Seven Beliefs to Make You Happier

1. I am a human being and as a human being I have a right to make mistakes. I have a right to have strengths and weaknesses. Nobody else expects me to be perfect, so why should I?
2. I like to be loved, appreciated, respected and approved of but I can’t expect to have the whole world think of me like that or even all the people I know. Their approval is good but I do not have to depend on it to be happy.
3. Other people or situations can’t make me unhappy; it is what I tell myself that determines how I feel. If someone criticizes me, I can choose to let that upset me or I can choose to ignore it and learn from it.
4. I am responsible for making my own happiness but I am not responsible for making other people’s happiness. I am, however, responsible for my behavior towards other people.
5. While unhappy, sad or traumatic things may have happened to me in the past, they don’t have to devastate my future. I can let go of feelings about those unhappy times.
6. No matter what life throws at me, I know I can cope alone if necessary. I may not like what happens but as a human being I have been designed to cope with good and bad, happy and sad, and to survive! If I am anguished it is because I am fighting that situation. If I accept it I will have the strength and energy to deal with it.
7. I am allowed to feel anxious, frightened or unsure. There are human emotions in certain situations and I am human.