Mi Hamba Blog

If only he could talk!  I guess first of all I should introduce Guido as I write this post from what I believe would be his perspective.  Guido is a member of our family and is a Boston Terrier, 2 years old and really believes he is a Bull Mastiff with a Beagle’s Heart. Guido, for all intents and purposes is the happiest living and breathing thing that I know of on this Earth.  We are blessed to be continual students of Personal Development and Life Achievement and as a result are able to design our lifestyle, and live it.  Guido has known no other way. 

He has never given the impression that the dog accross the street has it better than he does, or that the world is out to get him or even that he deserves better.  You see Guido has it made in the shade and he is extremely grateful for that.  He expresses that gratitude continually.

This is a guy that is never satisfied with his lot in life and is continually working and finding ways to make it better.  Even though he has many toys to play with he adores getting a new one.  So many times though, if he as put all his toys out in the yard and can’t find them he will create a new one, maybe with a slipper or one of my socks.  His bowl is always half full, never half empty.

We consider ourselves to be his life coach as we have provided the structure and the elements for him to study and utilize in order to become the happy, grateful, satisfied and overly generous dog that he has become.  He has taken all of these tools and used them to be the best dog he can be.

We can learn so much from our beloved pets.

“Whoever is happy will make others happy, too.”  ~Mark Twain.

Have you ever noticed that some people are just genuinely happy?  Have you noticed that you’re happier just being around them, almost like it’s contagious?  Well, it is!  This is just one of the many ways that you can put yourself into a happy state - surround yourself with happy people.

We have an epidemic right now in North America.  Did you know that anti-depressants are the most prescribed drug in America?  Not only is that a tragedy, but it’s for the most part, preventable.  If you just take back control of your life, invest in your own personal growth, and decide that you’ll live a life of your choosing, it CAN change.

Here are my top 5 tips on how to be a happier person:

1. Decide to be happy.  We all can choose how we feel, so why not choose to be happy instead of something that will make us feel worse.  This may sound pretty simple and it is.  When you declare you’ll be happy, it’s so much easier to be exactly that - Happy!

2. Go on a media fast.  Yes, you heard right.  There is nothing happy and uplifting in the news.  Make a commitment to not watch any news on TV, read the newspaper or any other source of news for 30 days.  You just might make it a permanent fast when you realize how much happier you are. Oh, and you’ll likely hear of any important news from people in your circle of influence so you’re sure not to “miss” anything.

3. Gratitude.  Keep a gratitude journal and start your day by listing all the things you feel grateful for.  This puts you in a happy and grateful frame of mind first thing in the morning.  If you don’t think you have anything to be grateful for, you do.  Just being alive is something to be grateful for.

4. Get exercise and fresh air.  For some this is a bad word, but really, fresh air and going for a walk (however short it is), will do wonders for your mindset.  It’s also a great opportunity to clear your mind and allow creativity and energy to flow into your life.

5. Laugh and Sing.  Happy people sing - I’ve always believed this. Singing changes your inner vibrations (sounds funky I know - think of that as your mood) and makes you feel good.  Think about it, have you ever seen anyone who’s unhappy singing?  Laughing, well what can I say.  Laughter definitely puts you in a happy frame of mind.  Go watch a funny movie and see how good you feel.

How do you get yourself in a happy mood?