Self-Help Happiness Blog

Do you have a funny spot?  I do.  It’s on my head.  Sometimes it pops up a week after getting my hair cut.  Sometimes two, or even three weeks later.  And it seems that each time it pops up a little differently.  More than anything, my funny spot dictates when I get my hair cut.

Most of us have funny spots in our personalities, too.  Certain things might rub us the wrong way.  Or in certain situations we might become suddenly shy or clumsy after a while. 

Just as my hair needs maintenance to help manage that funny spot, we all need personality maintenance, which we often call self-help.  We need to know what characteristics about ourselves look “funny” or somehow interfere with smooth relationships with others.  And we need to take regular measures to manage those elements.  Chances are, these are not things we can eliminate (although some might be), but simply to keep a check on them so that they allow us to be pleasant to others and function at our best in our community.

Consider this: you give your car regular maintenance, don’t you?

P.S.  I once had an even funnier spot on my head…

This post first appeared in A Daily Dose of Happiness newsletter

From our Daily Dose of Happiness ezine yesterday:

MENTORING

When we reach a hand out to help someone else, we lift two people with that one arm.  Talk about miracles!

George Bernard Shaw  said:

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” 

Find more inspirational quotes and  quotes on happiness. 

I just read a fascinating interview with A.J. Jacobs, a “Jewish” agnostic who decided to live the bible quite literally for a year, then write a book about it.  Here are just a couple excerpts from the interview:

Trying to follow the Bible, you learn how much you sin during a day.  It’s really quite shocking.  You tell so many lies just trying to keep a conversation going….As a parent, I couldn’t believe how much I lied: “Oh, Oh, the toy store’s closed today, we can’t go there,” or, “The TV’s broken.”

Here’s another…

The bible is really focused on giving thanks, and that was a huge lesson for me.  By the end, I was an extreme thanker–I was thanking when the elevator came on time.  It’s a great way to live, to focus on the hundreds of things that go right during the day rather than the three or four things that went wrong.

Far too often, self-help asks, “What’s wrong with me?”  This is only natural, we most often seek help when we see a problem.  And if we see a problem, it is a good thing to want to correct it or manage it.

But self-help should also be about asking, “What’s right with me?”  It should be about finding our strengths and building on them - about finding ways to leverage our strengths to live happier, more fulfilling lives and make life a wonderful experience  for everyone.

That’s really what the Daily Dose of Happiness is all about.  Sure, if you have problems, if you are going through a rough spot, if you need cheering up, I sure hope this helps.  But most of all, I hope to inspire you to find your strengths - the good in you - and build on all that you have going for you.