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“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It’s what you think about!” — Dale Carnegie
I always believed that I would be happy if…..well then, you can fill in the blank. If I could lose weight. If I had the perfect job. If I could make more money. If my husband did this or that. If I bought this item or that thing. Many times I’d allow these elements outside of myself to control me, to determine whether I was going to have a good day or a bad day. I’d be happier if all of these circumstances outside of me would just change exactly as I want them to be. I’d go so far as to say if people would just think, act, believe, speak, and behave like I think they should then I’d be happy. What I didn’t realize was that by doing this I was placing the controller of my happiness in someone else’s hand.
Not long ago, I heard someone say that people think they will be happier over there instead of where they are. So, perhaps they will do any combination of the following; leave their job, spouse or move, and low and behold before long they are just as unhappy as they were before they made the change. Why? It’s really quite obvious (yet, I didn’t see it), you took you with you! You are still you, and you never really understood where happiness emanates from, which is within you not without.
You are responsible for your own happiness. Happiness is a state of mind. It starts with how you think. How you approach your thought process is directly related to the amount of joy, happiness, peace, love, success, and abundance you experience in the journey called life. Happiness comes from the inside out – not the outside in. When you think about that, it makes a lot of sense and seems fundamental to understanding how to have a fulfilling life. However, I can’t honestly think of a time when anyone explained that to me. My happiness and the happiness of those around me always seemed to depend on someone, something, or some circumstance.
Happiness starts with understanding that you are in control of your happiness based on the thoughts that you think. Thoughts lead to feelings which lead action which lead to what you experience in your life. So it begins with making a conscious effort to focus your thoughts on what you do want. Sounds easy enough, however if you examine your thoughts closely they are probably focused on what you don’t want. Every subject is really two subjects; what you want and what you don’t want. Where is your focus?
Make the choice to speak more about your blessings, the positive aspects, and with a heart full of gratitude and appreciation. This is a great place to start with repositioningyour mindset and beginning the transition to a happier place within.
As you begin to shift your thought pattern, you can accelerate the process by enablingpositive patterns in all areas of your life. Are there areas where you’d like to introduce changes that will propel you toward a healthier lifestyle? This is a great time to introduce small steps that will enable you to reinforce the changes you are making in retraining your brain to think differently. The more life enhancing steps you integrate the more empowered you will begin to feel. And, the more empowered you begin to feel you will start to recognize the world you live in looks just a little more hopeful than it did before you began this process.
The magnificent part of this entire process is that you have and always have had the key to your happiness.
Read more at Donna’s blog: http://renovateyourlifestyle.com/
