Friday 8 April 2011

An Exercise for happiness

 I'm here posting to you right now with a big smile on my face and a feeling of deep satisfaction. This is because i have decided to make an effort to be happy, well woopty doo you may say, but I say, "How often do you make an effort to be happy?" How often do you wake up with a plan for making yourself happy? How often is your number one purpose the pursuit of happiness?   Do you know any positive thinking exercises?

Well enough with the questions and onto point I want to get to. Sure, we all have goals and daily goals that we set out to achieve, such as earn a certain amount of money or finish a task, but the positive thinking exercise I'm going to share with you today is a technique I designed specifically with the intent of actively seeking out happiness and positivity. 




"Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life."-Burton Hills


An Exercise for Happiness

1. Go out and buy a small notebook, preferably of a size that will fit in your back pocket.

2. Label your notebook "Book of Smiles" or something similar.

3. On the evening before your first day of the exercise for happiness, sit down and write a "smile" quota for the next day like this: Smiles Quota- 5 smiles. 

4. Trust me, this happiness exercise really makes you feel great. The next day, you simply go out and you make the effort to get others to smile in order to fill up your smile quota.

5. Go out and smile at people, make them laugh. Whatever you can to encourage them to smile, I have had a lot of fun doing it.

6. At the end of the day, sit down and record the smiles from your happiness exercise. Write each one down, where, who and the quality of the smile. 

7. Finally, to finish your exercise for happiness for the day, plan your next day's smile quota. Perhaps go for 6 smiles. 

Each day challenge yourself, try to beat the previous day's amount. Most people are either too busy or are too busy looking for the negative in life. This happiness exercise will entrench a happiness seeking habit within you. 

Give it a go. Try a day and see how you feel at the end of it when you are thinking about the smiles you received, I guarantee you'll feel great and your mind will be filled with positivity.

Go smile hunting! Imagine it, 5 years down the line when you look back through your smile journals and read about all the smiles you received. So many small happy moments and they are all yours!

This exercise for happiness WILL change your life. 

"Learn to enjoy every moment of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."- Earl Nightingale