5 Words To Make You Happy, Right Now
Do you ever ask yourself if you are a happy camper?
No? Please do so. Like, very soon. These are busy times and even us Guy’s Guys get caught up in doing all of those tasks that we need to, well…do, without asking ourselves if this is the way we want to live our lives. It’s important to pause and I promise you that if you step back and allow circumspection to enter your busy, worried life you will reap benefits that most other folks will never experience. By the way there is nothing wrong with living a life filled with pleasure. In fact, I suggest that this is the precise reason that we’ve all been tossed into this global human salad. All that this Guy’s Guy is saying is that your life is valuable and precious and you owe it to yourself to make sure that you are doing all that you can to make yourself happy. Here are a few tips that have helped me keep smiling in the face of an upside-down world.
1. Breathe.
Yes, you know the old trick of inhaling and then exhaling. How you breathe is of the utmost importance. I’ve done my share of huffing and puffing and that’s no way to go through life. Hopefully, your life is a marathon and not a sprint, and if you are in it for the long haul you’ve got to find your rhythm and breathing long and slow is a perfect recipe for relaxation and maximizing energy. Many yogis claim that each person has a precise number of breaths in them and once you have exhaled your capacity, it’s over. I have no way of knowing if this is exactly what they mean or how you project or measure that, but I do know that if you are so busy that you are limited to an endless series of quick short breaths, you’re probably not going to last that long or be having a grand old time during your short time around the track. Be mindful of your breathing and sloooow down, baby. Let’s make this dance last.
2. Forgive.
Let’s be frank. There are plenty of a-holes out there. We know it all so well. The guy who doesn’t give up his subway seat to the pregnant lady, the couple sitting behind you that never shuts up during “Moonrise Kingdom”, the colleague who tries to take credit for your ideas while bad-mouthing you behind your back every chance he gets, and all the individuals who enter our lives to teach us about ourselves in some ironic way. I’ve found that forgiving them in your heart is the best policy for creating happiness. There will never be a shortage of these annoying people, but you can do something about it in a way that sends them some semblance of positivity while releasing them from you consciousness. Anything that you do besides forgiving them, like hating them or getting angry, seems to backfire and weigh us down. I know it can be a challenge, but do whatever you can to stop judging. Our world is perfect in its seeming imperfections.
3. Create.
Expressing ourselves in ways that stretch us is wonderful, freeing, and rewarding. And, I’ll bet it can make you happy. Write a song, tell a joke, draw a picture of your cat, or whatever feels comfortable in allowing you a form of self-expression. I promise that once you get your work of art the way you want it to be it will put a smile on your face. If you do not have an artistic bent, then tell a good story in conversation or just smile more. It will help you find joy and that ain’t so bad.
4. Appreciate.
Missing the last B train can be a drag, but just think, you might meet the love of your life on the 59th Street subway platform while waiting for the next C train to chug up to the station. The mariachi band, that old guy playing the “Theme to The Godfather” on his accordion, or even those kettle drummers, might inspire some new thoughts in you. Or not. Okay, I’m reaching here, but it helps if you do everything that you can to make circumstances serve you. You know that the glass is half full and all of that. But guess what? It really works. The more time you spend being pissed off about what did or did not happen, the less time you have to allow the things you want to happen, happen. That’s how it works.
5. Believe In Abundance.
There are two views of the world we live in. The first belief is that we live in a finite realm where there is only so much to go around. That means if I get something, there is less for you. The second perspective is one of an infinite universe. In this configuration mankind has not even scratched the surface of its possibilities. More for me, more for you, more for us. I vote for this perspective. It keeps me sharing and it keeps me smiling inside. Who says we can’t have more? Not this Guy’s Guy. I believe in abundance and I hope you do also.
Guy’s Guy of The Week: Eckhart Tolle for The Power of Now
What else can you do to be a happier person right NOW?
