Positive Thinking

As of late, institutions of higher education and other groups conducted surveys and studies to find out "What is it that brings happiness to people?" The following steps are some of the results.Step #1: Doing good. The universal law says that there's absolutely no joy found in doing wrong. Those who do wrong, or live the untruth, experience anxiety, stress, dispair, resentment, suspicion, lack of confidence, fear and pessimism. Breaking a universal law empowers others to be in command of your life, like a judge, jailer or warden, etc. Doing good is the initial step in becoming a happy person.Step #2: Control. People report that they are happiest if they're in control of their own lives. Self-control and being in command of one's destiny produces immense amounts of freedom and feelings of security. Those who possess a powerful mental self and the ability to control their physical self are happiest.Step #3: Be Optimistic. Optimistic people always expect the best. They have hope for the future and dwell on the positive in life. They make use of the positive side of their subconscious mind by conciously thinking optimistic thoughts. Consider that your mind is like a stage and you always have control over the players on that stage. You can choose to think the positive or negative; it is your choice.Step #4: Belief in a higher power. Researchers discovered that people who have faith in a higher power are happier than people who don't. A good number of individuals who recover from a serious drug or alcohol addiction report the need of a higher power than themselves. Having faith in the unknown can be a satisfying experience.Step #5: Close relationships. The most powerful force in life is love. To give love and receive love is the highest human experience. The amount of happiness in our life depends on the amount of love we have in our life. The power of love can be seen by simply observing those who don't receive enough love- it's terribly damaging to a person to be rejected, lonely and unloved. Step #6: Meaningful activity. The happiest people in life have something to look forward to either in their work, hobbies or other activities they participate in. Those who don't look forward to going to work, don't have a job, or other meaningful activity often experience unhappiness.Step #7: Service. Researchers discovered that one key activity common in happy individuals was helping others. Helping other people provided them with immense happiness and satisfaction. Life is a mirror and people who give, receive. What is it that people receive when they help others? It's an interesting question to ponder.Step #8: Forgiveness. Successful, happy people learn to forgive not only others, but themselves as well. They understand that to err is human-that life is full of trials that help us grow and develop. They recognize that others are human too and they treat others how they would like to be treated. Unsuccessful, unhappy people do the opposite.The very first step that unhappy people must take to find permanent happiness is to become self-aware. Self-awareness via cognitive restructuring is effective therapy for self inflicted problems. The point is that if people aren't happy it is their own fault. Nobody can make them happy except themselves.

About the Author: Larry Lloyd founded the American Community Corrections Institute. ACCI sponsors a news blog on the topic of criminal behavior and related issues.