Be Happy

When I was in high school one of the biggest, hottest songs was Bobby McFarren’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. It’s an upbeat song about simply looking at the bright side of things; when you get down, turn your frown upside down. There you go, done —You are now happy!

Obviously, as a human living in 2018, I know it’s not always easy to simply turn a frown upside down, or shake it off. It’s a lot more complicated, especially when you’re constantly comparing your life to others on social media. Life always looks better online. 

I have years of leadership development training from some of the world’s experts on thought leadership, health and personal development. The best things I learned can be reduced to 3 ideas. These may help you stay happy or feel better.

Keeping things in perspective is an old, yet always relevant idea. I look at challenges in two ways.

First, there’s always more people in much worse shape than I am. In fact, living in Canada with a stable job, a home, and healthy family puts me in the top 2% of people on the planet! If you have these, so are probably here with me. 

Second, I take inventory of my situation. When doing this, I find there are always more things going in the right direction then wrong.

The worst part of any stress is if you keep it bottled up. It always get’s worse when you think about it. Write it down and then include a list of things you will learn from the situation. 

You can also write a list of ten things you’re grateful for. Do this every day for 14 days. Don’t skip a day. It will change the chemistry of the brain. If you want more information on this re-read my post on gratitude from December.

I often find myself thinking of Terry Fox. The choices he made at 18 changed the world. Why? Because he chose to NOT be a victim of his circumstances. So like him, I think of myself as a winner, not a victim. Having a positive self-image helps. 

I hope today and every day you know how lucky you are. Take control of your own happiness!