Over the last decade, I have read several dozens of spiritual books from ancient and modern gurus, both from eastern and western eastern hemisphere. Each of these gurus (some times called as life coaches in the western world) are packaging the recipe for happier life little differently.  Some of them have coined terms such as  ‘Inner engineering’, ‘Inner Transformation’ to attract newer crowed.  Sri Sri called it as ‘Art of Living’. Rajan called it as ‘Infinitheism’.  Number of books and videos published could be in 100s and thousands, generating billions of dollars of revenue (counting revenue from discourses in ashrams in exotic locations).

I have recently stumbled on an article via my iPhone Times of India app, a mini article from Life Coach Ramon Llamba.    It succinctly summarizes what I have read from several dozens of books over the decade, personal experiences of my own, and wisdom of several dozens of elders that I have interacted over my lifetime. Most influential of those being my Dad, who has all of the attitudes mentioned in the below link.

My Dad is a living example of practicing these attitudes.  Practicing is a wrong term, since these are part of his DNA.  He does not appear as if he is practicing some attitude.  Attitudes are to be lived, not practiced. My dad has been diagnosed with colon cancer 3 month ago.  Thankfully it is the type of cancer which is curable, and he is enthusiastically fighting it and on the full recovery mode.

Read on rest of the blog, for “not so secret” way to be being happier in your life.

The key to happiness is to do the same things you do everyday but with a slightly different /  ‘hatke’ (if you know Hindi) approach.

 Start bringing those changes in your attitude towards life and you’ll see how simple (and way inexpensive) it is to be happy

Life Coach Ramon Llamba shares these nine significant attitudes that help one become happier in life.  None of these are earth-shattering or ground breaking revelations that you have not heard before.  These are no so ‘no brainer’ and ‘simple’, yet we do not practice them and get carried away in our ‘rat’ race.  BTW, I still yet to research how this term ‘RAT RACE’ came into existence.

I will stop the chatter, and let you read on

Gratitude
Appreciate what you have and value it. Try counting your positives and be grateful for all the good things and people in your life. Stop complaining and be thankful for what you already have and you’ll soon start feeling happy

Optimism
Treat failure as an opportunity to learn a new and better lesson from life, and that’s the trick to manufacture optimism in life. Never give up trying because that’s an indication that something better is in store. Once you start harbouring an optimistic attitude towards life, success will automatically follow.

Avoid comparison
Nothing is as awful as comparing yourself to someone else. If you think you’re better that the other person, you’re letting yourself regale in an unhealthy sense of superiority. If you demean yourself in front of others, it means all your hard work and progress has been in vain. While social comparisons are unhealthy, self-improvement is effective.

Kindness
There’s a scientific reason behind every act of kindness that you do. Helping someone selflessly releases serotonin in your brain (Serotonin is the hormone that controls your mood) and hence makes you feel good about yourself almost instantly. Try doing one act of kindness everyday to flush out the toxins of depression from your system.

Nurture relationships
Relationships keep us alive and kicking. In fact, according to research studies loneliness doubles people’s mortality rates. A circle of good friends, loving family members and cheerful colleagues are a reminder that you have people who care about you. There’s nothing like having someone who you can share your experiences with. So nurture these relationships and say goodbye to a lonesome existence.

Forgive
Hatred is a negative feeling and harbouring it will have nothing but negative effects on your well-being. Stop thinking about the hateful emotion/person and let it go. Forgive if needed, take things lightly and let it not affect your system.

Commit to your goals
If you have a goal, work towards it. Anything is achievable if you put your heart into it. Wholehearted dedication and diligence can bring extraordinary results and consequentially add to your happiness.

Spirituality
Spirituality teaches us that life is bigger than us and it helps us connect to the larger meanings of life. Practice spirituality to understand the source of all creation and feel connected to everything that exists in this world.

Care for your body
Love yourself and love your body! Your physical condition has a direct connection with your well-being. A fit body and healthy mind is reflective of happiness. Start working towards the health of your physical, mental and emotional energy by caring for your body.

Have a Great Dasara!!