What are they worth?  What are your thoughts? What is their value?  In terms of a life well lived, they are invaluable. According to Healthline.com, the average person has over 6,000 thoughts per day. Let’s eliminate the perfunctory, like what’s for lunch or what to watch on TV tonight, and instead focus on thoughts about ourselves.

Here are two great quotes from personal development icons I revere.

“You become what you think about most often,” Earl Nightingale.

“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy.  It is what you think about.” Dale Carnegie

For the most part, I have control over my thoughts.  I may not always exercise that control, but that’s the crux of the issue, isn’t it?

Imagine for a moment you wake up and open FB or Instagram.  You see a post from an old schoolmate in front of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. They’re well-dressed and crowded together with their spouse and kids for a gorgeous family selfie.

Dark thoughts erupt in your brain. “Look at that; the whole family in Spain!  Who can afford that? I can barely manage a weekend at the beach with my kids. WTF! I’ll never get ahead.”  The result of that thought is unhappiness.

We all see things in the carefully curated SM lives of others that can plant the seeds of unhappiness.  I’m not going to go into “You don’t know if they’re really happy rant (although I could write several pages about that!)

 Instead, I’d like to offer a few tools I’ve learned to use to cultivate better thoughts and, ultimately, more happiness. 

First, I begin each day with an entry in my journal.  It is only 3-4 lines.  I make it ceremonial. It feels like planting a flag, a fresh start to each day. I have a fancy hardbound journal with a ribbon that marks the page, and I have a fountain pen I use only for my morning journal entries.  I begin with a sentence about my intention for the day and follow that with a line or two about what I am grateful for.  That’s it!  But that start cultivates thoughts that help me to be happier.  Juxtaposition that routine with opening FB or my email first thing. Can you see the happiness/unhappiness scales tip in my direction?

I also exercise most days.  Whether one walks, does yoga, hits the gym, or any other variety of physical movement, the endorphins released promote happiness.  Another benefit is the confidence one builds from planning to exercise and then exercising.

I also meditate.  My practice is not very sophisticated.  I don’t have an app or a recording, and, in fact, I usually only get about 10—15 minutes before I can’t hold it any longer, but it makes a world of difference.  When I begin to feel stressed, I tap into my meditation muscles and can tell you it tamps down my anger and frustration in moments that used to make me angry and frustrated (unhappy).

Own Your Sales Gene…