This is not one of my usual posts about essential oils, homemade spa products and so forth, this is a story my best friend, Jim, told me last week. It made such an impression on me that I decided to share it with you. As I recall we were talking about the effects various essential oils have on our state of mind when Jim told me about Dudley, a friend of his, who always seemed to be happy and in a good mood.
Jim said that one day he asked Dudley how he managed to be happy all the time. Dudley told Jim that every morning when he woke up, he always asked himself one question. “Am I going to be happy today or not? The decision is mine to make.” He told Jim that the answer was a no-brainer. After all, who would wake up in the morning and choose to be unhappy?
Years later, Dudley’s son was injured in a serious automobile accident. According to Jim, since Dudley was driving, he had considerable guilt feelings. However, despite the guilt and ongoing care for his son, Dudley remained a happy cheerful person. He told Jim that he still woke up every morning with that same question and the answer was always the same. Dudley chose to be happy right up to the day he died.
What does science say about happiness?
The following list of habits most common to happy people comes from a number of studies.
The happiest people:
- Surround themselves with family and friends
- Don’t give a whit about keeping up with the Joneses
- Lose themselves in daily activities
- Forgive easily (this is very important)
- Meditate
- Surround themselves with happy sensory experiences such as flowers, pleasing scents and music
- Watch 20% less TV than unhappy people
In addition to these points, there is evidence that happy people are generally more likely to be successful. By no means does this indicate that all successful people are happy, but simply that happy people are more likely to succeed in relationships, work and health.
We want you to know that we absolutely adore all you goddesses that come here to SpaFromScratch and we want you to be happy, healthy and successful in whatever you pursue in life and we hope these tips are of help. If you’re a little down in the dumps right now, we hope this post will steer you right out of your doldrums into a sunny happy place.
You can find additional information by reading “The Art of Loving” by Eric Fromm or any of Wayne Dyer’s books. I enjoy all of Dyer’s work, but one of my favorites is “The Sky’s the Limit.” You can probably find copies of these books at your local library. Also, be sure you read my last post Essential Oils for Depression, Anxiety and Stress” and the post preceding that “Revitalizing Linen Spray or Room Spray.”
Personally, I think Dudley was onto something. He realized that his frame of mind was a choice. He knew he had 100% power over the choice between a happy or unhappy life. He also seemed to realize that there is a difference between living a happy life and being unhappy about unhappy events. Life slaps all of us around sometimes and we don’t have to like it, but we can still each live a happy life.
Now go have fun and relax.