Continuing from the last two weeks of ideas on how to create happiness on purpose…
Serve with LOVE
Serving others is a wonderful way to bring more happiness into your life.
But there’s a trick…
If you are serving someone “because you have to” or from resentment, you’ll get a watered down, dull dopamine hit (if anything at all).
But if you choose to serve from LOVE, at 100%, because you want to… you’ll be filled with so much happiness, you’ll be able to spread it around.
For example: I know you’re so tired of cooking dinner and cleaning up after the kids, but if you don’t do it, no one will….at least that is what you tell yourself.
I’ve experimented with this…
When I allow myself to choose thoughts like, “I’m so tired!” “Why can’t they clean up after themselves?” “Does anyone do anything around here, but me…”
I am very unhappy and grumpy… and everyone knows it.
This is not who I want to be as a mom.
I realize and accept the fact that my kids will never be 100% great at picking up after themselves, and that dinner will never make itself.
So I decided to start thinking, “Hey, they got 80% of their stuff cleaned up, that’s pretty good, I’ll just grab these last few things to help them out.”
Or, “I’m really grateful we have food and that I have the ability to make dinner – I can serve my family this way today.”
And sometimes I loving ask them to help me out with dinner or the dishes, sometimes they say yes and sometimes they say no… but I tried, and that’s okay to.
Do you see the difference? When I consciously decide to change my thoughts it gives me a different emotion to serve my family with. You can do it to.
And that is a great happiness fix!
Laugh out Loud
This seems obvious, but really…
When was the last time you sat on the couch and just observed how funny your kids are? What they say? What they do? How they do it?
Kids are funny!
When was the last time you watched a Disney movie and allowed yourself to laugh hard just because you can?
I love to watch my oldest son watch movies… he allows himself to laugh so hard…
Often at parts that aren’t really that funny, but for some reason it hits his funny bone.
Before you know it, everyone is laughing hysterically, and we have to pause the movie until we regain control of ourselves.
Of course, if anyone mentions it again or looks sideways at him, we all fall back into fits of laughter.
Just thinking about the last episode has me giggling…
Oh, laughter is so good for us and a large, healthy dose of dopamine.
Look for opportunities to allow it into your life more often.
–Challenge: Look at life with me today and choose to laugh at something you usually don’t!
Look for the Good
You knew this one would be in here…
Gratitude is such a quick and easy shift to seeing things with joy!
It wasn’t always this way though…
It took conscious effort, and practice to make this my “go to” emotional shift.
Anytime I’d find myself feeling down, concerned, burdened, overwhelmed, frustrated, etc.
I’d pretend I was grateful (sometimes with a fake smile just to push it a little bit).
At first, I wasn’t sure I believed it… but I persisted.
Over time, it got easier.
Eventually I didn’t have to think about it as much; I just had to notice I wanted to shift my emotions to a happier place.
It was worth the effort!
Now, it’s easy and one of the quickest ways I can find joy in any circumstance.
From gratitude I can access a genuine smile or laughter easier also.
And I’ve learned there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for if you’re willing to look for it!
–Challenge: practice seeing things through the lense of gratitude today.
PS –If you want to feel better and be happier, I can help! This year has been rough, let me help you point your brain back towards HAPPINESS. Message me and we’ll chat for 30 minutes.