8 Things Happy, Successful People Never Say

inShare 9Email That s what careless words do They make you love life a little less. How well have you chosen your words? Have you put them to positive or negative use? If I eavesdropped on your self-talk, or your conversations with others, wo uld I hear statements that create happiness or statements that refute it? Words are powerful. They can create or they can destroy. Even the small words you whisper under your breath can be the ones to hurt you, or save you. Your ab ility to write a happy life story hinges on your language. It is your inner and outer verbal expression that makes your joy possible and that infuses your life with purpose and vitality. Today, I challenge you to choose your words wisely. It s time to STOP saying Final Reminder: Have you checked out our book? We just released a limited time bundle for 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently which incl udes our eBook, audio book and bonus material on sale for a big discount. Click here to check it out! 1. My goals and dreams can wait. To accomplish great things, you must not only act, but also dream, not only plan , but also believe. Be a dreamer, a believer, and a courageous and cheerful thi nker. Be a positive motivator, a productive doer, and a go-getter who keeps her head in the clouds and her feet on the ground. Let the spirit of passion and p ossibility ignite a fire within you to do something worthwhile today, and don t fo rget to spread your enthusiasm to those around you. There s no excuse for being an amateur forever. Life is short. The day is rapidl y approaching when the risk to remain perched in your nest is far more detriment al than the risk it takes to fly. Fly! Spread your wings. Start now. What a disgrace it would be for you to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and stre ngth of your full potential. Be bold enough to use your voice, brave enough to listen to your heart, and stro ng enough to live the life you ve always imagined. And remember, people are going to talk regardless of what you do or how well you do it. So worry about yourse lf before you worry about what others think. 2. I don t have a choice. William James once said, When you have a choice to make and you don t make it, that in itself is a choice. Nothing could be closer to the truth. Ultimately, life has no meaning; you have a meaning and you bring it to life. I t is a waste to always be questioning yourself when you are the answer. Until y ou can look at yourself in the mirror and honestly say, I have a choice. I am he re now because of the choices I ve made in the past, you will never be able to say, I choose differently. You re choosing, all day, every day. If you re struggling at a job you don t love, lo ok at it this way: you re choosing to make a living to pay your mortgage, support

your family, and fuel your dreams. Don t resist it; own it that s where your power is. If you re in a relationship that s causing you pain, you re choosing to be in it. Maybe staying will lead to essential growth or a breakthrough or a deeper unde rstanding of love. Or not. But you re choosing to be in or out, right now. Whic hever you choose, own it that s where your power is. (Angel and I discuss this in more detail in the Happiness chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful Peo ple Do Differently.) 3. They are probably right, so I must be wrong. Don t allow others to confuse you. Don t let them convince your heart what is right for you. Your heart already knows. Listen to it. Don t let anyone dilute the p ower of your inner voice. You ve got to stand up for something specific, on your own two feet, or you will achieve nothing worthwhile in your own mind. Within y ou there is formidable and undeniable sense of purpose. Happiness comes from ma king a solid and persistent connection to that purpose. When your intentions ar e supported by a why that has meaning, you will find the how to bring them to life. Bottom line: What s right for you may be wrong for others, and vice versa. The t ruth is that the world isn t really as it is, but as we see it. And we all see it differently. So don t be scared to step out of line. It s OK to go off the beaten path, as long as you know why going a different way is right for you. Some peo ple may resent the freedom that you create in your life when you choose to be tr ue to yourself. If you come across these people, ignore them and carry on. 4. This sucks. The worst obstacle in life is a bad attitude. Remember, it s not what happens to you, but how you respond to what happens to you. You can t let one bad moment spo il a bunch of good ones. Don t let the silly little dramas of each day get you do wn. Smile, even when it feels like things are falling apart. Smiling doesn t alw ays mean you re happy; sometimes it just means you re strong. Likewise, do not let the negative r life you will meet two kinds of nd try to derail your dreams, and reams. Ignore the first kind and and disrespect you are not worth ments.) opinions of others derail you. Throughout you people: those who are a drain on your energy a those who give you the energy to pursue your d cherish the second. People that doubt, judge, your time and attention. (Read The Four Agree

5. I hate you. As Martin Luther King Jr. so profoundly said, Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Tru th be told, when we harbor feelings of hate, it eventually gets the best of us. Everything and everyone you hate rents permanent space in both your head and he art. So if you want to eliminate something or someone from your mind, don t hate. Instead, disconnect yourself, move on, and don t look back. And remember that getting even doesn t help you get ahead. You will never get ahe ad of anyone as long as you try to get even with them. Sometimes we don t forgive people because they deserve it; we forgive them because they need it, because w e need it, and because we cannot move forward without it. To forgive is to redi scover the inner peace and purpose that at first you thought someone took away w hen they betrayed you. 6. I can t. Yes you CAN! Stop stressing over what could have been, because the chances if it should have been, it would have been. You may feel discouraged. You feel upset. You may feel too old. You may be sick. You may be divorced. may be unemployed. You may be financially strapped. You may be etc. But ot dead YOU ARE ALIVE. Your journey is far from over. are may You you re n

Forget about how you thought things were supposed to be. Just because some thin gs didn t work out as you had expected, or didn t happen as fast as you thought they would, is no excuse to give up on yourself. Time passes one way or the other. Do what you need to do so that, at the very least, you can look back someday an d say, I gave life my best shot. (Read You Can Heal Your Life.) 7. I missed my chance. Nothing is permanent in this crazy world, not even your mistakes, failures, or t roubles. So laugh at the confusion, live consciously in the moment, and enjoy y our life as it unfolds. You might not be exactly where you had intended to go, but you are precisely where you need to be to take the next best step forward. As Maria Robinson once said, Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but an yone can start today and make a new ending. This is your life; shape it, or some one else will try for you. Strength shows not only in the ability to hold on, b ut in the ability to start over when you must. It is never too late to become w hat you might have been. Keep learning, adapting, and growing. You may not be there yet, but you are closer than you were yesterday. 8. Never mind it s not important A great deal of unhappiness comes into the world because of confusion, bewilderm ent, and things left unsaid. Many times in life I ve regretted the things I ve said without thinking. But I ve never regretted the things I said nearly as much as t he words I ve left unspoken. Speak up. Don t hide your thoughts and feelings, especially when you can make a d ifference. Be brave. Say what needs to be said. When you don t communicate effe ctively with those around you, there s a lot of important stuff that ends up not g etting said and a lot of beautiful emotion that ends up not being felt. There s n o greater sadness than holding on to the words you never had the courage to spea k. Your turn What would you add to the list? What s something you should NOT say if you want t o increase your potential for happiness and success? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts. Photo by: David Kracht