Start a Deliberate Path to Happy

What do we all want the most (besides chocolate)? To be happy.

Happy is not something you can buy in a store or online or arrive at after reaching a particular goal.

The real struggle for happiness begins on the inside.

And it can take work. The kind of work that comes from within. Learning how to be speak to yourself with love and kindness, and actually coach yourself, is an important form of personal growth. And if you’re like me, there’s a decent chance that even at this age, this is still very much a work in progress!

Know that we all have the power to do this work, and when necessary, change how we perceive our issues, circumstances and daily lives.

Attitude is everything.

Not every hour of each day is shiny, happy and perfect. There are periods of struggle, anxiety and fear that hit all of us, and how strong our self-talk muscles can determine how quickly we are able to climb out of the dark.

All we need to feel whole, happy and joyful more often is already inside us.

We are enough as we are – complete and full of magic.

Think about the amazing functions your body is already managing without your conscious help… like breathing, your beating heart, blood pumping throughout, cells regenerating.

As amazing human-beings we can consciously control how we feel each day, although we sometimes lose sight of that power and therefore so often can find happiness out of reach.

How we can win the happiness struggle is by tapping into the knowledge that we hold the power to find it within ourselves.

The power to get a grip on our thoughts and flex our self-love mental muscles. The power to learn to step back and put perspective on how we’re feeling. Accepting how we feel, giving ourselves some space to feel around that bottom, and then self-talking ourselves back up, one grateful thought at a time.

Self-talk is the powerful, universal key to choosing the happy door.

“Talk to yourself like you would someone you love.” – Brene Brown

Winning the self-talk battles comes easily for some, but for some it takes a very deliberate effort.

Like the effort of storing up good vibes to draw from on the days when we feel low by: reading inspiring stories; listening to uplifting podcasts; asking for help, sharing our feelings with trusted friends; keeping positive messages in front of our face; strategically placing reminders of what truly matters; absorbing the knowledge that this too shall pass; and most of all, counting our blessings and being grounded in gratitude.

Gratitude is the foundation for building happiness.

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” – Marianne Williamson

As quickly as we can talk ourselves down a rabbit hole, we can give ourselves the gift of compassion, and talk ourselves back up to overcome the mood struggle.

Cheers to continued personal growth, to our amazing minds learning how to better coach us through the dark with self-love, ground us in gratitude, and help us find happiness within ourselves.

– Marlene

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