it. But before I could get away and go on this epic trip, I had to make do with what I had. I started going to new restaurants, exploring new roads or streets, taking wine + paint classes for no reason, googling DIY crafts just to pretend like I’d actually follow through with them, then actually follow through with them. I tried new things, ate new foods, met new people – even though I was in the same city. Doing things that genuinely make you happy will actually make you happier. And when you are happier, more people will want to be around you, and make you happy. It’s a chain reaction that might sound cliche, but cliche things are just that for a reason. Look within yourself to figure out what it is that makes you laugh, smile, jump with joy, dance for no reason, be silly – and if you aren’t sure about what it is that makes you happy – then TRY EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. What have you got to lose, but your sad thoughts? What have you got to lose? Nothing. http://projectinspo.com/2015/12/how-i-took-back-control-of-my-happiness-and-my-life/ https://gillsonlinegems.myshopify.com

9 Things people do to stay happy from Careergirldaily.com

Being happy is a state of mind, happy people embrace the good and enjoy whatever life brings. They have a carefree, positive attitude that shines through them as a person. Here are 9 things which happy people don’t care for. #1 They Know How To Deal With Stress Stress is guaranteed to change your mood and get you down, it is sometimes unavoidable but learning to deal with it and not let it get on top of you will help to ensure your mood is not affected. #2 They Don’t Care About What Other People Think Happy people don’t care for other people’s judgements and prejudices because they are content with themselves, which is all that matters. #3 They Don’t Dwell On Failures Everyone makes mistakes or doesn’t succeed straight away, but dwelling on failures is living in the past. Happy people pick themselves up, carry on and tomorrow is another day. #4 They Don’t Care For Negativity Happy people are optimistic, they don’t care for negative thoughts and attitudes they prefer to practice positivity. #5 They Don’t Worry Over Little Things They don’t care for worrying over little things, it can cause stress, make you miserable and cause wrinkles! #6 They Don’t Care About Age For happy people their age doesn’t affect their mood, age is just a number, it doesn’t define you or determine how you should be. #7 They Don’t Follow The Crowd They are their own independent person and do not feel the need to conform to society or a particular crowd. #8 They Do What They Want Fear can often hold you back if you are scared to do something, happy people don’t care for fear and take the plunge. They do what they want and enjoy stepping out of their comfort zone. #9 They Surround Themselves With Positive People A happy person does not want to be brought down by constant unhappy vibes! It is fair to say everyone has their bad days however, happy people do not care for those who never have positive thoughts or a smile on their face. Written by Kelsie Mcphail https://gillsonlinegems.myshopify.com

6 Ways to create More Happiness Now by Gregory de Tisi

These Are My Favourite 6 Ways To Create More Happiness NOW! Happiness is something that is not outside of you. You in fact have access to it right now and it is your right to experience more natural happiness as life is really too short not to be happy. I hope that these ideas can help you and you can overcome the stresses of life to be happier and more successful in life. If you suffer from stress or anxiety and panic attacks or depression then these ideas may assist your day and perhaps your life from now on. Sometimes it's just like flipping a switch in our mind so that we can see things differently, and the fact that you are here is already a positive step. Keep doing things like this. I hope that these ideas can help you and you can overcome the obstacles of life to be happier and more successful. We tend to make life far more complicated than it needs to be, so when we create more simplicity we can master our minds and bodies.

So here are your 6 Ways To Create More Happiness NOW! 1) USE POSITIVE SELF TALK AND NOTICE YOUR NEGATIVE TALK It is very hard to notice all of your words and thoughts as there are so many that we have each day that we cannot possibly monitor everything, but just try to notice where you may be talking yourself out of happiness or a positive experience in your day. Just begin today noticing how you speak to yourself and flip any bad words or sentences into positive ones. They say that if you practice something for 21-30 days then it will take shape.

2) EXERCISE Need I expand? It is proven that by exercising you will feel much happier and, you can get healthier and live longer so where's the bad. Choose what works for you and get started today. There are no excuses for doing something and this really helps to shift a mindset that is stuck 3) EAT BETTER FOOD When we eat junk we are not really feeding our minds and bodies in the best ways. The Earth has provided us with essential nutrients found in vegetables, fruit, and other natural sources like nuts and fish etc. Watch what you put into your mouth and your mind and body will thank you.

4) STUDY POSITIVE PEOPLE AND THINGS Read more about what you want to focus on. Get into a zone that for you is soothing and nourishing. never stop learning, expand your mind and increase your awareness with things like Mindfulness meditation and visualisation techniques. You can find plenty of great tools at Google and YouTube. 5) LISTEN TO MUSIC Music is the food for the soul. It can lift your spirits almost immediately and change your perspective fast. Go out dancing as well as this will help you to shake off stress that has built up in your mind and body across the week. 6) WATCH COMEDIES Who doesn't like laughter? Laughing is a natural tonic and will alter your state very quickly. Plus by laughing we create natural feel good endorphins similar to when we exercise, that lift us up and put us back into the present moment. Again, try YouTube there are thousands of funny clips there. Spend more time laughing and smiling.

Just by incorporating these 6 Ways To Create More Happiness NOW into your life more often you will see a marked difference in your attitude, perception and self belief, and get more done. Try any number of them but just do something and make them new habits for the New year ahead. Gaining more happiness in life is about doing more for yourself first in order to deal with the outside world after. You can do anything in life if you first look after your own well being. I really hope that enjoyed 6 Ways To Create More Happiness NOW! And I hope that you can get a little something from these ideas. If you need more help with mind mastery for happiness or success then visit my site below where I share plenty more handy tips to get you in the happiness zone for free. Need Help? Free help With Videos And Audios > http://www.GregDeTisi.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregory_De_Tisi

Six Remedies for the Holiday Blues by Brandielee Baker

The holiday season is a jolly good time right? Well, for some, not so much. If you are one of the many people feeling the pressure to put on a cheery holiday persona when you are really feeling blue, these six remedies can help. Tell the truth! OK, I'm not saying you need to publicly broadcast it. But, if you want any chance of passing through the blues, you must, must, must, honor how you're REALLY feeling. Write it down AND speak out loud. Just "thinking" about it in your head will NOT produce the same beneficial effects. Here is an example to help you get started.EXAMPLE: "I am really feeling overwhelmed and sad this holiday season. It is important for me to acknowledge my struggles. I understand that by doing so I am releasing some of the pressure that I have put on myself to fit in and be happy. I also understand that by releasing this pressure I am giving myself the opportunity to relax and by relaxing I am giving myself the possibility for a better experience."

Get more air! Yes, you heard me right. Increased circulation and greater oxygen uptake is key. This is not only beneficial for removing the toxins and waste from your body, but also releases endorphins and changes your thought focus. So put on your earphones, play some upbeat music and get out there. Walk briskly and breathe deeply! 20 minutes a day is all it takes to make a difference.

Make sense with Scents! Our olfactory system, the fancy way of saying your sense of smell, has a very powerful effect on our moods. Scents like peppermint, rosemary, tangerine and lemon can be very uplifting. I will be releasing a more detailed article about aromatherapy in February, but until then find your favorite scents and sniff away!

Party Prioritize! You do not have to accept all your holiday invites. It's OK to say no and today I give you permission to do so. For the sake of YOU feeling well, limit your "have" to attend list to a MAXIMUM of 3-4 parties. HINT, HINT, before each party, do the exercise listed in Remedy #1.

List Your Awesomeness! OK, this may sound a little over the top, but hey what do you have to lose besides the blues? And umm, let's be honest here, your blues self-talk radio channel is NOT so positive or motivating. You do have the ability to feel better by getting your mind to focus on more positive self-dialogue. So, sit down and make a list of all the things you know you do well. Right now. Yes, get that pen out, or open your laptop, and start writing a list of what makes you amazing. What are you waiting for? And if you need someone to hold you accountable for just how great you are, send it to me!

Reach out for Support! OK, this is the most important one. Support is key for changing the blues for good. Why? Because that blues DJ is so awfully good at playing the blues songs like: nobody understands, nobody cares, I have to do it all on my own, I'm weak if I don't take care of it by myself. Sound familiar? Make today the day that you fire the blues DJ and get real. There is NO weakness in support! You matter this, and every, holiday season. You have the ability to get through these feelings. You also have the opportunity to get to the other side where you can authentically say, "I'm OK" and, "I DO feel better." Nobody else can do this for you, BUT that does NOT mean that nobody cares about you. And remember, I am only an email, or a phone call, away. May this New Year be your best yet! Wishing you complete success and health, Lee Baker Contact me for more information on the unique and powerful work I do at Positive Constructs. http://positiveconstructs.com/contact#sthash.BPC1l48l.dpbs Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8852615