Happiness is Right around the Corner (15 Tips)

I've always believed that happiness in life is a decision and Only YOU can make YOU happy.

Yes, other people/events/experiences can enhance your happiness although I have yet to see someone become happy without a positive attitude and the decision to embrace happiness and let it flow into one's life.

These 15 tips on "Giving up Something to Be Happy" are clear, logical and will improve an unhappy or ho hum life immensely if utilized. A good friend turned me onto the list recently and if I had the task of writing about this subject, I couldn't have done it any better. Even giving up a few of the elements will boost your happiness.

I've included the entire article below. There are also some terrific quotes!. Point # 6 below is one of my favorites:

6. Give up complainingGive up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

In addition, one of the simplest ways to improve the joy, fun and happiness in your life is to let go and live like a child sometimes. Most young kids exhibit nothing but happiness and one should learn from that. I wrote about it in a 2010 article.  A quote and link are below:

The beauty of interacting with and opening up your heart to children is that their joy and worry free lives are infectious, so much so that one usually forgets their problems if only for a few moments. I have met numerous people who have lost the glowing smile and happiness they probably had as a child; most likely due to an abundance of stress and worry.
Don't Worry so Much, Have Fun...Like a Child

Enjoy and Embrace all or part of the list.

Happy Gswede Sunday!
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15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy


Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”
Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. 
Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.
“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” 
Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

This enhances my happiness every morning! Coffee Cup was one of my "give-away" promotions at Madison Square Garden in the mid 1990's.



Fitness and Cancer

I enjoy and encourage insight from my readers.  Whether it's a personal email or a comment after reading on one of my blog articles, the eloquence that comes forth often inspires me.

Occasionally, I encourage those with good stories and a willingness to write, to put pen to paper. The link below about 2 au pairs was one such case – two different circumstances in their own words. The link is below:


Other times, readers come to me in an effort to get their story told or offer something they have written.  The determination (sent numerous emails!) of the gentleman below made it easy for me to publish his article as I appreciate persistence and it’s an important subject – one that most of us can relate to.

Fitness is crucial to anyone who wants to feel better, live longer and enjoy a healthier life although for a cancer patient, the results of fitness can be invaluable.

He works in the health field and his words below are important to read and share, especially if you know someone with cancer who might benefit from his insight.

Thanks for your passion David! Don’t ever let it waver as it can take you a long way in life.

Happy Gswede Sunday!
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Fitness Makes the World Go Round  
(by David Haas)

Fitness is not a cure for disease, but it is a beneficial part of the healing process. Everyone knows that exercise is good for the mind, body and soul although many of those same people are unaware that it can significantly lower a person’s chance of being diagnosed with certain types of cancer, including breast cancer. A mere 150 minutes of moderate fitness each week can make the chances of getting breast cancer up to 40 percent less for women.

Whether a woman was recently diagnosed with cancer (even a rare form such as mesothelioma),  is undergoing treatment or in remission, she will benefit from exercise. It won’t cure her cancer or prevent it from making reappearance, but it will make her feel better about herself and help improve her well-being.

As any cancer patient knows, quality of life is crucial when dealing with the disease. A person who exemplifies this has a greater chance of surviving cancer and handling treatments with more ease.

Additionally, fitness with cancer can make a woman feel more confident. Since exercise releases positive hormones into the body, women with cancer who get regular exercise are going to increase their positive hormones, which will flush out the negative hormones that are hindering her immune system, thus helping her feel better both mentally and physically.

There is no downside to exercise, especially for those with cancer. The best part is that approximately 21 minutes of exercise per day – or 150 minutes per week – is enough to make a significant impact on a person’s life.

2 points to remember:

1)      Those that exercise and get fit on a regular basis are more likely to never be diagnosed with cancer.

2)       Those who already have cancer and begin getting fit will see better results with their treatment and improve their chances for a healthier life.

Cancer requires a person to have a good outlook on life and the best way to accomplish this is with exercise and a positive quality of life. I realize that this is far easier said than done when a person is living with cancer, but regular fitness can make it easier for many patients.
(Cancerfonden - Swedish organization Gswede has donated to)