Denny Strecker’s Blog

By Larry Crane 

Almost everyone has heard the hit single “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferrin’s simple message surely made a lot of people focus on happiness by simply telling them not to worry or fear, and just BE happy.

Living a happy, resilient, and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress (anxiety and fear) is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. It is also what is keeping you from having total abundance on every level.

One of the better things ever said is “The only thing in life that doesn’t change is change,” and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation, we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too invariably must and will change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different. The key is accepting people for who or what they are, avoiding clashes and constant arguments, and LETTING GO of all of your resentments, fears, and negative habits that are holding you back.

To be happy is relatively easy; it begins with a decision. Simply decide to be a happy person.

Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really; choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this:

11. Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner, and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mail, thank the police officer for making your place safe, and thank God for being alive. Whatever you can find to be grateful for, find it.

10. News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it — 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad, fearful news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do, does it?

9. A religious or spiritual connection is also recommended. Being part of a spiritual or religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers, and meditations foster inner peace.

8. Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do, and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine-tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

To be continued tomorrow…