"My Happiness is on me, so you are off the hook!" - Abraham

Have you ever tried to ASK for Happiness. I don’t mean, mentally. I mean, look in the mirror and ask yourself for happiness. Concentrate on what happiness will feel like. BELIEVE you can be happy and then CREATE happiness. Remember - You can't buy happiness at Kroger on isle 8, you must create happiness. However, you can't create happiness without first asking for it, then believing you can get it and then create it.

Below are 17 things you can do to help you CREATE your happiness!

Love Yourself.
- You must first love yourself before you can love anyone else.
Do not worry with what others think about you.
- It is easy to get caught up in others opinions of you, as Les Brown once said..."What people think about you is none of your business". Remember, they don't have your best interest in mind. They don't care if you are living your dreams or not. LIve your life, not the life others want for you.
Understand that you can’t make everyone happy, only yourself.
- Some people feel a need to please others, those individuals may assume that love only comes from continually pleasing someone else. Those that need you to please them to receive their love are people that are not good for you.
Forgive others – This is to your benefit!
- There is so much power in forgiveness. That "Whew" moment when you let go and forgive. You will be happier. Yes this can be challenging, sometimes its just easier to do than to think of how. Tell yourself out like, that you forgive them. Say it often until you can let it go. The people that hurt others are generally hurt themselves. Love them anyway, It takes the burden off you.
Have a career that aligns with your purpose.
- A job can drain you of happiness, the happiest people have aligned their career with their purpose. Finding your purpose does take time however you can sit down and get pretty close by writing all the things you enjoy doing. Even if the list is 20 long. Speak them out loud and pay attention to how your body responds to your verbalization of those things. You will see which one resonates most. This will give you a very good idea of your purpose. Here is a hint.. it most likely will have to do with Giving, helping or serving others in some capacity.
Be committed to being Happy!
- ASK - BELIEVE - CREATE. Like working out, saying you want to be fit yet not committing to it will not provide results. You must first ask for it, believe you can have it and create it.. Commit to this process.
GIVE.
- The gift of giving generates a lot of happiness. Give your time or effort to someone else. Help a friend rake their leaves, help the poor. Pay someone a compliment. Just give and give often. You will find you receive more than you give when you give!
Serenity prayer.
- This prayer is loaded with tools for happiness.
  God grant me the serenity
  to accept the things I cannot change;
  courage to change the things I can;
  and wisdom to know the difference.
  Living one day at a time;
  Enjoying one moment at a time;
  Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
  Taking, as He did, this sinful world
  as it is, not as I would have it;
  Trusting that He will make all things right
  if I surrender to His Will;
  That I may be reasonably happy in this life
  and supremely happy with Him
  Forever in the next.
  Amen.
Focus on the challenge not the obstacle.
- This is totally difference in perspective, look at the obstacle as a challenge (positive perspective). Something that you can and will overcome vs an obstacle (negative perspective). If there is an obstacle between you and your goal, unfortunately, you have created it. This also means you can get through it.
Acts of Gratitude.
- Random acts of gratitude have been known to significantly raise your happiness. Things like writing a note to someone you appreciate. Open the door for someone. Help someone in need. "Pay it forward". Even buying someone a coffee. The list is endless.
Accept failure – Strength comes from it
- The best things come from failures. Embrace them as in doing so, the weight of perfection is lifted and you can actually breathe easier. No one is perfect, the quicker we accept that the happier we will be.
Purposely look for the silver lining
- Every situation and I mean EVERY situation has a silver lining. Even in the passing of a family member or friend. We can be thankful that we were able to know such an amazing person where others were not so fortunate. Even in being terminated. It was probably a job you didn't like anyway and as long as you hold on to one job, it is much harder to find one that is better suited for you.
Avoid judgments of others – we don’t know the path they have walked.
- It is so easy to judge others however this negativity can evolve into other areas of your life. A positive perspective will almost pave its way to happiness on its own. When we look at people and start to make conclusions, we are usually doing this from a small perspective of their life. We don't really know the road they have traveled. We don't see the psychological damages one may have.
Accept the past as the past and the future as the unknown. Live in the Moment.
- The past is the past, we can't repair it, we can't change it. Let it go. The future is unknown. Try to avoid the someday paralysis. Where you say, " I will do that sometime day". The fact is, someday is not a day. Instead, live in the moment, it is the only thing you have for certain.
Celebrate your milestones and successes
- It is important to reward yourself for meeting goals. This helps to keep your fire burning and your desire to continue stays in tact.
Stay honest and loyal to yourself. Be yourself, all the time!
- “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” - Dr. Seuss. It is hard work and draining to be someone you are not. Maybe you feel like people will not like the real you. Be you anyway. Alignment of your internal core values will help you remove internal conflict you may have.
Rid yourself of Toxic People
- Click here to a previous post on this.
BONUS! While driving down the road or talking a walk, don’t forget to admire the beauty that surrounds us. When we get sad, we lose perspective of color. Find the beauty around you. It is … everywhere

Happiness is the Holy Grail of Life.. Every second you spend Unhappy is a second you will never get back. Chose happiness.