How to Find Happiness

"Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory."

~Albert Schweitzer

When you focus your attention and energy on memories of bad experiences or every ache and pain, you tend to live in the negative and it is hard to be happy. But when you focus on what is going well in your life, or what you have to be grateful for, you pave the way for happiness. We get what we focus on, so why not focus on every ounce of happiness you find in your life? That is the way to make it grow. Let go of those negative emotions and beliefs that limit you. You'll make room for the happiness you thought you were missing.

This week: Focus on what is going RIGHT in your life. Get out of memories of past negative experiences, and focus on a time when you felt empowered and happy. Notice what happens when you are focused in that direction.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people find happiness and joy by getting rid of "emotional clutter"--those negative emotions and limiting beliefs that we stockpile from past experiences. For more information about how she can help you move on, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

"Forgetting" a Memory Can Be Difficult

"Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it."

~Michel de Montaigne

When we "try to forget" something, we tend to cement it into our memory. Our brain must first identify what we are trying to forget. It first must think about it, picture it fully before giving the instruction to "forget it." The process of thinking about it helps to keep it active, and it seldom disappears. When we are trying to forget a memory, we usually want to get rid of the negative emotions attached to that memory. Releasing the emotional charge from a memory can most easily be done by changing our perceptions of it.

This week: Identify a memory about which you'd like to change your perceptions. Think about how you'd like to think about it differently. Think about what you've learned from it, especially the positive things you've learned from it. "I survived." "They didn't do it on purpose; they didn't know any better." What gift could this memory bring you?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, Tennessee. She specializes in helping her clients unhook from the emotional baggage of their memories. For more information, see her website at http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .