Application Story 13: Smile, Breathe and Go Slowly…

Have you heard the song:  “Don’t Worry… Be Happy”?

 

Well, this is the continuation of another blog-entry I posted about Happiness, and Harmony.

First I want to post this question: Is there any handbook or guide that can help every single person? Of course not! Nevertheless, these blog entries have been a list of tips and ideas that I think will help many people; some of them are common sense tips that we often forget. So I welcome you to consider this a reminder. In this particular one I would like to share more tips about simple things we can do like: Smile, Breathe and Go Slowly in our daily lives. 

 

Tips to Be Happy & Smile:

 

 

1. Do less. This is both a happiness and productivity tip. Doing less will make you happier, because your life won’t be so hectic and filled with stress. You will have time for things that give you pleasure, for the loved ones in your life, for life itself. It’s also a productivity tip: if you focus on the essential tasks, the big ones, the ones that will give you the most return for your time, and eliminate the rest; you will actually be more productive. You’ll get fewer tasks done, but you will be more effective.

2. Slow down. Life is much more enjoyable if you slow down. By doing less, you can actually get more done, even if you work more slowly. And when you’re not working, you should definitely try switching to slow mode. Drive slower (it is so much more relaxing), walk slower, eat slower. Here are some ideas:

• Have a cup of tea, put your feet up and stare out of the window. Warning: don’t try this while driving

• Spend some quality time in the bathtub

• Write down these words and place them where you can see them, “Multitasking is a Moral Weakness.”

• Try to do only one thing at a time!

3. Practice patience. Patience can be developed over time — it’s a habit, and like any other habit, it just takes some focus. Once you’ve developed this skill (and it’s a skill, like everything else), your life will become much saner and you will be much happier. Here are some A,B, C, D, E tips:

• A. Count to 10. This one really works. When you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, stop. Count slowly to 10 (you can do this in your head). When you’re done, most of the initial impulse to yell will go away.
• B. Deep breaths. This works very well in conjunction with the above tip. Count to 10, and then take three slow, deep breaths. Feel the frustration draining out of you with each breath.
• C. Pretend someone’s watching. I forgot where I read this tip, but it’s effective. Pretend you have an audience. You’re less likely to overreact if someone’s there watching your every move.
• D. Take a break. Often it’s best just to walk away for a few minutes. Take a break from the situation, just for 5-10 minutes, let yourself calm down, plan out your words and actions and solution, and then come back calm as a monk.
• E. Just laugh. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that no one is perfect, that we should be enjoying this time, and that life should be fun, and funny. Smile, laugh, and be happy. Doesn’t always work, but it’s good to remind yourself of this now and then.
• Bonus tip: Just Love. Instead of reacting with anger, teach yourself to react with love.

4. Practice compassion. The first part of compassion is empathy, and this ability to understand how others feel can be developed through practice. Start by imagining the suffering of a loved one. Understand their pain, the emotions they go through, and why they would react the way they would. By doing this exercise a number of times, you are developing a skill that can be applied to others, for every person you see, try to understand what they are going through.

 

5. Find your passion. Another indispensable tip! I can assure you that this might be the second on my list of priorities. Find something you love to do, and your life will become immensely improved. You will love your work, the thing that you spend 40 hours (or more) a week doing. You will become more productive, procrastinate less, be less stressed. You will produce something you are proud of, and happy about.

 

6. Exercise & Eat Healthy. Make this a daily habit. Exercise not only helps you lose weight, but for me, it’s made me feel so much better. I actually enjoy exercise now. It’s a time of contemplation for me, and I feel so much better about myself afterwards. In terms of eating healthy, try to make changes to your diet, that may help you lose weight, and once you start eating healthier I am sure it becomes more enjoyable.

 

7. Read. I read all the time, and it’s one of my favorite things to do in the world. I love to get engaged with a good novel, or even a trashy one, but I love spending time this way to help me think about other things and get away from stressful moments.

 

8. Take time to decompress after stress. There will inevitably be times in your life when you go through high stress. Perhaps several times a week. To maintain your sanity, you need to find ways to decompress.

 

9. Learn to deal with detractors. We all face detractors in our lives. They are the “No-Sayers” who, even if they are well-intentioned, will make us feel unworthy, or that you cannot achieve a goal. They will tease or be negative. In order to achieve your goals, you need to learn how to deal with these detractors and overcome this common obstacle.

 

10. Plan your big tasks for week and day. Give purpose to your day by determining the three most important things you can do with your day, and making those a priority. I normally give categories to my priorities by the A, B, C model explained in the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” By Steven Covey. Do the same thing with your week to increase your productivity: pick out the big tasks you’d like to accomplish this week, and schedule those first.

 

11. Enjoy the journey. Goals are important, but not at the expense of happiness now. It’s important to maintain a balance between going where you want to go, and being happy as you go there. It’s easy to forget that, so be sure to remind yourself of this little, but important, tip as you make your journey.

 

Action Item:

 

 

• Pick and choose the tips that will be most useful to you. Not every single one will be useful to every person. I hope you’ll find 10 that are useful, or that are reminders of something you’ve wanted to do.

 

• Don’t do them all at once. Choose one tip to do first, and then do them one at a time. Focus on one first, and then the next. It’s too hard to try to adopt a bunch of changes at once.

 

• Experiment. Try out a tip, and if it doesn’t work, try another. Life is an experiment, after all. None are guaranteed. But many are very likely to bring happiness.

 

• What else could we do, or add to this list?

 

Keep in mind that Smile, Breath and Go Slowly are free! We do not need to buy them anywhere and we do not need to make a huge effort to afford them. They are part of who we are; we just need constant reminders of them.

 

Enjoy!