13 Jun 3 things to stop for more happiness
by Dr. Happy (HERE on Twitter)
More often than not, here at The Happiness Institute, we focus on what you can do to increase your happiness and improve your life. Sometimes, however, it's worth giving some thought to what NOT to do. Stop these 3 things and you'll improve your mood, your relationships and your life!
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No assumptions – there's an old cliche, but let's not forget there's some truth within most cliches, that if you ASSUME you make an ASS out of U and ME. There's an argument for stating that assumptions are a normal part of our thinking processes; but there's also an argument for stating that normal is not always helpful. Watch out for assumptions as they can, when incorrect, cause major distress and destroy relationships. So check the evidence for whatever it is you're thinking and ensure that it's realistic and helpful.
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No expectations – as with assumptions, it's normal to have expectations of ourselves and of others (and, it could be said, of the world at large). Much of the time this is fine but some of the time it's not so fine. Where does one draw the line? When the expectations become unrealistic because all this does is set us up for failure and lead to frustration and disappointment. So once again, hold on to those ideals and dream big if you like but make sure you're expectations are as realistic and helpful as possible.
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No judgements – judging oneself and others is, in the majority of instances, unhelpful for all involved. More often than not, judgements are also unrealistic as they're typicaly based on only minimal information or even, misinformation and misinterpretations. It's very rare that we have the whole picture so when we judge we're usually not judging fairly and accordingly, someone suffers.
All of the above, therefore, contribute to unhappiness, misery and relationship conflict. None of these, obviously, are conducive to happiness of to living your best life so minimise assumptions, expectations and judgements or when they're necessary do all you can to ensure they're helpful and realistic.
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