Creating Your Own Sunshine. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9s-aWfgOrE75lSa4waSHOw?view_as=subscriber “Happiness is an inside job. Don't assign anyone else that much power over your life." ~ Mandy Hale Some days, everything seems to be going wrong. From the moment you get up, the day turns into a series of mishaps, stumbles, accidents and rude people. Everyone has days like this, And you probably think, “Why me???” No matter how your day is going, even if it’s headed straight for the trash can - you can create your own sunshine and turn things around. It’s true - you can say, “Okay, whatever...” instead of “Why me?” and really mean it. Here’s how. 1. Make friends with whatever is going on. Basically - accept it! So, it’s raining on your golf game. So, the traffic is making you dangerously late for your flight. So, your kids are moving slower than tectonic plates this morning. So, you spilled coffee on your shirt. Just as you accept your friends for who they are, try accepting situations for what they are. “Why does it always rain on my days off?” is like saying, “Why are my friends so annoying?” But you could try, “I love my friends, quirks and all!” or “Okay, today’s not a golf day. There’s lots of other things I could do, or maybe I’ll just BE today!” 2. Be grateful. I’ve said it hundreds of times before, but it bears repeating: gratitude is the single best way to feel happier no matter what. Challenge yourself to find something positive in each unwanted thing that happened today. Even one nugget of positivity will help change your attitude about what’s going on. 3. Use humour! If your kids are moving slower than you can handle… do the same. Move eeeeeeeexxxxttrrraaa slow - before you know it you’ll all be laughing and laughter energises everyone! 4. Remember your Why and do something about it. What’s your big dream? What does your idea life look like? What makes your heart sing? Are you just dreaming, or are you doing? Even 15 minutes a day doing what you love will make it feel like every day has purpose and meaning, no matter what else explodes or implodes around you. 5. Make it about someone else. The fastest way to lift yourself out of the blues or a “poor me” story is to help someone else. Connect with someone you haven’t talked to in a long time, pay-it-forward at the coffee shop, help a neighbor with a new baby by walking her dog, or brighten someone’s day with a compliment. Spend time with someone instead of next to them - doing something, conversing, even sitting in companionable silence - without once pulling out the smartphone or otherwise distracting yourself. Do this, because you must. Because you can’t rely on anything outside of yourself to create your own happy sunshine. Only YOU can do that. And, you can. Right now. To a simpler more fulfilling life, Steven JohnsonCo-founder Brainwave Research UK