Can you really think yourself happy? The answer is a qualified yes. Believe it or not, it is within your power to create positive thoughts allowing you to accomplish anything you set out to do.Here are the ways in which positive thoughts can help you accomplish many things in life.
Positive thoughts produce positive results. We can either bemoan our situation, or change it. We can be negative about an event or enthusiastic.
President Lincoln once said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
According to a study at John Hopkins as referenced in the New York Times, Wake Forest Universities measured students’ levels of primary control – the things students had a direct effect over – vs the levels of secondary control – how they interpreted life events.
An example of primary control would be the ability to set your chose where and when you wanted to work. An example of secondary control would be deciding to feel positive about yourself even after you’ve been dumped by a boyfriend.
It was then measured how satisfied the undergraduates were with their own lives. It turned out that students with high levels of secondary control were happier with their lives than the Type A’s who were determined “to manipulate the world to match their will.”
If you really want to think yourself happy, then make up your mind to do so.
If you really want to think yourself happy, then make up your mind to do so. It may be difficult to think happy in a world filled with hatred and violence. Especially as we get older, we have lived even more of it. But it’s not impossible. One person, one idea, one positive thought can change society. How, then, can we make ourselves happy? By being a constant reminder to others that there is goodness in the world.
12 Ways to Improve Your Happiness
- Seek out positive people to associate with.
- Expose yourself to all the wonderful books, music and movies available.
- Find the one important thing in your life that’s important, and pursue it.
- Show kindness and respect towards others.
- Live life as if every day is your last.
- Use positive reinforcement wherever and whenever you can.
- Use visualization methods to view the positive aspects of life.
- Speak in a positive tone.
- Rid your mind of negative thinking with yoga and exercise.
- Let your expectations reflect your positive attitude.
- Allow peace of mind to envelop you.
- Become your own best friend.
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life?
If you think it’s fame and money, you’re not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you’re mistaken. In this talk, he shares three important lessons learned from the study as well as some practical, old-as-the-hills wisdom on how to build a fulfilling, long life.
There is a wonderful poem I would like to share with you which clearly explains how unhappiness can thwart our every desire.
If you think you are beaten you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t;
If you want to win but think you can’t;
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose you’re lost;
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
It’s all in a state of mind.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger and faster man.
Happiness is not a genetic trait we are born with. It is ingrained in us by our parents and those we love. If happiness is what you’re after, you now know that you can train your brain and program your mind to be happy. And let’s face it, who is not looking to be happy? It is up to us, then, to maintain it, share it, and build our lives around it.
More About Being Happier
- How These Lifestyle Changes Will Make You Happier
- Hobbies That Will Bring You More Zen
- 4 Tips That Will Make You Unstoppable
- Detox Your Mind Body and Soul
- 7 Secrets To Happiness
- 5 Simple Ways to Stay Happy in Relationships
Yes you can think yourself happy: Think happy, and you will be happier.