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Signs of Happiness

Here are just a few signs of happiness to look for:

Adopt-A-Highway:

We often get tempted to get caught up in blaming others for our unhappiness, failing to get that we participate in creating our reality through our own perspective. We judge others rather than accepting responsibility and making adjustments to our own way of seeing things.

When we see the Adopt-A-Highway sign we have the opportunity to remember to choose a higher way of thinking. The quality of our thinking creates the quality of our reality. It is not our life that is "off", it"s the way we think about our life that"s "off." To drive yourself happy, adopt a high way of thinking. You need to focus your attention on all that is working in your life rather than on what isn't. Even in the worst of situations and circumstances, look for the gift or lesson to be learned. I promise you it"s there and worth the look.

Cross Traffic Ahead:

We often believe that we must engage in every conflict, showing others how they are wrong and we are right. We often see ourselves as the victim of someone else's bad mood and give them power over our emotions, and our life. We allow ourselves to be triggered by someone else's lack of consideration, and react rather than respond, only escalating the situation.

When we see the road sign, Cross Traffic Ahead, we can be reminded that there just are people out there working at cross purposes to ours. We can remember to save our energy and opt for happiness by choosing our battles wisely. Rest assured that compassion will get us further and provide us with greater peace than having to be right or when we take someone else"s assaults personally.

To drive yourself happy, more often than not, take evasive action when there is Cross Traffic Ahead.. You may not always have control over your circumstances, but you always have control over what you think about your circumstances, thus having the power to generate a more pleasant experience for yourself. Find greater contentment by focusing your energy on being happy over being right.

Keep Clear:

We often find ourselves overwhelmed with the demands and expectations of others, loosing site of our own definition for success. We are pressured with down-sizing and job restructuring, raising children, stressed marriages, or caring for elderly parents. We feel the force of financial challenges, health issues, or dealing with addiction, either ours or that of others we love. As much as we try to go faster and do more and struggle for control, instead we experience confusion, stress, anxiety and exhaustion. Our motivation comes to a grinding halt.

Seeing the roadway reminder to Keep Clear reinforces that we must take good care of ourselves in order to be able to genuinely and lovingly take care of others. Taking the time to become centered within yourself is not selfish. It is essential in how we access our wisdom in order to be generous and compassionate to others. Being self-centered and calm within ourselves is a gift to everyone, including ourselves.

To drive yourself happy you must make it a priority to include simple moments of serenity and calm in your life, as much as you might resist it as a misuse of valuable time. You will never regret changing your perspective on this one. The advantage of clarity is that you become more creative and solutions come to you with far greater ease. Especially when in a profession designed to serve the public, in order to Keep Clear you, and all you come in contact with, will benefit from you taking small and consistent steps toward eating well, exercising now and then, and declaring a bit of time here and there as sacred and yours. Regardless of the temptation to see the needs of others as more important than your own treat that "appointment time with yourself" as if you had an "appointment with Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Martin Luther King." You are equally as important.

Do Not Pass:

So often we try to push the river. We have become a society hooked on immediate gratification. Impatience combined with a sense of entitlement has become what drives us at epidemic proportions. Statistics tell us that we are only consciously in the present moment about 8% of the time. We miss out on what is by diverting our focus to regretting the past we cannot change or worrying about the future possibilities that may not even happen. We come to believe that success is impossible without blaming someone else for our mistakes or pushing someone out of our way at any cost to be first. In doing so we limit our ability to feel connected, a part of a team, and to vision creatively the limitless possibilities.

The Do Not Pass sign becomes a gentle tap on the shoulder to remember to pace ourselves, moving forward with honor and respect for others on the road of life. Through being patient, we develop resilience and the opportunity to develop our ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Life becomes something to be treasured rather than endured. When we learn through patience to be in the present moment we experience a deeper understanding of what is of lasting value and broaden our appreciation for what we already have. We realize that the best things in life aren"t things. We begin to recognize that when we expand our ability to want what we have rather than always longing for what we want, we get to feel more consistently fulfilled, prosperous and happy all the time rather than waiting for some future moment that may never come.

To drive yourself happy Do Not Pass the opportunity to savor the present moment and offer appreciation and gratitude for all that you already have. See the value in respecting others just because it is the honorable thing to do, without the expectation of something in return. Expand your sense of humor when someone else goes racing by, and re-read the children's story of The Tortoise and the Hare.

Look for signs of happiness and enjoy the journey as much
as arriving at your destination. Happy Traveling!

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