Recipes for a happier life contd.

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Perspective

Sometimes we react to things disproportionately to their importance.
When something has just happened, it may be difficult to put it in
perspective because our feelings seem very powerful. Yet we know from past
experience that in a couple of days we're unlikely to feel so strongly about it.
To gain this perspective in the moment, ask yourself, 'Will this matter in a year's/
month's/week's time? .
It probably won't, so whey worry about it now?

Listening

When someone is talking to you,
concentrate solely on what's being
said, rather than asking yourself
"what's in it for me?' or 'what does
this mean for me?' . Such thoughts
can detract from the relationships we
have with others. At that point you're
simply there to listen. If you engage
fully in listening to others, your
relationships improve.

Solitude

To truly know ourselves we need to
spen time alone. Many of us find
solitude with no external stimulation
boring because we are accustomed to
filling our time with work, sport,
watching TV or socialising. While
these activities may be important, we
all need balance in our lives. Allow
yourself quiet time alone to get to know
who you really are.

Significant Others

Fostering meaningful relationships
is one of the best ways to feed your
soul. Most of us have meaningful
relationships with only a few people
because it takes time and effort to
build and maintain close relationships.
Think of these people as your
'significant others'. Why worry what
a 'non-significant other' thinks?
Your time is precious, so be aware of
how you use it.

Happiness

Rather than focusing on what makes
you happy, think about what happiness is.
Most of us imagine that happiness will come
when we achieve certain goals. But happiness
isn't reliant on external factore - it is totally
within us. We create our own happiness every
moment by our attitude towards ourselves and
the world around us. If you expect true happiness
to arrive only when you achieve your goals, you
may be disappointed as it may always elude you.
However, if you realise that you can create happiness,
it has the potential to be with you always.

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From the book soul food - recipes for a happier life. "credit" to kate kippenberger!!