Tweet

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Written by: Kate Harper

Article Overview: Your attitude can affect the effectiveness of your actions. You can choose to approach tasks with a can-do, positive approach, so that you are more likely to do a good job and move closer towards your goals. So please, choose to be a happy person and get on with it!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

"Most of us are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be." - William Adams

I have been reading up on Happiness recently, particularly “The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People” by David Niven, Ph.D., but it was something I read in another book that got me thinking. In “Good Question! The Art of Asking Positive Questions To Bring About Positive Change” Judy Barber refers to hearing the Dalai Lama say “Be a happy person” and thinking that we should take on being happy as an activity, as a conscious choice. With the rise of Positive Psychology and much research into happiness and its effects, I think this is not such a bad thing to do. I don’t think the idea is to become inanely happy, like someone going through life pretending that dreadful things are not occurring all over the world, but to be aware of our own feelings and to head any negative or destructive emotions off at the pass before they can wreak havoc!

As Judy Barber says, “happy people get on and do things. Happy people look for the good in a situation, find a cheering word to say, or look beyond themselves to what they can do for others.” This is echoed by David Niven’s book, which takes the 100 Simple Secrets and backs each one up with scientific research. It is really easy to read, as he has distilled the gobbledegook into terms we can all understand, whilst providing us with the references, if we should wish to investigate further. As I read through I am noticing that there are quite a few of the things that happy people do which I do too! I am pretty pleased about that!

One of the things I have been doing this year is making a daily Gratitude List. At the end of each day, I spend a little time thinking about my day and noting down those things I am grateful for in a little notebook. They can be really simple, such as being grateful for waking up on time or even finding a clean shirt to wear in your cupboard! I have found that as I continue to do this I am noticing more and more good things that are in my life and dwelling less on the not so good. That doesn’t mean I am ignoring things that need to be done or faced up to, but when I do, I am doing it in a happier frame of mind. Today’s list will be including gratitude for getting this article written and also for all of you who read it! Why not give it a go yourself?

Your attitude can affect the effectiveness of your actions. If you are half-hearted and negative about what you need to do, you are likely to be setting yourself up for failure. By choosing to approach the tasks with a can-do, positive approach, you are more likely to do a good job and move closer towards your goals. Choose to be a happy person and get on with it!

Is it your mood that has been putting you off? What needs to change to get you kick-started into action? Do you need support from someone to get going and keep going? Don’t ever be afraid to ask for and accept help if you need it. I am sure that there is someone you can think of who would be happy to help.

Do you want to go through life being thought of as a grumpy, unapproachable person? If you are grumpy what can you do to change this? It might take a while to make the shift to being more positive (not manically happy, please!), however, once you’ve started it will add more enjoyment to your life. I know what I’d rather be like, don’t you? However, don’t let me tell you that you have to be a happier person when you really don’t feel like it! That would probably make you even grumpier!

There is no doubt that those people who keep active and fit feel more positive than those who don’t. The chemicals released in the brain as you exercise have something to do with it, but that is also backed up by the positive feeling of doing something active to maintain or increase your physically wellbeing. The satisfaction of putting yourself through your paces, whether on the dance floor, gym, swimming pool or on a bike lasts beyond the actual activity. Go for it!

What makes you happy? If it involves doing something creative, then make a plan to include it this week and every week. If you don’t already do it, how about giving the Gratitude List a go. Or how about trying something new that you’ve wanted to do for ages? What is the first step? Picking up the phone? Checking out something on the internet? Asking someone if you could join in with something?

Many people gain satisfaction and happiness from helping others, or from being involved in their community. What could you do to help? However, don’t worry too much about being happy. We can work on the happiness, if it is something new to you. I’ll be happy if you’re just slightly more cheerful!

Related Articles
  Profitable Online Business Ideas and the Recession Part 2
  What is the best way to develop my sales skills?
  Know your magic numbers
  Contribution
  How can you make more of your customers open your emails?

Article Tags: conscious choice, cupboard, dalai lama, david niven, destructive emotions, feelings, gobbledegook, good question, gratitude, happiness, havoc, little time, notebook, positive psychology



Related Forum Posts
Re: Stay happy everyone - Thanks for that Evan, your post reminded me of that song 'Don't Worry Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin which I was shocked to learn was a hit in 1988, seems like yesterday, regards, Mal.
Re: How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting - Great Post! Dont forget to put your blog in Anchor Text For SEO purposes for the keywords you want when getting backlinks (for example with article marketing)...Very important. You can conquer quite a few small Niches and get your site on the number 1 spot in Google!
Re: Due Diligence, Market Research.. Ahead of the curve. - Congrats! A few months ago I wrote extensively on market research. Check in the Inventors corner for the posts. Let me know if I can help further! Dont spend a dime on a protype or advertising until you do some research! Jude
Re: Who hates cold calling? - I saw this and had to chime in. I HATE COLD CALLS. lol its terrible and a wast of my time. Something i have done is gotten online and found all the networking event happening in my area for the next 2 months and i try and go to about 3 a week. Even just for an hour. Dont bring any business cards. Just meet new people ask them alot about what they do, not too much about what i do and follow up the next day or 2. Has worked well
Re: Businesswomen in the news - [quote="TheRainmaker":2susnvqs] Dont forget that the media is out for the media and scare tactics and bad news gets the coverage.... J[/quote:2susnvqs] This is true....


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You Too Good for Your Job?

TRADE SHOW FOLLOW-UP: HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

SEO and the Entrepreneur

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.