Do you remember the last time you went to the eye doctor? You looked through different lenses until the letters in even the smallest line were clear and sharp?
What if you could do that outside the optometrist’s office? And seeing the bottom line clear and sharp meant finding happiness?
Well, dearest ones, you can!
Your own life circumstances can change dramatically, and quickly, just by looking at things more positively. Your own beliefs determine your destiny.
Sure, we talk about clichés like:
- seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses
- being a glass half full person
- looking at the bright side
- looking for the silver lining
Some people would say looking at life that way is being naive — that it’s not “real.” It’s delusional.
But that’s based on the faulty assumption that outside circumstances determine our level of happiness. In reality, happiness comes from our internal world, not our external world.
And we can actually change our external reality by changing our inner mindset.
Dopamine floods your brain when you’re positive, and that increases your productivity. Your intelligence actually rises, and so do your energy levels and creativity.
Having more dopamine in your brain from habitual positive thinking also makes it easier to learn and adapt to the world in a better way.
Most of our expectations stem from our outlook, which is developed in early childhood. If we expect the worst, that’s usually what we get. And if we expect things to flow smoothly, they usually do.
If you look at your brain as a tool, a very malleable tool, it will help you to change your future by changing your outlook.
The way to do that is to establish new ways of thinking about things.
It takes just 21 days to establish a new habit. The following six habits will help you rewire your brain to expect happiness!
These habits will help you train your brain to scan for the positive rather than the negative. Your brain is always looking for facts and ideas to support its current belief system, so why not have it looking for what you want rather than what you don’t want?
These six daily habits will help you change your future by changing the lenses you look at life through:
Gratitude
Every night, before you go to bed, write down three new things you are grateful for. Put some thought into this, and feel the joy in your heart when you think of the three things for that day.
Journaling
Write about one positive experience you’ve had over the last 24 hours. Try to think of the most positive thing that happened. Review all the good things that happened, and write about the best one. Your brain will relive all those positive experiences as you think about them, thus reinforcing the positive patterns.
Exercise
Not only does it get your dopamine flowing, but it trains your brain that your behavior matters. Find a type of exercise you enjoy doing, and do it often. This blog article gives some fun ideas.
Meditation
Modern life, and especially the Internet, have given us all a kind of cultural ADHD where we try to focus on too many things at once. Meditation redirects our brain to inner silence and calm, giving us a foundation of serenity. This helps us to put aside mental chatter and focus on the task at hand.
Random acts of kindness
When you consciously decide to be kind to someone else, you are also being kind to yourself.
Nourish your health!
Taking the best care possible of your body and mind sends a message to your brain that you are worthy and important — that you matter. That means eating the healthiest foods, getting plenty of rest, drinking water, and of course, eating my Micronized Purple Rice.
So, dearest ones, there you have it! Practice these six habits often, and rewire your brain for happiness!
Now, let me hear from you! In the comments, tell me which of the 6 activities increase your happiness the most!
Random acts of kindness and gratitude increase my happiness. There are now gratitude and thankful apps. Thanks Kare? Great Blog.
Good thanks Kare
Very practical advice. Thank you
I do all of these things, but gratitude and appreciation are the easiest and quickest all time life changers for me!
Thank-you for this wonderful sharing that I’d love to pass on to loved ones.
Thanks Kare – And as we’re practicing these 6 habits, we’re influencing others & the world in positive ways 🙂
Very good advise I try to remember to do daily. Thanks.
In my calendar in my phone, I set up morning and evening (gentle) alarms entitled “10 things for which I am grateful”. In the evening, I say to myself – and sometimes aloud – things for which I am especially thankful during that day, an experience, an epiphany, a person…and in the morning, I say any and all things I am so glad to have or experience in my life. What a lovely difference this made since starting this a few years ago!
Emma, thank you for sharing those positive ideas, Kare!!!😇