Did you know you can choose to be happy?
It’s true! We can create happy moments by choosing them. In almost every situation, we have the opportunity to focus on what is positive and is working in our lives . . .or what is not.
When we focus on the negative and on what’s not working, it often shows up in our communication as complaining. This is very disempowering because most of the time our complaint is about something we are powerless to change. By turning our attention to what is working in our lives rather than focusing on what is not, we give happiness an opportunity to sprout.
So how can we become more positive?
Re-routing a mental habit takes time and consistency. A key fundamental for making any kind of change in behavior is replacing the old behavior with a new one,one small step at a time. Creating a positive replacement for a negative focus rewards us both mentally and physically. Each time we do it, we train our brain to create a different experience and it becomes easier to repeat.
By noticing what is going right in our lives, what we are grateful for, and noting our successes, our brain signals our body that everything is okay and our experience of stress plummets. That provides us with a sense of well-being and the motivation to continue the new behavior. By practicing feeling good, we train ourselves to be happy no matter what.
I want to share with you an incredible life-changing exercise for training yourself to be happy. I call it
MY MAGNIFICENT DAY
My Magnificent Day is an activity where the goal is to consistently look for the positive aspects in everything you do and experience for one whole day. This single exercise can produce a personal epiphany when you discover that you can choose to make your day magnificent.It will show you how much power you actually have in creating your experiences regardless of what’s happening around you. As a result, your sense of personal empowerment will increase significantly.
The exercise starts with the your stated intent of, “THIS IS GOING TO BE A MAGNIFICENT DAY.” By setting your intent for the day, you begin the process of making it your reality by steadfastly maintaining your stated focus throughout the day.
HERE’S HOW YOU DO IT
Keep a piece of paper handy and jot down every experience that makes your day magnificent.Look for the positive in everything you do.Be aware of the things and people you are grateful for; notice the gifts of the day; pay attention to the beauty and wonder that surround you.
Stubbornly refuse to let anything that might normally irritate you throw you off. Refuse to let anything outside of you be more powerful than your resolve to stay positive.
At the end of the day, review your list and think about what you did that made it magnificent. What did you do differently from what you typically do? Was it hard, or was it simply a change in perspective?
We have the power to shape our experience of life. If one day can be made magnificent purely through our desire to make it so, then we have the capability of doing it much more consistently.
Give it a try and choose to be happy!
