We are all looking for happiness, and feeling good is the key to a successful and meaningful life. But how many of us make it a priority? How often do we commit to making ourselves feel good? I believe that happiness is so important, it should not be left to chance.

Ways to feel goodRealize that you are pulling the strings

In ‘Man’s Search for Meaning,’ Viktor Frankl writes ‘between stimulus and response there is a gap, and in this gap lies all our freedom.’ Frankl came to this insight after spending several years in Nazi concentration camps, during which time he discovered that those who believed they had some control over their lives were more likely to survive.

Of course, we do not experience such extreme conditions, but the message that we are in control of our own thoughts and how we respond to situations is a vital one to internalize. Happiness is a choice. Operating from this knowledge, we have a surprisingly powerful locus of influence in the world.

Consciously direct your thoughts

This is not easy for most of us, since we have been conditioned to believe that our thoughts and feelings reflect our own inner world. In fact, our thoughts come first, and our experience follows. Consciously changing our thoughts is an amazing way to change our feelings and, inevitably, our experience of life.

For example, suppose you feel unwell. Most people will dwell on this bad feeling and start to run through a mental routine of negative thinking. But if you start to play a new tape in your head, you will be surprised at the change in the way you feel. Replace your negative thoughts with something like, ‘I feel good and good things are coming into my life.’ Repeat it over and over again. Within a short time, you’ll start to feel better.

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