5 Ways to Be Happy Now

Like everyone else, this “new economy” has turned all of my preconceived notions upside down. At various times I find myself challenged, scared, confused, and sad. Until last night, I blamed my blues on the cataclysmic events we’ve all gone through in the last six months. I lay in my bed, wishing everything would get right-side up so I could be happy again.

But then my inner self, the observer who watches me go through all of my various gyrations, asked me, “When was the last time you were truly happy?” I thought back through my life; as a child, as a teenager, as a young mother, as a new lawyer. And all I could find were snatches of happiness, here and there. Like when my kids were babies and I would go up in their room to kiss them goodnight. I was happy in that moment, yet unhappy in my marriage. Or when I was spending time with my father in Florida. I was happy to be with him, but worried about my finances. Or when I was off in some foreign country, enjoying an exotic spiritual adventure. I savored the experience, yet felt homesick at the same time. Never once was I consistently “happy” for any period of time. It was always bits and pieces of happiness, sandwiched in between my constant worrying or doubt. It didn’t matter if I was walking around in three thousand dollar suits and diamonds, or wondering how I’d make ends meet, it was always the same. Happiness was a fleeting concept.

So I asked myself, “If you have been on earth more than fifty years and have never been consistently happy, then when would be a good time to start?” And I decided that now would probably be a good time. I can’t wait for the economy to correct itself. I can’t wait to I find out if my latest great idea is going to pan out. Because, like everyone else, I don’t know how much more time I have on this lovely planet we call our home.

Happiness is a decision. We can decide to be happy, even if we’re working out problems in our business, or realizing that our house is “upside down” with no equity. It’s a choice. I believe that a lot of the turmoil we are now experiencing is the result of a mass concentration on fear, making a difficult situation, worse. Can we really be that powerful, that our thoughts are creating the very reality we’re afraid of? I think we can. I think we are created in the nature and likeness of God, and have the power to create with our thoughts in the same way.

And so, if we are to get ourselves out of this fix, we need to become “like little children” and begin doing the simple things that make us feel happy. “Like what?” One may ask. “What can I possibly do to be happy when I have lost my job? (or home, or, fill in the blank)” I don’t know. I can only share the things I do that make me feel happy. Maybe they will work for others.

1. Play: I like to play word games, like Spill’n Spell. I love to color! Some of us like to do puzzles, tell jokes, or swing on the swings. Whatever it is, do it! Don’t worry, the world will keep turning even if we take a few minutes off from stressing about it. (We may even free ourselves to come up with some new ideas.)

2. Watch funny movies: One of my recent favorites is a movie that was in the running for the worst picture of the year; “The Love Guru” starring Mike Meyers. I don’t care who doesn’t like it! I think it’s great. Whatever movies make us smile, remember that laughter is as good for us as an aerobic workout. So all of us who are coach potatoes are actually improving our health by watching a movie that cracks us up. (And by the way, who cares if you’re a coach potato? Do what makes you happy.) That being said, my next suggestion is

3. Dance! It’s almost impossible to feel bad when we are dancing to music we love. Personally, I like to dress up in clothes that shock my children and shake my bootie at Boogie Fever, which plays 70’s and 80’s music. Others may like to slow dance, or tango all by themselves in the privacy of their homes. Whatever it is, do it! Nobody’s opinion matters, except your own.

4. Smile: Remember the song that says, “When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you?” It’s true! (And if they don’t, who cares? Smile anyway.) I recently read a wonderful book by Elizabeth Gilbert called “Eat, Pray, Love,” in which an Indonesian medicine man told her to meditate by simply sitting and smiling. “Smile in your liver!” He said. Somehow, when we’re smiling our mind thinks “Wow, I must be happy.” And so it is. Sometimes we really need to take our mind gently by the hand and tell it what to think.

5. Be kind (starting with yourself): I have decided that from now on, I will criticize no one, whether they criticize me, vex me, or anything else they may do. It has finally sunk in that we are all doing the very best we can with the knowledge, information, and awareness that we have. So whether I like what someone else is doing or not, I refuse to criticize them. Or myself. I am sure that I will “fall off the wagon” with this one, but I am going to climb right back on. It’s a much happier way to live!

I hope that we all find some of these suggestions appealing, and worth a try. If they don’t work, I can always refund your misery.