I’m not in the business of diagnosing or solving problems.  Helpful hints?  I’ve got loads of them.  Since today is my birthday, I thought I would share some things with you that makes me smile.  Of course, I cannot tell you how to be happy, but I can give you some tips for finding the happy moments.  String enough of them together and you’ve found it.  Is it that simple?  No.  All of my medical training will tell you that there are plenty of people with biochemical imbalances that make it difficult to feel happy.  That said, I will also tell you that your body responds to positive stimuli.  Replace some negative with positive and at least some of the veil will lift.  That IS a fact.  With that in mind, here is what I know to be true for me.

No one can take happiness from you.  No one.
You know the old saying – A rotten apple spoils the bunch.  Well, that may be true for apples, but the last time I checked, you’re not an apple and neither am I.  I don’t plan to become one nor do I eat rotten ones.  Come to think of it, I’m having a lot of trouble finding how any of that statement applies to people.

• Make a commitment to be happy each day when you get up.  It will help establish the tone for the day and give you a magical force field against negativity.

Eat well.
When you take a bite of your spinach salad, make a mental note that you are doing something healthy for your body.  Concentrate on feeling good about that particular choice.  Don’t dwell the candy bar you ate yesterday.  You WILL start to feel good about making positive changes in your diet – one by one.

Begin a Happiness Diary.
You know all the free and super cheap notebooks we got last month?  Put one to good use.  Keep it on the kitchen counter or common area in your home that you frequent and make notes of things that made you laugh or smile.  Whether it is something you saw on tv or a fond memory, they’re good reminders to have around when you feel down.  What if you can’t find a happy moment?  Make one.  Send an e-card to a friend. Come over here and participate in one of our Feel Good Fixes.  Right now, Kraft Huddle to Fight Hunger still needs meals won via their game to help feed the underprivileged.  That brings me to my next topic.

Help Others.
There is always someone less fortunate than you.  Don’t believe me?  Well, here’s an easy example.  You follow this blog and I show you all kinds of ways to get free items.  There are  plenty of people who don’t use any money saving resources and cannot afford basic necessities.  Pick up an extra tube of toothpaste the next time you head out freebie hunting and take it to a housebound person you know, donate it to a local shelter, wherever you feel led to help.  C’mon, just one tube of  toothpaste, you ask?  You tell me.  Would you rather have one tube of toothpaste or none?

Appreciate Beauty.
Blue skies are beautiful.  So are cloudy skies.   More simply?  So is the fact that you can see them.

Here’s a story for you.  I was born in 1973.  My Aunts on my mothers side were all born between 1920-1928 and were consistently some of the happiest people I’ve ever known.  Here are a few things I learned in my youth by watching them.

• Tell only funny stories…over and over.  They get funnier each time because you anticipate the hilarity of it all.
• Watch old comedies – Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant films.  Among my favorites is Bringing Up Baby.  The story is no less complicated than one you’ll find today, but the presentation cannot be beat.  Oh, the joy of watching the delivery of a funny punch line with no profanity or verbal hit against someone else.
• Value family.  These ladies loved each other fiercely, and their youths were far from perfect.  Unconditional love heals and comforts.  Period.
•  Forgive.  Grudges are too heavy to carry around.

A Fool Learns From His Own Mistakes.  A Wise Man Learns From The Mistakes of Others.
In this case, a wise man learns from the experiences of others.  I used to work in long term care pharmacy…for years…15ish actually.   These are a few of the lessons I’ve learned from those wonderful people.

• Eat, Drink and be Merry –  in moderation.  Highs are too high.  Lows are too low.  Strive for balance in everything.  If you can’t make that happen, roll with the punches.  They will stop eventually.
• Stay active.  Like I always say – mosquitoes don’t breed in moving water.  Neither do many other undesirables.
• Pursue your passion.  I love to help people.  I can’t not do it.  Part of me dies when I’m not doing something for other people.   I think it has something to do with my family history.  It’s as if it’s genetic.  I could go on all day about the things they’ve done that inspire me.
• Shoulda, coulda, woulda must die.  Replace them with a check mark next to your box that says *Done*.  If you can’t, well, surely there is something you CAN do.

There, I’m done.  Now, if  you want to do something for me for my birthday.  Be happy.   I promise, it’s the best gift you could ever give me.