The Happiness Connection

June 8, 2005

BE HAPPY ZONE

By Lionel Ketchian

Are you worrying about your problems? Guess what, everyone has problems. It is all about not letting your problems negatively affect you. Most people allow worry to get the best of them. Worrying is not going to solve your problems. In fact worrying is just another problem for you to deal with. Thinking about your problems is not the same as worrying about them. That is because thinking is directed toward solving the problem. Think about what solutions you have available to you. When you come up with solutions you will not need to worry about your problems.

Lighten up and be happy and you will find solutions to your problems even faster. You will even find better solutions because you will be in a better frame of mind. It is called emotional competence, so lighten up and change your attitude! Your negative attitude is a part of your problem. A poor attitude has a dramatic negative effect on your problems and your life. How does lighting up and being happy have a positive affect on you life? I'll tell you the secret if you promise to tell everyone. It is all about power, and power is energy that you have control over. Happiness is power because it produces energy. Happiness is energy of the highest order. Happiness is your power source, so get connected! It is about tapping into your power supply and using the energy.

Energy is all around us. Your connection is happiness. To prove it to you let's look at the opposite, which is unhappiness. Unhappiness is a feeling of being disconnected. Unhappiness is about being cut off from the energy that we feel when we are happy. Look at how we describe both states of being. We describe unhappiness as being down and out or feeling low. We describe happiness as feeling high or being in the flow. Happiness is our connection to power. Happiness is our connection to one another. When we experience happiness with another human being we feel connected. Laughter produces the same results. As an aspect of happiness it makes us feel better. It is an energy producer. It is a source of power as well because it brings people together.

Remember the old saying, "Laughter is the best medicine?" Medicine changes a weakened state into a healthy, more powerful state. To be able to lighten up and laugh may be one of the most powerful things you can do. Especially when things are not going well, or you are not feeling well. Maybe you, a family member, or a friend is fighting a serious illness. How can lightening up and being happy change such a serious situation? Lightening up can be the most powerful thing you can do. The reason for this is that you are taking control of yourself. That is real power! To laugh often and much, especially at your self can create the energy that you need to overcome the illness.

Whether you have medical, financial or relationships problems, lighten up and be happy and notice the positive benefits. What are they? Being happy when everything looks bad allows you take charge of the situation and yourself. You are not letting the situation tell you what to do. Once you become unhappy you are letting the problem tell you what to think and how to act. When you can allow yourself to be happy even in a bad situation, you become the most powerful person in the world. You become more of who you really are. Problems do not define who you are; they reveal who you are!

There is another way to live your life. Decide to be happy no matter what. Wake up in the morning and decide to be happy. You go through the day and experience people and events that would make most people unhappy, but not you! You're too smart for that. You know that only you are in charge of your happiness. You would not want anyone else to be in charge of your happiness.

The secret to living your life is to lighten up and be happy! This is your power source for energy. Yes, it does take discipline to stick to the decision to be happy. It's worth it, believe me. Nothing makes more sense than being happy. It will carry you through the valleys of despair to the mountaintop of exhilaration.

Our next Happiness Club meeting will be a presentation called: From Obstacles to Opportunities by Barry Shainbaum on Thursday, June 16, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Sullivan Independence Hall, 725 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT. Barry was cured of bipolar disorder 16 years ago. Barry talks about many things that he did during his previous darkest days that brought him some happiness. Barry will travel to us from his home in Toronto, Canada and his presentation includes live music and many of the images from his book Hope & Heroes which was inspired by his journey of facing and overcoming adversity. Hope & Heroes includes Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Dr. Phil, Jane Goodall, Martin Sheen, Robert Schuller, Wayne Dyer, Arun Gandhi, Shimon Peres, and many more inspiring figures.

Barry Shainbaum is a professional photographer, speaker, and author of: HOPE & HEROES : Portraits of Integrity & Inspiration. His web site is: www.barryshainbaum.com

Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend. Come on down, meet some great people and share the joy! Look forward to seeing you.

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club, a Happiness Coach, and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The Web site is www.HappinessClub.com.