GIVE ME THE HAPPINESS HE TOOK AWAY!!!

Gotta Give it Away To Get It!! 3.11.13

AA has a motto, to help themselves to rid of their disease, they “Be of Service”. Meaning they help another suffering alcoholic. Helping another alcoholic helps them stay sober.

Well heck, guess what! The same lies true with us sad sack people. When we bring happiness to others, we bring happiness to ourselves. Bringing cheer to another human being will bring cheer to ourselves. I like that don’t you? Are you nodding?

“But how!”,  the audience yells!

So happy you asked!

First and foremost. If you are a sad sack like me, helping someone else that is down in the dumps takes the focus off me. See when we are depressed, we don’t mean to, but we become self-absorbed,…don’t get huffy now on me girl and let me finish. Depression keeps you in a tunnel and you see nothing but your misery. Like me…

• I really don’t want to the movies with the girls tonight cause “I’m” so depressed.

• I’m not going to take Fido for a walk tonight, “I” really don’t feel motivated for anything.

• Sorry ”mommy” can’t paint with you now, cause “mommy” don’t feel good now.

The world continues to go round and round like a merry-go-round and we simply jump off and cocoon into our own little corner and just want to sit there licking our wounds. (Poor Fido)…oh yeah and the kid. But see the correlation? We don’t mean to be like this. If asked we would surely say, take this away I want to be on the merry-go-round with my kid and Fido! We want to feel better, but hey, you came to the right person!

Let’s take ourselves out of ourselves and bring cheer to others is kinda the last thing on our mind though huh? Sounds like a lot of energy doesn’t it? It falls under the “I really don’t feel like it” category.

That is ok we will start small. Let’s start with the small stuff and do a lot of them, but you are going to have to be around people so take a shower and be around people. Here are some things.

• Give sincere compliments. To coworkers, to family, friends, oh heck let’s get crazy and tell strangers ..key word “sincere” compliments. Look at someone, it is easy to find nice and wonderful things about everyone…EVERYONE! Their hair, nice smile, nice perfume, great jeans, nice work on that project, that color flatters you, are you losing weight (be careful with this…sincere). This is all about being nice to people. This is about telling something to someone who is good about them. Many of us don’t have people who tell us nice things so to hear them is a wonderful thing to hear. Be wary of the non believers. They may have self-esteem issues. Those are the people who I tend to close in a little closer and whisper, I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.

• Smile! You heard the saying, “Smile and the world smiles back at you”. It is true. Smiling is contagious! Do it at work. I always smile at everyone. I say good morning and throw in a big Kool-Aid smile to everyone I run into. I do it even at malls, markets at strangers. Be careful, lots of men will take it as you are coming on. But hey you never know if they are cute enough…ya never know. But use caution. You see a bunch of hoodlums in a dark alley, my suggestion isn’t to walk up and smile and say, wow I love your bandanas! Go the other way.

• Be friendly. Always be friendly. When we are depressed, it shows. Look in the mirror from time to time. What does your face say. Think happy thoughts and be friendly to everyone…of course not to the hoodlums. Hey, but they do say thugs need hugs..wait is that a song?

You will be amazed at how you feel. These are small ways to bring cheer to people. Feeling a little more energized?

Bring happiness and joy where it is needed. Children’s hospitals, visit pet shelters, convalescent hospitals (they always need volunteers there, they love their bingo) call local schools to ask if they need volunteers, Girl Scouts, Parks and Recreation…

I leave you with this Chinese Proverb my little grasshopper…If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a life time, help people. (I think this is when the China Man bows out).