Seven Secrets for a Happier Life

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7 Secrets for a Happy Life
Jonathan Lockwood Huie

1. Self-Respect:
If I don’t love and respect myself, who will?

It all starts right here with ME.

If I think that I’m a pretty good person, it doesn’t much matter what anyone else thinks.

And the irony is that once I like myself, most everyone else will like me too.

People enjoy being around people who speak well of themselves -
not in an arrogant boastful way, but with honest self-appreciation.
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2. Forgive Everyone for Everything:
Angry and happy don’t mix.
Flush out the angry, and the happy has a place to put down roots.

Until we forgive everyone for everything, we hold on to anger and resentment.
Once we forgive, we can become happy.

Forgiving is not a gift to someone else
- Forgiving is our gift to ourselves -
a great gift – the gift of happiness.
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,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,3. Be Grateful for All of Life:

Each of us has been infinitely blessed – beginning with the gift of life.

Whatever may appear to be missing or broken on any particular day,
our glass is not half full, it is 99.9% full.

More practically, when we feel ungrateful, we become unhappy.

When we choose to feel and express our gratitude, the act of feeling and spe

aking our thanks creates a happiness within us.
The more we express our gratitude, the more we have for which to be grateful.

Today and every day, take time to celebrate life -
whether an hour’s meditation in a quiet natural space,
or a brief moment’s conscious pause to breathe deeply and celebrate gratitude for life..
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…………………………………… 4. Choose Happiness:
Everything in life is a choice.

There is never anything we ever “need” to do.
Every action and thought is a choice and has consequences -
pleasant or unpleasant.

Whether you go to work today, change jobs,
smile at the bank teller, order fried fish,
yell at your kids, complain about life,
hold a daily celebration of gratitude for life -

they are all choices.

Happiness is a choice.
Stay alert and make conscious choices for happiness.
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……………………………5. Begin at the End:

You can never reach your destination if you don’t have a destination.

Decide what accomplishments you want recorded on your tombstone.

Take a whole quiet day to consider your life.

Be very clear that your happiness does NOT depend on reaching your goal.

In fact, it’s the reverse.

Your happiness depends on accepting whatever life throws at you while you walk the path toward your goal.

What is important for your happiness is having a goal, and working toward it.
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……………………………………….6. Start Today:
Whatever you want in life, start today.

Not tomorrow -
today.

Let it be a small beginning – a tiny beginning.

Your happiness depends on starting today – every day.
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………………………………7. Life is NOT “Supposed to be Fair”:
Know that there is no single way that life is “supposed” to be.

Demanding that life meet our expectations is a sure fire recipe for a miserable existence.

Life is a game with no rules.
Life just happens to us regardless of our best intentions.

Our only path to happiness lies in being open to receiving whatever life throws at us
- with Gratitude.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Have NO Expectations of life.
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Jonathan Lockwood Huie has been dubbed “The Philosopher of Happiness” by those closest to him,
in recognition of his his on-going commitment to seeing Joy in all of life.
Jonathan’s intention is to share his insights for Joyful Living with the widest possible audience.

Jonathan is an author of self-awareness books and free inspirational email publications.
Visit http://www.sail7.com to sign up for daily and weekly free email publications,
and browse the library for past issues of the emailings and free articles on happiness,
joyful living, forgiveness, gratitude, celebration and similar topics.

Jonathan’s current book project is Simply An Inspired Life (co-authored with Mary Anne Radmacher
- author of Live Boldly and Lean Forward Into Your Life), to be published by Conari Press in late 2009.
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Mindful Walking, it does your body Good!

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Mindful Walking

Current mood:optimistic

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The reason traditions like Zen use walking,

is that it can form a bridge between meditation and everyday life.
Mindful walking is meditation in action.

Like anything else, walking can be done either mindlessly or mindfuly.
It’s so easy to be mindless and drift away on thoughts and fantasies whilst living on autopilot.

Whereas,
Mindful walking can teach us to stay in the moment and taste our life as it unfolds.
We don’t need to be in retreat to practise mindful walking.

Here are some other benefits of mindful walking:

Walking keeps us in touch with our body.

Are you in touch with your body?
If you’re a very physical person, you won’t know what I’m talking about.
But if you’re someone who lives mostly through their mind then maybe you are not in close touch with your body.

Let me ask you some questions.
Are you overweight?
Is your body flabby?
If the answer is ‘yes’, then you are not truly in touch with your body.

Walking helps us wake up to our body.

When we are in good communication with our body, we become sensitive to it’s needs,
whether that’s good, restrained nutrition or regular exercise.

Walking quietens the agitated mind.

Some people have such an active mind that sitting still in meditation seems like torture to them.
This is where walking as spiritual practice can help.
When we walk mindfuly, the mind comes to rest naturally and easily.

Walking helps to integrate what seems to difficult to accept.

I think there are times in life when it’s difficult to focus and be still.
For example, there are times of crisis when we feel overwhelmed and agitated.
Mindful walking is a great antidote to agitation and despair.

Walking lifts your spirit.

Many people suffer from low spirits or depression in its many forms.
In my experience, meditation can sometimes lead to problems if someone is deeply depressed.
The reason for this is that a depressed person is focussed within and withdraws from the world.
Meditation – especially if done with closed eyes – can sometimes make this worse.

That’s why I recommend walking meditation if you feel down. A brisk mindful walk lifts one’s spirits.

Walking fosters good health.

I think of good health as well-being that includes the body, mind, and spirit.
Walking is one of the best – and free – medicines!

We breathe more deeply when we walk
Heart and lungs are exercised
Limbs are strengthened
The mind comes to rest.
The spirit lifts and the soul is nourished.

Here are some tips on how to use walking as meditation:

Walk at a medium pace
Keep you head up and look around
Focus on sights, body sensations, and sounds
Touch fore-finger and thumb together to remind you to be mindful

Coordinate breath and steps
Let the earth carry you

The walk doesn’t have to be long. Start with just 10 minutes. If you do that every day, you will notice a difference in your overall feeling of well-being.

If you take this walk daily at about the same time every day, you will have established a consistent connection with the higher.

The first half of the walk you get to talk.
Talk to your guides, your totems, your angels or the Universe in general.
Talk about what’s on your mind, or what’s going on in your life, or what you want or need.
Talk about anything that’s important to you or that you need help with.

The second half of the walk  you get to listen.
Take in everything your guides or the Universe is trying to express to you.
Feel your feelings, feel the sensations in your body, hear the sounds around you, smell the smells,
and take in the sights. Become an instrument of listening and absorbing.

In other words, it’s a scheduled appointment between you and your higher helpers.
It’s a time when you can truly connect, listen and be heard.
Your life will increase in richness, depth, and understanding.
This and other daily rituals will become like a maypole around which your life revolves with steadiness and strength.

Enjoy!