I believe we were meant to be happy. I am also pretty certain it was meant to be a challenge to get and stay happy, or else we'd take it for granted and get bored. So then, life is about the pursuit of happiness. I used to be generally unhappy, and now I am generally happy, so I feel obliged to teach you about some blunders you can avoid in your happiness pursuits!
5 Blunders That Kill Your Happiness:
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1. You Don't Have A Dream
As kids, most of us dream boldly and publicly. But as we notice that not all our dreams come true and that it can be embarrassing to admit to one we may fail at, we stop talking about our dreams and stop having them. But in the present moment (which is all that we have), dreams make us happy, even if they don't come true. Start yourself on a diet of dreams in all areas of your life. Just focusing here changes everything for the better even though it can feel vulnerable and scary at first.
2. You Let Fear And Brattiness Rule You
What stops us from daring to dream? Brattiness and fear of disappointment. Taking action toward your dream in the face of fear or "not feeling like it" makes people happy and proud. In fact, this kind of action is the most important determiner of happiness. Most people have the misconception that it's success that makes them happy, but moment to moment we find that living in integrity is what actually makes people happiest. That means fighting the chicken and brat in your head and demanding that your dreams rule and your actions align.
3. You're Not Accountable
You may have a dream, and you may even be able to argue against the voices in your head. Still, actions consistent with your ideals don't always take place. Why? You're not accountable. The consequences of bad choices (or not taking actions toward your dream) show up over such a long stretch of time that you don't notice or feel them until it's too late (you've just had a heart attack, got divorce papers or lost your job). <a href="http://www.handelgroup.com/coaching/life-coaching/private-life-coaching" target="_hplink">Get a life coach</a> or a coaching buddy to make promises with and to keep those promises in front of you, so you stay accountable to your dreams. Extra credit if that person holds you to artificial, but effective consequences when you don't take actions in alignment with your dreams. For example, if you cheat on your diet, you have to mow your friend's lawn. Now that's accountability!
4. You Don't Speak Up
Once you get the hang of living in integrity (1-3 above), only a few things will kill your buzz. Having something to say and not saying it is the most common. Things you aren't saying include: how you really feel, 'fess-ups to wrong doings, 'fess-ups to feeling wronged, broaching taboo topics, constructive criticism, owning up, and making requests. Make a list of all the things you know you should be talking about and put dates next to them determining by when you'll have those <a href="http://www.handelgroup.com/events/art-tough-conversations" target="_hplink">difficult conversations</a>. No matter how long it takes, making this commitment is important to your self respect. Each hard conversation you tackle will open up a sense of freedom and joy in your heart that you cannot imagine while just sitting and thinking about (and probably fearing) what will go down. Try not to predict the outcome, or control it. Just go for the ride and be proud to be someone who speaks up. Soon it will become habit and you will be a much happier, more-expressed person.
5. You Blame Others
You forgot that YOU are the "author" of your life and that it's good news! This doesn't mean that everything in your life that's not working is your fault; it means that you have power with everything. There is nothing you cannot impact in your life, if you decide to focus on it and believe in changing it. As you start to take ownership of your choices and the results in your life, you feel more self-trusting and powerful. It is as natural as breathing to look for causes outside ourselves to explain why things don't turn out. The happy surprise will always be, when you humble yourself enough to say "maybe it's me," you will find you are 95 percent of the way to the solution along with feeling happier and more hopeful.
Love,
Laurie
If you are still stuck in money, career, body, love, family relationships or just general happiness, the Life Coaching Crash Course is the place to rethink your approach, learn to dream again, bust your excuses, plan your future, learn to speak up with grace and get clarity about and strength from your past. Did I mention it's a jam-packed weekend? It is.
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(just kidding, with a tinge of truthiness, heh)
http://www.proenrichment.com
I agree with most of the author's points in this article, but she's assuming you've probably already achieved the first couple of steps up Maslow's pyramid. Number one is be healthy.
Aside from that- I agree with everything else. When I was wondering, I was really depressed. When I remembered that I need to speak up for myself and chase my dreams, I have become a more accountable and happy person. But, with that clarity- I can definitely see that there are many external obstacles in this country from achieving happiness, which will be very difficult barriers to overcome. Those things shouldn't be looked at in the light of personal pessimism or optimism: they're simple facts, and we do need to work together as a society to overcome them- blame upon officials for their part in injustice is part of accountability.
I'm probably reading too much into it, but that's what struck me about it at first glance.