Still waiting for your personal situation to improve before you’ll allow yourself to be happy? Most of us have preconceived ideas of what would make us happy, and we refuse to feel satisfied until those things happen.

The problem is that even once situations improve in our lives, we’re rarely satisfied with them! Instead, we shift our focus to something even bigger and better, believing “it” will make us happy. We never allow ourselves to reach a point of contentment. Have you done the same thing to yourself?

The good news is that you can decide to be happy NOW – even if not everything in your life is perfect. Below you’ll find 3 easy ways to do so:

1) Be grateful.

Gratitude is one of the most powerful states of mind that you can adopt. Not only does it make you feel good, it shifts your focus from what you don’t have to what you DO have, and keeps it there! As you focus more on what you are grateful to have in your life (even the really small blessings!), you worry less about anything that may be lacking. The result? A more pervasive sense of happiness!

2) Take time to smell the roses.

If you spend most of your days feeling rushed and scattered, it’s hard to feel happy and content. In order to be truly happy, you need to make time for yourself to relax, dream, and take pleasure in life’s simpler moments. Beginning today, make sure to spend time doing things you love on a regular basis. Read books that stimulate your imagination; listen to great music; take long walks, and generally make an effort to enjoy your life as it is right now.

3) Love the journey.

Many of us make the mistake of pinning all of our expectations on some vague, far-off result, like the completion of goals. We believe that once we “get there” everything will be perfect and we’ll finally be happy. However, there is much to be gained from enjoying the journey TO your destination! Make it your mission to revel in every moment that you’re working toward higher goals. Enjoy the sense of self-mastery and accomplishment you gain with every goal you achieve. Make it a worthwhile journey and you’ll savor the end result that much more!

The most important thing to understand about happiness is that it is largely a CHOICE you make from moment to moment. Though certain serious situations make it difficult to feel happy at times, most often we allow the little things to bother us and block any happiness we would otherwise feel. Embrace happiness, and it will grow to monstrous proportions in your life!

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: Benjamin Franklin, choice, happiness, personal improvement

Since  balance is a topic raised during a number of mentoring sessions, I’ve decided to write a post on the subject.  It’s certainly true that when life seems out of control and there are endless demands tugging at you from all directions, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, fatigued and just plain stressed!

Balancing your life does not require massive changes. You don’t have to abandon your family, leave your employer and escape to a mountain top retreat in order to experience peace and happiness. True balance is starts within you first and foremost regardless of whatever else is happening in your life.

Here’s three simple ways to begin building a greater sense of inner peace and harmony:

1) Quiet time.

When we’re extremely busy, we tend to sacrifice our personal time. Instead we devote all of our energy and attention to caring for others, multi-tasking, meeting responsibilities and “being productive.” This depletes our energy and we begin to feel more and more burdened by our responsibilities.

To live a more balanced life, quiet time to yourself is crucial. You may believe that you don’t have any time available for yourself, but something amazing happens when you consistently find the time; you find yourself feeling happier and more energetic. Your focus improves, which means you still get plenty done! Just a few minutes spent sitting quietly in meditation or reading a book can do wonders in transforming stress into peace and happiness.

2) Self-care.

Beyond making time for things you enjoy, there are other ways to nurture and love yourself on a daily basis. Getting a full 8 hours of sleep (or as much as you personally need) is a great start, as well as eating nutritious food, exercising daily and speaking kindly to yourself.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re really tired or stressed, even the smallest problem can seem like a nightmare? Conversely, when you’re feeling well-rested and centered, you’re much better able to handle the inevitable upsets. Giving yourself proper care is one sure way to consistently replenish your energy, inner peace and joy. This will ensure that you’ll have the strength to handle whatever comes your way.

3) Flexibility.

Did you know that one of the biggest causes of stress is rigid expectations? We all do it from time to time; get a mental picture of how our lives “should be” and get really annoyed when our outer circumstances don’t cooperate! One of the biggest gifts you can give yourself is a flexible state of mind. Learn how to detach from unrealistic expectations and go with the flow.

When you have a flexible mind-set, you’re able to deal with crises and problems much more easily because you’re not working against a preconceived notion of how things “should be”. You’re able to tap into your creative problem solving skills and move through challenges without all the drama and frustration. Be like the willow tree that bends with the breeze and you’re much less likely to break!

These inner changes can make a dramatic difference in your state of well-being, but you may also want to examine your outer life circumstances and see if there are other small changes you can make to help support your inner work.

For example, you might choose to let go of certain obligations that are no longer meaningful or enjoyable to you. Just because you agreed to host weekly meetings for a support group three years ago doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it forever – especially if it’s become a drain on your time and energy!

Be willing to let go of activities that no longer complement the lifestyle you desire, and you’ll create a space for greater fulfillment, joy and peace.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: balance, happiness, Robert Fulghum, tips for personal success

You Must Focus To Achieve Personal Success

Old Zig Ziglar is right on target isn’t he? It’s funny how we humans are willing to trade the immediate good for the later great.

No matter what is you want, you need to remain focused on your target and walk a straight line to it. Want to get more done? Focus on the things that are important, delegate or forget those that are not. Want to loose weight? Keep your focus on habits that produce a healthy, fit you. Want to have financial freedom? Stay focused on decreasing outlays and increasing income.

Reaching your goals leads to happiness. To be successful reaching you goals – stay focused. Therefore, stay focused and you’ll achieve personal success.

Wishing you a larger life,

BB

Technorati Tags: goals, happiness, personal success, success, Zig Ziglar

You Need To Take Care of You

It is very difficult, if not down right impossible to enjoy any kind of personal success if you’re having health issues. Clearly, some of these issues are no fault of our own. We pick up whatever bug is going around and find ourselves out of  action for a few days.

However, it’s taken me a long time to learn that most health issues come down to just plain maintenance items. That’s right – I wrote maintenance items. We need to spend a little time each day taking care of these amazing machines we call our bodies. An awful lot of us wouldn’t dream of missing an oil change in our cars, yet think nothing of pushing our bodies and minds without proper fuel or rest.

For some folks complaining about fatigue or not feeling well is almost a daily ritual. The same people often avoid looking at the underlying issues. Maybe they just need to turn off the game and get some sleep! Others will complain about their weight while refusing to seek out professional advice as to how to best handle it. Or if they get the right advice, fail to heed it.

So, to achieve your personal success goals work hard everyday at doing good work, get a little exercise, a little rest, some relaxation and proper nutrition. Speaking of nutrition, it’s dinner time

Wishing you a larger life,

BB

Technorati Tags: Albert Schweitzer, goals, happiness, personal success

“Monday Blues” my foot!

I walked to into the office this morning and someone stopped me to ask “What are you so happy about? Don’t you know it’s Monday morning?”

Well, let me share what I told him.

“I awoke this morning and figure since I’m alive, I might as well be happy about it. I just left my own own home, which is warm and dry on a snowy March morning. This home of mine contains people I love and who love me. I safely navigated a ride to my place of employment, which is warm and dry and still successfully in business (meaning I get regular paychecks). What’s not to be happy about?”

Look, I’m not saying you and I don’t have challenges, we do. Some days are tougher than others. Just do yourself a favor, create a great day. Day after day these become a great week, then a great month and a great year. Before you know it’ you’ll be having a great life.

Oh yea, and like your mother always told you “count your blessings”.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: happiness, personal success, success

I LOVE This Tip.

Being authentic is one of my favorite subjects. Being comfortable with yourself makes other people comfortable, which improves your chances of achieving your goals in life. The more relaxed people feel around you, the more they’ll help you get what you want. Tap into your true self, beliefs, opinions, dreams and personal goals. Most people can sense when your putting on an act. William Shakespeare was right on the money when he wrote in ‘Hamlet,’ Act I, Scene iii “This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day; Thou canst not then be false to any man”. Share yourself with other people – honestly, gently, courageously. The more genuine you are, the more likely you’ll achieve your goals in life.

Technorati Tags: Barry Neil Kaufman, goals, happiness, personal goals