OH! Magazine - Australian Version May 2017

( HEALTH ) FIVE STEPS TO FEELING ANDREW MATTHEWS HAPPIER Andrew Matthews shares his tips to living happier ever after! ere’s what’s fascinating. Happy people don’t have less problems. Happy people are happy in spite of their problems. So here are five things that happy people do, which you can too! H Step 1. Look for the good in every situation We find in life what we look for. If you ask yourself, ‘What do I hate about my job, my stupid partner and my life?’ then you will find things to be unhappy about. But, if you ask yourself, ‘What do I like about my job, my partner and my life?’ then you will find things to be happy about. Look for good things in every situation. You say, ‘Average people don’t make a habit of looking for good things!’ Correct. Joyful people aren’t average! Your happiness depends on where you place your focus. doesn’t help. And guess what? Your present moment is usually quite okay! Unless you are having a heart attack or being eaten by a bear, the present moment is usually fine. It is the imaginary future that drives you nuts. ‘How will I survive if..?’ or ‘What will happen if..?’ Or ‘What will people say if..?’ You can overcome worry by dragging your mind back to the present moment. You remind yourself, ‘Right this second, I have everything I need.’ There is only one place you can be happy – and that is in the present. Focus on what you can do today and do your best until bedtime. That’s enough. Step 4. Forgive yourself Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. Sure, you’ve made mistakes, but who says you have to be perfect? Step 2. Make time to do things you enjoy Maybe you don’t have a job you like – maybe you don’t even have a job. But you can spend some time every day, doing things that make you happy. Mothers, especially, play the martyr. They tell you, ‘I am too busy taking care of everyone else. I never get to do what I like.’ But this is a road to resentment. Whether your passion is listening to music, learning languages or lifting weights, make some time for it in your daily routine. Get up earlier if you have to. Step 3. Live one day at a time Many people spend their lives regretting the past and fearing the future. But you can’t fix the past and fearing the future Happy people are gentle on themselves. Happy people say, ‘I have lived my life the best way I know how. Now that I know better, I will do better.’ Happy people quit telling themselves, ‘I should be as rich as my brother’ or ‘I should be as skinny as my sister.’ If you want to talk about fixing a problem, that’s wonderful! But mindless complaining will sabotage your happiness – no one cares that you didn’t sleep last night, and no one wants to hear about your hemorrhoid operation! Attitude is everything. For example, imagine two women, Mary and Jane. Both get divorced. Mary says, ‘I’ve failed. My life is over.’ But Jane says, ‘My life has just begun!’ Who do you think will blossom? In a nutshell, it’s not what happens to you that matters most, but how you think about what happens to you. Ultimately, your happiness is in your hands. Andrew Matthews is an internationally renowned speaker and best-selling author of Follow Your Heart and Happiness in Hard Times, which have sold over 7 million copies in 42 languages. His newest offering, How Life Works, is now available at all good book stores and online at www.andrewmatthews.com Step 5. Quit complaining Stop moaning about the weather, the government and your arthritis. We TALK about what we THINK about. That is obvious but the reverse is also true. We THINK about what we TALK about as well, so the more that you complain, the more you’ll fill your head with unhappy thoughts. OH! MAGAZINE ( MAY 2017 ) 27

OH! Magazine - Australian Version May 2017 | Page 27