The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the colour of your thoughts — Marcus Aurelius

As the Happiness Warrior, I’ve always had an innate need to “set things right” and an overwhelming desire to help others who are searching for direction in their lives, especially those who are struggling to find their voice and rise to their potential.

After years of hard work as an entrepreneur and business leader, this gave me a renewed purpose in my journey through life. We can all create the self-mastery needed to help us make sense of our lives when we can see obstacles as valuable lessons that teach us to grow with courage and wisdom. How we learn from our lessons tells us everything we need to move forward with a happier and more holistic outlook. Every failure, setback, and hurt is an opportunity to bring bright light and growth into our lives.

Creating a core personal belief system isn’t as easy as it sounds but learning to enjoy the path to get there can be the difference between living a magical life or ordinary life.

Many of us feel marginalized and trapped by societal bonds that we believe are too hard and ingrained to break away from. We are told how to think, what to feel, who to like, and who to hate. Most of all, we become immune to chaos and settle for whatever life gives us. It’s almost as if there’s some sort of controlling force that’s designed to keep us passive, semi-happy, and under control. We’re constantly bombarded with an artificial sense of well-being through mindless entertainment, binge-tv watching, sports events, medications, and dangerously unhealthy food.

None of it makes any sense at first glance, and many of us spend much of our energy avoiding our fears and blocking our consciousness from anything that makes us think or feel uneasy. How do we break self-created bonds and how do we make sense of our lives? The answer to these questions comes when we do the work to define who we are by digging deep and consciously confronting our carefully hidden wounds and self-created negative emotions that hold us back from living fully.

When we allow ourselves to practice greater self-awareness, we can feel our potential and the happiness that comes when we can forgive ourselves for the past. By doing so we can live in the “present” and focus on becoming our authentic selves and be happier with the understanding of who we are. Then we can begin the process of understanding our “true” identity and enjoy the great feeling that comes when we start to realize our full powers. With this mindset, we can allow ourselves to dream big, understand the power of intention, and take the action needed to create our best lives.

1. TIME IS THE PRESENT

These days it seems like we’re bombarded constantly with the need to stay in the “present” without really understanding what it means. To live in the present is to feel good about who you are in that very moment of time and focus on the world around you in that moment. Think about how good it feels to let go of the past and not worry about future events that may likely never happen. When we live in the present, we gain the freedom to experience life as it occurs without fear or remorse. People who live in the present or the “now” appreciate time and its value. They make the most of their days, are more creative, and generally happier about life.

We can’t make our dreams come true unless we can confront and conquer our fears and live in the moment. I believe that time slows down when we live in the present. When you feel like you’re spinning and can’t stop try find a quiet place, take a deep breath, quiet your mind, exhale slowly, and feel the present!

2. WORDS HAVE SPIRIT

I’ve always been very focused on the power of words both unsaid and spoken. Each of us have the power to destroy others and harm ourselves with negative thoughts and vocalizations. We can never take our words back and apologies are sometimes not enough.

So many of us have been conditioned to keep ourselves down and are hesitant to raise our voice and ask what we want out of life. We are all capable of being powerful human beings once we can vocalize our desires and take the action needed to materialize our potential.

As the Happiness Warrior, I believe that we have the innate ability to choose our words wisely so that we can feel more happiness, make others happier, and rise-up in our lives. I make the choice every morning to give myself a healthy affirmation: “Good Morning, Eric, Today’s going to be a great day”. It’s extremely effective and gives me the power to make the most of life. When we choose our words with a sense of empowerment, kindness, and self-esteem we’re unstoppable!

3. FIND THE BEST PEOPLE FOR YOU

Be wary of people who try to drag you into their lives and take you down with them. They don’t want you to be happy or improve yourself and live in a low-vibrational state. Surround
yourself with happier people who radiate with good vibrations. People who vibrate with a high energy level will rise together. Focus on raising your vibration and add value in all actions. We are always the product of the company that we keep!

Intuition is a powerful tool when meeting new people, listen and pay attention to your inner voice. When we listen to our authentic self, we tend to make better and less impulsive choices.
Authentic people are happier and don’t lie to themselves to make them feel happy.

4. SERENDIPITY

Serendipity happens when you start believing that what you’re doing is the most important thing in the world. A fortunate and unexpected stroke of good fortune that can feel like a blessing. When you create a serendipitous mindset and believe that good things are always possible, you’ll find the “happy” events to be a natural part of your life and rhythm. Develop a serendipitous mindset” and create the magical life that you deserve. Serendipity plays a key role in helping us find more happiness, fulfillment, and joy in life.

5. GOALS VS. SYSTEMS

Life goals are amazing and keep us motivated but they can distract us from the business of changing and recognizing the hard work that’s still needed to reinvent ourselves and how we
perceive our reality. This is how we become the highest version of ourselves to create a greater sense of self-awareness and authenticity. Simple habits and routines are the driving force between all our growth and self-mastery. We’re in control of our thoughts and actions in a world where we have little control of external events.

When we set goals for ourselves, we can visualize the results we want to achieve. Systems and routines focus on the processes that provide the results from our goals. When we set goals, we set our direction, our self-created systems are in place to make them happen. Make your goals your mantra and write them down and say them aloud frequently. This sets the Law of Quantum Physics in motion and creates the reality that we choose:   
  
I’m a healthy human being filled with love.

·        My body is strong, and I can do anything.

·        I’m an entrepreneur and creator--nothing can stop me.

·        I’m the best husband/partner/parent/wife ever.

·        I don’t live in fear!

6. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW COMES FROM WITHIN

Last year I took a trip to the mountains in Arizona. I wanted to learn more about myself and was seeking answers. I hiked, spent time with a close friend and we shared our wisdom. The
sun and mountain air made me feel more alive and deeply connected with the universe and the answers I was seeking. One morning I sat on a mesa and joined a group in spiritual prayer. I felt the energy that comes from like mind-sets and let my subconscious take over. The early morning sun began to shine brightly, and I was very aware of an ancient mountain looming above me. Suddenly I heard a deep voice in my head “All knowledge is here”. Was this some sort of self-created delusion or was the mountain really speaking to me? I’ll never truly know the answer, but I knew that in that moment that everything I had been seeking came to me in those four words. It was an affirmation that I was on the right path and that I can find everything I need from within. A lesson that we can all use and apply to our lives “everything we need to know comes from within”.

7. LEARN TO SAY NO

Learning to say “no” when it’s appropriate and not feel the guilt of obligation, shame, or duty is a great way to liberate ourselves from compromising our integrity and well-being. People who say “yes” to everything usually feel overwhelmed, increasingly unhappy, and untrue to themselves. Once we break ourselves from the concept of shame, we can find our purpose and create more value in our lives. Allowing ourselves to say “no” helps us to create the happiness that comes from living our truth.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Once we understand that we’re only in control of our internal selves we can better understand how to navigate and achieve our goals in the outside world. We can learn to accept external events without fear of losing our momentum. Goals and systems provide us with direction, but the skills that we learn and incorporate into our daily routines are the difference between an ordinary life or an extraordinary existence. Use your goals to dream big for your and focus on your innate powers and gifts to make them your reality. Always dream big and never give up on yourself. We all have the power within to create the lives we deserve and have what it takes to make it happen!