Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts

If You Don't Feel Good About Yourself , Read This Book By Richard Carlson

Here are quotes and information related to the book, "You Can Feel Good Again: Common-Sense Strategies for Releasing Unhappiness and Changing Your Life" by the late Richard Carlson.

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 “The greatest affliction affecting mankind isn’t serious mental illness – but the general uneasiness and unhappiness that is so prevalent in our society.” - Carl Jung

"Many of us are experiencing life in a 'lifeless'  manner."

"Your past is only a figment of your imagination and so is your future. The only moment that is real is right now."

"To break free from unhappiness you have to bring yourself back to the present. You must realize that your past is no longer here--it's over. It exists only within your own thinking. It was real then, but now, it's only a part of your imagination."

"If you believe that your thinking is something that happens to you--instead of something that you are doing to create an experience of life--it is impossible for you to live in the present moment."

"True happiness occurs when you quiet down your analytical mind..."

"Your though always create your emotions"

"Attending therapy frequently don't make one happy. They only make clients brood about how miserable their lives are."

"Depression is the result of faulty thinking habits."

"Problems, regardless of their source, are actually exacerbated by prolonged examination."

"Happiness and mental health can instead be achieved by 'making a commitment to happiness'; and by intercepting and halting negative thoughts immediately and replacing them with more positive, mood-lifting thoughts."

"Our thoughts create our perception of life."

"Negative people don't see their thoughts as thoughts, they see them as reality, as important."

These are some of the key quotes from the book which uses theories based on the "Psychology of Mind". You can read more about this new branch of psychotherapy here.

Don't be fooled by this deceptively simple and easy-to-understand book, "You Can Feel Good Again: Common-Sense Strategies for Releasing Unhappiness and Changing Your Life". It is full of wisdom, comforting and reassuring advice. This Dr. Carlson's book is no pop psychology approaches to mental health.

Quotes On Finding Joy In Life

Finding joy in life. That's what we all live for in this life. Be it fame, fortune, glamor or peace of mind, we are seeking joy. Ask yourself: what is life without joy? According to Franz Kafka, "Joy is the food for human soul. Without it, life is a form of dying". How true, indeed.

quotes on finding joy in lifeThere is this interesting and enlightening book by Tommy Newberry called "The 4:8 Principle: The Secret To A Joy-filled Life". It shows you how to think differently in a way to maximize your potential for joy.

According to Newberry, one really can live a more enjoyable and fulfilled life if you have complete control of your thinking. All lasting change is preceded by changed thinking. And he is talking about intentional, focused thinking. Or so-called quality thoughts.

The title of the book "4:8" is based from the Scripture verse of Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things

For those of you who want to know more on how to find joy in life, get this valuable book today.

Now, let's take a look at quotes on joy in life.

“Joy is not in things; it is in us” - Richard Wagner

"The only joy in the world is to begin." - Cesare Pavese

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

“Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.” - Melba Colgrove

“Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though t'were his own.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


"Don't postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson." - Alan Cohen

"Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with." - Mark Twain

“There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.” - Kahlil Gibran

"Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow." - Helen Keller

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile." - Sir Wilfred Grenfell


“A joy shared is a joy doubled” - Swedish Poverb

“The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach” - Lin Yutang

“Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is” - C.S. Lewis

“Joy is increased by spreading it to others” - Robert Murray McCheyne

“He who has not looked on Sorrow will never see joy.” - Kahlil Gibran

“I'm glad I did it, partly because it was worth it, but mostly because I shall never have to do it again” - Mark Twain

“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” - Mother Teresa


"Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness." - Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy


"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." - Henri Nouwen

"To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it." - John Templeton

"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." -Eleanor Roosevelt


“One of the greatest joys known to man is to take a flight into ignorance in search of knowledge” - Robert Lynd

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy.” - Henry Ward Beecher


“One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others.” - Robert A. Heinlein

"Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing." - William Shakespeare


"The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy." - Eudora Welty

“One joy shatters a hundred griefs” - Chinese Proverbs

"Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy." - Sarah Ban Breathnach


"Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy." - Joseph Campbell

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Funny Proverbs About Life And Health Benefits

Humor And Health Benefits
It is said that a good laugh is a healthy thing. Laughter generates positive emotions, and promotes health benefits. In other words, we can use our sense of humor to promote healing.

Humor is a stimulus that gets people to laugh and feel happy. It is all about positive physiological and psychological reactions.

Laughter And health Effects
As I have mentioned in my other posts, numerous studies have shown that laughter can help to reduce stress hormones, relieve pain and increase both immunity and health-enhancing hormones like endorphins and neurotransmitters.

Funny Proverbs About LifeI have gathered here another long list of funny proverbs about life to get you to laugh your way to good health. I hope these funny proverbs and sayings can do the trick.

When the drink goes in, the secrets come out.

When the drink is inside, the sense is outside.

Age is just mind over matter: if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

Age is a high price to pay for maturity.

Be nice to your children; they’ll be choosing the old folks’ home.

By the time you are old enough to appreciate your parents you will have children of your own who take you for granted.

If the young only knew…If the old only could.

The difference between adults and children is that adults don’t ask questions.

The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.

It’s never too late to learn. But then if you’ve made it this far . . .why bother?

Youth wastes away, but immaturity often lasts a lifetime.

Death is hereditary.

Death always comes too early or too late.

It is better to die living than to live dying.

A bad excuse is better than none.

After all is said and done, more is said than done.

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

He who gossips to you will gossip about you.

It is better to conceal one’s knowledge than to reveal one’s ignorance.

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.

When you open a door, don’t forget to close it. Treat your mouth accordingly.

The tongue weighs relatively nothing, but so few people can hold it.

You have two ears and one mouth. It is best to use them in that proportion.

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

Every ass loves to hear himself bray.

Everybody is ignorant, Only on different subjects.

If there were no fools, there would be no wise men.

It is easy to be brave from a distance.

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, it’s the size of the fight in the dog!

Speak the truth, but then leave immediately.

‘They say so,’ is half a lie.

A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood.

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.

Minds are like parachutes: they only work when open.

Never put off till tomorrow what may be done today. Don’t you know that tomorrow never comes?

Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.

Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you don’t you will be wise.

The less you understand, the happier you will be.

‘One of these days’ means ‘none of these days’.

The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.

All things come to those who wait . . . but the best things will be taken by those who get there first.

A pessimist is never disappointed.

He that lives on hope will die fasting.

There’s no point in taking life seriously; no-one gets out alive.

The road to success is always under construction.

There is no sense in being pessimistic. It wouldn’t work anyway.

Craftiness must have clothes but truth likes to go naked.

If you believe everything you read, better not read.

Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened.

A rumor goes in one ear and out many mouths.

Truth and oil will always make their way to the surface

A pig bought on credit is forever grunting.

If you think no-one cares whether you’re dead or alive, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.

If you lend someone £10 and never see them again, it was probably worth it.

Lend your money and lose your friend.

Happiness is all about liking what you do and doing what you like.

Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.

To be rich is not everything, but it certainly helps.

Young gamblers, old beggars.

You can turn dollars into cents, or sense into dollars, but not dollars into sense.

Better a friendly refusal than an unwilling acceptance.

Flattery makes friends; truth enemies.

Feed your horse as you would a friend but mount him as an enemy.

Friends are like fiddle strings; they must not be screwed too tight.

A guilty conscience is a lively enemy.

Love your neighbors, but don’t pull down the fence.

When your enemy falls, don’t rejoice. But don’t pick him up either.

A house without a woman is the devil’s own lodging.

A beautiful woman belongs to everyone but an ugly woman is all yours.

A deaf husband and a blind wife are the perfect happy couple.

A poor beauty finds more lovers than husbands.

There are two theories about arguing with women. neither works.

Age is the only topic women will keep quiet about.

A man is a person who takes out the rubbish, then makes out he has just cleaned the house.

He who marries for money will earn it.

If you want to be criticized, get married.

Never marry for money; you will borrow it cheaper.

Behind every successful man there’s a great . . .nag, nag, nag.

If God didn’t forgive sinners, heaven would be empty.

If the patient dies, the doctor has killed him; if he gets well, the saints have saved him.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Haven't You Ever Heard Of The Healing Power Of Laughter?

Haven't you ever heard of the healing power of laughter? Do you know that one of most important and powerful tools we all born equipped with is the ability to laugh?

healing power of laughterI am sure you know the power of laughter or have have heard the cliche "laughter is the best medicine". Be it a giggle, snicker, or a guffaw, a laughter can relieve stress, anger and sadness. It can heal our minds, emotions, and our bodies. And not forgetting laughing can boost our immune systems.

Norman Cousins Laughter Therapy

norman cousins anatomy of an illnessI read about Norman Cousins, aka the man who laughed himself to wellness. He was the editor of Saturday Review and the author of 'Anatomy of an illness.' who made a miraculous recovery from a long debilitating illness by laughing his way to health.

In 1964, he was diagnosed with Anklyosing Spondylitis, a collagen illness that attacks the connective tissues of the body. The treatment he received from all the drugs that administered to him was not effective, but in fact had adverse reactions. He read that negative emotions are harmful to the body, so he instead he used positive emotions to improve health. And the value of Vitamin C.

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." - Norman Cousins

He discontinued the hospital treatment, Cousins decided to use laughter and Vitamin C supplement to cure himself. He immersed himself in movies, books, television shows that made him laugh. The laughter changed his physiology. He found that the laughter relieved the pain, he slept better and his entire physical being improved.

In addition, he also took his Vitamin C supplement. Eventually he recovered completely. No more painkillers and sleeping pills. You can called it mind-over-matter healing method.

Norman Cousins got back to work and wrote about his laughter therapy in his book called 'Anatomy of an Illness.' Cousins mentioned in his book that he has learned never to underestimate the capacity of the human mind and body to regenerate, even when prospects seem most wretched. He added the life force may be the least understood force on earth.


It has been acknowledged in the Journal of the American Medical Association that laughter therapy could help improve the quality of life for patients with chronic illness.

"Our bodies are our gardens...our wills are gardeners." - William Shakespeare

Since then, Cousins' writings have inspired a humor therapy movement. On the surface, a laughter appears an expression of happiness. But actually internally, laughing acts an emotional balancing mechanism.There is positive energy emits from laughter.

This positive energy helps to clean and clear away physical and emotional tensions.
When we have a good laugh, for a moment we forget about our negative thoughts and our mental chatter. We can say laughter is a form of meditation. Laughter brings people is infectious. It people together and bonds them.

Smiling and laughing set off biological processes that make us feel good. They increase the flow of blood to the brain and change the level of oxygen , the level of stimulation of the neuro-transmitters. Our facial expressions affect the way we feel.

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." - Proverb 17:22

healing power of laughter and humor
As they say the ability to laugh at crises, annoyances, tragedies can literally save your life. Check out another valuable book on the use of laughter therapy by Allen Klein. It is entitled "The Healing Power Of Humor". In this book, you can find lists of proven techniques for overcoming the negative effects of loss, setbacks, upsets, disappointments, trials, and tribulations.

Achieve Happiness And Enjoy Life To The Fullest

"If you want to be happy, be." - Leo Tolstoy

Everybody want to achieve happiness, but how may of us are truly happy. Do you know why happiness is so elusive to most of us. It is true what Aristole said. “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”. Our sole purpose in life is nothing but achieving happiness. We do everything in life to find happiness. Be it finding great love, owning a beautiful house, having a satisfying and well-paid job, getting married, staying healthy, spending time with loved ones, achieving your dreams, be liked and loved, etc. Ironically, the search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness, to quotes Eric Hoffer.

achieve happinessAccording to
Darrin McMahon, PhD, author of "Happiness: A History", the more you reach for happiness, the more it seems to slip away. Ask yourself if you’re happy, and you stop to be so. Isn't happiness is a natural feeling, then why do we seek it as if it is something special and rare? So we must be looking for happiness in all the wrong places, right? And when we are happy all the time, others may thought of us as being arrogant, selfish, juvenile or we are just faking it.

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their
minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln

So what is happiness? Some say happiness is a state of
mind. The very source of true happiness lies in our mind, and not in external circumstances. How your view yourself and your world are are our conscious choices. Your thought determines and interprets what is happening around you. And it is from your interpretation, you act or react. Thus, all this action becomes your life.

You can choose to find happiness in small, everyday things.
You can choose to interpret what happens in a positive way. Or in a negative way. And your choices control much of how much happiness your will find and create in your life.

Then there are others who say to achieve happiness, is to
overcome negativity and count your blessings.You need to let go and release the need to to control. One key way to achieve happiness is letting go, forgive and move on. Let go of anger, jealousy, dejection, or pride. But you may say, it is only natural that people are angry, depressed, or dejected.

But the truth is you have a choice to
decide not to be angry, depressed or dejected. You know that all these negative and energy-sapping thoughts do more harm than good. Instead we should find way how to get rid of these past useless thoughts as they are hindering our path to happiness. Stop holding on to these emotional attachment. Remember life goes on.

"It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day
basis." - Margaret Bonnano

As they say, the only time we have is the present moment.
The present is the only time we have to be truly happy. Our life is define by moment by moment in the present, as long as our heart keeps beating. By our minds aren’t always in the present. Usually, they tend to veer off into the future or back to the past. Remember, the past is over and the future is yet to come. All you have is the present and it is happening right now.

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today?
Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present." - Babatunde Olatunji

We cannot control over time, but we can consciously live life
fully and happily in the present moment. To live in the present moment requires awareness and deliberate effort to focus our minds on what we are doing or experiencing now. For example, the next time, when you are having a meal, take time and consciously savor your food and sip your wine. Or even right now, you can concentrate your attention on your breathing, your walking, or your heartbeat.

I know
all these is easier said than done. We can't live everyday, keeping consciously aware of the very present all the time. But sadly, most of the time, we can easily relive our past or thinking of the future without much effort.

I think the only time, we can truly absorbed in the present moment is when we were kids. Our early childhood was a time of rapturous happiness. Kids really live life to the fullest, throw caution to the wind and live life in wild abandon. No inhibition, no judging, no worries and know nothing about the future.

Every living moment is now and exciting. Kids don't care about the passing of time, as they live in each moment that presented itself, happily and fully.They don't have much or any past to be angry with or happy about, neither any knowledge of the coming future for them. They live and laugh themselves silly all the time.

Another way to achieve happiness is stay hopeful.
According to an assistant professor of counseling psychology at Santa Clara University in California, there are three essential components for hope to thrive. They are having goals, a plan and the motivation to achieve them. People cannot find happiness by playing the blame game, but instead they should be asking what should we do now and act on it. Hopeful people are happy people.

By being real and accept reality is a good way to find happiness. By having positive outlook, doesn't mean you turn a blind eye to pain, rejection or frustration. As you know happiness is not the absence of sadness. You don't always stay upbeat or happy by reciting pop psychology mantra; that is phony happiness.

When you suppress your negative
emotions, in fact you become more anxious and depressed. Instead you should be finding outlets for your sadness and frustration. Let them go then only you gain some measure of control over your life. Confide in others about your problem. Use them as a sounding board and not as a dumping ground for your painful and negative emotions.

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." - Frederick Keonig

By being grateful for what we have is definitely the simplest
way to achieve happiness. In fact happiness is already right in your life. For instance, for having a reasonably good health when you can walk down the country lane enjoying the fine weather, beautiful natural surroundings with your loved ones or good friends, laughing and talking nineteen to the dozen.

We experience joy when we celebrate and give thanks for life's blessings.
As they say happiness is contagious. You can be happy even by talking to happy people, listening to cheerful upbeat music, watching funny movies, or read books with happy endings or uplifting quotes. Look for happiness in the moment.

The problem is we are all too caught up with the constant pursuit of goal on how to be happy, and forget how to be happy now. We always thought something is missing which is why we are not happy. As I have said happiness is a choice we can consciously make. The potential of achieving happiness has all along with us. Or in other words, happiness is you. You are the one who decide to be happy or otherwise. When you are truly happy, you are radiant and you function fully. You feel loving, as the essence of happiness is love.

True happiness is when you are kind, generous, open, warm and friendly.


Be simple. Having less is more. More time to relax, more space to move and having more money in your saving account. Get rid of some of those desires that you may not really want or need that much. You'll feel less stressful and bogged down with worries. Life will be calmer and you can find happiness in many other simple pleasures in life. For instance, taking moment to witnessing the sunset, savoring fragrant coffee or holding hands of someone you love.


A happy outlook, in life an awareness of happiness, an aptitude for
happiness can help you to achieve true happiness.

How To Achieve Happiness Tips

To achieve happiness is almost everyone's goal. In order to maintain a fun balanced life means, you must be ready to explore and play with the opportunities of learning what life has to offer.

Here are some simple tips to help you achieve happiness.

Relax And Take It Easy
Don't take life too seriously. Enjoy living the moment. These days, many of you are far too stressed-out in pursing material wealth. Remember when you are sick and lying in bed, you have nothing, except probably pain, worries or depression. So, slow down and take it easy.

Get Excited
One key aspect of living a balanced happy life is excitement. Forget about delayed gratification. You will only live to regret it. If any opportunity arises, kick off your shoes and let down your hair. Yes, it is true all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Bring the kid in you out and play.

Do Simple Exercises
One of the obvious good health tips is you need to do some simple exercises. You don't need to splurge to sign up with a gym. Just put on your casual clothes and go for a brisk walk or do some light running in your neighborhood. Just exercise three times a week for half an hour or more. Just to sweat it out and burn some calories.

Watch Your Food
I'm not encouraging you to go on a diet. Just be conscious of what you eat. There are many healthy food options which are still delicious and nutritious as well. Make smart choices on what you eat.

Learn To Forgive
Don't hold on to grudges or bitterness. Learn to let go and forgive. It is true that if you don't practice forgiveness, you are the one who is suffering instead.By embracing forgiveness, you embrace peace, hope, gratitude and joy. To forgive someone can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other more important and positive parts of your life.

Read Inspiration And Funny Stuff
One simple way to achieve happiness is spend some time reading and reflecting inspiration and motivational stuff ranging from selected self-help books to biographies of inspiring people to inspirational sayings and quotes. Watching comedies and reading funny comic strips is another great option. Remember, your happiness has relation to your health too.

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