7 Proven Ways to Unlock the Ability to be Happy and Successful

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Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email to a friend

Realizing that there is only one person who can make you happy and that is you is the first step toward your happiness and success in life. No one else can, nor are they expected to be responsible for your happiness. Life at times is difficult for everyone, and it becomes easy to find ourselves feeling a bit down, but thanks to God above, there is a way up. If happiness and success are something you are interested in, and I’m sure it is, below are 7 Proven Ways to unlock the ability to be happy and successful.

• Create a Positive attitude
• Smile often—laugh
• Exercise regularly
• Eat better
• Socialize frequently
• Continue Learning
• Discover your spiritual needs

Create a Positive attitude

Happiness is not a feeling, although feelings are involved; it is an attitude. On the other hand, a negative attitude wards off happiness. Dealing with negativity can be difficult, but it is possible. It is easy to say “just get rid of your negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones”, but it isn’t usually quite that easy.

Like most other things, positive thinking is learned. Also like other things that are important, it takes time and patience to learn to think positively. The Bible has the perfect plan: “Learn to think on those things which are good.” When a negative thought enters your mind, realize that you are being attacked by an unwanted foe and fight back. Your weapon is a positive thought to counter the negative one. For example, if the thought enters your mind that you can’t do a certain thing because you are just not good enough, counter with the thought “yes I can and I will.” The enemy will not give up easily and will try again and again, and when it does, fight back with another positive thought. Imagine that there is a very beautiful picture before you and also a very ugly one; disregard the ugly one and focus on the beautiful one; this defeats negative thoughts which are represented by the ugly pictures that they are.

Smile often—laugh

Smile is a real big word; it has a mile in it. It is also a real big part of creating happiness and success. A smile can raise the spirits of those you meet and can be extremely therapeutic, but it also can help you to feel less stress, and according to studies, it can even boost your immune system. Try it; it is so easy to do, and if it will make someone else happier, and at the same time raise your own mood level, you can’t go wrong. Successful people know the value of a smile and smile often.

Then of course there is laughter. Laugher is said to be the medication of the soul. It I had the privilege of meeting the late comedian, Jerry Clower, several years ago and have dinner with him. Jerry was an exceptional person who could tell funny stories using his native Mississippi accent, which he enhanced a bit. He was a dedicated Christian and dedicated his life not only to make people laugh and forget the pain they were going through, but he also helped people see that God was the source of all true joy. For over 20 years, Jerry produced an album each year for MCA records and some hit the gold. If you would like to have a good laugh, watch Jerry on You Tube.

Exercise regularly

Exercise is one of the most common missing ingredients in the lives of today’s busy world. Exercise does wonders: It will burn those excess calories, regulate your blood sugar and blood pressure, increase circulation and raise your mood like little else can. If you don’t have time for the gym, just take regular walks. If you don’t think you have time to exercise, ask yourself if you also don’t have time to die.

Eat better

Many today have vitamin deficiencies because the food they eat doesn’t contain all the vitamins and minerals that their body needs in order to maintain a constant state of happiness. Some essential vitamins needed to enhance the mood level are B1, B3, B6, B9, and B12. As a person ages, their body is less efficient at absorbing these B vitamins from food, so a B supplement might be needed. If you find yourself feeling old and tired, B vitamins could help.

Food today is not as nutritious at it once was because the soil where food is raised is becoming depleted of some essential minerals and nutrients. Therefore, it is helpful to use food supplements and vitamins. It is not the purpose of this article to go into what supplements are best, or those most needed, but that information is available on the Web.

Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and include nuts in your diet. The benefits of eating fruit, vegetables and nuts are well documented; they are especially high in antioxidants that our body needs to fight free radicals, which are believed to cause certain cancers, strokes and chronic disease. They also help you to maintain a healthy weight, and also important they include some of the essential vitamins and minerals to raise your mood level.

Socialize frequently

Without a doubt, one of the greatest defenses against depression and low feeling is socializing with friends. Relationships are of the greatest assets we have in life, far more valuable than money or material things. So be sure not to neglect your friends when you are feeling low; they just might help to bring you out of it. Take a few minutes to give them a call if you can’t visit with them.

There are two other wonderful resources that you need to take advantage of: If you are fortunate enough to have a grandfather or grandmother or know someone over 70, spend some time with them; they can share a world of wisdom with you on a lot of issues. Also, little children can lighten up your attitude just by being around them for a while.

Continue Learning

Everyone needs to take time for themselves. Instead of investing time in passive TV, try something like learning new things through reading informative books. Try this: find some good books and spend time to read about 15 pages each day, and in time you will have read a lot of books and will have increased your education by a bunch. Learning also helps you to become more interesting.

Discover your spiritual needs

Nothing else in this world can bring contentment like discovering your spiritual self, and bringing nourishment to your inner self that can only come from God Almighty. God wants to renew your spiritual self and bring a depth of meaning and purpose into your life like you have never experienced before. But in order for it to happen, you must be willing to invite him into your life. Learn more about how to have a relationship with God.

Conclusion

Finally, life has an expiration date, so right now is the time to enjoy it!  We don’t have the option of a dressed rehearsal; “You’re on baby”; this is the real thing, so don’t waste another moment; make the most of it while you can. Appreciate what you have instead of thinking about all that you don’t have. Wake up in the morning with a new attitude: “This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24). Here’s a thought that I leave you with: Success in life is best determined by how much you enjoyed your life, and how much difference your presence made. You can quote me on that one; it took me a long time to learn it.

 

About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who has been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. There are hundreds of articles to help you on this website (Website Contents) in your personal growth.

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