Your Rules Influence How Happy and Successful You Will Become

At one time, I went on a holiday to a beautiful island. The accommodation we stayed in was good although not as luxurious as the resort nearby. The island however was beautiful, just to sit on the beach and watch the sunrise or sunset was magical.

My friend Julie who accompanied me wasn't happy doing this. Instead of enjoying her surroundings and the beauty of nature, she would watch the rich people staying at the nearby resort and envy how they lived.

Julie constantly compared herself to others who were more prosperous and she found herself and her lifestyle lacking. Julie had constant money problems and wondered why no matter how hard she worked, she never seemed to get what she really wanted.

Our perception of success or happiness is dictated by our rules, and Julie's rules implied that in order for her to be successful and happy, she had to live comfortably. These rules not only prevented her from becoming happy, they also limited her opportunities. The more rigid your rules, the harder it will be for you to achieve and be happy with your goals.

A lot of people live by the 'I'll be happy when... ' rule. They believe they will be happy when they find the right person to share their life with, when they find the right job, when they buy a home of their own, have children, or have more money. When you live by the 'I'll be happy when... ' rule you spend your life striving. It won't matter how much you achieve because it will never be enough.

Sometimes though, rules can serve us and one of mine is that I never make a decision based on fear. Many years ago when I was looking for direction in my own life, I consulted an astrologer and we became quite friendly. Later, when I bought my home I invited her to my house-warming party. She rang to say she couldn't attend and took the opportunity to berate me for buying a house.

She said, 'Anne, how could you buy a house? You know as well as anyone the financial disasters that are going to happen. How could you take on a mortgage at this time?' The disasters that she referred to were predictions of the collapse of our entire financial system, as well as a tidal wave hitting Sydney close to where I live. It hadn't even occurred to me to listen to these dire predictions. I simply followed my intuition, and many years later my home doubled in value while this woman was still renting.

There is nothing good or bad about rules; some rules will make you happy, others will make you unhappy. If you have rules, you need to be aware of them and you discover what your rules are by listening to your words. Any time you say, 'Should', 'Must', or 'Have to', you have discovered one of your rules.

Generally speaking, the more rules you have, the harder you make life for yourself and for those around you. The less 'should' in your life means less stress. That does not mean you have to give up all of your standards, just choose to make conscious choices each time rather than having a lot of blanket rules.

What Does it Mean to Be Happy?

What is happiness?  What will it take to make you happy?  People all over the world look for what it takes to make them happy in their lives, but it seems like a great many people never quite "find it."
Its my opinion that this is part of the problem.  Happiness isn't something that's found.  Happiness isn't something that finds you either.  If it is something that can be found then where it can be found might surprise you.

It's in your mind.  that's right, it can be found within the depths of your own mind.  It's a choice that you make everyday.  When you look around at your life, you make a decision about it.  You decide to be happy with it or you don't.

You can choose to look around at all the small annoyances that you that you face and decide that you because of those, you're not going to be happy.  A little secret about those little annoyances is that they're always going to be there.  No matter what you do for a living , or where you live, or how much money you have, if you choose to focus your energy on these things, you'll likely never find lasting happiness.

However on the flip side if you come to the understanding that there are always going to be those little annoyances, you'll have taken a huge first step toward becoming a happy person. 

The good thing about this is that you'll find that once you start focusing on the things in your life that make you happy, those small annoyances will become much less influential on your mind and therefore your happiness.  You'll find yourself paying more attention to the things that make you happy as opposed to the things that don't, and that will make a big difference in your life.

Justin Bott is a successful entrepreneur operating an internet marketing business. He is well versed in this field and has a keen desire to become more successful and to help others become successful as well.

As someone who's searched his entire life for success, he's studied many different programs and philosophies and brought them together to create a sustainable home-based business. Go to, to find out how he got started.

How To Be Happy At Work

 

The best way to maximize your productivity on the job is to be happy at work. No other factor comes close to giving you the boost in efficiency than really enjoying your work.

There are dozens of practices you can do to boost your productivity while at work. These include better planning, writing better to do lists, spending less time on your email, keeping meetings short, etc.
However, none of these things measures up to the effect that happiness has on our productivity.

• Happy people accomplish more on the job.
• Happy people are more creative. If one is in a good mood, creative thoughts flow much better.
• Happy people fix problems more readily instead of complaining about them.
• Happy people are more optimistic; they accomplish more and are more successful.
• Happy people have more energy and therefore get more done.
• Happy people get sick less often. They are less vulnerable to stress and burnout.
• Happy people are more relaxed, and they learn faster and become more productive employees.

It is important that the employer creates an environment for the employee to function at peak efficiency. Sometimes a person has many jobs that could be divided with other employees.

Nora talked with her boss and they decided to give some routine duties to Sarah, who had a lighter work load. As a result, Nora was free to do more creative work, and her overall productivity skyrocketed.

Fun is underrated in the workplace. A good manager creates opportunities to have fun. It can be pizza in the staff room, ice cream in the park, or a boat ride on a lake. It does not have to be anything fancy. The purpose is to create a chance to relate in a different way. People will find common interests when they have time to talk in a relaxed atmosphere.

When a team has accomplished a long term goal together, it is really healthy to have a party to celebrate. It serves as a milestone. Members reinforce the idea that all of us are in this company or department together. The leader has an opportunity to congratulate everyone for their hard work.

How do you get happy on your job? There are dozens of things you can do. You need to decide to be a happier person. No one can do this for you. It is definitely up to you, and the rewards are well worth the effort.

How to Be Happy at Work - Some Small Things That Can Help You Stay Happy in the Workplace

The workplace is one place that you spent most of your time everyday and of course, it matters a lot if you are happy at work. If not, you'll end up tired and drained each day. If you want to spend each day happy and fulfilled, here are some tips on how to be happy at work.

1. Start with making yourself organized at work. Clutter brings in more stress and disorganization in your work and that can contribute to being unproductive, unfulfilled and less happy.

Start with your office space or your desk. Organize your schedules, have a planner, use post-its and reminders, organize your tools at work - whatever it is that is applicable to you, it pays to be clean and organize in your workspace.

2. Be with positive people in the workplace. It is sometimes unavoidable to see some negative people at work, people who get into your nerves, pessimistic workmates, whiners, and those who just love to meddle into the affairs of others.

If you choose to go with them, you will eventually become one of them, so try to be with positive ones. If you can't avoid the negative co-workers, at least, condition your mind on how to react positively and deal with them nicely. After all, being happy is your own choice. You can be happy if you choose to.

3. Throw in some fun in the workplace. You can add a little humor with your emails or add cartoon sketches with your fax that can make your colleagues smile... little things like this can help lighten up the mood in the workplace. Instead of talking behind other's backs, you can also try to lighten up lunch times by talking about some funny things and thoughts - but of course, don't laugh at your co-workers.

4. Manage your time and your work. If you think you have been working long hours routinely and there seemed to be no time for you to think about anything aside from work, then you might want to manage your time well.

One of the important tips on how to be happy at work is to be able to do your work effectively and on time. Mismanagement of your time will surely put you in stressful situations at work. If the reason is that, you have too much to do than what you can take, then learn to delegate or ask for extension of deadlines - but you have to prioritize your work above all.

5. Reward yourself. If you want to learn how to be happy at work, you have to also give yourself a break and find ways to reward yourself sometimes. Have a makeover, go shopping, enjoy a night out with friends and colleagues, or take a yoga class - enjoying activities like this as part of your week can help you break the monotony and help you get rid of stress at work.

Indeed, you can learn ways on how to be happy at work. Keep in mind that you may not be able to change the some situations at work, nor the attitude of your co-workers, but you can choose to be happy despite that, by simply choosing to be happy - and that means changing how you deal with all these.