By Lisa Cypers Kamen

You need to ask yourself some questions every once in a while to make sure you are achieving the happiness you want in your life. The following questions are by no means an all-inclusive list but something to think about:

Have I looked for the happy moments in my daily life? How do I find those moments? How do I show others that I am happy?

Am I surrounding myself with people who have an overall positive attitude? Am I trying to focus as much as I can on the positive things in my life instead of the negative?

Do I do a few things in my day just for myself? Have I stopped and taken in the little things in my day?

Am I taking time every day to write down the things that make me happy or thankful?

Do I do things for others so that they can experience happiness?

Is my attitude mostly positive or negative? Do I let others negative feelings affect me?

Am I choosing to be happy? Have I found hobbies or other activities that make me happy? Am I doing those things when I am sad or upset?

Does my job make me happy? If I don’t have a job, am I at least doing something that makes me happy?

These questions will make you think and get you on the path to thinking about your life and your overall happiness.

www.whatisyourhappiness.com

By Lisa Cypers Kamen

Happiness, as I’ve said before, starts with you. It is all about your attitude toward life and the situations you face in daily living. You have to look at what you have accomplished in a day, week, and month etc – not what you haven’t accomplished. If you are having trouble finding happiness in your day and it seems like your attitude is shifting to negative things, here are a few tips for you:

Try to change the way you look at things by looking at the bright side.

Focus on solutions, not the problems.

Listen to music that will lift you up, not bring you down.

Watch a comedy movie when you are feeling down; it will make you laugh.

Take a few minutes out of your day to read something inspiring.

When you start to think about negative things, try to change those thoughts to something positive.

Always look at what you have accomplished, not at what you haven’t.

Every day, do something good for yourself. It can be something as simple as buying a book, eating something you enjoy, or watching your favorite TV show.

Every day, do at least one thing that makes others happy. You could help out one of your colleagues at work or offer a word of kindness to someone.

These are just a few things that you can do to increase happiness in your life and improve your overall attitude.

By Lisa Cypers Kamen

Everyone defines happiness differently. It makes sense, as no two people are alike. The way you define happiness in your life may be likened to a person’s fingerprint – no two are alike. You need to ask yourself, Am I looking for the happy moments in my life? Am I defining happiness in a way that brings me to a positive place in my life? You may even want to ask yourself, How am I defining happiness?

In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned writing down one thing every day that made you happy or starting a gratitude journal is another way to approach things. This can help you to define those happy moments in your life.

Just remember that happiness starts with you. You have the power to make positive things happen in your life and no one else can do that for you. You just have to look for those happy moments in your life- they don’t have to be big either. It can be something as simple as watching your child take their first step or say their first word. Then again, it may be something big such as getting your first house or getting married.

By Lisa Cypers Kamen

You’ve heard the phrase “Every cloud has a silver lining”. Have you ever thought about what that means? It really means that even in the darkest times (clouds) there is a silver lining (something good) if you look for it. It’s the same in nature with literal dark clouds – if you look close enough, a little bit of sun is peeking through.

When you get up in the morning, it seems like everything is going wrong. The kids aren’t dressed, their lunches aren’t made, and you aren’t as “put together” as you would like to be. It may not be something as simple as that- maybe your marriage is ending or you’ve quit or lost your job. Finding something positive in those or other situations may seem almost impossible, especially when they first happen. Most people however can find one good thing that happened in their day.

If you’ve quit your job, when you find a new one you may discover that it is even better than the one you had before. It just might be your silver lining – be sure you are looking out for it.

By Lisa Cypers Kamen

With winter just around the corner and colder temperatures in sight, you may be feeling what can be termed the winter blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder. However, you can find happiness despite these feelings. How is this possible? If you have holiday plans with your family – which can include your extended family – that gives you something to look forward to and can bring you happiness. Also, you can reflect with your family on the things you are thankful for during the Thanksgiving season as well. What other ways can you beat those winter blues?

You might try a brisk walk or you could take up a winter sport. Just remember to adapt your exercise to winter conditions. Exercise releases endorphins, which keep you in a good mood and the effects can last long after your workout is done.

Learn something new by taking up a new hobby. This will make you feel good during the long months of winter.

Don’t keep yourself from friends and family. Keep interacting with those you care about!

Get some sun, even if it’s only a little bit. If you keep your shades up, you can bring a little bit of sunlight in to the room, too.

Feed your mind with things that are positive. Avoid negative news stories or books. This seems easy but you’ll be surprised what a difference it makes.

These are just a few of the things you can do to help conquer those winter blues. Try to enjoy winter as much as you can, even though it may seem difficult- those few months will pass before you know it!