Living by the Words - Characteristics Of Happy People-1

"Words are free. It's how you use them that may cost you."

Words are the reason that one person lives a life of abundance while another person lives a life of lack. Words can open doorways that hands can not. Our languages have these precious gifts which are not merely words but are characteristics itself to live an happy life.

Here are some words which are  core characteristics happy people seem to share in common.

1.  Accountability

"Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else." Les Brown

The first and most important step toward success and happiness is the decision to take full responsibility for our actions and associated consequences.
People tend to externalize when they encounter problems—to look beyond themselves and find fault with others when things go wrong. Society's mantra is "There's plenty of blame to go around!" You can hear it echo in the reactions to the election. But when we choose to hold ourselves accountable, we're more likely to be happier and successful in work and in our relationships.
Life is filled with traps that let people avoid personal accountability. It's easy to make excuses, play the victim, feel a sense of entitlement or procrastinate. Taking ownership for your actions and reactions lets you avoid anger, cynicism, envy and frustration and instead focus on positive emotions and healthy living.
Once you accept total responsibility for everything that happens to you in life, you will soon discover that this also enables you to find solutions to life’s difficulties far more quickly, In accepting responsibility, you are accepting a willingness to develop your character and in doing that, the stronger your character will become and your life will be improved as a consequence. You will feel less stressed Increased productive, better time management, improved relationships and overall well being.

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” - Gautam Budh

2.  Adaptability



“The measure of a person’s strength is not his muscular power or strength, but it is his flexibility and adaptability.” -Debashish Mridha   

Adaptability doesn’t just mean learning a new language or adaptive to different weather conditions. It means a whole lot of changes that happen in the mind – in the process of successfully mastering a new situation.
Adaptability is important because people are different and need to be treated differently. You develop open and honest relationships with others by being tactful, reasonable, and understanding.
“Our ability to have life satisfaction, to be happy and to have good relationships really depends on our ability to adapt.”
Being adaptable means not feeling hopeless and helpless in the face of change. If you are adaptive than even if you can't change the situation, you have figured out the key to being happy regardless of your circumstances.
With adaptability, you can treat people the way they want to be treated.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”-Charles Darwin

3.  Appreciation

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ― Voltaire

Appreciation is the one thing we can do in our lives that influences everybody around us and even those that are not around us. It is so little and moderately simple for us, yet can make one of the greatest effects on our general surroundings. Appreciation is one characteristic that we can figure out how to have and use that would dependably have a positive effect on those we come into contact with.
People who are appreciative are less materialist and less envious. In particular, appreciative people are more willing to part with their possessions, more generous with them, less envious of the material wealth of others, less committed to the idea that material wealth brings happiness.
Appreciation is a mindful affirmation of all that we have been given. When we concentrate on the wealth in our lives, we find a more noteworthy limit with regards to generosity, cheerfulness, and happiness.
Offering thanks is a rewarding habit that affirms the beauty of the provider. Appreciation opens our hearts, encourages us to enjoy each blessing that comes our direction, and mysteriously liberates us from desirously guarding our belonging. It gives us a chance to commend today as opposed to sitting tight for the following level of achievement or riches.
This word is motivational, carrying a huge power inside and can turn negative thoughts into positive. This is the magic of appreciation.
With more appreciation for others and their uniqueness we would be able to better learn from each other and combine our intelligence.

“Appreciation can make a day - even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. -- Margaret Cousins

4.  Affection

“Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.”- C. S. Lewis

Affection produces feelings of intimacy, security, significance, and respect in a relationship. Affection results in the tender feelings. from our early childhood we need affection to live a healthy and happier life.
Affection  is a disposition or state of mind or body that is often associated with a feelings or type of love. Affection is popularly used to denote a feeling or type of  love, amounting to more than goodwill or friendship. Generally the word affection is used to refer the distinct states of feeling, both lasting and spasmodic
Helpful emotions are much more likely to surface when the mind is not preoccupied with emotions rooted in craving and aversion, emotions that all too often distort our perception of the world. Among all the helpful emotions  affection is extremely important. It ensures that a personal life is rooted in healthy relationships with other people and with other forms of life. It also helps create optimal inner conditions for the heart to relax into the peace.

“The fact is that people are good, Give people affection and security, and they will give affection and be secure in their feelings and their behavior.” =Abraham Maslow

*This article is a part of a series on the same subject. Keep Reading*

How to Meditate for Clarity, Intuition & Guidance

Learning how to meditate can help you to achieve success faster, because when your mind is clear and focused, and your body is relaxed and calm, you can access information, both internal and external, that can help you make better decisions.

Do you ever find yourself irritated and it gets in the way of your performance? Are you ever so stressed out that you can't sleep at night? Are you ever so overwhelmed you just can't seem to stay focused? Do you ever have to make a major decision and just don't know which way to go, or you're looking for a solution to a problem and you just can't find it? Meditation can help with all of these things.

The more you meditate, the more access you have to your intuition. Keep reading and I’ll show you how to meditate with a guided meditation exercise that I enjoy using. This is something that even beginners can use.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a practice where you train your mind or induce a state of consciousness. You can meditate to realize some benefit, such as relaxation, stress reduction, healing, or strengthening your life force. Or for developing certain qualities such as love, patience, generosity, and forgiveness.

Focusing on breathing, visualizations, mantras or meditation music can help bring mindfulness to the present moment. This sets the stage to calm your mind.

Meditation can also be used to access inner wisdom and insight from your own higher unconscious or from a Universal power often referred to as God, infinite Intelligence, Universal Consciousness, or Source.

It is also a powerful tool for accessing your creativity, your inner wisdom, and developing your intuition.

For most people, this means to close your eyes, slow down your breathing, focus your goals by repeating a phrase without being distracted by anything else.

Does Meditation Work?

Most people have a resistance to meditation. They think it's too weird at first. Or they say they're too busy to take the time to learn how to meditate.

After reading this post, and discovering the simplicity, and many benefits of meditation, my hope is that you will try it in your own way.

Three of the sources of my greatest successes came to me while I was meditating – the title for Chicken Soup for the Soul, which has become a brand worth several hundred million dollars and the inspiration for the creation of the Transformational Leadership Council and for our Online Train the Trainer Program which teaches people how to teach the success principles.

There are many different forms of meditation that have been developed over thousands of years in many diverse cultures. I teach several of them in my Awakening Power audio program and you can learn one technique from the guide below.

Learning to meditate is a journey, this guide will help you take the right steps. Download my free 4-Step Meditation Guide.

The Benefits of Meditation

In general, through meditation, you can do many things better. You make better decisions. A few of the mental health benefits of meditation include greater productivity and focus, less stress throughout the day, anxiety relief, and better sleep at night. Meditation helps reset your hormones, promotes faster healing, and getting sick less.

It can help create longevity for a better life, build intuition, and discover your higher purpose.

Some of the spiritual benefits of meditation include, greater awareness of the world around you and a deep connection to yourself and your purpose.

All those things sound pretty great, right?

What Happens During Meditation?

The reality is that you're focusing on one thing so that everything else begins to drop away. During meditation, your mind quiets. You’re able to access your subconscious mind.

When you first start meditating, you may notice that your mind begins to wander. If you sit with your eyes closed, trying not to think a thought, you’ll probably end up pretty frustrated, because your mind will tend to wander and you’ll think you’re failing. This is ok.

Remember: Meditation takes practice.

It's much easier when you have a guidance, when there's meditation music, when someone's voice is guiding you through the steps.

Your mind doesn't wander as much, and it's much easier to follow along and not get lost in all the stories and the to-do lists and the thinking about the past and worrying about the future that we normally do.

That’s what I want to do for you.

The Best Meditation Positions

Let’s start by getting into a position to meditate.

What are the best meditation postures for success? It’s much simpler than you might think. You can meditate while sitting naturally in a chair.

You can meditate sitting on the floor. You can even do it lying down. If you lie down you have the tendency to fall asleep, but do whatever is most comfortable for you.

Benjamin Franklin used to meditate holding a hammer about half an inch above his head so that if he fell asleep the hammer would hit his head and wake him up. He didn’t hold it so high that it would hurt him, but he was that committed to meditation.

How to Meditate: The 4-Part Meditation Technique

There are hundreds of different forms of meditation.  I have explored in depth at least 20 different forms of meditation, including 10-day silent meditation retreats. I now practice 3 or 4 different forms on a regular basis.  Each of the meditation techniques accomplish different things in my experience.

Some are calming and centering. Some energize and analyze the body. Some develop neutral witness or allow insight and wisdom to emerge.

There is a form of meditation that combines all these into one that I teach in my Breakthrough to Success Training.  

I call it the Betty Bethard’s 4-Step Meditation. Since I learned it from Betty and have been teaching it in my groups ever since.

I find this technique to be one of the most simple ways to meditate.  It is also, profoundly effective.  May it support your inner peace and wisdom.

Let me talk to you about what each step entails, then I’ll guide you through the entire meditation.

Step #1: Preparing to Meditate

Physical Preparation: Avoid meditating on a full stomach, when overly tired, or while wearing restrictive clothing.  Do not meditate while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  Use your own judgment when using prescribed medication.

Mental Preparation: It is helpful prior to meditation to prepare yourself mentally.  For example: you may read, discuss, or listen to or think about something of an inspirational nature.

Environmental Preparation: Find a quiet time when you will not be disturbed by the telephone, doorbell or other interruptions.  When you have moved into the inner stillness, all your senses are heightened, and a sudden noise can be a shock to your system.

This meditation can be done sitting cross-legged on the floor, or as most people find more comfortable, sitting in a chair. Keep your body erect, feet flat on the floor, hands together in your lap. Let your hands touch together, fingertip to fingertip.

Relax.  It is helpful if your spine is straight. It is surprisingly easy to relax in an upright position. Imagine a string tied to the top of your head pulling straight up toward the ceiling.

Take several deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Then let your breathing become steady, rhythmic and relaxed.

Imagine a pure white light coming up through your left foot, up the left side of your body, all the way to the top of your head, across to the right side of your body, and down the other side. Do this three times.

You can also ask to be shown the way to truth, wisdom, and understanding.

Step #2: Repetition

Repetition is simply the focusing of your mind on a single point. It is an essential part of meditation. It clears away the mental cobwebs and stills your active conscious mind.

You can do repetition with your eyes open or closed, whichever proves better for you. If you use the eyes open method, fix your gaze on a single object.  

A tiny light or candle in a darkened room, a picture, a religious symbol, a mandala, the word Love. These and many other things have been used successfully as the focal point of repetition.

A great many people, including myself, have better success in concentration with their eyes closed, visualizing a word, face, object or symbol in their mind’s eye. It can be a religious symbol, a mandala, a flower, or a peaceful scene in nature such as a still lake.  You may wish to focus on a word, a seed thought, or a phrase that has special meaning to you.

There are many, many phrases that come from different spiritual traditions. If you don't want to go into that, you can simply imagine inhaling the sound "re," exhaling, "lax." Like "relax." You're giving yourself a subliminal command.

Ones that I have used, with great success, are “I Am Love, or Sat Nam," or simply, "Re-lax”. You can just inhale as you say to yourself "Re" and exhale as you say to yourself "lax."

Repeat the phrase over and over without letting any other thoughts come into your mind.  Whatever focal point you choose on which to concentrate, let it represent your highest spiritual idea, never something materialistic.

At first, your mind will quite likely want to stray. Bring it gently back to the focal point of your concentration.  As it strays again, bring it back again. Almost everyone finds their mind much too active to settle down to a single point at first.  But, soon you will find your ability to discipline your mind to one point growing stronger and stronger.

Step #3: Receptivity

After a few minutes of repetition, you shift gently to receptivity for the next few minutes. Separate your hands and turn them palms upward in your lap. Keep your body erect and relaxed.  

Now let the mind you have been disciplining so vigorously relax. Do not exert any conscious effort to think about anything.  

Just set your mind free. If you did repetition with your eyes open, you must close them as you go into meditation. You have opened the various consciousness centers of your being.  Remain relaxed and passive, yet alert.

Thoughts and mental images may cross your consciousness.  Examine them placidly as they come and go.  You may “see” images and scenes or “hear” mental messages.  

An image that helps me is to imagine I am standing on the bank of the river simply watching boats fly by.  I am just watching the thoughts and sensations that arise.  The trick is to "watch" the thoughts and sensations as they arise.  

If you get lost and suddenly realize you are thinking rather than watching, just "climb out of the boat", get back on the bank and become the watcher, the observer or the witness once again. It takes a while to develop this witness position, but the rewards of peace, calm, and insight are well worth the effort.

Step #4: Closing Down from the Meditative State

At the end of your meditation, close both hands into fists and imagine a luminous white light surrounding you, filling, you and protecting you.

The main idea is that you are learning to place yourself in an environment of protection, guidance, and control. This can be done in a variety of ways. For example, imagine yourself in a ball of white light, or in a white balloon, just so long as the white environment totally surrounds you. This procedure will close down the centers of your consciousness that you have opened during concentration and meditation, leaving your inner being protected from outside influences.

Use this phase to visualize yourself achieving any goal you might choose. You could simply visualize yourself whole and healthy, or you might visualize yourself having achieved a particular goal. If you use an affirmation during the repetition phase and do a related visualization during this phase, this is very powerful.

Your Inner Wisdom: After a while of meditating you will begin to discover that you have a great deal of wisdom inside. It is simply a matter of taking the time to listen to what is within, and your intuition, sensitivity, and alignment with the universe all begin to grow.

It is as though all the powers of your mind and the secrets of the universe start to become available to you. You will grow in strength in these gifts so long as you seek them for service to your fellow man rather than for selfish, material ends.

How Long Should You Meditate For?

You can divide any amount of time into these 4 segments.  I usually meditate for about 20 minutes during the week and for 40-60 minutes on the weekend. On a 20 minute session might look like this: Preparation (3 minutes), Repetition (7 minutes), Receptivity (7 minutes), and Closing Down (3 minutes).

Summary of The 4-Step Meditation for Beginners

1) Find a quiet place, close your eyes, and focus on slowing down your breathing

First, find a quiet place, close your eyes, focus on slowing down your breathing by taking four long, deep, slow breaths, and then imagine white or golden light starting in your left foot slowly moving up through the entire left side of your body and then down your right.

2) Repeat an uplifting word or phrase

Repeat an uplifting word or phrase such as "re-lax," "so-ham," "I am love," or, "I am in the universe and the universe is in me," silently over and over, for about 3 to 4 minutes.

3) Move into a state of quiet

Third, you stop the repetition of your word or phrase and just move into a state of quiet, receptive observation, just noticing any thoughts, feelings or physical sensations that arise in your consciousness.

4) Imagine yourself surrounded by a sphere of light

Fourth, spend a few minutes imagining yourself surrounded by a spotlight or sphere of white light. After a minute or two of that spend the remaining minute or two visualizing your life goals as already achieved.

Learning How to Meditate Effectively Takes Practice and is a Natural Progression

The thought of learning how to meditate can be intimidating to some beginners as there are several types of meditation, such as Mindfulness, Concentration Transcendental, Kundalini, Qi Gong, Zazen and Vipassana... but new practitioners should not get lost in complicated details. What I’ve just taught you is a combination of all of these meditations. It is extremely simple to learn and practice so you won’t become overwhelmed.

Just focus on improving one session at a time.

Whatever form of meditation you do, remember that you can’t do it wrong. Whatever you are experiencing is fine. Don’t expect to have a totally clear mind or to achieve enlightenment overnight. Meditation is a daily discipline that you practice for years, but the benefits are so profound.

When you first start, a few minutes is plenty. Over time you will find that you will want to meditate longer. It is a natural progression. I usually set the timer on my iPhone for 20 minutes.

If you don’t have 20 minutes, just 5 minutes of concentrating on the sensation of your breath either by focusing on the sensation of the air coming in and out of your nose or the sensation of the rise and fall of your chest is better than nothing.

Eventually, you will notice these instructions become second nature and your mind will be easier to calm by using the exercises. Be sure to focus on your breath and the sensations of inner peace and relaxation will follow closely.

Meditation Will Help Calm Your Mind

Try it for yourself. Get into a comfortable position and focus on your breath. You can focus your mind on one of your personal affirmations.

Another way to calm the mind is by visualizing a peaceful scene such as clouds floating by or the waves on a windy lake growing calmer and calmer. Start by doing this for at least 5 minutes every day, then build on the amount of time you spend meditating, and in a few weeks, reassess how you feel mentally and physically.

In addition to peace of mind, I guarantee you’ll notice increased clarity and energy in your life when you figure out how to meditate.

Leave a comment below and let me know if you’ve ever tried meditation and, if so, in what ways it has it benefited you?

Learning how to meditate is a journey, this guide will help you take the right steps

The process of figuring out how to meditate correctly doesn’t need to be overcomplicated. Due to its simple nature, the proven psychological benefits will gradually grow stronger and stronger, improving your emotional and mental health with every session. As a result, you will make room for more success in your life by removing mental clutter that weighs down your cycle of completion.

If you would like to start practicing meditation, then I strongly encourage you to download my free 4-Step Meditation Guide. It will help you understand the techniques used to reduce stress, overcome anxiety, clear your mind and listen to your intuition so you can tackle any challenge in life with clarity and ease.

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul® and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

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Be Productive Be Happy.

Studies from various research groups around the globe confirm that the happy people work harder and produce more results. But does people who are more productive are Happier than the people who are less? 

And you might not believe it but the answer is YES.

You might have a difference of opinion here.

As we are often told to spare time from our work for the things that gives us happiness...

But believe me if it is as true as 1+1=2. But wait here our aim shouldn’t  to be being busy, being busy does not guarantee for being productive, even in most of the cases being busy result in loss of productivity.

Here we are simply talking about doing the work well.

Latest research’s suggests that happiness leads to success, when we produce results with our work it automatically gives us satisfaction and leads to happiness.
If you submit yourself to bettering yourself, take after your enthusiasm, create hard working attitudes. Center and work towards a more amazing, nobler and more joyful life. Be gainful don't dawdle; don't wait on uncertainties and buts. Try not to tons of what can turn out badly. Rather, concentrate on being more gainful, more eager and more energetic. You surely will find a life filled with happiness.

"Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

 Find ways and means to increase your productivity, set goals (both long term and short term) set daily routines, surround yourself with positive and productive people, and take forward steps towards your advancement, no matter how small it may be. Don't allow anyone to distract yourself from your purpose.

Here are 4 ways to be more productive.

1.Stay passionate

Our passions are the winds that propel our vessel. Our reason is the pilot that steers her. Without winds the vessel would not move and without a pilot she would be lost.-Ancient Proverb

You got to really be passionate and try to prepare more than anyone else, and put yourself in a position to succeed. Having a passion for an activity represents an important type of high involvement in activities that may lead to sustainable positive effects on your performance and your well being. People who are passionate about their work are more equipped against negative sentiments around which may leads to loss of productivity. They are more focused towards their goals and advancement.

Ø  Stay focused

Ø  Block Out Distractions

Ø  Get up early

Ø  Don’t do multitasking

Ø  Learn to say no

2.Do what you love (or) Love what you do.

  You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. — Steve Jobs

There is nothing like doing a work you love most and always wanted to do it's just not only engage you physically but mentally as well. It is like self inspiration to do well.

But often we have to do work which is often not of our liking and are only doing it because of circumstances or situations.

If you are doing anything which doesn't inspires you. How can you expect it to bring any fruitful result for your life?

You might have a living with it but you cannot live your life to your fullest. Your life is more than just adding numbers to your age. Don’t trade your life and time merely for money, either you must find a way to work for what you love or you need to develop love for the work you are currently doing.

You are what you do. If you do boring, stupid, monotonous work, chances are you’ll end up boring, stupid, and monotonous.-Bob Black

Here are some ways to develop a liking for a work  you don't like.

Ø  Keep your passion with you (for the work you love)

Ø  Talk to people who love this work(what they found good about this work)

Ø  Study the work

Ø  Make some friends at work place.

Ø  Don’t talk negative about your work.

3.Learn new skills

The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills. Everything else will become obsolete over time.-Peter Drucker

Over the last few years the world undoubtedly got more competitive. You may need something extra to really stand out. Sometimes combinations of skills can result in you having a unique stand point. One of the main reasons for adding to your skill set is to be able to win new types of work, which may be more interesting or lucrative. New ideas and techniques have the power to boost your results dramatically. Scientists have found that learning new skills changes our brain in ways which are beneficial, learning helps stretch the capacity of the brain making other parts of our life easier. The most important part of learning a new skill or undergoing training is the sense of achievement you will feel when you move forward.  Moreover, the whole process of learning is rewarding and interesting.

Here are 4 tips you find useful to learn new skills.

Ø Set Goals

Ø Focus On outcome

Ø Set Timelines

Ø Practice

4.Stay relaxed

 Don't let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries.-Terri Guillemets

Spending more hours at work often leads to less time for sleep and insufficient sleep takes a substantial toll on performance. We overwork ourselves to get ahead, but that's counterproductive

because it ends up being careless work. It is a proven fact through different researches carried with respect to human physiology that Human beings aren't designed to expend energy continuously. Rather, we're meant to pulse between spending and recovering energy. We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax. If you like to live a relaxed life you need to make a change in your daily habits to attain it for lifetime.

Here are some suggestions to help you to relax. These can surely help you to live a relaxed life in long term if you make them a part of your daily routine.

Ø  Meditate

Ø  Exercise

Ø  Organize and get rid of clutter

Ø  Improve your sleeping habits

Ø  Go on vacations

Ø  Keep Hygiene

Ø  Have a Pet

Ø  Appreciate yourself

Ø  Be friendly

But when you are stressed out and require some immediate tips to relax here are some ways to help.

Ø  Take deep breaths

Ø  Take a walk

Ø  Listen to music

Ø  Drink water

Ø  Take bath

Ø  Take a nap

Man is only truly great when he acts from the passions; never irresistible but when he appeals to the imagination. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

I sincerely hope these productivity tips to be valuable for you. Your productivity is your life made visible. Please protect it.