Sometimes, as much as we want, things don’t go the way we want them to.  Chance, luck, whatever, sometimes things go your way, sometimes shit happens.  It’s really all about how you respond to what is going on. We always have the choice to get stuck or keep moving forward.

I saw a study that showed people in general to be happier one year after the recession of 2008 started.  Almost instantly I understood why, relief. 

When people are emotionally satisfied they tend to have a strong identity and will generally admit to being happy. Our identity is based on our emotional state.  Emotional state is almost always a result of past behaviors.  Too often we view emotions as dead-end feelings when they are actually doorways to discovering healthier behaviors that lead to a higher happier frame of mind. The ten trigger emotions to watch for are: regret, fear, hurt, anger, frustration, disappointment, guilt, inadequacy, overload and loneliness. 

No matter how you slice or spin it, stress sucks.  I’m not talking about the ‘good’ stress that pushes you the extra mile.  It’s the social, physical and psychological stress that brings nothing to the party.  Stress has been shown to paralyze able-bodied people and bring disease to others.  The sad thing is that 99% of stress is self-imposed!  You always have a choice what to think about and how to respond to your feelings.