How to Have a Great Day: 5 Simple Steps for Daily Happiness!

By JOHN D. MOORE, PHD

So you came here looking for more information on how to have a great day? Good on you! Let’s face it – in our 24/7 non-stop world of deadlines, accountability and stress, great days can be hard to come by!  But what if you could change that?


I’ve written about the topic of choosing happiness in the past and the importance of embracing different parts of ourselves.  A major message of this blog on Reaching Life Goals is to help you live your life to the fullest, using mindfulness as a conduit for change.

To build upon this theme, I am going to share with you 5 simple steps you can do each day to help make it great with the dual goal of building happiness into the dynamic.

Are you ready? Let’s jump right in!

1. Focus on gratitude early

Before you getting out of your bed, clear your mind the non-stop “to-do” list and spend 60 seconds focusing on what you are grateful for. Example: You woke up this morning, didn’t you? Guess what, not everyone else made it through the night! By focusing on basic things to be grateful for, you instantly help put yourself in a happy mood and repel negativity.

2. Choose happy foods

Part of having a great day is making healthy nutritional choices. One powerful approach is to choose your meals wisely and eat things that increase happiness.  Did you know that foods like apples, berries and oranges have been found to have mood boosting powers that happen to jack up levels of happiness? It’s true. Why not reach for something healthy right now?

3. Do something physical

This may seem like a silly point but physical activity has been scientifically proven to have a positive impact on mood while also acting as a powerful tool to increase happiness. You don’t have to hit the gym either to make this part of your daily ritual. Basic physical activities like stretching, walking or going for a bike ride can help to release powerful brain chemicals that are known to power up your happiness chip.

4. Schedule happiness

Yes, you read this right – schedule happiness!  In my experience, too many of us are focused on the needs and happiness of others that we forget to attend to our own self-care. Scheduling happiness for yourself can be as simple as taking a quiet walk around the block and focusing on gratitude or spending some time with your pet and observing mindful behavior.

5. Choose happiness

This final point may sound simple but that doesn’t mean it is easy. Choosing happiness means reaching deep inside and believing you are worthy of happiness. It means having confidence in your abilities and skills while accepting your limitations. It means identifying your triggers for stress in advance and choosing how you will respond. Choosing happiness means loving yourself for the person you are and turning off negative self-talk.

Final Thoughts

Hell yes you can have a great day. And you know what – you can have another great day tomorrow! Sure, things are going to come up that will derail you from time to time. That’s life. But with the right mental and emotional attitude, coupled with some tweaking on your part, great days can become part of your reality. Before you know it, you will be well on your way to a great week!

Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

Have a GREAT day – really!

Article Source :- How to Have a Great Day: 5 Simple Steps for Daily Happiness! | Reaching Life Goals

10 Leadership Lessons From the U.S. Navy Seal Who Led the bin Laden Mission | ChiefExecutive.net | Chief Executive magazine

Every CEO has a list of leaders and mentors he or she looks up to or has learned from. Here’s a new one for your list.

Admiral William H. McRaven is the former commander of U.S. Navy SEAL Team 3 and the current commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. He led the mission which resulted in finding Osama bin Laden. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he recently gave the commencement address at his alma mater, and offered the graduates 10 lessons from his SEAL training that every leader can benefit from. He said, if you want to change the world:



1. Start off by making your bed. The first thing a sailor does every morning is make his bed. This sets him or her off on the right footing and gives a sense of pride. Begin every day by accomplishing a small task. It will make you feel good and put you on the right footing.



2. Find someone to help you paddle. It takes a team of seven SEALs to get across the heavy San Diego surf in a raft. The task is impossible to do alone. You can’t change the world alone—accept that you will need some help.



3. Measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers. He tells a story of a SEAL team that was the ‘runt of the litter,’ but outswam, outpaddled and outran the big guys every time. Judge people by their character and nothing else.



4. Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward. Recruits whose uniforms didn’t pass inspection were required to dive into the ocean in full uniform, then roll around in the sand, an exercise they nicknamed being a ‘sugar cookie’. They had to stay in those wet, sandy uniforms all day. The ones who got frustrated didn’t survive because they didn’t get the true message: Things are never going to be perfect all the time.



5. Don’t be afraid of the “circuses.” Recruits who didn’t meet daily standards or time tests ended up on a list and had to participate in a “circus.” “Circuses” were additional training exercises designed to wear already tired recruits down. Many didn’t make it, but those who did, ironically, ended up being stronger and harder than those who didn’t go through a lot of “circuses.”



6. Sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head-first. A candidate broke a hand-over-hand upside down crawling-across-a-rope record by instead sliding across the top of the bar head first. What he did was really risky and no one else had ever tried it. But he tried it and he succeeded. He not only broke the record, he reset the bar.



7. Don’t back down from the sharks. Recruits who encompass a shark on a swimming exercise are ordered not to back down from it, but rather to punch it in the nose. McRaven tells the graduates, there are a lot of sharks in the world. If you’re going to succeed in life, you’ve got to face your sharks.



8. Be your very best in the darkest moment. Part of SEAL training is to conduct attacks on enemy ships. This requires being deep under pitch black water while listening to loud, distracting noises from the ship’s engines and systems. It’s very easy to get disoriented and fail. Every SEAL, he said, knows that when it’s darkest is the time when you need to be the most calm, composed and focused.



9. Start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud. During hell week, McRaven’s team of trainees found themselves in freezing cold mud up to their necks and were required to remain there for eight hours, until dawn. Just when it seemed that several of them were about to give up, one started singing, then another and another. All of sudden, they had hope. “If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world,” he said, “it is the power of hope. The power of one person—Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela and even a young girl from Pakistan, Malala—one person can change the world by giving people hope.”



10. Don’t ever, ever ring the bell. In SEAL training, recruits who want to give up simply have to ring a bell that hangs in the center of the compound. His final message: If you want to change the world, don’t give up. Don’t ever, ever ring that bell.



For a full transcript of his speech, click here.



Article Source :- 10 Leadership Lessons From the U.S. Navy Seal Who Led the bin Laden Mission | ChiefExecutive.net | Chief Executive magazine

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7 Ways To Stop Feeling Like Shit - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Sometimes the changing of seasons can weigh you down and knock you out, leaving you grumpy, tired and all-in-all: shitty. Lucky for us, there are steps we can take to help reverse these less-than-desirable feelings. Everything is attainable and at the end of the day, [at the risk of sounding cliché], the only thing stopping you from feeling your best is YOU. Here are 7 steps you can follow to stop feeling like shit:

1. Stop Hitting The Snooze Button

When we hit the snooze button it gives our brain the message that we don’t want the day to start. I’m well aware that the sound of that obnoxious alarm at 6:30 AM makes us want to curl in bed for another 2 hours at least, but it’s time to make the most of your mornings. These precious hours are the only time in the day that we don’t have to open our mouths and answer to anyone yet… what could be better?! And if that doesn’t convince you, here are 5 reasons you should wake up earlier.

2. Give Up Animal Products for 1 Week

Disclaimer: I’m not vegetarian, vegan, raw, paleo, gluten-free, or any restricted diet for that matter, but I do believe that moderation is the key to health and happiness. If I’m feeling really weighed down, I’ll try and switch up my diet. Giving up animal products (yes, that includes dairy) for 1 week can totally flip my mood around… before I start craving baked salmon and roast chicken again. If you don’t think you can change up your diet for just 1 week, try out these vegan recipes, and your mind will surely change.

3. Change Your Scenery

Stagnant scenery is guaranteed to make you feel stagnant. That being said, there are a couple ways you can change it up. Option 1: Get out of town for the weekend. Drive a few hours away and mellow out in a new area with your loved ones, or even solo. You don’t have to travel across the world to take a vacation (but if you can, why not?!). Option 2: Redecorate your home. I don’t mean that you should go out and spend thousands of dollars on new stuff; there are so many wallet-friendly ways you can do it on your own. You can try re-wallpapering a room (great tutorial here) or jazzing up the look of your kitchen (6 easy ideas here). Get creative, but get out!

4. Stretch Your Body

It’s no secret that little-to-no physical exercise will leave you feeling like shit. Keeping your body strong and flexible helps you today, tomorrow and the years to come. If you aren’t big into physical activity, be sure to at least stretch out. There are so many at-home yoga videos that leave you with no excuse!





Read more ar   7 Ways To Stop Feeling Like Shit - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement

i heart intelligence 20 hints for a happy life - I Heart Intelligence

If you are a type of person who is always searching for new ways to improve their life, these tips for living a healthier and happier life might be just what you are looking for. We have gathered 20 hints that can help you feel better and live your life to the fullest. Before you start reading, have in mind that not everything on this list is a must-do. You choose whether to try one, mix of few or all of the tips and see how they work for you.

1. Fit body

Our body is our biological computer, a suit for our souls. By staying in shape we help ourselves in many, many ways. The main advantages include physical strength, attractiveness, confidence boost and the list goes on. It takes only 3% of your day for a basic fitness workout. Remember: your body is the “device”with which you perceive and interact with this reality. Take good care for it!

2.Aware mind

In addition to physical power we need knowledge power. Knowledge can be obtained through reading books and through life lessons. The first way tends to be quite relaxing and stress reliving and it’s often considered a hobby. Life lessons are a better but also a harsher teacher– most of the time they are a result of difficult times in life and are accompanied by stress. However, they often lead to ways to be happy and positive in the end.

3.Thought control

Your thoughts shape your personality a lot more than you think. Most personality changing techniques include thought control. This can be done through various meditation and trans practices or thought control exercises. Controlling your stream of thoughts is a key point for learning to love yourself and a creating positive mindset.

4.Keep yourself inspired

A great way of keeping yourself motivated is reading something inspirational before bed and after you wake up. Anything from a quote by your idol to a self-improvement book will do. This trick works great when done in the morning– it’ll keep you excited and positively charged till the end of the day!

5.Decide what your true goals in life are.

This is crucial for your life’s meaning and development. Maybe living day for day isn’t such a great idea? Satisfying yourself with small goals won’t do the trick either. Deciding what’s your main goal in life is such a beautiful thing and it brings you freedom, too. You just have to set your priorities and remember that no one has the right to judge you: it’s your choice weather sitting behind a desk,wearing a suit is your thing, or you prefer an extreme, dynamic life with a skateboard under your feet. Or maybe both! It doesn’t matter, just decide what you want from life and go for it!

6.”The Burning Method”

It’s a pretty simple trick of dealing with small, annoying problems and fears: write down on a sheet of paper whatever bothers you. Then simply light it up and watch your worries turn into ashes.

7.”Sticks and stones may break my bones…..”

The most common expression of aggression tends to be verbal violence. Name calling doesn’t actually bother us, unless they call you something that it’s true. If someone calls you for example “an ass hat”, I doubt you’ll be upset, because you’re not actually an ass hat (wow). But you still are angry/annoyed– I connect that to the subconscious anger towards the intentions behind the words. In other words, the aggressor knows you’re not an ass hat but those words represent his intention to annoy you. You subconsciously know that and that’s why you’re really angry. Next time have that in mind, build up your response to verbal attacks. If someone ends up calling you stuff that are actually true, just swallow it up and thank them for pointing out your flaws. After that work hard on fixing them. Or don’t, it’s your choice.

8.Snap your negative thoughts away.

A good way to live a happy life by keeping positive thoughts is “The Rubber Band Method”. All you need is a rubber band, your hand and some pain tolerance. Place the band around your hand and every time a negative thought flies through your head, snap it against your skin. You’ll be able to control your thoughts easier because your brain will connect negative thoughts to physical pain.  Unless you’re a masochist, this method will guide you to more positive thoughts.

9.Travel

“The world is a book,and those who do not travel read only one page.” These wise words should make you think about spending some time travelling. It’s pretty romantic, exciting and relaxing to explore the beauty and uniqueness of different cultures and sights around the world. It helps you open your mind and think more globally, not to mention the knowledge our beautiful planet has to offer you!

10.Be kind to people

The simplicity in this tip is so beautiful! Swallow up your bad day and be kind to that waiter! Why ruin other people’s day with rudeness? Rudeness is the weak person’s imitation of strength.

11.Properly apply forgiveness.

Forgiveness is critically important for relationships between people and is an indicator for a strong character. Handling forgiveness properly is crucial to your own well-being. After all, everyone makes mistakes. But have this in mind: was it really a mistake? And does it keep happening after you have forgiven that person before? There are people who would love to exploit your willingness to forgive. Beware!

12.Sleep cycle

Find the best sleeping pattern that fits your lifestyle. Sleep is important but there are various ways and techniques that can fit any schedule. Remember: it will be hard in the beginning. After passing the barrier of around 21 days it won’t be a problem!

13.Let the sunshine in

Ignore the speculations about skin cancer and so on and soak in that vitamin D from the sun rays! Sit on a bench, play some music on and feel the sun touching your skin, feel your body relaxing and charging itself with positive energy!

14.Focus on what’s happening now!

Don’t waste time regretting the past or worrying about the future. The past is gone, you can only learn from it. The future depends on your actions in the present so take action NOW and always have in mind the lessons you have learned from your past.

15.Correct hydration

This can be achieved mainly by drinking the right amount of water at the right time. Don’t fool yourself that drinking different types of soda will give your body the hydration it needs. 60% of your body is water. There are various apps that can help you hydrate your body properly through the day.

16.Smile

When you’re happy, you can’t help it but smile. This goes the other way too– if you smile, your brain releases the hormone of happiness serotonin. It’s a natural way of actually making yourself happy.  You can try this anytime you want, even in the morning while laying in bed. That’s a sure way to start your day off right.

17.Remember people’s names

That’s a great chance to make an awesome first impression. The trick here is to remember it, which shouldn’t be too hard. In the worst cases a rhyme would do the job. The key moment is to actually listen because most of the time you are anxious when you meet new people. Call your new friend back by name as soon as you get the chance. You’ll remember it for sure and make a good impression. People subconsciously love calling them by name.

18.Lucid dreaming

Dreams are the second “reality” everyone is sure exists. It’s pretty strange when you think of  it: while dreaming, you remember little of your “waking life” (enough to recognize places,people…)– just like after you wake up and don’t remember much of your dream. Furthermore, you experience the same emotions and react pretty much the same way, as if you were experiencing that event in “real life”. It’s like a parallel life that begins as soon as you fall asleep. So why not take it to another level? The web is boiling with methods of learning lucid dreaming. That’s the technique of being aware that you’re in a dream and getting  a hold on the situation. It also makes the dream really vivid and easier to remember. Exploit both of your realities to the maximum!

19.Emotion control

Note the effect emotions have on your decisions and how tricky emotional manipulation can be. So, next time someone tries to influence your emotional state, think twice! You are the one who chooses whether to remain happy or burst in anger.

20.Learn something new every day.

This will train your memory and enrich your fact/knowledge arsenal. It’s also a good indicator that you are growing, that you are making progress in a way, no matter how small. Spiritual growth and mind perfection– two precious causes that are worth fighting for!



Article Source:-i heart intelligence 20 hints for a happy life - I Heart Intelligence

It’s the Little Things That Lead to Happiness | World of Psychology

By MICHAEL HEDRICK



What’s the best part of your day?

For me, it’s waking up early and having coffee on my porch as I watch the sun rise. There’s just something calming about this little morning ritual. I never miss it, it’s truly one of the highlights of my day.
Of course there are other things that can brighten your mood during the course of your day that you might not think so much about. These are things like a nice smile from someone on the street, a simple question from a caring stranger, a hot shower or a kind and caring attitude from one of the scores of different people you deal with during the day.
My point here, if you can’t already tell is that it’s little things, and little rituals like this that can have a positive effect on your attitude and lead to happiness.
Harvard professor Francesca Gino was quoted in Time Magazine this week saying “You can think about rituals that you yourself might engage in prior to consumption experiences. What they do, they make us a little bit more mindful about the consumption experience that we are about to have. Because of that, we end up savoring the food or whatever we are drinking more, we enjoy the experience more, and in fact, we’re also more willing to pay higher prices for whatever it is that we just consumed. Once again, rituals are beneficial in the sense that they create higher levels of enjoyment in the experience that we just had.
In essence, when you are fully conscious of the experience you’re taking part in, you recognize the little nuances, the flavors and the feelings you’re getting from it, and that leads to enjoyment.
We all have things we’d rather not do, work, chores, that kind of stuff, but when we take these little moments to ourselves it’s like a little vacation in the middle of the day. It can boost energy and give us a feeling of contentment that can carry over to other parts of our life.
These little moments of contentment are important for us to feel grounded and to be able to feel like we can take on the world.
Having lived with schizophrenia for years, this didn’t occur to me all at once. It came over a long period of time as I slowly found myself in more and more of a routine. Essentially I have the things that I do on a day-to-day basis that provide me with a level of contentment, and that’s important for anyone. Especially those who are having a hard time.
It’s not just rituals or happy circumstances either. The little things I’m talking about can extend to relationships as well. Having the support of your family, having friends you see on a regular basis, even deeper, the inside jokes and the experiences you’ve had together. These little things can provide a foundation for happiness and it’s important to be conscious of when these good things happen.
Say you’ve had a hard day at work, when you come home, the only thing you want to do is crash, as you walk in the door there’s a note from your partner, when you open it all it says is “Just wanted to say I love you.” That’s just one example of a little thing that can make all the difference.

All said, the little things matter. Even if they don’t seem like it at the time.

Article Source :-It’s the Little Things That Lead to Happiness | World of Psychology

11 Inspirational Quotes from the Top CEOs of the Modern Business World

Learning from the successes of today can be vital to the successes of tomorrow. Get a head start with these inspirational quotes and tips from today's top business leaders.

 

11 Inspirational Quotes from the Top CEOs of the Modern Business World from Stratus Interactive

25 Wise, Inspiring Steve Job Quotes That’ll Make You Want To Change The World

25 Wise, Inspiring Steve Job Quotes That’ll Make You Want To Change The World from Fit Small Business