TEN STEPS TO A HAPPY LIFE

Live with Passion

This life is not a rehearsal for the real thing; don't just walk through it reading your lines. Get passionately involved with all aspects of your life because it is too precious and special to be treated politely or with indifference.

Embrace Change

Life is dynamic, constantly changing process. Swimming with the current of change is more fun and takes less energy than resisting change by swimming against the current.

Avoid Retrospection

The past is gone and can never be recovered or changed. Don't try to guide your ship of life by looking back at the wake, look forward to where you want to go.

Behave in a happy cheerful fashion even though you don't feel happy.

If you imagine a thing to be true, your body generally responds accordingly. Your body does not differentiate between "real" messages and "imagined" messages, so if your brain's message is "I'm happy", hormones will be released that put your body in a "happy state". Note! This also works in reverse and depressing thoughts, whether real or imagined, have a negative effect on the body.

Believe that there are no problems, only opportunities.

Henry Ford is quoted as saying "think you can, think you can't, you're right both times". Thinking about success puts one in a much better frame of mind than dwelling on failure. "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!"

Live for the moment.

The tides of life wait for no one and each moment is unique and will never be repeated. Waiting around for the "proper time" is allowing life to pass you by.

Exercise and meditate twice a day.

Exercise prevents the body from "rusting out". It is the best preventative medicine available and the only way to slow the aging process. Meditation focuses the mind and evokes the relaxation response, which reduces anxiety and stress.

Be creative.

When you are being creative you lose all sense of time: your mind enters much the same state as it does in deep meditation, the relaxation response is evoked and anxiety and stress are reduced. Creativity also builds up one's self esteem and confidence. You do not have to create a masterpiece, just do as the athletes do and strive for your "personal best".

Be spiritual.

Spirituality involves the deepest level of human existence. All human societies have created religions to help people experience spiritual awareness and search for the meaning of life and death. The ultimate sources of spirituality are not understood and probably will never be subject to scientific analysis. Whatever the source, belief in powers that transcend human kind help us deal with problems which otherwise would be beyond our grasp.

Be sexual.

Humans are the sexiest animals. We do not have mating seasons, as do most other animals but are ready to engage in sexual activities throughout all of the year. Sexual activity releases hormones that cause very beneficial changes in the body. A well balanced sex life can have enormous benefits to both your health and your state of mind. It has been said "The gods do not subtract from allotted time of humans those hours spent in loving activity".

Copied from the Men's Health Institute (http://www.androc.com/ten_steps.htm)