Steps to Being a Happier Person

If for Nothing Else, do it to Build a Better Brain. It’s a myth that we use only 10 percent of our brains. The truth is that we’re actively using our whole brain even if not all of the time. Every cell in the brain is alive and potentially stimulating the parts of the brain that we are using. Research shows that spiritual thought can make your brain more interactive and stimulate more brain activity. So even if you find no other reason to meditate for a few minutes every day, think of it as a gift to yourself—the five minutes you can spend in silent contemplation are working to build your brain to take on bigger and better things.

Don’t Always Think So Much. In general, emotions are hardwired, so they are very predictable despite their reputation of being irrational. Emotions have actions associated closely with them. In fact, they exist to cause action, but thinking is not about taking action unless it helps you override an emotional decision to act. Now, here’s the catch. Wisdom must be transformed into insights that are fired up by our emotions for it to become subconscious and part of our innate behavior. Theoretical knowledge without practical application is not enough. In other words, your love and wisdom must be combined into an action such as doing a good deed for all your thinking to matter. And unless you get emotional about the task, it won’t become part of your natural instinct.