Category: Anxiety

Folding clothes is not the sort of thing people write poems about. I’m not aware of the subject being pondered by philosophers. I can’t think of a work by Rembrandt, Picasso, Bach, Beethoven, James Joyce, Thomas Mann, Walt Whitman or Robert Frost which even hints at the issue. Even so, while meandering around the web I was attracted to a video about that very activity: folding clothes. It featured a woman who gave slow and careful instructions as she demonstrated her method of folding.

She said that, first you must express your affection for the clothing. Well, I thought, that is just some Zen thing, okay, get on with the demonstration. But her suggestion stuck in my mind and as I began to fold clothes following her instructions, I took a moment first to think about my feelings toward the clothing. I felt foolish at the moment but that small gesture made a profound difference in my experience with what had before been, at best, a tedious chore.

Now, with my new attitude, I began to look forward to folding my clothes. I not only appreciate them before I fold them, I find myself enjoying them more every day as I put them on. They not only serve to protect me from the cold and abrasion, which would be enough, but they are marvels of design, of weaving and sewing, dyeing, shaping, and buttoning. I notice, too, that as I find new satisfaction in my apparel I feel more relaxed and calm.

I soon realized that I can apply this same principle to any job that I find tedious or unwelcome. Washing dishes, vacuuming, making phone calls to bureaucracies, practicing my ukulele. Now when I sit down to practice, I first look at my beautiful ukulele and wonder at its construction, the wood, the shapes, the strings and I think of the people who made this instrument and how, at the end of the day, they can go home knowing they have brought music and beauty into the world. Then as I practice, I have a rich, satisfying experience instead of just wading through a set of boring exercises.

As we come to appreciate our activities more, it can lead us to consider how to repair other negative areas of our lives. We can hardly calculate the destruction that grudge-holding has brought upon humanity. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet deals with the immensity of these tragic behaviors. We are inclined to hang on to resentments toward people who have said no to us, especially when we were children and unable to understand how those refusals may have been necessary and for our own good. Forgiveness takes time and energy and goes on pretty much forever. Some person or institution will surely aggravate us and treat us unfairly in the future. We will need to be ready to forgive recent insults as well as old ones. Our stomachs, heads and everything else that can hurt will feel better as we reduce the anxiety and agitation that come with anger and resentment.

As those emotions subside it leaves room for focusing on being kind and considerate toward others. You can try these things out for yourself. Fold away your worries, forgive everyone, pay close attention to loved ones and set yourself free. You might also get a ukulele. It couldn’t hurt.

Folding clothes is not the sort of thing people write poems about. I’m not aware of the subject being pondered by philosophers. I can’t think of a work by Rembrandt, Picasso, Bach, Beethoven, James Joyce, Thomas Mann, Walt Whitman or Robert Frost which even hints at the issue. Even so, while meandering around the web I was attracted to a video about that very activity: folding clothes. It featured a woman who gave slow and careful instructions as she demonstrated her method of folding.

She said that, first you must express your affection for the clothing. Well, I thought, that is just some Zen thing, okay, get on with the demonstration. But her suggestion stuck in my mind and as I began to fold clothes following her instructions, I took a moment first to think about my feelings toward the clothing. I felt foolish at the moment but that small gesture made a profound difference in my experience with what had before been, at best, a tedious chore.

Now, with my new attitude, I began to look forward to folding my clothes. I not only appreciate them before I fold them, I find myself enjoying them more every day as I put them on. They not only serve to protect me from the cold and abrasion, which would be enough, but they are marvels of design, of weaving and sewing, dyeing, shaping, and buttoning. I notice, too, that as I find new satisfaction in my apparel I feel more relaxed and calm.

I soon realized that I can apply this same principle to any job that I find tedious or unwelcome. Washing dishes, vacuuming, making phone calls to bureaucracies, practicing my ukulele. Now when I sit down to practice, I first look at my beautiful ukulele and wonder at its construction, the wood, the shapes, the strings and I think of the people who made this instrument and how, at the end of the day, they can go home knowing they have brought music and beauty into the world. Then as I practice, I have a rich, satisfying experience instead of just wading through a set of boring exercises.

As we come to appreciate our activities more, it can lead us to consider how to repair other negative areas of our lives. We can hardly calculate the destruction that grudge-holding has brought upon humanity. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet deals with the immensity of these tragic behaviors. We are inclined to hang on to resentments toward people who have said no to us, especially when we were children and unable to understand how those refusals may have been necessary and for our own good. Forgiveness takes time and energy and goes on pretty much forever. Some person or institution will surely aggravate us and treat us unfairly in the future. We will need to be ready to forgive recent insults as well as old ones. Our stomachs, heads and everything else that can hurt will feel better as we reduce the anxiety and agitation that come with anger and resentment.

As those emotions subside it leaves room for focusing on being kind and considerate toward others. You can try these things out for yourself. Fold away your worries, forgive everyone, pay close attention to loved ones and set yourself free. You might also get a ukulele. It couldn’t hurt.

There are things in life you have control over and there are things in life you don’t have control over. You don’t have control over changing other people or how they think, feel, act, or react. You can, however, learn to change your own thinking, which in turn changes how you feel, act, and react. By changing how you react to others, there may be a bonus domino effect so that those around you then change how they react to you.

There are things in our environments we cannot control (events like the weather), and things in our environments that influence us (learned behaviors from parents or others, growing up in poverty, traumas, grief and loss, oppression in relationships or in our culture or society). But even within these constraints, there may be choices and options that could possibly lead us down a different path.

Our intentions, attitudes, perceptions, views, subjective interpretations, and beliefs all influence our thought patterns and how we see ourselves, others, the world, and the future. For example, if my self-talk is negative (ex: I am inadequate) and irrational (ex: I must please everyone all the time in order to be loved and have worth), then how will I interact with others? How will they view me and treat me? Who will I attract in my life? How does this influence then how I think, feel, and behave? What kind of energy do I want to put out and get back? Will I create my life the way I want it to be and help make things happen, even if there are limits, or will it just happen to me as if life is just floating by?

Our thoughts do in part help determine how our lives turn out and how we view our lives. You have to first be aware of your thinking (not everyone is). Then you have to determine which thoughts need changing in order to bring you more happiness and peace (money and medication alone do not lead to bliss). You CAN learn to decrease depression and anxiety. You CAN learn to manage stress and have more connected relationships. You CAN make real and lasting changes. Let me show you how… There is no need to suffer any longer. Relief is only one phone call away.

Do you feel depressed, sad, anxious, nervous, worried, angry, frustrated, irritable, tense, or stressed out?

Do you have distance or conflicts in any relationships that you would like to change?

Do you feel overwhelmed trying to juggle all of your roles and responsibilities?

Do you find it difficult to find time to relax and take care of yourself?

Do you often wonder if there’s a better way to balance your life?

Would you find it helpful to learn new coping skills in order to enjoy your life more?

Would you like to know how to change your thinking so you will feel better and function better?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then you are ready to move forward and reach your goals!

There are things in life you have control over and there are things in life you don’t have control over. You don’t have control over changing other people or how they think, feel, act, or react. You can, however, learn to change your own thinking, which in turn changes how you feel, act, and react. By changing how you react to others, there may be a bonus domino effect so that those around you then change how they react to you.

There are things in our environments we cannot control (events like the weather), and things in our environments that influence us (learned behaviors from parents or others, growing up in poverty, traumas, grief and loss, oppression in relationships or in our culture or society). But even within these constraints, there may be choices and options that could possibly lead us down a different path.

Our intentions, attitudes, perceptions, views, subjective interpretations, and beliefs all influence our thought patterns and how we see ourselves, others, the world, and the future. For example, if my self-talk is negative (ex: I am inadequate) and irrational (ex: I must please everyone all the time in order to be loved and have worth), then how will I interact with others? How will they view me and treat me? Who will I attract in my life? How does this influence then how I think, feel, and behave? What kind of energy do I want to put out and get back? Will I create my life the way I want it to be and help make things happen, even if there are limits, or will it just happen to me as if life is just floating by?

Our thoughts do in part help determine how our lives turn out and how we view our lives. You have to first be aware of your thinking (not everyone is). Then you have to determine which thoughts need changing in order to bring you more happiness and peace (money and medication alone do not lead to bliss). You CAN learn to decrease depression and anxiety. You CAN learn to manage stress and have more connected relationships. You CAN make real and lasting changes. Let me show you how… There is no need to suffer any longer. Relief is only one phone call away.

Do you feel depressed, sad, anxious, nervous, worried, angry, frustrated, irritable, tense, or stressed out?

Do you have distance or conflicts in any relationships that you would like to change?

Do you feel overwhelmed trying to juggle all of your roles and responsibilities?

Do you find it difficult to find time to relax and take care of yourself?

Do you often wonder if there’s a better way to balance your life?

Would you find it helpful to learn new coping skills in order to enjoy your life more?

Would you like to know how to change your thinking so you will feel better and function better?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then you are ready to move forward and reach your goals!

More times than I care to recall, I’ve been met with rolling eyeballs when I talk about my spiritual practices. Wasting time, sitting still, doing nothing, in meditation; striking those odd poses in T’ai Chi; and healing with my hands is quite “out there” for some folks-it all seems a bit funny at best.

In this article, we’ll roll with that funniness and explore why amusement is a potent spiritual force. Being silly is an antidote to the ego’s over-seriousness. And, practicing light-heartedness instantly releases fear, anger, and worry. While it may be funny to be spiritual-it’s also spiritual to be funny.

A Serious Lack of Amusement

As we witnessed in our recent U.S. election cycle, when we take ourselves too seriously, it’s no fun for anyone. When we vehemently defend our points of view, we create tension, fear, anxiety, stress, anger, and conflict.

That’s not to say that the issues we are so passionate about are not important. In the context of the quality of human life here on earth, they are significant. However, it’s the way we hold onto our points of view that makes all the difference.

When we think that “our way is the only way,” we not only miss out on the full truth, we also ensure suffering and conflict-for ourselves and others.

It’s A Matter of Perspective

The truth is that every point of view is partial. It’s a slice of reality. It’s a perspective that highlights certain details and neglects others. You can look at any situation from infinite viewpoints and arrive at infinitely different conclusions depending upon where you stand.

No point of view expresses the full truth. Each perspective shows us something and ignores other things.

This point came crystal clear in this latest U.S. election. Those who supported “The Donald” chose to highlight things he represented that reflected their own feelings, values, and experiences, while ignoring some obvious shortcomings. Those who supported Hillary did the same. That’s what we do in elections. We choose those who reflect our dominant viewpoints.

Yet, the primary mistake we make is when we think that our viewpoint is the “right one” instead of just the one we prefer-and we hold on so tightly that we can’t even listen to other perspectives. This is what leads to ugly wars of insults and an inability to work together. Because this was the way we approached our election, it escalated everyone’s fear, anger, and worry.

Once again, we have to remind ourselves of a simple truth–viewpoints are neither right nor wrong. They just highlight certain aspects of reality, while hiding others.

Now, what makes this truth so challenging to remember is that we are so embedded in our points of view that we can’t see them as such. We just think that “the way we see things is the way they are.” We forget that reality always exceeds our perceptions of it.

Reality offers an infinite number of points to focus on. And, what we focus on determines our experiences. Which brings us to the spiritual focus of this article-light-hearted amusement.

Lighthearted amusement is important because it frees us from hanging onto our perspectives so tightly. It frees us to take ourselves less seriously. It lifts us out of being so absorbed in our perspectives that we can’t see any other way. It opens us to other possibilities-to be more creative, cooperative, and innovative.

Light-hearted amusement elevates us to see life from a higher perspective-with more playfulness. In that spirit of levity, we see beyond our own little points of view to notice opportunities to work and play together to heal our world.

Amusement Heals

It’s well-documented that laughter is healing. One of the first to discover this was author Norman Cousins who described in “Anatomy of an Illness” how he cured himself of an extremely painful, rare, and life-threatening disease called “ankylosing spondylitis”-by watching funny movies!

How could that be?

It could be that laughter and amusement stimulate a healing response.

It appears that light-hearted amusement activates specific DNA potentials that heal, while fear, anger, and worry activate genes that make us more susceptible to disease. When we are lighthearted, we think positively, feel positively, act positively-and our cells respond by opening up and working well together.

When we let go and laugh, the body does what it is designed to do, which is heal itself. And, as we heal ourselves, we become more able to heal our relationships with others.

So, how can you use this insight to cure your own fear, anger, and worries? How can you include more light-hearted amusement in your life?

At our house, we like to watch Steve Harvey on Family Feud, Conan, and Fallon. We love comedy videos of Ellen, Jim Gaffigan, and Robin Williams. At family gatherings, we play games like charades and go bowling-which none of us have any great skill at.

All these activities break us out of our normal routines and help us feel a bit goofy. In these amusements, we experience the lighter sides of ourselves and let go of perspectives that keep us apart. We expand and refresh our minds, let go of our worries, and realize there’s so much more to life than being right.

Amusement heals.

Enjoy your practice!

More times than I care to recall, I’ve been met with rolling eyeballs when I talk about my spiritual practices. Wasting time, sitting still, doing nothing, in meditation; striking those odd poses in T’ai Chi; and healing with my hands is quite “out there” for some folks-it all seems a bit funny at best.

In this article, we’ll roll with that funniness and explore why amusement is a potent spiritual force. Being silly is an antidote to the ego’s over-seriousness. And, practicing light-heartedness instantly releases fear, anger, and worry. While it may be funny to be spiritual-it’s also spiritual to be funny.

A Serious Lack of Amusement

As we witnessed in our recent U.S. election cycle, when we take ourselves too seriously, it’s no fun for anyone. When we vehemently defend our points of view, we create tension, fear, anxiety, stress, anger, and conflict.

That’s not to say that the issues we are so passionate about are not important. In the context of the quality of human life here on earth, they are significant. However, it’s the way we hold onto our points of view that makes all the difference.

When we think that “our way is the only way,” we not only miss out on the full truth, we also ensure suffering and conflict-for ourselves and others.

It’s A Matter of Perspective

The truth is that every point of view is partial. It’s a slice of reality. It’s a perspective that highlights certain details and neglects others. You can look at any situation from infinite viewpoints and arrive at infinitely different conclusions depending upon where you stand.

No point of view expresses the full truth. Each perspective shows us something and ignores other things.

This point came crystal clear in this latest U.S. election. Those who supported “The Donald” chose to highlight things he represented that reflected their own feelings, values, and experiences, while ignoring some obvious shortcomings. Those who supported Hillary did the same. That’s what we do in elections. We choose those who reflect our dominant viewpoints.

Yet, the primary mistake we make is when we think that our viewpoint is the “right one” instead of just the one we prefer-and we hold on so tightly that we can’t even listen to other perspectives. This is what leads to ugly wars of insults and an inability to work together. Because this was the way we approached our election, it escalated everyone’s fear, anger, and worry.

Once again, we have to remind ourselves of a simple truth–viewpoints are neither right nor wrong. They just highlight certain aspects of reality, while hiding others.

Now, what makes this truth so challenging to remember is that we are so embedded in our points of view that we can’t see them as such. We just think that “the way we see things is the way they are.” We forget that reality always exceeds our perceptions of it.

Reality offers an infinite number of points to focus on. And, what we focus on determines our experiences. Which brings us to the spiritual focus of this article-light-hearted amusement.

Lighthearted amusement is important because it frees us from hanging onto our perspectives so tightly. It frees us to take ourselves less seriously. It lifts us out of being so absorbed in our perspectives that we can’t see any other way. It opens us to other possibilities-to be more creative, cooperative, and innovative.

Light-hearted amusement elevates us to see life from a higher perspective-with more playfulness. In that spirit of levity, we see beyond our own little points of view to notice opportunities to work and play together to heal our world.

Amusement Heals

It’s well-documented that laughter is healing. One of the first to discover this was author Norman Cousins who described in “Anatomy of an Illness” how he cured himself of an extremely painful, rare, and life-threatening disease called “ankylosing spondylitis”-by watching funny movies!

How could that be?

It could be that laughter and amusement stimulate a healing response.

It appears that light-hearted amusement activates specific DNA potentials that heal, while fear, anger, and worry activate genes that make us more susceptible to disease. When we are lighthearted, we think positively, feel positively, act positively-and our cells respond by opening up and working well together.

When we let go and laugh, the body does what it is designed to do, which is heal itself. And, as we heal ourselves, we become more able to heal our relationships with others.

So, how can you use this insight to cure your own fear, anger, and worries? How can you include more light-hearted amusement in your life?

At our house, we like to watch Steve Harvey on Family Feud, Conan, and Fallon. We love comedy videos of Ellen, Jim Gaffigan, and Robin Williams. At family gatherings, we play games like charades and go bowling-which none of us have any great skill at.

All these activities break us out of our normal routines and help us feel a bit goofy. In these amusements, we experience the lighter sides of ourselves and let go of perspectives that keep us apart. We expand and refresh our minds, let go of our worries, and realize there’s so much more to life than being right.

Amusement heals.

Enjoy your practice!

We all want to live our lives in every way possible. We want to make the most life has to offer. But then again, there are just so many things that are impeding us from getting the life we deserve.

There is work, money, time, other people and OURSELVES! Yes, may be the reason why you are not living the life you ought to live is because you are not letting yourself be in that kind of life. You are so focused on what should you be rather than what you want to be. It is like not being able to differentiate your wants from your needs. You don’t have to have what famous people have to say that you are living a life.

It is not about the things that you don’t have that make a wonderful life, rather it is the things that are already in your possession and how you utilize them. Take note, the bests in life come with no price tag.

Be positive. All the time!

Negativity is just around the corner waiting to consume you. Try seeing the positive side of everything because that is only when you have quality thoughts and happiness. Positivity is a choice.

Believe in yourself!

Happiness is when you do something you wanted to do so badly but the thought of failing is making you take a step backward. The first critic of your actions is yourself. You cannot make people see your worth if you don’t see it yourself. Remember that you are winner that is why you are here (and not those other sperm cells.)

Be courageous. Take risks!

Big opportunities only knock once so when they do, open your doors. Everything is a gamble because you cannot foresee tomorrow. Don’t be afraid to fail because without it, you cannot value the moment when you’ve finally succeeded. Your what if’s will be your greatest midnight hunters.

Be crazy. Violate rules!

Obedience is awesome but rules, like promises, are meant to be broken. Violating rules once in a while is fun, even a simple crossing on the road when the light turns red with the presence of traffic officers will be fun. Just don’t get caught and run as fast as you can. The moment you will be in that place again, I am sure as hell that you are going to laugh at yourself.

Be yourself!

You can idolize someone but don’t try to be completely like them. You are your own unique self and you don’t have to be like someone else to be part of the group. Honesty is the best policy and be honest of your own self. It is so much better to be hated for who you are rather than be loved for what you’re not.

How you handle what life throws at you is the secret on how to be successful and how to make your life worth living. Happiness is a choice. As Leo Tolstoy would say, if you want to be happy, be.

We all want to live our lives in every way possible. We want to make the most life has to offer. But then again, there are just so many things that are impeding us from getting the life we deserve.

There is work, money, time, other people and OURSELVES! Yes, may be the reason why you are not living the life you ought to live is because you are not letting yourself be in that kind of life. You are so focused on what should you be rather than what you want to be. It is like not being able to differentiate your wants from your needs. You don’t have to have what famous people have to say that you are living a life.

It is not about the things that you don’t have that make a wonderful life, rather it is the things that are already in your possession and how you utilize them. Take note, the bests in life come with no price tag.

Be positive. All the time!

Negativity is just around the corner waiting to consume you. Try seeing the positive side of everything because that is only when you have quality thoughts and happiness. Positivity is a choice.

Believe in yourself!

Happiness is when you do something you wanted to do so badly but the thought of failing is making you take a step backward. The first critic of your actions is yourself. You cannot make people see your worth if you don’t see it yourself. Remember that you are winner that is why you are here (and not those other sperm cells.)

Be courageous. Take risks!

Big opportunities only knock once so when they do, open your doors. Everything is a gamble because you cannot foresee tomorrow. Don’t be afraid to fail because without it, you cannot value the moment when you’ve finally succeeded. Your what if’s will be your greatest midnight hunters.

Be crazy. Violate rules!

Obedience is awesome but rules, like promises, are meant to be broken. Violating rules once in a while is fun, even a simple crossing on the road when the light turns red with the presence of traffic officers will be fun. Just don’t get caught and run as fast as you can. The moment you will be in that place again, I am sure as hell that you are going to laugh at yourself.

Be yourself!

You can idolize someone but don’t try to be completely like them. You are your own unique self and you don’t have to be like someone else to be part of the group. Honesty is the best policy and be honest of your own self. It is so much better to be hated for who you are rather than be loved for what you’re not.

How you handle what life throws at you is the secret on how to be successful and how to make your life worth living. Happiness is a choice. As Leo Tolstoy would say, if you want to be happy, be.

Happiness is like the elusive butterfly that we all chase; the more we chase it, the more it flits away.

This truth is based on a quote attributed to Henry David Thoreau.

However, a growing number of psychologists are of the opinion that today people can ‘chase after the elusive butterfly and make it sit on their shoulder’. This metaphorical statement implies that by monitoring the workings of the mind, anything can be made possible. David T.Lykken, author of the book “Happiness: Its nature and nurture says that happiness is determined by our genes to a large extent. Every person has a ‘happiness set point’ and there are only slight deviations.

But extensive research is now showing that happiness can be pursued; in fact the key to happiness is knowing where to look for it. A University of Texas professor who has done considerable research on the subject concludes that even intelligent and successful people don’t always make life choices that bring happiness. There are five key areas that he has identified which directly affect our wellbeing and all these are within our control.

1. Not running after happiness – obsessing about feeling happy is best avoided; instead, increasing the odds of feeling happy in any situation without sacrificing it for other things is crucial. Recognizing what makes us happy and prioritizing to find the right balance is a must.

2. Taking responsibility – the ability and power to control our feeling and thoughts is in our hands and blaming others for unhappy outcomes leads to unhappiness.

3. Comparisons bring misery – doing the catch-up game with colleagues, friends, relatives and others in relating happiness to feeling a sense of superiority over others can only make us keep running all the time. Less comparison with other people brings more happiness.

4. Following the flow – Goals and aspirations keep changing constantly and happiness may remain elusive forever. ‘Being in the moment’ makes us realize how much happiness we can gain.

5. Trusting people more, even strangers – the perception of trust makes people happier. Distrust causes constant irritation and happiness; even a little bit of faith in strangers is a strong indication of a happy mind.

Psychologists who have studied happy people in communities around the world share the reasons why some people are happier than others.

• Choosing to be happy and not worrying – consciously choosing attitudes and behaviors that bring happiness is the right decision
• Cultivating gratitude – being thankful and grateful moves people away from despair and bitterness
• Fostering forgiveness – nursing grievances and grudges affects physical and mental health; forgiveness reduces the effects of bad events that create resentment
• Learning to recognize and counteracting negative feeling and thoughts – promotes serenity and dispels anxiety
• Understanding that money cannot buy happiness – the more the money, less the happiness. No matter what is achieved in the pursuit of our goals, it will never bring about a lasting state of happiness.

Happiness is like the elusive butterfly that we all chase; the more we chase it, the more it flits away.

This truth is based on a quote attributed to Henry David Thoreau.

However, a growing number of psychologists are of the opinion that today people can ‘chase after the elusive butterfly and make it sit on their shoulder’. This metaphorical statement implies that by monitoring the workings of the mind, anything can be made possible. David T.Lykken, author of the book “Happiness: Its nature and nurture says that happiness is determined by our genes to a large extent. Every person has a ‘happiness set point’ and there are only slight deviations.

But extensive research is now showing that happiness can be pursued; in fact the key to happiness is knowing where to look for it. A University of Texas professor who has done considerable research on the subject concludes that even intelligent and successful people don’t always make life choices that bring happiness. There are five key areas that he has identified which directly affect our wellbeing and all these are within our control.

1. Not running after happiness – obsessing about feeling happy is best avoided; instead, increasing the odds of feeling happy in any situation without sacrificing it for other things is crucial. Recognizing what makes us happy and prioritizing to find the right balance is a must.

2. Taking responsibility – the ability and power to control our feeling and thoughts is in our hands and blaming others for unhappy outcomes leads to unhappiness.

3. Comparisons bring misery – doing the catch-up game with colleagues, friends, relatives and others in relating happiness to feeling a sense of superiority over others can only make us keep running all the time. Less comparison with other people brings more happiness.

4. Following the flow – Goals and aspirations keep changing constantly and happiness may remain elusive forever. ‘Being in the moment’ makes us realize how much happiness we can gain.

5. Trusting people more, even strangers – the perception of trust makes people happier. Distrust causes constant irritation and happiness; even a little bit of faith in strangers is a strong indication of a happy mind.

Psychologists who have studied happy people in communities around the world share the reasons why some people are happier than others.

• Choosing to be happy and not worrying – consciously choosing attitudes and behaviors that bring happiness is the right decision
• Cultivating gratitude – being thankful and grateful moves people away from despair and bitterness
• Fostering forgiveness – nursing grievances and grudges affects physical and mental health; forgiveness reduces the effects of bad events that create resentment
• Learning to recognize and counteracting negative feeling and thoughts – promotes serenity and dispels anxiety
• Understanding that money cannot buy happiness – the more the money, less the happiness. No matter what is achieved in the pursuit of our goals, it will never bring about a lasting state of happiness.