This month’s tip is a special one! We reached out to Alice Inoue, Founder of Happiness U, where their mission is “to teach that which was not taught in a traditional classroom about how to live a heart-centered life.” Their goal is to be the “catalyst for a happier Honolulu and start a movement towards a happier Hawaii.”
Alice Inoue, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Happiness U
Alice graciously shared with us some of her “Happiness Tips” which we are thrilled to share with you here. We hope these tips guide you on your journey to more happiness and fulfillment in your lives.
“I think the key to being happy inside and out is to recognize that, at all times, life is both “positive” and “negative” and not expect it to be any other way. I don’t expect life to bring me only good things, nor do I expect life to bring me only challenges. I know that life will bring me both in equal shares and that I will grow because of that. That is how I stay balanced and centered.”
– Alice Inoue, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer at Happiness U.
Image Courtesy Happiness U
Happiness Tips
Look for the benefit in every challenge
When something challenges me, consciously look for the benefit. To dissipate its charge, seek to discover how it is serving you. When something positive happens or things are going extremely well, try not to get over-elated and form expectations about how everything will turn out. This practice keeps you present with your life. This way you do not sit around and wish that life were different and do not crash emotionally when it doesn’t meet your expectations.
Both “positive” and “negative” are necessary
Practice positive thinking when life is challenging. When things are going extremely well, practice healthy skepticism. In other words, be both a “negative” thinker and a “positive” thinker. No one can get rid of the positive and negative balance that is necessary to life. If you strive for positivity in everything, the negativity will show up somewhere to balance you.
Take responsibility for your happiness
Remember, you are never a victim of your circumstances. No matter what is happening in your life, you determine how long it takes to come to a point of balance by how quickly you get the lesson. The more challenging a circumstance is, the more you need to find the positives and benefits of that circumstance. The more beneficial and “good” a circumstance is, the more important it is to curb your over-elation and move towards the center.
The collective myth of positivity
There is a huge collective myth about positivity, a belief that if we just keep thinking positively, one day all the negative will go away, and we will be peaceful, happy, and balanced. It will never happen. Although today’s paradigm tells us that we are supposed to be upbeat and positive, it is literally impossible to do so because we are, by nature, two-sided beings. Remember to embrace the two poles of life at all times, and you will have greater ease in life and be able to stay centered with minimal effort.
I believe that happiness lies smack-dab in the middle of left and right, up and down, and negative and positive.
Image Courtesy Happiness U
Thank you Alice for sharing your knowledge with us, you are making the world a happier place with the work that you do!
Alice Inoue, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Happiness U