The "Happiness Compass"

March 25, 2009
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

Have you ever felt unhappy? Did you feel helpless? Unhappiness makes you feel hopeless with no point to life. When you have been unhappy you felt like you were lost, right? When you are feeling unhappy you need to use happiness to regain your sense of direction. Like a compass, happiness points you in a positive direction.

From now on, when you feel lost and unhappy, use happiness as your compass to give you the right bearing in life. When you are lost in the woods, the most important thing you can do for your survival is to remember your objective in that situation, which is to find your way back. The essential things are travel, shelter and food. In order to travel in the right direction you need to get your bearings. Remaining cool and calm is the most important thing you can do; otherwise you will travel around in circles.

Happiness allows a calmer state of mind to prevail. To find your happiness bearings; use your "Happiness Compass." Unhappiness can be a negative detour in your life. Use the "Happiness Compass" and allow it to position you on the right road. If your objective in life is to do the best for yourself, than the "Happiness Compass" point to the spot.

During these times of uncertainly, the territory looks unfamiliar to us. Change is not a good reason to allow your mind to be filled with fear. It is said that change is the only condition you can count on. The amount of work in being unhappy is the same as being happy, it's all up to you.

Circumstances out of our control happen all the time. There is a hard way to deal with change and an easy way. Why make it harder on yourself? Take the happiness route to higher ground. Once you feel better you are in a mentally superior place to realize the choices that are available.

There is a great deal of talk about a happiness set point. One of the key books about this theory is Happiness, What Studies on Twins Show Us About Nature, Nurture, and the Happiness Set Point, by Dr. David Lykken. This book was published in 1999 and was a comprehensive work on the study of happiness for both fraternal and identical twins that were separated at birth.

Here is a quote from Dr. Lukken's book on page 60. "If your happiness set point is below average, that means that your genetic steersman is guiding you into situations that detract from your well-being and is tempting you to behave in ways that are counterproductive. If you let your genetic steersman have his way, then you will end up where he wants to go. But it is your life and, within wide limits, you can choose your own destinations instead of having them all chosen for you."

Let's redefine the Happiness Set Point as the point on our "Happiness Compass" that we decide to follow. This insures that you will always know what the right direction is when you are not happy. Being unhappy can be dangerous to you health and wellbeing, so you need a strategy to get yourself away from unhappiness and toward your objective in life which is really happiness.

Rather than look at the happiness set point as a degree on a thermostat that you can't go past. Look at the happiness set point as a degree on a "Happiness Compass," that shows you that way you want to travel. As Roy M. Goodman said: "Remember that happiness is a way of travel - not a destination." Bring your "Happiness Compass" with you as you travel so you know where to look to find happiness the next time you lose your way.

The next time you find yourself in an unhappy circumstances, pull out your "Happiness Compass" and select your journey to joy. The whole point of the "Happiness Compass" is to use it and allow it to show you the way. In fact if you use it, you will become a joy magnet. You will be traveling in the right direction and your happiness will serve to attract the best toward you. The "Happiness Compass" shows you the way. Happy trails to you!

10 Survival Tips for the Economic Crisis!

March 11, 2009
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

It seems that everyone agrees that we are in an economic crisis. If you have lost your job or work is slow, then this is certainly true in your experience. The question is, what can we do about it? The first thing to do, is not to think about it to the point of driving yourself crazy with negative thinking. Fear is not going to be your friend.

You can be your own best friend, if you calm down and stop stressing yourself out all the time. Worry has never changed anything for the better. Most of what we worry about doesn't happen. Even if the worst were to happen, worry leaves you in a terrible state, because you are now completely negatively affected by the situation. Don't drive yourself crazy. Lighten up. Be your own best friend, and use your thinking to do what's best for you.

Here are 10 Survival Tips to deal with the economic crisis.

1. Accept the situation for now. The best way to live with something you can't change is to learn to accept it. In fact, if you love what you do have, then you have changed your mental attitude to one of acceptance, rather than resistance to what life has presented to you. Deal with change. When you don't accept something that has already happened, you create resistance to it. The resistance you are creating will cause you to suffer. The change has already happened and if there is nothing you can do about it, and you continue to resist it, you will make yourself unhappy.

2. Watch Your Thinking. Our unhappiness is a result of our own thinking. Don't think about what you don't want or what you don't like. Control your negativity or your thinking is going to make you unhappy. Think about your choices or what you want. Be aware of your thoughts as they drift in and don't let negative ones find a place to land in your mind. Don't give them a home; let them drift right back out again. This may be a good time to learn to mediate, so you can take your mind off all the negative things.

3. Think About Your Choices. What choices do you have available to you now? Thinking about the problem is not progressive thinking, it is obsessive negativity. Stop dwelling on your problems and start focusing on your solutions. Thinking is when you are creatively finding solutions and choices to eliminate your problem.

4. Now is your point of power. Don't dwell in the past or worry about the future. If you're not focused on now, your awareness will be diminished. Accidents, mishaps and even crime are more likely to happen to you.

5. Be happy with less. If you must, then you can actually find the reasons that less will be better for you. It may be a chance to eat out less often and eat at home with your family more often. You may find that you can be happier by eating less and enjoying it more. Losing weight will certainly make you happy.

6. Learn to handle the truth. If you can't face the truth then you are going to be unhappy. To find the truth, you have to face what is happening, and be ready to deal with it. You will then be able to decide how to move forward from there.

7. Don't think things can't change. If things are bad for you and seem to have gotten worse for now, don't make the mistake of thinking they will always be bad for you. This is exactly the kind of thinking that will hold you to being a victim. If you keep thinking negatively in a crisis, you will lose your power and effectiveness in finding solutions to your problems.

8. Perform an act of charity. Do something for someone else. If you are feeling down and have time on your hands, You could volunteer your time, or do something as simple as paying someone a compliment. Give someone a smile, or bring someone a plant. Thinking of others cost nothing and can be a big turning point in your life.

9. Be Grateful. Be thankful about something all the time. What are you grateful for now? Every day, think of at least three things that you are grateful for and write them down in a "Gratitude Journal." Want some gratitude hints? Make your list simple things. For instance, be grateful you can see the paper you are writing on. Be grateful you can pick up a pen and have fingers and a hand to write with. You're alive, you can breath, you have food and shelter. Keep looking for the simple things as positive reinforcement.

10. Take time to learn about the benefits of being happy. Benefits include: living ten years longer, reducing anger, having less stress and confusion. You will have better focus, improved patience and self control. You can access greater intelligence, utilize wisdom, experience emotional competence, create inner peace, enhance relationships, and enjoy your life much more while also enriching others with your happiness.

The good that could come from this crisis is that we can learn to use happiness to make a positive difference in your life and in the lives of others. If we use our time to concentrate and improve on the really important things in life, while showing gratitude for family and friends, then we will have done our best with this crisis situation. Don't let any situation define you, allow it to refine you, and find out what you are really made of.