My Secrets to a Happy Life.

I didn't know I had any secrets to a happy life. But last night as I was laying in bed wishing I could fall asleep, I realized I know how to be happy. I just need to utilize it more. Here's what I've discovered...

1. Be thankful.
When I realize the little things people constantly do for me, I do feel gratitude. But it's when I EXPRESS that gratitude that I really feel good. Once I start to say thank you to people for the things they do, I start to realize how many other things I can say thank you about. And then it starts this chain reaction where I am running around being grateful about everything and thanking everyone for what they do for me...and it makes me happy. What's more, I think it makes them happy. Who doesn't like to have their work appreciated? Also, it doesn't matter if I've thanked them for that thing before. If I'm still thankful for it, why not continue to express that gratitude? As I become more aware of the ways I've been blessed by the people around me (and by God...you definitely can't leave him out!), I realize how much I have to be happy about.


2. Read Scriptures.
Sorry to all of you out there who aren't religious or who don't like scriptures, but this is my blog and my keys to happiness, and that includes scriptures. This is a recent discovery for me, which is a little embarrassing. Not to say that it's the first time I've read my scriptures, or that I never appreciated them until now. But just recently I realized how much of a difference they can make in my life. I started a new goal of late to read my scriptures every day (I'd been a little slack prior to that) and it went really well for about five days. Then I skipped two nights because I thought "I'm too tired. It will be okay if I just don't read today." Guess what? It wasn't okay. Those two days had all the elements of my previous five days, minus the scriptures. And that's when I realized what a difference reading the scriptures can make. There was just something missing from my day. Something that was preventing me from feeling as good, working as hard, or smiling as much. Looking back, I realized that the only difference in my life had been reading the scriptures. So I'm back to reading, and I'm much happier. It just brings a better spirit into my home and my life.


3. Stay Positive.
Life is so full of things that can get me down. Yes, I am one of those people who looks at the glass as half empty. I am also one of those people who stresses about every. little. thing. Even the things that don't matter. I play the "what if" game way too often. Over the years I've been given various challenges to help me have a more positive attitude. There are three that I have been trying to implement in my life, and it is slowly getting easier to be positive naturally. A) For every negative thing I say, I have to come up with two positives. B) At the end of the day (usually as part of a journal entry) I have to list three things I am grateful for that day. C) Whenever something upsetting, stressful, etc. happens, I have to find the bright side. It is hard to do these things, but they are helping me so much! And I've decided that it's worth the struggle, because I feel better about myself knowing that I'm not always being negative and bringing others down with my bad attitude. Also, life just seems better and easier. Even though recently my life has had more challenges, they haven't seemed as overwhelming....most of the time....