Business Success


.

  • Written by Eric North aka “The Happiness Warrior”


As The Happiness Warrior, I believe that it’s the attitude we project and the mindset that we employ that creates more happiness and fulfillment in our loves. If the holidays are a time for reflection and warm feelings, why not think about all of the great things we did this year and how proud we are of our efforts and accomplishments?  Why dwell on the acceptance and approval of others when we have everything about ourselves to celebrate? Holidays are the time when we give ourselves a break. It’s time to recharge and loose our obsession with perfection. When we feel this connection with our authenticity we also find ourselves creating greater connections with others. Happiness expands and our vibration will rise as the days grow longer and the sun reappears.

The holidays have so many meanings to all of us yet no matter how hard we try to fill ourselves with cheer and joy sometimes we feel lonely and wanting. It's a time when we know we’re supposed to be happy and jolly, but all too often our fears and insecurities arise, and we’re reminded of our shortcomings and doubts. We crave the perfect holiday, but too often we’ve forgotten what it’s all about. Instead of celebrating life and all of its joy, we’re creating a mindset for unhappiness and increasing periods of unease.

For me the holidays are a chance to slow down and feel appreciation for my life. I’ve given up on the dream of perfection and instead look for beauty in my surroundings and small pleasures in life. The holidays are the people that we care about, the bright lights and warm feelings of contentment, connection, and being happy with our lives. The days are shorter, and the shadows can feel deep and endless. We follow our traditions whether they make sense or not and try to keep a long gone feeling going without thinking about who we are now.

The holidays are always the same in spirit, but life changes, people change, and we’re not always meant to follow the same paths. Change is a fact of life that we should embrace. When we open our eyes to new people, places, and experiences happiness will abound and new paths are there to be taken.

Nostalgia is a funny feeling that often disappoints and lets us down. It can be a disturbing memory of something that might have happened that gets faded through the years. Or it can be a warm feeling that gives us joy and makes us smile in remembrance. I see the past as a story of lessons that I learned from and that will never happen again. When we stop fighting chaos in our minds we can learn to yield and adapt. This is how we create new behaviors to be happy.

Nothing comes closer to our emotions and self-sabotaging behaviors than the holidays. We can change this when we adopt a new mindset of happiness and contentment. Every year is a new opportunity of our own making where happiness is in reach. Why do so often fall into sadness, and regret?

PERFECTIONISM IS A LET DOWN

Show that you care and let your love and happiness shine through your efforts. Be authentic and welcoming. Stop doing suffocating rituals and embrace change and new perspective as we look forward to another new year. Stop doing the same things over and over again and look for new signs that your life has moved forward. The present is beautiful at this very moment. Close your eyes and open them once again. Reassure yourself that you are grounded and know that only you have the power to write your story.

Ask yourself what would make you happy? Be honest, let go of ego and focus on your intention. Everything starts now in the moment, each action we take creates value and continues us on our journey. How can we make the holidays more meaningful when we’ve forgotten the small pleasures in life?

The lesson to be learned is that we can indeed create a more holistic set of expectations. What choices can we make to better our lives?

AVOID EXPECTATION HEARTBREAK

As The Happiness Warrior, I’ve always relied on a serendipitous mindset. Whatever I believe might happen always surprises me and becomes better. This helps me to have no fear of the future and sleep well at night. An open mind is a gift that we can always take with us and one that never disappoints. When we are rigid our expectations can break us. Why live our lives with so much pressure and self-created doubt? Look at life as an adventure and find your dreams come to life.

Expectations can bring us heartache when we seek too much from ourselves and others. Know your strengths and weaknesses and understand the humanity of others. Forgive and let go of hateful thoughts and negative emotions. What we perceive in one another is never the only truth. When we learn acceptance our lives will begin to flow, and we’ll find happiness wherever we go. There’s always a reason for where we are in every moment.

THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES TELL US WHO WE ARE

I always tell myself that I want to attract people in my life who are doing good things with their lives. It builds the sense of community that I strive for and makes me feel connected and secure with my life choices. When we find others that are like us we can feel a sense of reassurance and purpose that our lives might have been missing.

It’s the people in our lives that tell us who we are. Do we want to be happy, or do we allow others to control our narrative and tear us down? Know when someone is good for you or not and be strong in your intention. Ask yourself do they make your life better or do you hold on to something that never was with a sense of guilt or remorse. Often the best course of action is to let someone go and find your own path without their influence and negativity. Be your own best friend and make your holidays special with your own terms and conditions. The new year is just around the corner.

How to be happy every day during the holidays and every day in the future:.

1.    Maintain realistic expectations. Stop feeling obligated to perform or push yourself beyond your limits. I’ve always found that it’s unfair to expect too much of others. Employ a serendipitous mindset and know that all will be well and believe that future events will delight you.. Don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting too much too and being disheartened. Flow with the energy around you.

2.    Take an active role and be proactive. Stop waiting and take action towards a desired outcome. We can surprise even ourselves when we have goals and defined intentions.

3.    Look at change as a positive factor in life that causes us to learn and grow wiser and stronger. One of my five non-negotiable core values is to be “ready for anything”. Life is an adventure and surprises can find us at our best.

4.    Remember that perception is different for everyone. How we see ourselves is not how others see us. Creating a growing sense of empathy is the way to create a happier path through life. Be kind, forgive, and know when to move on. Life is a journey and not all will come with us.

Creating our best holiday mindset revolves around finding meaning, purpose, passions, and core values that bring us together. Family and traditions are ours to create. Be open minded, tell yourself that you like everyone, and find a kind word for all. Wish others well and find your own blessings. We can choose to be happy at any time, but when we share and love fully we capture the spirit of the season. Make this year your own perfect holiday!


Eric North The Happiness Warrior

The Happiness Warrior's laws for happiness

For so many of us happiness might feel like something we’re always seeking that seems just out of reach. We all want more happiness, but most of us forget to realize that it’s actually truth and vulnerability that we are truly seeking. A happiness ...

Happiness is always there to remind us

It’s often said that happiness is a choice and only a feeling that’s soon forgotten. As The Happiness Warrior, I strongly disagree and believe we deserve more. Happiness is best viewed as a lifestyle and mindset that we choose to make happen throug...

How to start leveling up

As the Happiness Warrior, I’ve always thought that the best way to look at life is that we are all players in a great game with many levels and dimensions. This helps me to understand my place in the universe and the ability to shape my destiny. I ...

Self creation is reinvention

As The Happiness Warrior, I’ve always viewed my life as a series of chapters or scenes from a film or documentary. There were times when the story surpassed my dreams and expectations.. There were also dark periods where my strength and resilience we...

Unraveling complexity

Most of us move very rapidly through our lives and time passes so quickly. We pick up more than we can handle, and all too often find ourselves living in chaos and confusion. We bite off more than we can chew and suffer the consequences of our poor...

How to be someone to admire

From my very first memories I can think of the people in my life who I’ve most admired and sought attention from. Relatives that shined above others, teachers who saw something in me, and people who spoke with passion and integrity. These were the ex...

Learning to flow

I’ve always thought that the people that I most admire are those who’re able to live in a state of resilience and courage. They’re ready for anything and have learned to flow with whatever life bestows upon us. Those special people who know that as...

How to make happiness contagious

In this crazy world of ours, happiness is often overlooked, devalued, and looked down upon. Time and again, we are guilted into feeling shame and discomfort when we express our true feelings and express our happiness. Too often we are tricked into ho...

The road to success - How to thrive anywhere anytime

As The Happiness Warrior, I believe that our words and actions have both spirit and intention. They can never be retracted and never disappear. In our lives with so many questions, the answer is found in our carefully planned actions and chosen words...

Awakening our truth

Deep down, most of us dream about experiencing more authentic lives aligned with our core values. Dreaming about a reality, where we feel at peace with ourselves and our actions. In touch with the powers of intention and motivation. A sense of knowin...

How to be more tuned in

Most of us go through life hoping and praying that things will work out. Sadly, and all too often, we find ourselves existing in a cycle of inertia and frustration. This causes us to lose control of our destiny and be guided by those that seek to c...

How to be unshakeable

I’ve always thought that the most attractive humans are those who are calm and steady in any situation. People who know who they are and what they stand for.  A conscious intentional mindset that tells them that they are ready for anything no matter ...

Good habits crush resolutions

I’ve always believed that the amount of success and fulfillment we achieve in life is only as great as the effort we put into it. It’s a truth that’s undeniable and no hastily spoken resolution or vow will ever change this simple fact. We are the p...

How to be more resilient in 2024

It’s often said that one of the best qualities of being a human is our natural resilience. An innate desire to move forward through pain and suffering and reach the other side. Our ability to bounce back from any situation in order to keep on livin...

How to let go and be happier in 2024

Most of us through no fault of our own, find ourselves hurtling through our lives without much thought or direction. We conform and comply with the “rules” that bind us without much thought or self-awareness. We tell ourselves that this makes our liv...

Intention is the destination

“Choose your intention carefully and then practice holding your consciousness to it, so it becomes the guiding light in your life.” — John Roger No matter how we choose our path or destination there’s nothing more important than understanding our ...

Turn bias into enlightenment

There’s a point most of our lives when our greatest fears and unexpected calamities burst into our lives and cause us to feel shocked and surprised. What we do next tells us more about us than we’ve ever imagined. It’s in these life-changing moment...

Optimism is happiness intensified

In a world that’s so fast moving and confusing, it’s not an uncommon thought to want to hide or give up. To surrender and take the path of least resistance. To give up on our dreams and let others control our thoughts and emotions. It’s the will of...

Business Marketing