Friday, August 6, 2010

Retraining Your Brain: The Pursuit of Happiness

In this article you will learn how promote happiness regardless of the stress around you.. We all are facing the challenges of dealing with the economic downturn; however there are certain skills that you can learn that will keep you strong during these times.

Happiness is not a byproduct of external things such as wealth, fame or success. Happiness is created from within. Happiness is an attitude which multiplies feelings of gratitude which directly feeds your sense of happiness. People who are truly happy believe in 2 universal laws that support them. They believe that despite hard economic times, this world is here to support them and as a result, they utilize the support around them. They also know that when they focus on what is going right, they are more likely to co-create that experience and live from that experience.

Many clients wonder what they need to do to create more happiness in their life. I encourage them to learn the skill of reframing. Reframing is the ability to take any situation and see the positives in it. I tell my clients that it is the ability to “put a positive spin on things”.

Let's look at some common situations and see how to apply these concepts.

Getting a divorce?
Look at divorce as an opportunity to grow as an individual. You can’t stop the process, so ask yourself what you can do to get through it with integrity.


Losing 60% of your net worth because of the stock market?
Tell yourself that losing the money allows you an opportunity to find other creative ways to make money. Refocus on what you do have in your life as opposed to the monetary losses.


Does a family member or friend have a terminal illness?
Remind yourself that you can make a difference in their life and recognize what differences they have made in your life. Focus on the moment instead of the future. You will experience this person differently when your focus becomes appreciation.


I picked three traumatic situations to highlight that life is about how we choose to look at things. It’s not the outcome but the journey that we need to stay focused on and learn from. If you make the conscious choice to look at life with a positive attitude, you will promote that state of well-being that will create happiness.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yet, we live in a society that doesn’t promote happiness unless you meet its rigid standards. Consequently, you will need to fight the urge to be a specific size, make a particular income, or acquire materialistic things.

Unfortunately we weren’t trained in school to develop happiness and yet it is an easy skill to learn if you practice the following steps daily.

• Train your mind to focus on what is going right in your daily life

• Replace the negative self-talk with a positive statement. When negative thoughts occur make a conscious choice to refocus on the positives and “create a positive spin”.

• Repeat the positive statement silently to yourself. As you do this your attitude becomes naturally more joyful and positive.

• Use reframing in any situation that appears problematic. Look at what a situation has to teach you or how it has made you stronger. You will replace the victim role and have a better sense of your own personal strength!

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