The Happiness Keys - living successfully

November 8, 10:49 AMRelationship ExaminerKristen Houghton

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What exactly are ©Happiness Keys? Doors need to be unlocked; so does happiness. Sometimes a lock is so rusted that it takes a tremendous effort to clean away the rust so the key can turn properly. And sometimes you have the wrong key and you have to search to find the right one! Even then a door can remain closed. A locked door and a locked mind won't open even if the key is lying right next to it. You have got to use the key to open the lock! Happiness keys are simple straight-forward ideas that will help you unlock the door to your own happiness. They will clear away years of repetitive and negative mind-sets that have caused you to misplace your own happiness. Using the keys will enable you to discover goals and dreams you left locked away because you had no time for yourself. Try these keys for the parts of your life that aren't working. Unlock a door to what you truly need and want.

Happiness Key: Seek and make your own happiness

"Throughout my life, I've learned to make choices that make me happy and make sense for me. Even my husband is happier when I'm happy. So I have freed myself to put me on the priority list and say, yes, I can make choices that make me happy and that will ripple and benefit my kids, my husband and my physical health. That's hard for women to own. We're not taught to do that. It's a lesson that I want to teach my girls so they don't wait for their 'aha' moment until they are in their thirties like I was." Michelle Obama

I have found that the above key works very well in my own life. I love my family but if I depended on any one of them to provide me with happiness on a daily basis I would be disappointed. The reverse would be true if they expected me to do the same. Put yourself first. Make plans to be happy by pursuing a life that includes your own unique talents and skills. Allow yourself to give *you* a joy-filled life.

Happiness Key: To Forgive Yourself is to Embrace the Divine

Unless it can change your life, guilt is the most useless emotion we have. We are amazing creatures, we humans. We hold onto guilt and wear it like Hester Prynne wore the scarlet letter in Hawthorne's famous book. We wallow in it; we develop a relationship with it, keeping it with us night and day. Guilt becomes our constant companion stopping us from living the good and abundant life we need to live. Some people think that by feeling guilty they are showing an acceptance of responsibility, but that is far from the truth. The only good that will ever come from guilt is if it can change your life in a positive way. If you feel guilty that your behavior may have hurt someone, even inadvertently, resolve to stop the behavior. Apologize if necessary, then let go of the guilt. Holding onto it will only hold you back from living.

Happiness Key: Happiness is a choice

"You choose how you respond to the things in your life. It doesn't mean it's easy or you feel happy every day  but you have the power to choose differently." Abby Rike, The Biggest Loser

Happiness Key: Be an architect and design a blueprint for living.

Create a master plan for your life. You can do this at any age by reinventing yourself and the life that you truly want. Throw away what isn't work, keep what is, and begin designing a life.

 Happiness Key: Live life your way - Practice 'self-ness'

Sandra Bullock has the right idea about living life her way. She says her attitude is what's made her happy. The much in-demand actor - who is married to motocross enthusiast Jesse James - admits she has always put herself first and doesn't worry what anyone else thinks, even if they advise her that her actions are wrong.' I never did anything according to what anyone else wanted. That's why I think I am happy. I do everything 100 per cent. I have to fight every single day to live my true life. I don't ever want to come home saying, 'I should have spoken my mind. I shouldn't have let someone say something that I didn't feel was right.'

"Be satisfied to satisfy yourself first" Kristen Houghton.

*This article is an excerpt from © 2009 "The Happiness Keys" by  Kristen Houghton  all rights reserved     

   andthenillbehappy.com

  ***44 days until "AND THEN I'LL BE HAPPY!
Do you sabotage your own happiness in order to make other people in your life happy? Learn how to put your own life first! Read Kristen Houghton's new book, "AND THEN I'LL BE HAPPY!" due in stores in December 22, 2009. Pre-order it today. Available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, and all bookstores.

*The above article may not be rewritten, copied, published, broadcast, or redistributed, wholly or in any part, without the express written permission of Kristen Houghton.

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