BBB Entry#30
Must do - Let your happiness be known and shown to others by the things you say and do.
Why - Happiness begets happiness! If you want more of it in your life, then you must share it with all those people around you.
Perspective:
Happiness is contagious. No matter if it is fake or not, happiness spreads all the same. If someone asks how your day is, even if it hasn’t been that pleasant just state it was good anyway. Find one thing in your day that you can be thankful for, or blessed for not having to go through. Make that the focus for your day being good. You hear elderly people who are just truly happy for being on this side of the dirt. Maybe that is a place where you can start. You have another day to try to achieve what you were unable to do the day before. Maybe you procrastinated and put off a task the day before, then make that your goal to complete today. Anything to give yourself credit for having a good day.
I have found that instead of being exact about how my day was disappointing, or stressful I find the one thing that went well, or smooth. I began describing that moment as my entire day. It does a few things for me. The first thing that it does is it gets me to focus on the positive things. Whether it is something that I was able to achieve in the day to boost confidence in self or if someone else contributed to the feeling. Which interns leads to better self talk and inner dialogue to self. I spend more time now focused on the thing that I did well then all of the things that I didn’t get right that day. I use this as the point in which to build tomorrow's goals from. Which keeps the positivity flowing from day to day from very small threads. But these threads are strong like spider webs are for the nourishment of your own soul.
Second, it allows me to see the good in the people around me so that I am not so critical of them when they don’t do so well. If they are the focus for the good in the day I can also use these small instances to build them up in my mind. Another reason to give them the benefit of the doubt, bring a reality to their human. They are doing the best that they can to please and make me happy even if sometimes that goal is not obtained. It allows me to gain more pleasure from their presence in my life when I can focus on these accomplishments that they made. This energy is now more interchangeable between you both when you have a reciprocal relationship. Now be mindful that everyone in your life is not trying to be as good to you as you are to them. Also these may be in instances that you may not have the ability to make a change. This might be a reflection to go back to Notice BBB Entry #26.
Finally, I also noticed that my response from having more pleasant days has changed with my core supporters. Everyday seems to fall in the category of pleasurable because of this. I used to say my day was okay, bad, or a struggle. Those around me would reply fine, or didn’t want their day to seem as it was so much better. As a result the conversation was focused on what didn’t go well instead of what did. Now I say my day is spectacular and they respond with exceptional. Suddenly my day is better just because theirs was so good. With just a word my outlook on life is a little lighter, a little less bleak. Our conversation then focuses on what went well for the both of us. They probably feel the same, having just an okay day, but now we are both enhanced from a partial truth. We have fed unto the other the ability to carry just a little less and be more positive with our outlook. We put the negative stuff to the side and focus on a better way to see the day. Just a small change in my response has actually made my days a little lighter even if they weren’t the best of days.
Happiness is contagious, so choose it!