We need three elements in our lives to make us happy.
Happiness is often rooted in three essential elements: purpose, relationships, and money.
Purpose gives us direction, a reason to wake up with enthusiasm, and a sense of fulfillment from contributing to something greater than ourselves.
Relationships—whether with family, friends, or a partner—provide emotional support, belonging, and joy, reminding us that we are not alone in life’s journey.
Money, while not the sole factor in happiness, offers stability and access to opportunities, reducing stress and allowing us to enjoy experiences that bring comfort and excitement.
When all three are balanced, life feels richer, more meaningful, and deeply satisfying. Would you like me to expand on any of these?
The three ingredients for a happy life are:
Purpose
We all need a purpose in life, something that engages us and helps us look forward to the day. It doesn’t need to be paid work, so long as it is an activity that gives us connection and interaction.
Relationship
We need someone in our lives to share the good and the bad. Someone who cares about us, someone to love.
Money
We don’t need heaps to make us happy. We just need a modest amount to feed, clothe and house ourselves with a bit left over for pleasure and to save.
What makes for a Happy Life?
If you are lacking in any of the above three elements of happiness, you must first BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
Happiness means different things to different people. Happiness to some means success. To others it has more to do with looks, height or achievements in life.
Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being, often defined as “living a good life”. Happiness can also be described as being at peace with oneself… being at one with who we are.
How to be happy
When you are feeling unhappy you have one of two choices .. to stay in that frame of mind or to change your thoughts and your thinking. We all have the capacity to choose to feel differently or to stay in that negative, self destructing state. Remember, no-one can make you feel unhappy. It is your choice to be this way and to stay there. We have choices in every situation. We all have choices.
Our thoughts are what define us, our thinking, both good and bad. In one day our thoughts can vary depending on what we have to do or what we don’t get done, who does or doesn’t talk to us. How we start the day often determines our mood for the day.
We need to look at the reasons why people become unhappy. It is because they allow people, situations, events and things to influence their thinking. To change your thinking can be confronting and challenging. We have a new opportunity every day to wake up and look afresh at life through new thinking. To change your frame of mind, use some self talk. Tell yourself you are a changed person and others will not change or influence your thinking because you have decided to be happy.
The Power of Positivity
Positivity is a powerful strength in any given situation. Smile more, be friendly and be interesting to be around. Ignore comments that are not positive. Look happy, smile and stay happy.
Have a happy attitude to life. You will be surprised how much your demeanor will change others’ behaviour. Whenever a situation arises, realize that you have a choice and become the person you want to be. It is possible to change your situation and if necessary, to change your friends.
Chris Sheldon Diploma Graduate, Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors (AIPC)
To be both successful and happy, it is very important to believe in yourself. Our beliefs are generally formed in childhood. We have learnt these beliefs from our parents, our environment and the world around us.
Our patterns of behaviour and attitudes are formed when, as young children or teenagers, we watch and learn about attitudes and behaviours from our parents, teachers and any outside influences we are exposed to. We learn about what is acceptable and what is not, and we start forming our own opinions and belief systems, based on our own experiences. These are our shaped and learnt behaviours. We learn that being polite is rewarded and that being rude is not acceptable.
When processing new information
or experiences as an adult, those core beliefs systems that we have formed and
adopted in our early years can sometimes be challenged, but mostly we go back
to our core beliefs as that is where we feel secure.
The
Problem of Self Doubt
Core beliefs
of parents are handed down the generations and they form the basis for our sometimes
flawed, incorrect belief systems. When
this happens, we can become self-doubters, feel insecure and unnecessary
anxiety can take hold. We begin doubting
ourselves and fighting against these ingrained beliefs proves to be very
difficult. To work through these, we
need to have a positive mindset because overcoming limiting beliefs can
be challenging.
In life, we
limit ourselves with these learnt limiting self-beliefs that somehow we
focus on when faced with new challenges, like entering a new career or trying
out something completely different.
Also, others
can influence our thinking very easily, if we let them, putting up blockers for
our vision for the future that we have set for ourselves. Peer pressure can play a role in confusing us
at times when we want to break out of the mould and set our sights on something
personally challenging. Others will have
their own limiting mindset, so don’t be influenced by them. We can listen and may take their advice. We can ask others but we must draw our own
conclusions.
Don’t let
others stand in the way of what you really want to do. Parents, friends and associates may criticise,
or their comments may come from the best of intentions, but do your own
research and listen to someone who has a more open mind. If they are someone that you can bounce ideas
off, you will respect their advice. Listen
to them and ultimately make up your own mind.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. THE
SKY IS THE LIMIT!
be happy
Don’t let go of the dreams,
passions and values you have set down for yourself. Having put these in place, ultimately the
decision is yours. The sky is the limit when
facing new challenges. Anything can be
achieved if you believe in yourself.
Believe
in yourself, believe that things will happen. Change will take place as you grow and learn. Don’t go through life missing opportunities. Grab them with both hands when they come along;
learn, act and inspire others to do the same.
How to Change your MINDSET
Having made
the decision, don’t doubt your abilities. If you need to take steps to improve
your skills, do so. Do everything in
your power to achieve your dreams. Your
abilities are unique to you and belief in yourself is the first step in
your journey to success. You are on your way to YOUR FUTURE SELF.
Every morning of every day, say to yourself, “I BELIEVE IN ME. I am capable of so much. I am willing to learn everything it takes to be successful, for I am going to succeed and go forward in my life, because I am ME. I am Positive and Confident”.
We all suffer from nerves. It can happen to anyone. It happens to famous musicians before going
on stage. We actually need such feelings
of fear to spur us on to overcome things… when we are starting a new job,
meeting new people, taking on a new challenge, sitting for an exam, having to
give a speech in front of a group of people, maybe your peers. These nerves can
affect us in everyday life and can cause ANXIETY and SELF-DOUBT and it can
affect some of us more than others.
I am a strong believer in SELF-TALK
. Look in the mirror and tell
yourself how good you are, what skills you have, how you are so capable at
particular skills. Look yourself in the
eye and say you can overcome what’s holding you back with thoughts of SELF
DOUBT. Tell yourself you are going to
change, you’re going to be a more positive person who always looks for opportunities
and is grateful and thankful for opportunity and everything around you.
Your attitude towards everything should be from a positive mindset and this is critical to your success and belief in yourself.
Our lives each day can be so affected by the past day’s events that they stop us from moving forward in our lives. Each day should be viewed as a new beginning, a chance to change and grasp the future. Don’t be bogged down by yesterday’s events. Start the new day with a positive attitude, open to new opportunities to make new friends, start a new project, a day to invest in new ideas for the future.
I am fortunate to be a person who wakes up in the morning ready to go,
with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Each day to me is about advancing,
finishing a project or getting started on something new. I look forward to each day with anticipation
as I love creating and designing.
Don’t worry about the future.
If you have a positive attitude,
the future will take care of itself. Don’t hanker for the past either but
create your future in the present. Life is a gift – make the most of it
and don’t waste a moment of it. Look
forward, not backwards, unless it is to cherish the memories that you create
each day in the present.
Decide that tomorrow will be the day for change, a new start to your
future. This attitude will lead to a new way of thinking and looking at
tomorrow’s events. Tomorrow is a new day, the first day of the rest of
your life. Face it with excitement and
anticipation.
What prevents you from facing each day with anticipation?
For many it is a lack of money. If you wish you had more money, you are
not alone. Most people don’t have enough money so life is a struggle, but
it is possible to be happy with the resources that are available. Don’t allow a lack of money to stop you from
doing what you really want in life. Money is just a means to an end. Many people find a way to generate more than
enough money, not just to survive, but to go on and live their dream and help
others to live theirs as well. And this
is the key.
Muscular strengthening exercises help maintain the muscles’ ability to endure against constant or increasing levels of force and pressure, strengthening and improving muscular endurance levels. Muscular endurance exercises keep the muscles strong, flexible, toned and in good shape.
Muscular strength training improves the body’s blood flow, keeping the heart strong and healthy. Everyday activities such as climbing stairs, carrying heavy objects, or playing in a team sport, are all so much easier when doing regular muscular strengthening exercises.
Muscular Endurance Program
Muscular endurance sports program for athletes (such as marathon runners)
To avoid fatigue or injury, marathon runners must perform more exercises for muscular endurance… to repeatedly maintain their stride again and again for long periods.
A daily muscular strength and endurance program
However, for the average person, exercises for muscular endurance can be obtained through a simple program that can realise the benefits of push-ups every day. Doing these repeated movements until fatigued will reap the long-term benefits of exercise.
When engaging in regular muscle strengthening exercises, following a flexibility exercise program, you will greatly increase your strength and muscular endurance levels. This will not only improve your overall health and wellbeing, but you will also sleep better, and your mood will improve.
……………………………………………………
THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
To gain the full benefits of exercise, the best way to start is with a walking-for-weight-loss plan.
You could start with an 8-week walking plan for weight loss. You could measure your progress using a detailed walking to lose weight chart for reminding you to get out of the bed in the morning, as this is the best time for walking to lose weight. Working out in the morning benefits the whole body as it helps get you motivated to start for the day, as well being more accountable.
A walking for weight loss calculator or wrist watch Fitbit can measure your heart rate and walking steps to get the full benefits of exercise.
It is important to note that 20 -30 minutes per day doing muscle strengthening exercises could get you noticeable results very quickly. When following a daily flexibility exercise program, you will soon realize the many benefits of exercise.
Vary your Program
Vary your muscular strength endurance program by alternating with a different flexibility exercise every 2 days to avoid overworking a muscle. To gain the benefits of warm ups, it is important to warm up and stretch the muscles, limbs, and joints beforehand to loosen and lightly stretch the muscles. Walk, jog, or run with a friend as the social benefits of exercise are enormous for your mind, body, and mood. But the main benefits of warm ups will be to avoid injury.
