Happ-E-Newsletter for February 15, 2004

My Dear Friend,

Happy Valentine's Day!

Many people have asked me if I can talk about happiness without calling it "happiness!" I have finally found the words that truly express the correct meaning using other words. The words are: "Emotional Competence." Are you emotionally competent? If you are happy then you are. Emotional incompetence shows itself in our unhappiness. The next article I write will explain more about this latest discovery.

"I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." - Martha Washington

Happiness Empowerment to You!
PRACTICE HAPPINESS - LIVE RICHLY

Happiness is one of the most important things in your life. Happiness does wonders for your soul. I want you to practice "Premeditated Happiness." Happiness is an issue of power. We give our happiness to others for many reasons. Then we think that they make us unhappy. The truth is that we have given others the power over ourselves. We must take our power back in order to be happy again. Now is the time for you to learn to use happiness in dealing with challenges and difficult people in your life so you can develop the strength to prevail. You should know that reading this newsletter will not just make your life better; it will make the world a better place because you have decided to be happy!

Reminding you to make the "Happiness Decision." Letting you know about our meeting dates, giving you happiness information, and your latest copy of the Be Happy Zone Articles that are published every other Wednesday in the Fairfield Citizen-News. At the end of this newsletter you can read the latest article called: Overcoming the Blues.

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." - Anne Frank

Think Smart, Look Smart, Be Smart...Be Happy! - Lionel

Happ-E-Quote:) "Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish." - Ovid

Happ-E-Mail:) I very much enjoyed reading the HappinessClub article in the Westport News. Many of the points and issues you raised were and are "right on" point with regard to me and my health. Thanks very much. I have asked to be included in your NewsLetter mailing and look forward to attending one of the meeting in Fairfield. Thanks again. Jerry Leahy

Happ-E-Quote:) "Your conscious mind can only hold one thought at a time, positive or negative. You can decide to be happy by substituting positive thoughts for negative ones." - Brian Tracy

Happ-E-Mail:) I really enjoy your articles. There are so many things that you write about that we never realize. Thank You, Anna

Happ-E-Quote:) "Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want." - Jim Rohn

Happ-E-Quote:) "Kindness in words creates confidence, Kindness in thinking creates profoundness, Kindness in giving creates love." - Lao Tsu

Happy Valentine's Day:) For better intimacy and improved relationships read Lasting Love, The 5 Secrets of Growing a Vital, Conscious Relationship, by Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., and Kathlyn Hendricks, Ph.D. Lasting Love grew out of the Hendricks' laboratory of their 23-year marriage as well as their 10-year study of more than 2,000 long-term, committed couples.

They discovered that the most common couples conflicts could be traced to at least one of five root causes:

An imbalance between the creative energy each partner contributes to the relationship
A lack of emotional honesty
An unwillingness to accept responsibility for everyday issues
Deep-seated commitment problems
A deficiency of daily appreciations

Happ-E-Quote:) "Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself. " - Leo Buscaglia

Happ-E-Quote:) "Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together but do so with all your heart." - Marcus Aurelius

The Happiness Show on TV:) Watch "The Happiness Show," every Wednesday night, at 8:30 - 9:00 PM. Tune in and catch some happiness. Your CO-hosts are Lionel Ketchian & George Ortega. It will be broadcast in six towns on Cablevision of Connecticut channel 77. It airs in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Orange, Stratford and Woodbridge. It can be seen on Cablevision in White Plains, New York on channel 76 every Thursday night, from 9:00 - 9:30 PM.

HAPPINESS CLUB MEETING:) The presentation will be: THE HEART OF HAPPINESS, by Lionel Ketchian and Ray Rogers. I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting which will take place on Thursday, February 19, 2004, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at Sullivan Independence Hall - Downstairs in the back. Just around the corner from the Library. The address is 725 Old Post Road, Fairfield, 06824. Meet some new friends and get yourself in a happy mood for the New Year. Bring a snack to share with others. Admission is free.

Happ-E-Quote:) "Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth... Tame the dragon and the gift is yours." - Noela Evans

Meet:) "THE HEART OF HAPPINESS"

Date:) Thursday, February 19, 2004

Time:) 7:00 - 9:00 P.M.

Food:) Bring a share a snack if you like

Directions to Fairfield Independence Town Hall

725 Old Post Road (corner of Beach Road)

I 95 Southbound Exit 22
Left onto North Benson Road
Cross Post Road/Route 1
Continue one block to stop sign
Right onto Old Post Road
Continue one block to stop sign
Town Hall is across the street on the left
Independence Hall is down the driveway from Town Hall

I 95 Northbound Exit 22

Right onto Round Hill Road
Cross Post Road/Route 1
Continue one block to stop sign
Town Hall is across the street on the right
Independence Hall is down the

Happ-E-Quote:) "The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what interests you and that you can do well, and put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have." - John D. Rockefeller, III

BE HAPPY ZONE
February 4, 2004

Overcoming the Blues

By Lionel Ketchian

Dr. Bernie S. Siegel and I have just finished video taping a two hour interview in his home in Connecticut. It was an important opportunity to learn more life lessons from one of the most compassionate doctors that has ever lived. We talked about his new book, called 365 Prescriptions for the Soul, (Daily Messages of Inspiration, Hope, and Love.)

We also talked about attitudes, pain, suffering, health, healing, and happiness. Bernie shared his personal thoughts in this video interview, which will be released soon. A segment of this interview will be aired on The Happiness Show on cable TV stations. We anticipate the rest of the program may be aired on a regular television network.

2000 years ago, Epictetus said: "There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will." If you are unhappy now, then in the next moment you will be no happier than you have been now. The good news is that this can work the other way for you. If you decide to be happy now, your next moment will be no less than what is has been.

Your happiness or unhappiness is your intention to decide how things will continue to be. If you decide to be happy than you have set that intention ahead of you to act as your trailblazer for the path you shall travel. Life is hard enough the way it is without being your own worst enemy!

In March of 2001, Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reached their conclusions about the protective effect of happiness after analyzing data on 2,478 men and women. They were all 65 years of age or older. These people were all given a questionnaire that consisted of twenty questions or statements that required a yes or no response.

Sixteen of these were negative pronouncements such as "I felt that I could not shake off the blues, even with the help of my family and friends," "I thought that my life had been a failure" and "I felt fearful." The other four statements were positive, such as "I felt that I was just as good as other people," and "I felt hopeful about the future."

None of the participants had ever had a stroke at the time the questionnaire was completed. The researchers then followed the participants over a six-year period to see how their health had changed. During that time, out of the 2,478 people who took the study, 340 had strokes, and 75 of these people died. The researchers then tried to connect those occurrences to the participants' original answers to the questionnaire.

For each "yes" answer to a positive statement there was a 26% decrease in the risk of stroke. Let's take a close look at this study. There were 20 questions or statements, 16 negative ones that dealt with unhappiness, and 4 positive ones that were about being happy and optimistic. If you answered yes to all 4 positive statements there was a 100% chance of not having a stroke. Strokes are the third most common cause of death and they are the leading cause of long-term disability among the elderly.

This study was published on Friday, March 23, 2001, in the Journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. Researchers said that this study shows that "high levels of positive effect" seem to shield older people from having a stroke. Elderly folks who often feel blue tend to have more strokes than those who are not depressed, according to the study.
You have a choice right now to look at things differently.

Now you know that having an unhappy outlook may result in hurting you. Is unhappiness worth the price you may have to pay? No, the price is much too high. Take control of your happiness, it is the one thing you have control over. Do you really think you can control all the people and circumstances in your life? No, you will wear yourself out first. Take control of yourself, that is where your power lies.

In this case I am very happy that this study has been done so that you can see the positive effect of "Being Happy," on your health, the quality of your life, and length of your life. If you are the type of person that needs proof, then here you have it - "Proof Positive," it is here for you to see!

Sixteen years ago I wrote a book called Food for Thought. Dr. Bernie Siegel endorsed it as well as Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, and Ken Blanchard, Ph.D. Dr. Bernie Siegel, who wrote, Love, Medicine and Miracles, has changed the way people think about being responsible for their health and attitude.

Maybe it is time to teach happiness in school. Emotional intelligence is just as important as learning facts. Do we need to remain stressed out all our lives and find out that the price we are paying is much too high? The need to become happy is one that we must learn to embrace. If it is not enough to know that it affects your health, now you know it is nothing less than a life and death matter. Your thinking, your state of mind, and the way you feel all have a direct effect on your health.

Walk around with happiness, get the feel of it in your stride, and in your heart, and your head. You will experience the very best that life has to offer you. Of course you will encounter negative things along the way, just like anyone else. But you will be taking the high road in life and you will be doing the best you can with what you have. You will feel happiness within yourself and you will spread it naturally and effortlessly to everyone you meet, even the unhappy.

By taking happiness for yourself you will be able to give it to others. How can you give what you do not have? Another important aspect about living a happy life is the fact that you will be spreading happiness in the world. This world needs happiness more than anything. What a wonderful gift your happiness will make. You will make all the difference in the world, and you do it by "Being Happy."

The presentation will be THE HEART OF HAPPINESS, by Lionel Ketchian and Ray Rogers. I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, which will take place on Thursday, February 19, 2004, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at Sullivan Independence Hall - Downstairs in the back. The address is 725 Old Post Road, Fairfield. Meet some new friends and get yourself in a happy mood for the New Year. Admission is free. Be Happy! Live Longer!

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

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Happiness is an inner state of well being. A state of well being that enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life. - Lionel Ketchian

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"Don't let go of the vine." - John Weissmuller, from the film, Tarzan.
Life is full of opportunities. Go For It! Carpe diem!

© Copyright 2004, Lionel R. Ketchian, all rights reserved.