How to be Happy!

Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with life constructively and lovingly. A lot of people have a hard time understanding how I can be so high on life and it has inspired me to write this. Hopefully by reading this you will learn some new tips and tricks to be happier and enjoy life to its fullest.

Lifestyle
Eat right and exercise! I am vegetarian and although I didn't feel the difference in my energy and health immediately, as I look back to think about when my happiness and energy increased, I definitely have to take it into consideration. A benefit of being vegetarian is the large amounts of fruits and vegetables you eat are easily broken down in the body and quickly turned into energy. Through yoga I learned the principle of ahimsa (do no harm) can also contribute to the reason you feel better from a vegetarian diet. The fact that my body no longer has to process animal meat full of hormones, adrenaline and fear helps my body feel better! I have a ton of energy from having a healthy diet and from the endorphins that are released through exercise. When you have energy it is much easier to enjoy life that when you feel tired, run down, or exhausted.

Beliefs
Life is absolutely what you make of it and you are the creator of your reality. Last winter when I lived in Boston, I found it amusing that people would complain about the snow. One reason I thought it was funny is because they had chosen to live in a snowy climate so they already knew what they were getting themselves into. The other reason is because you decide whether you like or hate something so if you know you live where it snows, why not choose to like it? I'm a warm weather girl born in Florida but since I made an active choice to live in Boston, I decided to love the snow this year. I appreciated the beauty, the feeling of snowflakes falling on my tongue, and the quiet and serene blanket that it would lay over the city noise. Since you choose love or hate, excitment or dread - why not choose a life of love, happiness and excitement rather than hate, disappointment and dread?

Decisions
Your place in society is the result of choices and decisions that you have made in your life up to this point. People tend to blame bad luck, poor timing, their parents or other people but in the long run YOU make your decisions and YOU have to live with the results. Once you accept the fact that you are responsible for the results of your life you will be able to rise above the life you currently live. Your life is not like a weather forecast that you watch and have to accept, you can take active steps to change it and make it what you really want. In my life I have dealt with many trials and tribulations - throughout my childhood I watched my dad die of brain cancer, I have had to deal with my own health and pain problems, and most recently I was kidnapped, assaulted and robbed. Instead of using traumatic experiences as an excuse for things, I use them as a reminder of how short life can be. Every moment we have is a blessing and we have to take advantage of every single second that we get. Some people get wrapped up in the day to day, some dwell in the past, some purely focus on their fututre - but very few live in the present and that to me is the key to being happy. Enjoy today!

My Top Six Tips for Happiness
1. Change your vocabulary. Instead of saying "I have to.." say "I get to.."
2. Think the opposite. Instead of dreading something find ways to look forward to it. When you are feeling annoyed by a situation, look for ways to learn from it.
3. Gratitiude. Every single day I try to think of five new things to be grateful for. I like to do it in the morning to start my day off, but research shows that when done before bed you will sleep better.
4. Positive surroundings. Ask people positive questions and it will surround you with positivity. "What was the best part of your day yesterday?" Requires a little more thought and a better response that "How was your day?" and you are almost guaranteed a happy answer.
5. Assess your happiness. Figure out what aspects of your life you are unhappy with and the changes you need to make - what can you change right now?
6. Knowledge. Make a list of things that make you happy, smile and laugh. When you are having a rough day just pull out the list and start smiling. I always have songs on my ipod that put a smile on my face!