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Happiness Tips

The matrimony between Money and Happiness

jpgTalk about a loaded topic. But what the heck it is a topic that is one of the top three issues I deal with, when working with any new client. MONEY. MONEY. MONEY. A pretty big 5-letter word that is interwoven into our identity, self-worth, belief systems, and our short and long-term happiness. So what are the experts telling us?

Depending on what studies you read there is research to suggest that over a particular household income (in the western world), happiness is minimally affected. The number ranges I have seen are from $50,000 – $75,000 annually, and above these levels, the additional cashola has pretty limited affect on your overall happiness. Happiness above that level is less likely to be associated with the income and more associated with the meaning someone gets from the work that they do.

When I talk about money, I often like to swap the term for ‘wealth’, because it allows for a broader meaning and perspective, which is often beneficial. I like MJ DeMarco’s definition of wealth in his great book ‘The Millionaire Fastlane’ (he says there is a Fast lane, but don’t confuse it with an easy lane). He suggests that wealth is the sum of:

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Happiness Tips

‘Simple is as Simple Does’ Forrest Gump

simplifySimplifying Your Life to Increase Your Happiness. I have been doing a lot of reading of late on neuroscience and brain functioning, which are fascinating subjects as I am sure you are thinking as you read this ;-).

One of the things I have been particularly interested in is what over-stimulates the mind and what are some of the things we can do to slow things down a bit and bring more peace and harmony into our lives. I am not sure about you, but I love a bit of peace and harmony in my daily life.

So let me get right to the point. Have you ever thought about the brain power that is used managing your stuff or the calm that is experienced, within the mind, when there are less external stimulants or distractions or things to take care of?

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!  I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” – Henry David Thoreau

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Happiness Tips

Where has all the fun gone and how to get it back

credit-cardHow to get some Fun back in your life. Do you remember how much fun it was as a child (if you were born before…1990) to save up for something that you really wanted? Perhaps you wanted to buy a skateboard, a bike, a Barbie doll, a G.I. Joe (showing my age) or go on the rides at the local annual carnival.

The excitement of saving up – maybe for weeks or months – meant that the whole excitement associated with owning that Barbie doll lasted for ages. It also made the final purchase so much sweeter, because it was the culmination of all that hard work saving.

Earl Nightingale said that success (which influences happiness) is the ‘progressive realisation of a worthy goal’. So this process of saving and then purchasing actually made us feel, as children, successful and full of esteem for self. This is the stuff that built up our self-esteem.

Compare that scenario with…

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Nutrition

The Skinny on Milk. Is Milk a ‘Health’ Food?

milkI was recently on a Facebook page for Personal Fitness Trainers and the question came up “What are your REAL THOUGHTS about MILK?” and it turned into a slugging match, which eventually lead into name calling and character assassination. It is a very emotional subject as nutritional preferences are closely linked to core beliefs, personal identity, and group identity (which ‘group’ you belong to).

Back in 1999 my beliefs were challenged in relation to dairy food (and pretty much all nutrition) which sort of set me on a course of exploration. The dairy industry is a billion dollar industry globally, so there are not only beliefs caught up in it, but future bucket-loads of cash. So what follows are my thoughts and findings in relation to dairy (milk) based on what I have read, experienced and thought about over the years.

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Happiness Tips

Reboot Your Emotional State after a sh#tty day in only 15 minutes

rebootHere’s the scenario. Through the course of a day you just can’t get into it.

You labour through the day. You get a bit of stuff done but the feeling you have as you come towards the end of it is that life sucks a little bit. You are not all doom and gloom but you do feel pretty average, pretty overwhelmed and pretty much like you had a very uninspiring and unproductive day. Before you fall asleep, you just hope that tomorrow is going to be better. In fact, not just better, but bucket-loads better. And then tomorrow comes and…

So how does this scenario end? Is it another groundhog day of a bit of crappiness OR did you do something that set into motion a new chain of events?

Well I am here to say that it is up to you (and me) how that next day is most likely to play out. You can either leave it to chance, or divine intervention, or fate, or hope, or the winning Lotto ticket, OR you can do something that will REBOOT your emotional state right from the get-go. And from what I have come to understand, it is our emotional state and emotional energy that turns our inherent potential into action (or converting potential energy into kinetic energy for all you budding physicists out there).

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Guest Bloggers Happiness Tips

Full Steam Ahead: 6 Steps to Combating the Negative Nancy’s or Nigel’s of your World

by Lynda Bayadacombat

Have you ever been so far into a project and seemed to be knocked so many times that you just don’t think you’ll ever find it within yourself to get back up again? It is here, right here, that you MUST get up. My business partner and I recently received many knocks whilst getting our business off the ground. Sometimes these knocks come in the form of minor technology issues. Sometimes they come in the form of budgets and money, or lack thereof. Sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, they come in the form of people.

Along the way to realising your dream and making your commitment to the path you really believe you’re supposed to follow on this Earth, there are always the naysayers. Naysayers are those who think they have good advice for you but in actual fact, carry with them such pessimistic views and the need to share those that you feel the life has actually been sucked out of you upon leaving them.

You know the ones.

The ones who are telling you, ‘You should do this instead… ‘ or ‘What are you doing that for?’ or ‘I don’t’ like that, do something else’ or, my favourite, ‘Are you sure about this?’

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Goal Setting Tips

ELITE Goal Setting Tip 5: Your Willpower Is Limited

Blog-8This month’s Goal & Goal Setting Tip by Carl Massy is: Willpower is similar to a muscle, in that it builds up with practice but also gets fatigued if overused and abused.

But first a quote: “The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time” by Richard Cech.

Given this characteristic of willpower, it means that you need to be aware of the times that you have more willpower and the times that you have less. And make sure the most important decisions or meetings or engagements you make, are when your willpower is at its highest. It also means you need to get adequate rest or take adequate breaks, so that your willpower can be replenished.

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Happiness Tips

Happiness Tip: 7-Step Strategy for Managing Stress or Overload

overwhelmedI am not going to ask if you have ever been stressed before because I know the answer is a big yes. You are pretty much guaranteed of stress in your life when you start playing the game.

The ‘game of life’ I mean. I was sure as hell feeling it over the last month and that is why I skipped out on a February Happiness Tips Newsletter. I was too busy ducking and weaving and fretting and worrying and trying to get out of the washing machine that I had inadvertently decided to take up residence in. This is what I found out along the way.

There are many types and definitions of stress, but I am going to look at the one that is on the other side of ‘overload’. I will share with you the 7-Step Strategy that I use and have found effective, plus look at some of the preventative measures as well. Because let’s face it – there are definitely some parts of the stress game I would be happy to do without.

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Happiness Tips Physical Activity

Strategic Happiness Podcast – Discover the Best Daily Ritual We Know

DAILYRITUALStrategic Happiness Podcast (Happiness Strategies): ENERGISATION EXERCISES.

In the Strategic Happiness Podcast on ‘The Game of Life’ we talked about the best Daily Ritual that we know. If we were to choose just one Daily Ritual (that is easy to do and takes less than 5 mins) for preparing you for the day ahead and leading to your day and ultimately your Life being more successful, then this is it.

The Energisation Exercises are loosely based on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda who not only has a cool name, but is the author of the classic book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi‘ and one of the main teachers that brought Yoga to the west in a big way. He was all about energising the body and mind to get the very best results in life.

So we strongly encourage you to incorporate this 3-minute exercise into your morning routine – most preferably before you have that first cup of coffee! This un-drug-assisted goodness for your body, mind and soul. 😉

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Nutrition

Happiness Tip: Discover the Best Nutritional Tips I have Found in 12 Years of Searching

nutritionDo you want to know the best information on nutrition I have seen in 12 years of looking? In fact I would have really liked to have seen it about 12 years ago, but apparently the student was not ready.

I had to go through a bit of ‘borderline’ asthma, pneumonia, pleurisy, a few dizzy spells, low energy and a few other things that were all part of the figuring out and moulding of (me) the humble student. So in 2011, I was finally ready to hear what the best formula is for optimum health, optimum weight management, disease prevention and increased vitality.

The magic formula came from Dr Joel Fuhrman MD who specialises in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods (author of Eat To Live). His formula is so simple it leaves you wondering if that is all there is to it? Where is the rest of the equation that is designed to confuse the hell out of us? So the equation is (drum roll please):

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