I am in control of my happiness.
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“Did you know that the mere act of smiling can stop a negative mindset?" "Research shows that smiling a lot can rewire the circuit in the brain that helps you keep a positive attitude toward life.” “When you smile with your eyes and mouth—a real, deep meaningful smile (called the Duchenne smile)—the part of your brain involved in decision-making, intellectual pursuit, shifting between thoughts, and thinking things through rationally becomes stronger and more effective.” “Simply put, smiling makes you happier and more intelligent.” ~ Dr. Caroline Leaf I have a simple habit that makes my days noticeably happier. Not monumentally happier, but noticeably. It takes less than 30 seconds a day. When I wake up in the morning, I smile a big, genuine smile just like Dr Leaf says, breath in deeply, then let it out slowly, smiling all the while. Then I say something positive. "It's going to be a great day." or "I am grateful for another beautiful day." or even "I have Cheerios for breakfast today!" (I love Cheerios so that's a big deal for me. 🙂) That's it. Something about taking a deep breath feels good to me, so that lends genuineness to my smile. Skeptical? 🤨 Do you have 30 seconds to spare? Get out your lab coat and perform an experiment Professor. 1. Big, real smile. 2. Breath in deeply. Still smiling. 3. Let out slowly. Still smiling. 4. Say something positive. Still smiling. 5. If you enjoyed it, feel free to repeat. I don't know about you, but sometimes I need a reminder that I can control (or at least influence) my own happiness. Even a small reminder can make such a big difference. Check us out on Instagram and Facebook. Too many emails? Switch to the weekly email here. |
The Affirmation Project
Sometimes we need help to do it, but we can always choose to change.
We don’t have to be world famous to be proud of our accomplishments. What challenges have you overcome in your life? How long and hard did you work to overcome and succeed? Many of my proudest accomplishments were private victories, like overcoming a lingering bad habit, or setting a grueling personal best time on my morning jog. Others have overcome tougher bad habits. Others have set faster speed records. I can still choose to be proud of myself. Your greatest victories may have happened...
Fear of failure is rampant in the world. How many opportunities have you seen family and friends avoid because they are afraid of failing? Have you avoided any opportunities yourself? In some cases, it seems I am almost afraid of success, because even after succeeding in some way I still have deep fears that the success was just a fluke and failure is still waiting around the next corner. What kind of internal dialogue is behind our fear of failure? What kind of story are we telling...
Too often I find myself trying old solutions to old problems. The trouble is when the old solutions have never really worked. Sometimes I just need a reminder that it's ok to try something new. The same thing goes for new opportunities. Old ways won't open new doors. If we want something new from life, we shouldn't expect to get it by doing the same thing we have always done. The same thing we have always done is likely to get us the same thing we have always got. Now sometimes we just...