I will share with you now that the single most gratifying thing for me is facilitating another's  enhancing happiness and that according to research, this makes me a happier person!


 

It takes commitment and effort to become happier, as with any goal in life. Research shows that when people are happier, they become healthier and more curious, sociable, helpful, creative, and willing to try new things.

The first step to enhancing happiness may be to challenge your own ideas about happiness. The truth may set you free for a happier life starting right now!  Please read on about a few myths about happiness that may be holding you back.

 It's all about genetics

There's evidence that genetics contributes to about 50% of your happiness. There are some proven methods for enhancing happiness-  such as nurturing relationships, writing in a gratitude journal, committing random acts of kindness, (helping others --  may be the most direct route to happiness, notes Stephen G. Post, PhD, co-author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People: The Exciting New Research That Proves the Link Between Doing Good and Living a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life).  Beginning a program of morning meditation or exercise can help too.                          
                   

Changes like these -- proven methods for enhancing happiness -- can become habits after a while, which means they eventually take less effort. 

 Happiness is dependant on your circumstances

Robert Biswas-Diener, MS, founder of Meridian Life Coaching LLC and co-author ofHappiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth and Sonja Lyubormirsky, PhD, author of The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want and professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside agree that lasting happiness has more to do with how you think and behave than with life's circumstances.   Helping others with face to face interaction, including volunteering a few hours a week or doing five generous things in a week can significantly enhance your level of happiness.  It's important that you choose activities that have a good personal fit.

Positive emotions must be more abundant than negative emotions for someone to experience happiness

Research has shown this is not true, except perhaps for people with depression or other serious disorders.

I hope this information has helped to de-mystify happiness and inspired you to act on something  to enhance your happiness that is both pleasureable and meaningful!  
                          
   Listen to Moving Meditation®

	Track #2: Rythmic Movement
	Track #7: Guided Relaxation

      

  Related Article: A simple way to treat  SAD. 

BREAKFAST! It’s the MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY, it feeds the brain, jump starts our metabolisms and gets us ready to conquer whatever stands before us in the hours ahead, before lunch that is. Why is it then that most of us choose to skip this MOST IMPORTANT meal? Working with overweight men and women who lack self-esteem and self-confidence, the most common EXCUSE that I receive when I ask this question is, “I JUST DON’T HAVE TIME.” The reality is, WE ALL HAVE TIME. We just have to make it! YES, breakfast does take some effort in the morning but think of it this way when you start incorporating a GOOD, NUTRITIOUS BREAKFAST into your daily routine GREAT THINGS will start happening!

Here are some HEALTHY, QUICK WAYS to help YOU incorporate breakfast into your daily routine:

Start your day with a bowl of heart healthy oatmeal and an apple. Oatmeal contains heart healthy fiber and will give your brain and your body the energy it needs to start the day. Ten minute total cooking time.

3 hard-boiled eggs, 1 yolk, 1 banana and 1 piece of whole grain bread. Yolks are a source of GOOD FAT, choline which is great to boost brain health and loaded with vitamins and minerals.  Prep time five minutes.

One bowl of high fiber cereal, one orange. Prep time 5 minutes.

Keep on Keeping on

-Danny

What kind of changes are you Ready to make? If you are looking for more support Danny offers a 1 hour motivational breakthrough session! During this session we can look at what is holding you back from feeling more confident and develop a plan of action to guide you step by step to feeling your happier and healthier. Learn more about the breakthrough session here

Daniel Cohen is an Wellness Counselor, Motivational mindset coach and  body image consultant working with disabled and able bodied men, women and children breakthrough their mental mindset that stops them from pushing ahead He does this by designing specialized wellness programs that help MOTIVATE, EDUCATE and REVAMP their health and well-being. For more information or if you have any questions please contact him at the e-mail address or website below

danny@djchealthylivingnow.com

djchealthylivingnow.com

Have you ever pushed through all of your fears, walked right up to the edge, and leaped toward your dreams?

I bet you have. We all have.

How did you feel?
Excited? Elated? Proud? Light?

Maybe. Hopefully.

But what if while you were expecting to feel all of those emotions during the freefall between your old life and your dream life, you instead felt sick to your stomach and even more fearful than you already were?

What then?

What if during that freefall you started to question it all? What if you started to wonder why you had jumped in the first place? What if you worried that your dream wouldn’t be there to catch you?

What if that scared part of you began to ask yourself some tough questions: What were you thinking? Who were you to leap at all, anyway? Why couldn’t you just be happy and content with the way your life currently was? Why can’t you just enjoy this moment of pure faith – this moment of bravely leaping into the unknown?

What do you do if your freefall is filled with doubt and fear instead of joy and confidence?

You embrace it.

Seriously. While it may seem that this is the opposite of what you would want to do, it’s what you must do. If you resist it or judge it or run from it, it will only grow. When you embrace yourself for feeling this way and acknowledge the fearful feelings and the uncertainty, you allow yourself to move through it. And only when you move through it will it subside.

When you remind yourself that it’s perfectly normal and natural to feel this way, you give yourself permission to be in that space without judgment. When you remember how strong you were to leap in the first place – knowing that it took a special kind of bravery to be able to do that – you begin to turn these fearful feelings into empowered feelings. When you reconnect with that part of you who leaped because you couldn’t imagine doing anything else, you reconnect with your soul. When you pat yourself on the back for being strong enough to follow your heart, you begin to overpower any negative emotion. When you remind yourself how amazing you are for having the guts to do something like this, you allow the love to flow where before there was only fear.

And after all of this, you remember that the freefall is about surrender. The freefall is about faith. The freefall is about having complete trust that you are right where you are supposed to be.

When you land, you can reassess. When you land, you can make sure you’re really where you need to be. When you land, you can look around and see how this new world feels. When you land you can make sure it’s right. There is a time for all of this. But it’s not right now. Not during the freefall.

Embrace the freefall.

The freefall is evidence that you’re living fully. This is your moment to just sit back and relax. You did it. You leaped into pure faith – you believed that the universe and your dreams would support you and catch you. And they will.

Tell your mind that it’s all okay. Your heart knows this already. And your soul is leading the way.

There is no better feeling than landing right smack in the middle of a dream. And the only way to get there is to leap and freefall into it.

Embrace this moment.
This is your moment.
This is your freefall.

***

I am experiencing my own freefall right now as I’m getting ready to launch my first ecourse called Coming Back to Life (based on my upcoming book)!

I am excited and scared and joyful and worried and elated and uncertain all at the same time. But what I know in my heart is that I am so excited to offer this to you – so whatever fear is surrounding it needs to take a back seat so that I can bring it into the world.

I am so grateful that each of you are here to support me. I love that we are supporting each other. And that’s what this course is all about – coming back to life and reaching our dreams together. Let’s freefall together, too! (More details about the course soon – it starts on 9/17!)

***

Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her amazing husband, Dan Teck. She would love to connect on Facebook and Twitter. Click here to receive her free ebook: Journaling from the Soul – 100 Prompts for Self Exploration.

No one wants to think about dying.

A lot of us live our lives not thinking about the end.  

We always thing we’ll have enough time to do all of the things we want… “some day.”

But how many times have you heard people (or maybe yourself) say that they wished they had done something before they were too old, before they had kids or got married or turned 50, 60 or 70?

• Do  you have what it takes to be an Entrepreneur? 
  To ask for help when needed?

• To make quick and smart decisions on the spur of the moment?
• To invest in yourself, long-term?
• To have the courage to put yourself first?
• To TRUST that everything will be okay?
  
   

I know these are loaded questions, but just like the elephant in the room, they need to be addressed.

There are times when internal fortitude is needed, and it happens when needing to ask for help, needing to make quick decisions, putting you first, and “trusting” that everything will work out at the end. They sound simple enough; however, they can be monumental steps when you don’t know what to do or how to do it.

The good news is, the more you practice, the easier it gets, until it becomes second hand.

There is one thing, though, intrinsically connected to this process of practice, is your willingness to have a higher sense of self-awareness to all that is happening to you. In other words, acknowledge the Elephant in the Room.

The second thing is having a grateful heart for all the lessons learned, all of what you have, and all of what’s yet to come.
 
 Do You Have What It Takes... to be an Entrepreneur 
 

Consider:

• Do you ask for help in a direct and straight-forward manner or do you try to exaggerate the story to make it even more compelling and delicious?
• Are you quick on your feet to make important decisions, or do you second-guess yourself constantly? And, do you allow self-doubt to play a role in your decision-making process?
• When you think of long-term investments, financial or otherwise, do you consider yourself first? Or do others play a more important role in making those future provisions?
• Do you make a conscious decision to put yourself first, above anyone else, or is that difficult for you to do?
• Do you have what it takes to TRUST in something higher and bigger than yourself that everything will be okay?

Options You For Having What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur:

• On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your level of difficulties to accomplish the above-named tasks. In fact, print out this page, and start rating; 1 being the least difficult, 10 being the most difficult.
• Anything in between, rate it at average and on each of your answers explain to yourself why the levels are what they are.
• This exercise will give you a great deal of clarity moving forward and it will help you improve performance where needed.
• To achieve desired results, understand your willingness to change, and your willingness to embrace change. This is very important.

Do You Have What It Takes... to be an Entrepreneur  Action Plan :

Some of these activities will be more difficult than others, and they will be at different levels. Some of them may even be painful, especially if they’ve never been addressed before.

Your job is to identify, clarify, transform, and ALIGN THEM! There has to be a balance and correlation of thought, speech, and vibrational feelings, with well coordinated actions to fit the ultimate results. All talk and no action equals nothing. Just like knowledge, if you don’t apply it, you will get no results.

• Know who to ask for guidance, direction and advice.
• Tell your story from a matter-of-fact place, rather than a victim’s place. However, it’s important to tell your story. Do NOT hold back.
• Remember a victim’s mindset attracts poverty, lack and scarcity, while a decisive, self-confident mindset, attracts more of the same. Do not let the shadows of Self-Doubt cloud your judgment, imagination, and your ability to decide. It is always wise to have an accountability partner to stand with you and by you in times of uncertainty and need.
• Decide to put yourself first. Though tricky and difficult for some, if not you, who?….and if not now, when? It becomes a matter of practicing extreme self-care and self-love when you make such conscious decision and raise your level of awareness that whatever you do matters, at a very high level. Anything else you may tell yourself is an excuse to either avoid something, or make someone else feel good about who they are. So you see, YOU must consider yourself first. You are the FOUNDATION, what would happen without it?
• Lastly, and this is a biggie, TRUST that everything will work out for the best at the end. It is very hard to let go and trust; however, this is your place of peace, and where you attain your highest sense of SELF. With such heightened sense of clarity comes the ability to make better decisions, to find those that can effectively help you, the ability for deeper self-love and care, and a much higher sense of self-confidence and self-worth.

Assess the “do you have what it takes”, dig into your “considerations”, exercise your “options,” and finally, TAKE ACTION towards a better business, a better life, and a better YOU.
  RELATED ARTICLE:   Do You Have What It Takes... to be an Entrepreneur? 

1.Each day have a special  "worry time" set aside to address  issues that may be "worrisome"  that you list the eve before




Worrying takes an enormous amount of time and energy and stats show that a tiny percentage of what we considier worrisome never happens. 

2. Let go of  perfectionism, take action and manifest!

Give yourself permission to take action and begin a project beforte all the "kinks" are straightened out, as long as you are following a "strategic" plan.

3.  Examine anything you are procrastinating about to see if it's worthwhile to pursue.

If it is and you need to get past a few blocks, learn EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques)   a sure procrastination eradicator!    

4. Listen to your intuition.

Always!  Pay attention to your physical and emotional cues!

5.  Be a great listener!

Listening well has a few great benefits: Listen well and your response will be more on target.

6.  You always have a choice!

Give yourself a few minutes in the morning to visualize success.
Before "popping" out of bed, visualize your day happening including what you are wearing and how conversations unfold.  If it is not a happy-productive scenario, when possible eliminate it.  

7. Take frequent breaks 

Throughout the day, leave the scene of work.  Go outside if possible, stretch and walk.

8.  Be grateful!  

It's been going around that this is the only way to be if you want to have peace of mind.  To further gratefulness along, write three things/people you are grateful for each day, adding to the list you have created.  When you walk, you can use these as a "mantra".  Post them on post-its on your mirror and on the car dashboard.  Witness the magic happen :).

9. Take time each day to relax and dream. 

Practice yoga and/or meditation or simply do some relaxation breathing in a peaceful spot.

10.  Surround yourself with positive people. 


 

Related Article:  Move Towards Your Inner Power and walk through the shadows

I love networking and social media.  Yes, I use it for business, and it is absolutely essential for growing your business and connecting with your customers.  BUT... the thing about social media that is truly amazing, the part that you don't hear about very often, is the power of networking through social media.

Here's Our Little Secret

Everything that we have accomplished  at Assist Social Media was birthed from the power of networking.  Networking through twitter to be exact.  Angela and I first met on twitter and grew an awesome relationship and successful business while living hundreds of miles from each other.  Now if that isn't power, I don't know what is.  

The Importance Of Being Present (At Least Somewhat)

Automation is great, and it is definitely needed in social media.  There is just too much to do, and too many networks.  What I want you to get, I mean really get, is that you being present on your social networks and actively interacting with your followers/fans cannot be substituted.  Don't think that just because someone is handling your social media that you can't get in there and network.  In fact, you have an even greater opportunity to get in there and do some effective networking.  

So What Is Networking Exactly? 

Imagine yourself at a cocktail party.  You are moving around the room, meeting different people from all walks of life, making small talk, learning more and more about them, and connecting with them.  The most important part of networking is to always remember that at the root of it all is RELATIONSHIPS.  Not sales, not thinking about what you can get out of the interaction, just relationships.  If you go into networking with a closed mind or with only sales in mind, then you will miss out on the greater benefits that it can offer.  

Some Cool Ways To Network

Facebook Groups- One of my favorites.  Use Facebook search to find groups relevant to your industry, then interact within them.  You already know that the people in them have similar interest.  Jump in and start the conversation.  You can also start your own group.  

LinkedIn Groups- Same concept as Facebook groups, just on LinkedIn

Twitter- by far, my favorite.  It is so easy on Twitter to reach out and touch someone.  Find people in your industry by search for a particular topic like "social media" or following industry leaders and checking out the lists they are members of and lists they are subscribed to.  Lists are a great way to network and find people with the same interest as you.  
From the Blog AssistSocialMedia.com  
 
 

 
Related Article : 5 Ways to Build a Social Media Audience 

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do?  Something you dream or think about but just haven’t it done yet?  
 

Look in the mirror, how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself, fat, skinny, ugly, worthless? THINK AGAIN! As a person growing up as an obese child I thought I was nothing more than worthless, ugly and fat and would never amount to anything. I have two very loving parents that have always told me to this day that I am handsome and that I can do anything that my heart desires…. If you just TRY! I am sure you are all reading this and saying ok Danny, get to the point. My point here is Sometimes All we can do is TRY… TRY and TRY again! Even if you do see yourself in the mirror as being fat, skinny, ugly OR worthless, NEVER stop TRYING AND NEVER lose your sense of self-worth. I NEVER did, I had a goal in my head and I reached  it! Me the obese young man was now the slim, handsome man I wanted to be and when I look in my mirror every morning, yes there still are some things I need to change but I’m ME! WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL in our own way but sometimes it takes us longer to realize the beauty in ourselves.   “The best and most beautiful thing in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart.” ~Helen Keller   Keep on Keeping on Everyone -Danny Are you ready for a change? Feeling that you have lost Hope? If you are looking for more support Danny offers a 30 Minute motivational breakthrough session! During this session we can look at what is holding you back from feeling your best and finding your happiness. Learn more about the breakthrough session here Daniel Cohen is a Wellness Counselor and a Body Image Consultant working with overweight men and women breakthrough their mental mindset that stops them from pushing ahead from reaching their weight loss goals. He does this by designing specialized wellness programs that help MOTIVATE, EDUCATE and REVAMP their health and well-being. For more information or if you have any questions please contact him at the e-mail address or website below: danny@djchealthylivingnow.com djchealthyliving.com