By Lionel Ketchian 02/01/2012
2000 years ago, Epictetus said: "There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will." If you are unhappy now, then in the next moment you will be no happier than you have been now. The good news is that this can work the other way for you. If you decide to be happy now, your next moment will be no less than what is has been.
Your happiness or unhappiness is your intention to decide how things will continue to be. If you decide to be happy than you have set that intention ahead of you to act as your trailblazer for the path you shall travel. Life is hard enough the way it is without being your own worst enemy!
In March of 2001, Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reached their conclusions about the protective effect of happiness after analyzing data on 2,478 men and women. They were all 65 years of age or older. These people were all given a questionnaire that consisted of twenty questions or statements that required a yes or no response. Sixteen of these were negative pronouncements such as "I felt that I could not shake off the blues, even with the help of my family and friends," "I thought that my life had been a failure" and "I felt fearful." The other four statements were positive, such as "I felt that I was just as good as other people," and "I felt hopeful about the future."
None of the participants had ever had a stroke at the time the questionnaire was completed. The researchers then followed the participants over a six-year period to see how their health had changed. During that time, out of the 2,478 people who took the study, 340 had strokes, and 75 of these people died. The researchers then tried to connect those occurrences to the participants' original answers to the questionnaire.
For each "yes" answer to a positive statement there was a 26% decrease in the risk of stroke. Let's take a close look at this study. There were 20 questions or statements, 16 negative ones that dealt with unhappiness, and 4 positive ones that were about being happy and optimistic. If you answered yes to all 4 positive statements there was a 100% chance of not having a stroke. Strokes are the third most common cause of death and they are the leading cause of long-term disability among the elderly.
This study was published on Friday, March 23, 2001, in the Journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. Researchers said that this study shows that "high levels of positive effect" seem to shield older people from having a stroke. Elderly folks who often feel blue tend to have more strokes than those who are not depressed, according to the study.
You have a choice right now to look at things differently. Now you know that having an unhappy outlook may result in hurting you. Is unhappiness worth the price you may have to pay? No, the price is much too high. Take control of your happiness, it is the one thing you have control over. Do you really think you can control all the people and circumstances in your life? No, you will wear yourself out first. Take control of yourself, that is where your power lies.
In this case I am very happy that this study has been done so that you can see the positive effect of "Being Happy," on your health, the quality of your life, and length of your life. If you are the type of person that needs proof, then here you have it - "Proof Positive," it is here for you to see!
Twenty-three years ago I wrote a book called Food for Thought. Dr. Bernie Siegel endorsed it as well as Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, and Ken Blanchard, Ph.D. Dr. Bernie Siegel, who wrote, Love, Medicine and Miracles, has changed the way people think about being responsible for their health and attitude.
In 2004, Dr. Bernie S. Siegel and I had video tapped a two hour interview in his home in Connecticut. It was an important opportunity to learn more life lessons from one of the most compassionate doctors that has ever lived. We talked about his new book, called 365 Prescriptions for the Soul, (Daily Messages of Inspiration, Hope, and Love.) We also talked about attitudes, pain, suffering, health, healing, and happiness. Bernie shared his personal thoughts in this video interview. The interview was aired on PBS, where Bernie and I appeared live in person during the evening and the show is also aired on The Happiness Show on cable TV stations.
It is time to we taught happiness in school for every child in the system. Happiness, or emotional intelligence, as it is also know by, is just as important as learning facts. Do we need to remain stressed out all our lives and find out that the price we are paying is much too high? The need to become happy is one that we must learn to embrace. If it is not enough to know that it affects your health, now you know it is nothing less than a life and death matter. Your thinking, your state of mind, and the way you feel all have a direct effect on your health.
Walk around with happiness, get the feel of it in your stride, and in your heart, and your head. You will experience the very best that life has to offer you. Of course you will encounter negative things along the way, just like anyone else. But you will be taking the high road in life and you will be doing the best you can with what you have. You will feel happiness within yourself and you will spread it naturally and effortlessly to everyone you meet, even the unhappy.
By taking happiness for yourself you will be able to give it to others. How can you give what you do not have? Another important aspect about living a happy life is the fact that you will be spreading happiness in the world. This world needs happiness more than anything. What a wonderful gift your happiness will make. You will make all the difference in the world, and you do it by "Being Happy."
Meet some new friends and get yourself in a happy mood attend a Happiness Club Meeting or start your own club now. Admission is free. Be Happy! Live Longer!
About Lionel Ketchian Lionel is the past President of LRK Communications Inc in Fairfield, CT since 1979. He is the author of the book, Food for Thought, published in 1989. He was co-host of: "Successful Living," a live, call-in Radio Talk Show from 1986-1993. Lionel taught classes on Happiness, at Sacred Heart University from 1999-2002. Lionel is the founder of the Happiness Clubs, which holds free monthly meetings at over 80 clubs around the world. He started the web site www.HappinessClub.com in 1999 and offers free happiness newsletters by e-mail. Lionel wrote the column called the Be Happy Zone, published by the Fairfield Citizen-News, from 2000 - 2011. He is the co-host of "The Happiness Show," broadcast on TV by Cablevision of Connecticut. Lionel has been married since 1968 and is the father of three wonderful kids and the grandfather to three terrific grand kids.
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