Learn the Secrets to the Road to Happiness

I found this inspiring quote on happiness – “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.” So is happiness like a light bulb that you can turn on with just a flick of a switch?

A lot of people think that happiness is uncontrollable and dependent on external factors that influence your state of mind. But this really is not the case. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) challenges this notion and actually fosters that creating and experiencing happiness is a choice and you can actually make it happen when you want it. It opens up possibilities that can help your happiness scale move up higher by putting you in a relaxed state of mind to allow positive reframes to sow in your mind.

Plant Positivity, You Sow Happiness

While it is true that there life events that you cannot control and challenges your state of mind, but at the end of it all, you have the choice on how you choose to react, respond and the desired attitude you will take on. It is in learning how to deal with these negative stressors that is essential in increasing your level of happiness. And most of the time, stress is self-inflicted and self-generated. The thing about negative thoughts and emotions is that it can eat you at your core, blurring your creativity, productivity and course you to a deeper and deeper slump. It sets you back and hinders positive thoughts to thrive and grow. In essence, its impact is strong and causes your life to take a nosedive.

And this is exactly what NLP can help you with. It helps you rewire your negative thought patterns and replace them with more positive ones. Tools and techniques that are easy, yet powerful, allows you to alter your mindset and produce better life outcomes.

And as they say, you reap what you sow. So, if you plant seeds of positivity, it will flourish and bloom to desired and positive outcomes. To some degree, whenever you achieve your desires, you feel and fuel your happiness. It is true then that the key to happiness is positivity. Once you have mastered practicing and retaining positive thinking patterns, you will be threading on an undiscovered path that becomes easier and clearer as you walk on towards your road to happiness.

Your Beliefs

How you view your life experiences is anchored on your belief system. In NLP, belief system are generalizations about your past that you hold to be true on which you live your daily life and govern your thoughts and actions called Presuppositions.  To an extent, some beliefs hinder you from achieving your happiness. If you constantly believe that you are not skilled enough or you are not beautiful, you actually stop yourself from experiencing happiness and creates a defense manner that makes it a reality.

This is because you see what you believe and only attract experiences that match your belief system. So by changing your thoughts and replacing beliefs that are deterring you from developing positive ones, you expand your mind, which as a result, improves your life. Whatever belief system you create ultimately determines whether you live a successful and experience happiness in life. In essence, your belief system is your light switch to achieving and experiencing happiness.

Happiness Index

Once you understand the value of positive thinking and identify and change your hindering belief systems, it is important that you strike a harmonious balance of positivity and happiness in all aspects of your life.

The Happiness Index is a tool used in coaching programs in NLP that will enable you to gain perspective on the overall balance of your life. The Happiness Index, also called the Wheel of Life, is divided into eight areas: Personal Development, Career, Fun and Recreation, Relationships, Physical Environment, Health, Money and Romance.

This index wheel allows you score yourself in each of these life areas by placing a dot on the area line, which you will then connect with a line. This provides you a viewpoint on areas in your life that needs attention and focus. You might be surprised that the areas that are affected and need your attention are the ones that you might prioritize. This is because one area greatly impacts another if you do not strike a balance in how you see your life.

So say you are happy in your career, your relationships and romance line might garner a lower score, which could affect your overall experience and attainment of happiness. Understanding your wheel also allows you to identify an area that can create that positive effect on the rest of your life areas. It is finding the leverage points in your wheel.

As you change your belief system and introduce positive thought patterns into your life, your Happiness Index will also change. That is why examining your Wheel of Life should be done regularly.

Key Habits for Happiness

We cannot emphasize so much how powerful NLP is in helping your achieve happiness in all aspects of your life. Its many tools and techniques will transform your life and nourishes patterns that will allow you to easily turn on your switch to happiness. One of the many techniques in NLP is Anchoring, which allows you to associate positive and happy past experiences that you can tap to fuel desirable outcomes when faced with life difficulties.

Along with the influential NLP transformational techniques, there are also practical habits that you can integrate into your life. Happiness most of the time can be formed and created through habit. It then becomes automatic and longer lasting. These tips will help you rewire your brains for positivity and happiness.

• Start Your Day With a Motivational Video or Read. This simple habit is a great trick to kick start your day to feel positive and happy. Constantly exposing yourself to videos or books that contain consistent positive reinforcements will eventually create mindsets that will shape your day.
• Get Rid of Clutter. This may be the last thing in your mind. But, keeping your space clean and neat will allow you to concentrate and be more focused to appreciate the niceties within you, the people around and your surrounding. It also helps reduce distraction and confusion.
•  Be Mindful, Open Your Mind. Even just for ten minutes, open up your mind and learn to appreciate and live in the present moment.
• Share Happiness. One way to get happiness is to share yours as well. Send someone a shout out or an appreciation. It can be simply as taking note of a friend’s new dress or commending someone for a job well done at work.
• Identify 3 daily positives. At the end of the day, scan for 3 good points that happened to you on that day. Try to dissect the process how you reached that state of happiness. Anchor that positive thought and emotion, you never know when the next time you will be able to use it again.

Sign-up for a FREE online Coaching Analysis Test with Jacky Lim today, and let’s talk about how we can set you up for success.