The Secret Of Happiness

There's been a lot of guff written about happiness in recent times. On the one hand, you've got the positive thinking gurus peddling their often simplistic fast track to deep joy and on the other you've got the doom-mongers telling us we're richer, healthier and unhappier than we've ever been.

Despite being somewhat cynical about the way happiness is regarded as the panacea for all ills, I confess to being part of the industry which promotes it as a life-affirming goal. Some see happiness as sentimental dream or fleeting fantasy. But I realise through my work as a hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner that it is possible to create a happy state of mind and spread a little of this magical ingredient.

What makes you happy is only relevant to you. A loving partnership and strong friendships are more highly prized than material things by most of us. It's a given that happiness is not necessarily about millions in the bank, a yacht on the Med or any of those affluent trappings. Many are the tales of how lottery winners lose their friends, community, identity and even their loved ones over arguments about new found loot.

There's no question, cash equals freedom of choice. More to the point, earning it equals a healthy sense of self worth which no trust fund kid will ever know (hence the less than life-enhancing addictions that often fill the gaps in their lives).

In a wealthy western culture, few of us go hungry or lack material goods. The poorest and most disadvantaged have access to housing, healthcare, education, the welfare state, iPods, mobiles and flat screen TVs.

What makes the starving happy is a good meal. It takes more than that to sate an emotionally starved but nutritionally nourished appetite. Whilst not life-threatening, such a condition undermines energy, motivation and focus, impairing the ability to set and achieve goals. High flyers in both primitive and technological societies often start out the hungriest and succeed simply because they try harder.

So it seems that the old fashioned Protestant principle of good old hard graft leads to a very secular kind of satisfaction. And being a bit peckish is no bad thing. It makes those little snacks in life so much more tasty. In this indulgent era of comfort and excess, those who make an effort and choose energy over inertia, those who curb their appetite enough to truly savour all that is plentiful and those who take the time to nurture their loved ones are the winners in the happiness stakes.

Karen Martin

http://www.hypnotherapykent.co.uk

The Secret Behind Happy Hour in Regards to Staff Management

Most people work long hours meeting deadlines and satisfying clients, making most workers lack the time to socialize. The closest that the working class generation comes to socializing is through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or Tagged.

Happy hour has proved to be a very powerful tool in promoting teamwork and smooth flow among staff. Many companies have adopted this fun way of doing things and have actually discovered an avenue that opens up revenues for relaxation. Happy hour is usually a time that is set apart probably once a month, from two in the afternoon when every member of staff officially downs their working tools and mingles with each other and get to know one another well.

At happy hour, the CEO holds hands with the cleaner. This is very powerful in propagating trust between management and staff. You can bet that a company which goes one on one with its employees hardly ever experiences problems when it come to staff management.

It is through such activities that a salesperson can get to have a feel of what the IT person does on a day to day basis and vice versa.

A budget for snacks is provided and all kinds of goodies and soft drinks are shared among employees. Mind you this is not like a party, so alcoholic drinks are strictly forbidden. For the management team who are used to driving to and from work the exercise thereafter proves to be very helpful.

After a successful happy hour which works well preferably on a Friday, the team is ready to face another month of sitting behind their desktops, laptops, steering wheels or whatever else they sit behind without complaining and generate huge profits for the company. In addition, the managers are able to easily apply sound staff management.

Stephen writes rich content on Online Business Programs. He is an Online Business Merchant and his webpage is on Money Making Ideas and Home Business Strategies. Visit his informative and insightful website at: Money Making Secrets [http://moneymakingsecret07.blogspot.com] for Updated Internet Business Solutions.

Great People Skills Are The Secret To Happiness

Having and developing great people skills will bring you happiness in work and in your social and private life. Great people skills tend to attract people. People with great people skills are generally the first to get promoted at work; they are the ones who have good relations with the opposite sex; they are the ones who people gather around at social events and because of these factors, they are the ones who are happier with their overall life.

The number one key to having great people skills is to care about yourself, and equally important is to care for others. Caring about yourself is not about thinking of yourself first. But rather, it's more about respecting yourself and maintaining a way of life that reflects that you care about yourself. When we care about ourselves we reflect that to others in our verbal and non-verbal behaviors. This is reflected in how we care for others. Thus, caring is a great people skill brings us happiness in itself.

Caring people treat others with kindness, rather than cruelty. Kindness can mean different things to different people. However, kindness is rooted in respect for another. This respect is demonstrated in behaviors like intently listening to the other without judgment or interruption, as an example. When we truly listen to another person we become engaged and participate in a meaningful conversation and interaction with them, aiming to developing a relationship that helps them.

One great people skill that will lead to happiness is trustworthiness. When people trust us they want to be around us because they know that they can talk to us about anything regarding their lives, knowing that what they say to us stays with us. A trustworthy person doesn't run around telling the secrets of another, but rather keeps that information to themselves. Also, the trustworthy person doesn't use that information against another.

Another example of a trustworthy person, but more related to honesty, is the one who finds something of value that belongs to someone else. But rather than keeping it for themselves, they do everything in their power to return the valuable to its rightful owner. When a person behaves in a trustworthy and honest manner they will most certainly experience happiness.

Reliability is another people skill that leads to happiness. Family, friends, acquaintances, and employers want to be able to rely on us, for whatever might need to be done or taken care of. Related to reliability is commitment. When happy people make a commitment they follow through with that commitment and, if for whatever reason they can't fulfill that commitment, they take the responsibility of letting the other know. Reliability, commitment and responsibility are all interrelated and each is a great people skill that enhances one's happiness.

The ability to connect with others is a great people skill to have. People who are able to connect with another are empathetic and that empathy is reflected in their conversational relations, both verbally and non-verbally. The body language of the person who can connect with another demonstrates an interest in the other and has patience, which is obviously seen in one's body language. Their body language is presented in such a way that it draws the other in, rather than rejecting them.

Great people skills obviously rely on knowing the appropriate thing to say. Their language is not abusive or threatening, but rather it is insightful and caring. It takes account of what other people are feeling and thinking and reacts to them accordingly in verbal and non-verbal communication. Having great people skills is a real gift because it allows you to put other people at their ease; communication will be made so much easier that you are bound to be happier.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. This report reveals the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog

The Secret of Happiness

There's been a lot of guff written about happiness in recent times. On the one hand, you've got the positive thinking gurus peddling their often simplistic fast track to deep joy and on the other you've got the doom-mongers telling us we're richer, healthier and unhappier than we've ever been.

Despite being somewhat cynical about the way happiness is regarded as the panacea for all ills, I confess to being part of the industry which promotes it as a life-affirming goal. Some see happiness as sentimental dream or fleeting fantasy. But I realise through my work as a hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner that it is possible to create a happy state of mind and spread a little of this magical ingredient.

What makes you happy is only relevant to you. A loving partnership and strong friendships are more highly prized than material things by most of us. It's a given that happiness is not necessarily about millions in the bank, a yacht on the Med or any of those affluent trappings. Many are the tales of how lottery winners lose their friends, community, identity and even their loved ones over arguments about new found loot.

There's no question, cash equals freedom of choice. More to the point, earning it equals a healthy sense of self worth which no trust fund kid will ever know (hence the less than life-enhancing addictions that often fill the gaps in their lives).

In a wealthy western culture, few of us go hungry or lack material goods. The poorest and most disadvantaged have access to housing, healthcare, education, the welfare state, iPods, mobiles and flat screen TVs.

What makes the starving happy is a good meal. It takes more than that to sate an emotionally starved but nutritionally nourished appetite. Whilst not life-threatening, such a condition undermines energy, motivation and focus, impairing the ability to set and achieve goals. High flyers in both primitive and technological societies often start out the hungriest and succeed simply because they try harder.

So it seems that the old fashioned Protestant principle of good old hard graft leads to a very secular kind of satisfaction. And being a bit peckish is no bad thing. It makes those little snacks in life so much more tasty. In this indulgent era of comfort and excess, those who make an effort and choose energy over inertia, those who curb their appetite enough to truly savour all that is plentiful and those who take the time to nurture their loved ones are the winners in the happiness stakes.

Karen Martin

http://www.hypnotherapykent.co.uk

The Secret of Happiness and Success

To have success is also to have happiness. While success means different things to each of us, without success we are not happy. Being successful is a two-part process; first, there is determination and second there is belief. The secret is that both of these begin in the mind.

You cannot be happy if you allow others to decide your fate, to allow life to just rather push you along life a leaf in a river. This will create resentment, lost opportunity, conflict, and more importantly; unhappiness in your life.

We all must choose our own life; you are responsible for your life, your success, and your happiness. Nobody can do it for you, for example if I eat a pizza, will you feel full? If I take a shower, will you smell better? Of course not, but I hope that helps you to understand that you are who is in charge of your life.

The conscious decision

We all make choices every day, what to eat, what to wear, and so on. The big decision we must make is what to do. We decide what to do, and it is this choice that we must be aware of, if we are to achieve our success and happiness.

We must be prepared mentally, spiritually, and physically to make the choices that affect our lives. To do any less is to surrender to being just another face in the crowd, to being an anonymous member of society. We must determine what it is that means success to us, what does success mean to you is the thought that must be present in your mind at all times.

Choosing the direction

If you go to a bus station and ask for a ticket, the teller will request a destination. If you do not tell the teller a destination, you will not get a ticket to ride. Just as in your life: If you do not know where you are going, you will never get anywhere.

You decide what you want to do, and where you want to go. Without a clear idea of what you want to be means that you get what is left over from other peoples efforts, if anything at all. There is no such thing as something for nothing, everything has a cost. To not choose costs you any chance of success, to not know what you want costs you your happiness.

Making the choice

Decide first what it is that you desire, what do you desire to do or be? You can take this first, and most important, step towards success and happiness. Without this destination, there can be no journey.

Then determine that it shall be, that it will happen, that you will make it happen, that it will be yours. Feel the burning desire to see it through to completion, and you will start taking the steps needed to make your desire a reality in your life.

Then have faith in yourself. When you first start an endeavor you have to have a little faith, you are learning new things, doing new things, and you will get better as time goes on, but at first, it will seem difficult, and that is why you need to have faith to get you through the start up.

Soon after you begin, you will notice that your skills are getting better, that your ability to do things becomes easy and second nature. This is where faith turns into belief. Now you know you can, you can prove it, you can have it, and you can do it.

Then you will have success, you will have happiness, and above all: you will have your own life.

Be Blessed.

Did you find the information useful? You can find more about it at my Blog: True Happiness

Balance in Business, Passion in Life - The Success Secret of Happy Entrepreneurs!

How to bring back the balance in your business and the passion in your life.

Do you remember when you first started your business, how energetic and optimistic you were? You were busy enjoying your work and your life.

Then somewhere along the way, routine and reality set in and your business kept demanding more and more of you. To cope, maybe you put relationships, hobbies, friends and your health on hold.

Do you want your business to thrive and excel without it consuming all your time and energy? Would you like to have more time for the important people in your life (including yourself)? It is possible to run a successful business while enjoying life to the fullest.

It starts with strategically re-thinking and prioritizing what's important in your life. It's a fact that there is not enough time in the day to do everything that you'd like to do.

In order to both run a successful business AND have a complete life, you need to tackle this challenge from two fronts:

1. In business - Allocate your time and run your business as efficiently as possible, and 2. In life - Build and maintain your "non-business" relationships, interests and other areas that create meaning, zest and fun!

Many of the business activities on your plate can be delegated or outsourced to free up your time. It's true, they may not get done as well as you do them, but does everything have to be completed in your style? Maybe letting go a little can free up your time for more important activities...

Some items are strategically important and need to be handled by you. Oftentimes, a bit of re-think will help you deal with these tasks in a more expedient fashion than today. E.g. how are you on time management? Prioritizing? Are you up to date on technology that can cut your workflow?

Then there are the activities that with a little innovation you can stop doing altogether - the true time wasters. Find them and delete them!

Here's a vital key to entrepreneurial success: When creating more meaning in your personal life, your business becomes more successful as well. This is an area where there's no trade off - you CAN both eat your cake and have it too!

About the Author:

Anders Moller has worked, studied and lived the subject of balance in business and life in his own companies for over 20 years. In his latest guide Balance in Business - The Success Secret of Happy Entrepreneurs, Anders shows you how easy it is to create this life/business balance in your own life, with thought-provoking ideas and practical examples from everyday situations. For more information visit [http://www.balancemybusiness.info/]

Secret To Happiness

The secret to finding lasting happiness in life is simple. All it requires is a willingness to focus your attention on what is right in your world. If there's a hole in the roof, do you have a bucket to catch the rain? Try to find the silver lining in each situation and you will be happier in the long run.

Imagine if we lived in a country where the majority of us were happy. There was a time not to long ago when this was so, we trusted our neighbors, helped out strangers in need, and hoped our children would have a brighter tomorrow. We can make these same hopes and dreams come alive again. To do so we need to begin to belief that we are all doing our best, and contributing to the common good.

Are you striving to be the best you can be? The chances are great that you are. If you are, isn't it likely that others are setting similar goals. We all want to feel good about ourselves, and provide for our loved one's. So here a happiness challenge acknowledge your wish for happiness and as you do so affirm the right of others to be happy as well. See yourself in a country full of happy people all with similar goals but each person unique in his or own way. With that image in your minds eye go out and meet others who are striving to make the world a better place.

Are you up for this challenge? Your happiness may depend on it. We need to trust each other a little more and fear each other a little less. See if you can replace your fearful or judgmental thoughts towards others with thoughts of hope for their well-being or acceptance for your status in life. Intolerance prevents us from becoming the people we want to be. If you want to feel good about yourself you need to perceive others as good as well.

Happiness is simple, its about focus, vision, trust and good will. Thomas Jefferson said it best when he said happiness was dependent on our ability to love others. Belief in yourself and others, and you'll begin to discover we are living in a happy world.

Vince Chiles, LCSW is the author of a self-published book Happiness in Five Minutes a Day which is scheduled to be released to the public 3/26/08. Information about Vince and his book can be obtained by going to [http://www.happinessinfive.com]

Shaquille O'Neal's Secret of Happiness

"There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way", goes the

saying. So happiness is not something you have to go searching

for somewhere. NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has a unique formula

for happiness that I want to share with you.

In an interview after a match that coincided with his birthday,

Shaq was asked how he was going to celebrate his birthday. He

said that he was going to thank God for the blessings in his

life; and this is the witty and funny bit of Shaq's answer:

"Actually everyday is my birthday."

Shaquille O'Neal's statement is a very powerful key to a happy

life. If you approach each day of your life as your birthday then

everyday will be a happy day for you. And indeed you have the

right to declare everyday your birthday.

Think of the thousands of people who sleep each night and never

wake up again then you will forever see the need show appreciation of your God-given life by living it to the fullest everyday.

Sometimes I think of sleep as death and it has many similarities with death. So with this in mind you could always regard waking up each morning as a new birth and then like Shaq everyday will be your birthday.

After all isn't life a process of continuous renewal? I love this quote which I use as an affirmation every morning: "yesterday has gone. So have all its problems. Today is new and full of miracles and opportunities if you will but look for them."

In Life's Good the author recommends this biblical quotation as a

daily affirmation: "This is the day which the Lord has made; we

will rejoice and be glad in it". He advises to change the word "you" to "I" and personalize the affirmation.

Come on be a Shaq and make everyday your birthday!

The Secret to Happiness is in Seeing

Do you realize that you are a Divine Being having a human experience? Everyone and everything that exists is a unique expression of the Divine. When you look at other people from your heart's center, feeling your love, you will see that Divine in every single person you pass by even if you don't stop to talk.

Look for it. I absolutely guarantee you'll see it. You'll see it in every animal and you'll see it in Nature. Everything in nature - whether it's a tree, a flower, a river or whether it's a magnificent rock/stone or mountain-is Divine.

Everything is an expression of the Divine and every organism vibrates at its own unique frequency. Everything has a healthy vibration level. When it falls below that level it is not healthy. When it stays at that level, it's healthy.

So look for the Divine in everything. You will be fulfilling your love and your soul, and enriching your life when you're seeing the Divine every place you go because you'll understand the real truth behind the expression "We are all One. We are all connected."

When you look at someone who is living in scarcity and they don't have a home, you will recognize that their situation is impacting you, and the good side of that is your situation impacts them and they just may turn their life around because they see "Oh! I don't have to live this way. I have a choice."

Recognize that the butterfly in China flapping its wings affects the weather pattern I will experience here in Idaho in the United States. Everything that you do impacts everybody else. Everything that everybody else does impacts you.

Think about when you go into a crowded place. Sometimes you feel your energy rise. Sometimes you feel your energy zapped right out of you. Other people's energy impacts yours just as yours impacts other people.

And we are all Spirits, and when people recognize that we are all connected, that we are all one community across the entire world, across the entire Universe, life becomes easier for everyone.

So, recognize the Love of the Light that's within you and see it in everyone and everything. That single change in how you see others and everything will instantly open your eyes to new possibilities

The possibilities for your life are absolutely endless. From a point of your Divinity, and your love and your energy and the Spiritual being who You really are in your essence--you can be anyone who can do anything and have anything. When you know that truth in your heart and you're living it, when you recognize it's true for everyone and everything, your life will instantly change. It won't happen little by little. It will happen instantly!

Ali Bierman shows you how to be happier and manifest with awareness by changing your unknown belief systems that stop you cold. Grab her free ebook What You Don't Know You Don't Know to make your life happier by manifesting your dreams now at http://www.creatingthelife.com/ebook2.html

The Best Secret To Happiness Now! Find Out The Key To Happiness As A Woman And As A Mother

Do you ever wonder what happy moms have that you don't? Do you ever wish you knew their secret? Do you find yourself envious of your mom friends or acquaintances who appear to "have it all"? Why are some people so darn happy all the time? Is it their wealth? Their career? Their "perfect" husband?

In my years of study on the subject of happiness I've come to realize something very simple, yet so very profound. You may have even heard of it before, but it's something to always keep in the forefront of your mind. Here it is, the key to everlasting happiness: In order to be happy, you must be happy now.

Most of us say, "I'll be happy when....", or "When this is over I'll be happy", or "If only this were different, then I'd be happy". Well, I have news for you, fellow moms, you will never be happy if you can't be happy now, in your present circumstances. Now before you rush to correct me, hear me out. This does not mean you have to remain in the state you are in currently forever. It does not mean you need to "settle". No way! If you want more from life then you must pursue it. If you feel you were made to be or do more, or if you don't feel you've reached your dream life yet, then please continue after it.

However, you must learn to be content with your present, with wherever you are in life right now. Be happy about something in your life. Feel gratitude for at least one aspect in your life. We can all find something to be thankful for, proud of or content with. Find one or two or three parts of your life that make you feel good, then concentrate on these feelings and use them to expand the feeling of happiness and appreciation. Then use this feeling as motivation to change that which does not suit to your liking.

We will always have parts of our life we want to improve upon, whether it be our looks, our finances, our relationships, our spirituality, or any other aspect. And this is ok. But the key is to find contentment with where we're at now, knowing we will make improvements as we're able. Enjoy the moment, savor the present, be grateful for where you are, because let's face it, it could always be worse. So dwell on the good you experience now, and work on changing that which is less than satisfying.

This will propel your happiness to new heights today. It will also help inspire and motivate you to move towards your happiness goals. Be happy now, yet continue to seek more.

There is so much more to discover in this journey to everlasting happiness. This is just the very beginning. To learn more about how you can be happy as a woman and happy as a mother every day, please visit [http://www.happymombook.com/] It's completely FREE!

Tanna Phares is an author and mother of three young children. She helps women across the globe find enduring happiness in their lives as mothers. You can learn more about her by visiting  http://www.littlemamabiglife.blogspot.com/.   

The Secret to Happiness - It's All in Your Head

If there's a word that seems destined to provoke fear, anger and sadness, it's "cancer." So imagine my surprise when my friend Angela, after being diagnosed said, "I had great news; it's only stage three."

Great news?!

It's all in how you think about it. The facts were what they were. She couldn't control them. But she could control her attitude.

You can always choose your attitude.

Every day brings a mix of the good, the bad, the routine and the out-of-the-ordinary. But that's not what determines your experience. Your attitude does... even if that may feel somewhat counter-intuitive!

Your perspective is one of the few things in life that's 100% within your control.

Change your thoughts, change your experience.

My client Art, a talented photographer and videographer, adopted a simple change in perspective that dramatically changed how he experiences his least-favorite activity: film editing.

While he loves producing his extraordinary museum documentaries, he hated editing hundreds of hours of video down to a mere few hours for a final piece. In fact, he dreaded it so much that it ruined the entire project for him!

Until he viewed editing through a new lens.

His work is exactly the same. But he no longer thinks of it as "beating this piece into submission." Instead he focuses on how he's interacting with the film to craft the story. As a result, his entire experience has changed.

Develop a one-track mind toward happiness.

Choose one situation. Focus first on one aspect of your life that's stirring up strong negative emotions. It could be a task similar to Art's editing, a challenging relationship, or something at work.

Name your current attitude. Simply describe your view... don't judge yourself or your emotions!

Identify alternatives. Regardless of the facts, you can choose a variety of reactions. Consider your options and get creative, even wacky, to push your thinking. Move around the room. Step outside and peer through the trees. How would a four-year-old see the situation? How about a ninety year old? Come up with at least five alternatives.

Choose your new perspective. Then practice daily. You're creating new brain-tracks. It will take time for your new view to replace the old one. Remind yourself by placing sticky notes on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your desk. Journal about it. Dance around the room three times a day chanting it. Anything that works to keep it top of mind.

It's not what life hands you that dictates your experience.

It's how you think about it. Attitude trumps facts. Managing your perspective will go a long way toward helping you get and stay unstuck.

Get Sherry Essig's FREE "Getting Unstuck and Relieving Stress" kit along with her newsletter, The Way You Live Your Day is the Way You Live Your Life?, at http://www.flow-dynamix.com/getting-unstuck-and-relieving-stress-EZ.

Sherry Essig has over 10 years experience providing business-life coaching services and programs that help professionals live inspired, energized and unstuck. With a career spanning 25 years in the corporate world and running her own business, she knows what it takes to create change at work and in life.

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Quantum Psychology and Ebenezer Scrooge Reveal the Secret of Happiness

One hundred fifty years ago, Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, which, in addition to being an entertaining ghost story, reveals deeper psychological truths. When the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, goes to bed Christmas Eve, he is an unhappy, solitary, miserly old man. He wakes up Christmas morning - transformed. Instead of "bah, humbug," he laughs joyously as he buys gifts, wishes people a "Merry Christmas," and plans how he will help Tiny Tim, the handicapped son of his clerk.

Scrooge did not transform his life by talking about his problems or working on his "issues." His transformation occurred while he slept and dreamed of four ghostly visitors. These ghosts are metaphors for what happens in real life.

The psychological insights expressed in A Christmas Carol correspond to the insights into personal growth provided by quantum psychology, which is a combination of Eastern philosophy and Western science. Perhaps the most revolutionary insight is that talking about problems does not bring about transformation but hinders it. Dreams are produced solely by the unconscious mind and just as we dream in pictures, fundamental change emerges from communicating with the unconscious mind in the language it prefers - pictures. When we do, the brain responds immediately.

Another shared insight is the connection between personal growth and higher consciousness. Scrooge's first ghost, Jacob Marley, who is Scrooge's deceased business partner, introduces the subject of higher consciousness. He warns Scrooge that success in business is not enough: "Man was my business, charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business." So also the changes that emerge with the practice of quantum techniques both improve our ordinary lives and bring about higher consciousness. For example we become courageous, enjoy life and have satisfying relationships; we also become compassionate, spiritual beings, which are characteristics of higher consciousness.

Ghost #2, the Ghost of Christmas Present, shows Scrooge the negative aspects of his present life. So also Quantum Technique #1uses the "negative feedback" of our current problems, such as job stress, to stimulate rapid personal growth.

Shades of Sigmund Freud, Ghost #3, the Ghost of Christmas Past, shows Scrooge scenes from his youth. So also quantum techniques free us from the past, both our traumatic personal experiences and the beliefs and concepts about life we acquired from our cultural indoctrination, which is a form of brain washing.

The last ghost is the Ghost of Christmas Future, who gives Scrooge a preview of what his future will look like - if nothing changes. Based on the basic principle that we only get what we ask for, although not always, quantum techniques require us to look to the future and choose what changes we want to make in ourselves and our lives.

Scrooge and quantum psychology reveal that the secret of your happiness lies within you, specifically within your unconscious mind, which contains a personal-growth learning program that knows how to transform your life- with a little help from you.

Since childhood, Jean's quest has been the search for knowledge, which is synonymous with power. Her intent is to empower individuals looking to jump start their psychological evolution and achieve higher consciousness. Her book, The Greatest Escape: Travel the Quantum Path to Personal Freedom, providers readers with the theory underlying two quantum personal growth techniques, which produce immediate results, without talking about problems. Plenty of colorful pictures enhance the learning and make the book fun to read. More information can be found at http://www.quantumboyd.com

Wealth and The Secret to Happiness

Happiness is a personal journey but when you watch television you would think the good life is a new car, skinny body, or winning the lottery. If you were to look at surveys, most American's say more money would make them happier. But what if you were to look inside at what really gives you joy?

You may ask yourself... what really makes me feel good inside? Is it what the American Dream promises? Individual wealth? Does money buy happiness? Some of you would most likely say yes. Some would assume there is a connection between more wealth and feeling happy, an assumption that many scholars have called the "cycle of work and spend"--working more to buy more. According to one Gallup Poll, four in five people earning more than $75,000 a year say they would like to be richer.

But does being richer really bring about permanent changes in your overall level of happiness? Does it really bring you the consistent level of joy we all so desperately attempt to achieve. Does being well off make for well being? Rich people to a certain extent are happier, especially in poor countries such as India where being well off enhances the sense of well being. But if you were to take a look in the "richer" societies, more money doesn't necessarily mean more happiness or well being. More money often results in the law of diminishing returns.

David Lykken observes in his own studies of happiness, "People who go to work in their overalls and on the bus are just as happy, on the average, as those in suits who drive to work in their own Mercedes". So whats the end result of all of this? Since the 1950's we have become twice as rich as a nation and no happier. The divorce rate has doubled, the teen suicide rate has more than doubled, and teens increasingly are troubled with depression.

Social Psychologist David Myersthe calls this the American paradox. He says "More than ever, we at the end of the last century were finding ourselves with big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and diminished civility. We were excelling at making a living but too often failing at making a life. We celebrated our prosperity but yearned for purpose. We cherished our freedoms but longed for connection. In an age of plenty, we were feeling spiritual hunger."

So what can we do on an individual level? If being surrounded by the trappings of wealth, or lack thereof, ultimately does not make us feel happy then what will? Those things that make for a genuinely good life such as close relationships, showing gratitude and feeling appreciation for what we already have achieved in life is a good start. If material wealth is not the most important ingredient for a happy life, what is? Research has offered the following three suggestions:

1. Positive Characteristics - People who are optimistic, kind, forgiving, and grateful tend to have an abundance of happy experiences and happy lives.

2. Being in the Flow - Work and leisure activities that engage an individuals skill tend to lead a happier life. The area that lies between stress and the apathy of being bored, is a zone in which people experience being in the flow... an optimal state of mind in which, absorbed in an activity, they lose consciousness of self and time.

3. Close Relationships - We all have a deep need to belong. Those individuals who are supported by intimate friendships or a committed relationship are much likelier to declare themselves "very happy."

Ultimately, if you want to be happy, then recognize that happiness is a product of the way you think and behave and not your finances. Choosing to focus on what you desire in life while at the same time being grateful and appreciating what you already have is a good start. We are the captains of our ship. We write the book that is our life. Focus to make it happen.

Robert Hunt is the creator of MyGratitudeJournal.com - http://mygratitudejournal.com - An exclusive free and private on-line journal designed for individuals to write, learn and grow to they're greatest potential.

The Secret of Happiness?

There's been a lot of guff written about happiness in recent times. On the one hand, you've got the positive thinking gurus peddling their often simplistic fast track to deep joy and on the other you've got the doom-mongers telling us we're richer, healthier and unhappier than we've ever been.

Despite being somewhat cynical about the way happiness is regarded as the panacea for all ills, I confess to being part of the industry which promotes it as a life-affirming goal. Some see happiness as sentimental dream or fleeting fantasy. But I realise through my work as a hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner that it is possible to create a happy state of mind and spread a little of this magical ingredient.

What makes you happy is only relevant to you. A loving partnership and strong friendships are more highly prized than material things by most of us. It's a given that happiness is not necessarily about millions in the bank, a yacht on the Med or any of those affluent trappings. Many are the tales of how lottery winners lose their friends, community, identity and even their loved ones over arguments about new found loot.

There's no question, cash equals freedom of choice. More to the point, earning it equals a healthy sense of self worth which no trust fund kid will ever know (hence the less than life-enhancing addictions that often fill the gaps in their lives).

In a wealthy western culture, few of us go hungry or lack material goods. The poorest and most disadvantaged have access to housing, healthcare, education, the welfare state, iPods, mobiles and flat screen TVs.

What makes the starving happy is a good meal. It takes more than that to sate an emotionally starved but nutritionally nourished appetite. Whilst not life-threatening, such a condition undermines energy, motivation and focus, impairing the ability to set and achieve goals. High flyers in both primitive and technological societies often start out the hungriest and succeed simply because they try harder.

So it seems that the old fashioned Protestant principle of good old hard graft leads to a very secular kind of satisfaction. And being a bit peckish is no bad thing. It makes those little snacks in life so much more tasty. In this indulgent era of comfort and excess, those who make an effort and choose energy over inertia, those who curb their appetite enough to truly savour all that is plentiful and those who take the time to nurture their loved ones are the winners in the happiness stakes.

Karen Martin

http://www.hypnotherapykent.co.uk

Purpose: Is It The Secret To Happiness?

Happiness is something that we look for. It comes easy for some people, but for others, happiness can be very elusive. What is the secret in finding happiness in life? Is there even a secret to it? Is it just purpose or is there something else that can help you find happiness. It is true that purpose is one of the secrets that to finding happiness in life, but is it everything?

Purpose is very important to happiness, that in itself is a no-brainer. But, it is not as easy to find your purpose in life. Many people try for years and they still not able to find out what their purpose in life is. There are a lot of methods that you can use to help you figure this out. Some people even turn to mediums like numerology and astrological predictions to help them in finding out what the universe has set aside for them, you can do the same if you wanted to.

Why is purpose so important for happiness? It is because purpose is going to be what drives us. If your days seem endless and monotonous, there is a good chance that you may not have found your life's purpose yet or you may not have recognized it yet. Ask yourself, who or what do you wake up for? What are the reasons that you do to continue your life? Is it out of love and passion or do you do it because it is a mean to make money?

Purpose gives you direction and lead you to the right path of life. You will learn what is the real meaning of your life. It will give you the direction that you may be craving. Purpose, meaning, and direction are all keys to happiness. At the same time, you will also need love in your life. It does not have to be the romantic kind, it could be love from friends and family. No matter what you are doing, it is also important that you give yourself time and attention. If you do not do this, you run the risk of a burn-out and that does not contribute to your happiness in any way.

When you do use certain aids to help you find what your purpose is, keep in mind that tests, astrological predictions, numerology life path numbers are just guidelines. They are not end all be all doctrines that you cannot deviate from. Your happiness is dependent on you and it is your choices that can help ensure whether you are happy or not.

James Simon Morrison

Resources: If you want to learn more about astrological predictions, click on this link http://www.numerologist.com/articles/numerology/astrological-predictions-2010/ where you can get a lot more resources.

Secret to Happiness - Pursue Your Dream!

Paulo Coelho, one of the most widely read Brazilian author, says, "The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart suffered when it went in search of its dream."

It's tough! It's really very tough to change your career. And it's risky too. But as the above saying goes, if one lives in the fear of suffering, their situation is worse than that of the one actually suffering. And again, if one is heading towards their dream, they don't suffer.

In today's materialistic world, there's no room for terms like heart... dream... feelings. And while trying to live in this world, we forget the dreams we used to see as a child. We forget what we wanted to become in those dreams. We become too realistic and call those dreams to be stupid. Or we only see the blocks and give up thinking they can't be achieved anymore.

But somewhere inside, our heart still craves to live the dream, and from time to time, it jolts our brain hard demanding justice. It wants us to wake up and move in the direction of that dream.

Not only the heart, actually we too want to move in the same direction. We too want to shout at our boss and everybody,"You keep suffering in this disgusting job. I'm going on to pursue my dream from today." But that's what we just want. We never try! The wanting regularly crops up within us and calms down seeing no reaction from our side. Why don't we react? Why don't I walk out of the job? Or why don't we at least, check out for the ways to reach our dreams? The only reason fitting here is fear.

What fear? Even though we want to change our direction, fear of something unexpected to happen pulls us back. We want to jump up and run for our dreams, but the fear calms us down. Our reasoning leads us to all kinds of ifs and buts, thus killing the desire. But it's only for the time being. And later again, it'll raise its head only to make us feel the actual suffering we are passing through.

Most of us have the thought,"Now, let me keep doing this job. Someday in future I will pursue my dream." And that 'someday' never comes. So little weight to your dream! And to the dream that can help me feel happiness at heart! Is it right?

However much I pretend to be happy, I very well know that I am suffering. And what use is pretending when I am in no plan to even try for it. My duty is trying. At least, I can do that. I will achieve my dream or not is for God to decide. Success is not sure, nor is the failure.

We suffer in the dead-end job unwillingly; but still, continue doing it. Why? I tell you, this suffering is far more painful. When you go after your dream, you don't suffer but you enjoy. You enjoy every moment. And yes, even the moments of suffering. So, think before you continue with the job that doesn't lead to your dream.

Believe in yourself, and start pursuing your dream. You'll know what true happiness is.

A passionate writer. Visit his blog to enjoy more of his creative works.

The Secret to Happiness - 6 Ultra Simple Steps to Becoming Truly Happy in a Heartbeat!

Who else is still chasing happiness?  Looking for....but not FINDING fulfillment?  Going round and round with self help books, silly success strategies and confusing cliches that shed NO extra light on anything meaningful at all?  If this sounds like you....you are NOT alone..:-)  Finding happiness is an often an ultra elusive exercise.  Lots of books, (and fortunes) have been made in the very VAIN attempt to teach others how to finally be happy.  If you really think about it, it's sort of silly overall, don't you think?

Happiness is Your NATURAL State

It is.  Honest - I wouldn't lie to you..:-)  The simple truth is, absent all of the "stuff" that society pushes on us, and we integrate into being important, everything is pretty super simple.  And you can prove it yourself with elegant and expeditious ease when you're ready.

How to Be Authentically Happy Can Be Forgotten......But it Can ALSO Be Re-Learned As Well

There are all sorts of amazing things being done in the study of joy. Lots of serious scientific scholars are dedicating the full force of the intellectual intention on researching what it truly means to be happy.  And the results, are truly astonishing.  It has nothing to do with money.  Nothing to do with cars, houses or stuff.  Nothing to do at ALL with status.

6 Simple Happy Hacks You Can Employ Today (Proven To Accelerate & Accentuate the Joy, Fulfillment and Enjoyment of Your Life Right Now!)

Have More Physical Intimacy (Your Body Touching Another Body just may be the FASTEST Way to Truly Feel Joy That There Is..:-)
Have More EMOTIONAL Intimacy (Feeling loved.  Being loved.  GIVING Love.  These are the emotions or real riches and make us smile with simplicity and authentic joy)
Contribute More (In the scientific study of happiness.....it truly IS better to give, than to receive)
Sleep More (Many of us are overstressed and far too tired to FEEL the amazing emotion of ecstasy)
Be Here NOW (It sounds like the title of another new age book, I know....but being present, right now, in this very moment is the art and science of perfection in practice.  No past....no future.  Just now.  Try it....I promise it feels great..:-)
Meditate (Meditation is magic, mystery and simply an amazing way to dive into the warm and welcoming waters of your own mind. Making time to meditate is KEY to all of the above, and this has been proven over and over again by the happiest societies in the world)

Happiness is Your TRUE Birthright

And it feels amazing too.  You deserve it - and it's waiting for you when you're ready.

Not Living the Life You Were CREATED to Live?

You Were BORN to be Happy, Fulfilled & Joyful... and We Want to Prove it to You for Free!

Get Happy Here!

(If I Can Do it... So TOO Can You!)

Happiness Quote - The Secret of Happiness

There is an amazing happiness quote by Albert Schweitzer that says 'Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.' Understand this happiness quote and you will see exactly how to be happy. Here are 3 things that I get our of this happiness quote.

1. Happiness is success.

So many people want to be successful because they think that will make them happy. They work for years and years to be successful just to find that when they have reached so called success they are the furthest thing from happiness. Instead of working for success, work for happiness. This will make you a success in life.

2. Do what you love.

Have you ever found yourself doing something because you were told it would make you happy but in fact it just made you miserable? There are countless amounts of people that are doing what they hate. No wonder they aren't happy. If you want to be happy, start doing the things that you love in life.

3. Happiness can only be defined by you.

The media does a great job at telling people what happiness is but they don't have a clue what really makes you happy. You are the one that knows what makes you happy. So, instead of trying to find happiness by what others say it is, you need to decide what happiness is for you. Once you know this you won't be chasing the wind to find that there is nothing there.

Is there greatness on the inside of you but you don't know how to achieve it? Jason has just completed his brand new 7 part e-course, 'Find Your Greatness'

Get it free here: Find Your Greatness

Do you want to learn how to create successful habits and goals? Download Jason?s new FREE ebook here: Goal Setting

Jason Osborn has dedicated himself to changing thousands of lives by helping people find their greatness and true potential through his Find Your Greatness Newsletter.

The Secret to Happiness, Health, and Wealth

Half a year ago, my life was not how I wanted it to be. I was unhappy. I was making stupid decisions and acting on impulse rather than logic. I had been in trouble a few times, and it continued to make me unhappy. Things gradually got worse and worse. Soon, my lack of happiness lead to anger, which lead to depression. I needed a way out of this rut. I was constantly looking for a way to make myself happier, and I was constantly looking for something to aide me in my troubles. For a long while, nothing changed. I was still unhappy. Fortunately, right at the moment I was about to yank out every last bit of my hair, the doorbell rang.

In walked a family friend whom I hadn't seen in ages. As we reminisced and I told her about recent events that had occurred in my life, she told me she had an answer. She went out to her car and returned with a book. The cover was tattered and the spine was a little torn, but it was still intact. "Read this," she said. "It'll change your life." I asked her what it was about and she simply said, "Just read it." After she left, I sat down and opened the book. It was called The Secret, and I'll tell you right now, it changed my life.

As I began reading, I soon learned everything I needed to know about how exactly to flip my life around, and in this article will only be a brief summary.

I bet you're wondering, "What is the secret?" I'll tell you.

In a nutshell, the universe works for you. Everything you could ever want or need, you can have. All you have to do is train your mind, which sounds kind of difficult, but it really isn't. The Secret revolves around the Law of Attraction, which means "like attracts like." Basically, everything that's coming into your life, good or bad, you attracted into your life. Want to know how? Your thoughts. Every thought you have has a frequency; some larger than others. We can literally measure a thought. If you continuously think about what you want, you're emitting that frequency on a consistent basis. Every thought you have sends out a message to the universe. The universe works around your thoughts. If you think negatively, negative things will be attracted into your life and vice-versa. The secret gives you everything you could ever want: happiness, health, and wealth.

There are three important steps on how to use the secret correctly.

Step one: Ask. You must ask the universe for what you want. Just ask for it. Eventually you'll get it. Every time. Guaranteed. There are no limits. Nothing is too big or too small. Literally, anything you want or ask for you will receive, due to the Law of Attraction. Somehow, one way or another, the universe will work around your thoughts to give you what you want. Period.

Step two: Believe. You must believe you will get what you've asked for. You have to truly know inside your mind that whatever you've asked for is on its way to you. If you see it in your mind, you have to know, soon enough, you will see it in your hands. Use this step by remembering three simple words: Thoughts. Become. Things. Ask for two-hundred dollars and believe you will, in a certain amount of time, receive two-hundred dollars. It's that simple.

Step three: Receive. Be ready to get what you want. Expect what you've asked for to be in your hands shortly. Prepare for what you've asked for. If you want two-hundred bucks, right out a check to yourself for two-hundred bucks. Act like you already have the two-hundred bucks in your hands and you will have two-hundred bucks in your hand.

Positive thoughts have a much higher frequency than negative thoughts because positive thoughts fill you with joy. Joy is another important key factor to effectively applying the secret. Feel good all the time. If involved in a negative situation, turn it into a positive situation and any future situation you will encounter, if using the secret correctly, will also be positive. Again, like attracts like.

The secret does not only apply to money, but relationships, health, and other things as well. The secret literally applies to anything and everything you could ever want or need. All you have to do is ask! It's that easy!

The first time I recognized the secret working for me, I was sitting on my bed in my room reading. Out of no where, I heard a very annoying buzzing sound. I looked around the room until I discovered a mosquito flying around the ceiling. I worried about it biting me, and then thought to myself, "This is a perfect chance to see if this thing works." I began to think in my head, "I never get bit by mosquitoes. It's really weird. I just never get bit. I've never been bitten by a mosquito in my life. They just aren't attracted to me for some strange reason." When I stopped, I continued to read as the mosquito continued to buzz. Right when I completely forgot about the mosquito, the constant buzzing ceased. When I looked up, the mosquito had flown right into a spider web! My jaw dropped. The very next thing I thought was, "It works!"

I have been using the secret since the day I read the first couple chapters and my life has completely changed. My grades are phenomenal. I haven't been in trouble since before I read The Secret. Seriously! My relationship with my friends is amazing and my relationship with my parents is better than ever. Everything I've needed or wanted, I've received one way or another. It's truly amazing how easily things can change by simply thinking positively.

I encourage you to read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. If you need guidance or help in any aspect of your life, you have my word that this will aide you to that happier, more healthy lifestyle that you long for. It helped me. Why not everyone else?

My name is Jaycub Moore. I eighteen years old and am attending highschool as a senior. I plan to attend college at UTA (Arlington). I am currently writing for my school's newspaper and have been since I began attending in 2006. I long to write for a magazine or newspaper as a career. Lastly, I've never recieved less than a four on a TAKS essay.

Secret of Happy Families

Love the Ones You're With

I love my life! Happiness is about loving the ones you are with and loving them right, as well as loving them the way you want to be loved in return! Sure , I am like most others when it comes to money and such always wanting more of that but when it comes down to what truly matters in this world - love I feel rich as they come.

Happiness in this blog, can offer only guidance and advice based on my own experiences that I hope will help you find your way to your own happiness.

Let's begin by reviewing some facts from happiness researchers, who look past plastic surgery, fancy homes, and lots of money for the true source of happiness. Research points to specific concrete things that do in fact nurture internal, long-term happiness. That list includes the following:

Religion. Involvement in faith improves social and community ties, which leads to greater happiness.

Sense of humor. People with a hopeful outlook that demonstrates joy to others are less likely to be dragged down by negative events.

Free time. Activities that combine socializing, physical activity, and the need for some level of skill are shown to led to happiness.

Happiness Is Somewhere in Between

Some people can never be happy unless the conditions are what they consider to be absolute perfect. The job, the house, the money in the bank, their waistline, and hairline, kid's school, you name it. They have to have all of the above to be happy at all. They think that some day when all this happens at once, they'll find true happiness. And they're always disappointed, whether they get it or not, since the list of requirements keeps getting longer.

Other people manage to find a little joy here and there-enough to keep them happy. They cherish and savor ach one of these moments that might be overlooked by someone else. And they're always smiling like idiots-even though the rest of us can't see any reason to smile.

I try hard not to be the first type, and I wish very hard that I could be the second type. But with all the demands of life. I'm just happy to be somewhere in between.

http://lifeplanhome.wordpress.com