9 Tips in Life that Lead to Happiness

Are you truly happy? Do you even know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. I live my life to maintain my own happiness while trying my best to not cause unhappiness to anyone else. If you want to be happy you need to understand that you can be happy and that you should be happy. Many people make the mistake of believing that they don’t deserve happiness and accept their unhappy state as their destiny. The truth of the matter is that happiness, like anything else in life, needs to be nurtured. The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.

1. Understand what it is that will make you happy. Everyone has unique requirements for attaining happiness and what makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy. Revel in your individuality and do not worry about whether or not your desires are comparable to those of your peers.

2. Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your mood will very likely increase as your pursue your goal because you will feel better about yourself for going after something you value.

3. Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. Conversely, if you are around people who are happy their emotional state will be infectious.

4. When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity. Truly happy people don’t allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor.

5. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy. These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continued happiness.

6. It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself. Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance you will be subconsciously putting yourself in a better mood.

7. Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. While there are times that require you to be serious, when it is appropriate, find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you unhappy.

8. Maintaining your health is another way to achieve happiness. Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood. Additionally, exercise has been known to release endorphins that give you a feeling of happiness.

9. Finally, it is important to understand that you deserve happiness. Those who believe that they are not worthy of happiness may subconsciously sabotage their efforts to achieve happiness. If necessary, tell yourself each day that you deserve to be happy and remind yourself what steps you will take to achieve the happiness you desire.

Happiness is hard to define but most people are aware of whether they are happy or not. Many people believe that happiness is a form of luck and that some people are destined to be happy while others are destined to be unhappy. I try to incorporate the tips above into my life and have had great success in achieving happiness. The tips in this article are small but meaningful steps that you can take each day to lead you to true happiness.

Energy Healing Meditation

Experience the healing benefits of directing earth and cosmic energy through your channels and chakras as part of a daily meditation practice.

Like a light bulb covered in dust, our light and truth are dimmed when we have other people’s energy in our space. Consciously cleansing our energy system allows our light to shine bright, illuminating our path in life.

The physical body is similar to a sponge, absorbing the energy, emotions and beliefs from family, friends and society. This can lead to confusion, stuck energy and illness. Doing a daily 15 minute energy healing meditation will cleanse and balance the chakras and energy channels. This supports you to have more of your own energy, spiritual essence, and higher truth.

The Energy Healing Meditation program is just over 50 minutes in length. It includes an Introduction as well as the following three sessions:

Channels ~ Directing the flow of earth, cosmic and life force energies through the leg channels, back channels, front channels, and arm channels in the body.

Chakras ~ Using the mixture of earth, cosmic and life force energies to cleanse, own and balance the seven major chakras in the body.

Meditation ~ Bringing all the pieces together in a 15 minute guided meditation which includes silent time in order to experience the still, expansive self.

Meditating balances the mind, body and spirit. It supports you to live from a spirit centered state. Incorporating energy healing into your daily practice will help you to feel more peaceful, clear and energized as well as enhance your spiritual awakening process.

Tips for Spiritual growth

Spiritual growth is not possible without inner cleansing. 
Before a meditation and during any other active practice towards spiritual growth, it is essential to ingest very light foods and plenty of water. This aids the vibrations to become finer and to increase their rate of vibration, enabling quicker connection between you and higher self or your counsellor/guide. 


Fruits and vegetables (especially those that are uncooked) will help towards this. It is advisable to avoid the drinking of tea, coffee and milk before such practices. The stomach must be kept light so that the energy is not used for the digestive process but is used for the purpose that you desire i.e. connection with the higher self.
 An open flame, e.g. a candle or a diya can cleanse the vibrations around you and bring you the protective energy of the Divine Light of which it is a physical manifestation. 
Attachments (clinging on to partners, parents, children, money, food/taste, property etc.) are strong cords which stop spiritual growth. 


We must endeavor to detach ourselves from everything that is most dear to us, in order to grow, because the soul needs only itself. To detach does not mean to become indifferent, insensitive and uncaring.
 Divine light has manifested itself into your physical own ‘formations’ of eyes, ears, nose, hair, hands, toes, organs, all these wonderful formations of light, but you are still connected. Now feel the connection, complete and whole with every part of you. Develop a connection to every part of you and you will be in a perfection of health.

10 Surprising Reasons to Drink More Water

More than two-thirds of your body weight is water. Without adequate water your body’s biochemical and electrical (yes electrical, read on!) processes begin to break down. The list of reasons your body needs water is as plentiful as the functions in your body, so due to space limitations, here are 10 good reasons to drink more water:

1. Your blood is over 80 percent water and needs water to make healthy new blood cells.
2. Your bones are over 50 percent water and, you guessed it, need water to make healthy new bone cells.
3. Drinking more water actually helps lessen pain in your body by getting your lymphatic system moving. The lymphatic system is a network of nodes, tubes, vessels, and fluid that move waste out of your tissues. It requires water to function properly.
4. Water helps to eliminate wastes and toxins from your body through the lymphatic system, kidneys, and intestines.
5. Water lubricates your joints and helps reduce joint pain and protect against wear and tear.
6. Water regulates your metabolism so if you’re overweight chances are you may need more water.
7. Water balances body temperature.
8. Water helps to ensure adequate electrical functioning so your brain and nervous system function properly. Your brain and nervous system send out electrical signals to function properly. Researchers estimate that your brain gives off about the same amount of electricity as a 60 watt light bulb. So, there’s some truth to the image of a light bulb going on when someone has a good idea.
9. Water alleviates dehydration (and I’ve already mentioned that most people are chronically dehydrated).

10. Every cell and organ in your body requires adequate water to function properly.
So, one of the quickest and easiest ways to improve your health is to start drinking more pure water every day. Be sure to drink water an empty stomach or you’ll simply be diluting your digestive enzymes and making your digestion less effective.
And, choose purified water as much as possible (but get yourself a BPA-free water bottle so you won’t pollute the planet with all those plastic water bottles. In wealthy, developed nations with plentiful access to water, we really have no excuses for not drinking enough water.

Optimize Your Sleep for Better Health and More Free Time

Getting too much sleep is hazardous to your health — it may lead to higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and premature death. We’ve been brainwashed to think we need 8 hours of sleep a night, but sleep requirements vary greatly by age, stress level, and health. In fact, research suggests 7 hours might be the ideal amount of sleep the average adult needs per night, and getting 8 or more hours can lead to increased mortality — even more so than too little sleep!


All this talk about how we are sleep deprived and how we need more sleep is enough to, well, put me to sleep. Even the good folks here at Money Watch have pounded the table that “improving job performance may be as easy as getting a good night’s sleep” and that “getting a good night’s sleep is the single best way you never thought of to improve your abilities and human capital literally overnight.”



Not only can too much sleep be bad for your health, it can rob you of your other 8 hours. If you work 8 and sleep 9, that only leave 7 hours for you to pursue your goals and live your life. Every hour, minute, and second you sleep more than you need to is a complete waste of time and your life.
Too little or too much sleep can lead to low energy and mental sluggishness. Your goal is to get an optimum amount of sleep, which I define as the least amount of sleep possible while still feeling physically energized and mentally alert. So how do you know how much sleep you need? Test, test, test. Here’s what to do:




Step 1
Start with 8 ½ hours of sleep. Make sure you get the full 8 ½ hours. No more and no less.

Step 2
The next day, complete the Sleep Optimization Form. This is a simple form to gauge how you feel (physically and mentally) at different times during the day. Because stress, eating habits, and a host of other factors can influence our energy levels and outlook, try to keep all other variables constant (i.e., unchanged as possible).

Step 3
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for four nights in a row.

Step 4
Reduce your sleep by 30 minutes and start the sleep/test process again for four nights in a row. Keep cutting your sleep in Step 1 by 30 minutes until you reach 7 hours.

Step 5
Analyze the data. Review your Sleep Optimization Form and identify which days you felt the best (based on higher scores). If you find that you feel good on 8 ½ hours of sleep, but you also feel good on 7 ½ hours of sleep, you’ve just saved yourself an hour a night and given yourself an extra 30 hours a month to create something.

If you really want to get fancy, you can test 15 minute increments (e.g., 7 hours and 45 minutes versus 8 hours). Remember, we’re trying to identify the absolute minimum amount of sleep you need because every minute you aren’t sleeping is another minute for you.

Late Night Eating Tips to Help You Lose Weight and Stomach Fat

What and when you eat at the end of the day can have a large impact on your body. If you eat the right thing at the right time you can actually lose fat while you sleep. Eat the wrong thing at the wrong time and you can plan on waking up with a little more body fat in the morning.

To successfully loss weight, you'll need to stop eating two hours before going to bed. You should not feel hungry before bed, but you should also not feel completely full. When you're trying to lose weight, going to bed at night feeling slightly hungry is actually a good thing. It's your body telling you that what you did that day is working and you're losing body fat. If you don't feel this way when going to bed, you're probably not losing fat.

Now let’s say you follow your brain's directive and eat close to bedtime, your body will not dip into the fat it has stored away, and will probably even store some more. Every time you eat, your metabolism increases slightly. However, this effect is minimized late at night. You don't get the same metabolism boosting benefit when you eat just before bed, because a couple of hours after dinner, your body will start preparing for sleep. This natural slowing down of your metabolic rate overrides any metabolic boost you might get from eating. So once you hit the pillow, the only calories you're going to use are the basic calories you need to keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing and allow your eyes to move in REM sleep. This is only a minimal number of calories.

Believe it or not, eating late at night can also inhibit your calorie burning potential the next day. Say, for instance, that you treat yourself to some pasta and fruit at 10 PM one night and go to bed by 11 PM. When your alarm goes off the next morning at seven, the last thing on your mind is going to be breakfast, because you're still full from the pasta and fruit you ate the night before. Chances are you're going to skip breakfast and lose all the great metabolism boosting benefits you'd get from eating a balanced morning meal. Also a number of different studies have suggested that individuals who skip breakfast are more likely to over eat, and make very poor food choices, during lunch and dinner.

Important Tips:

• Eating too much food, especially starchy carbohydrates, late at night increases your body fat stores.

• Eating high-glycemic carbs (pasta, potatoes, white rice, sugar, etc.) right before bed will spike your insulin levels and lower nighttime Human Growth Hormone production. This is very bad, because not only will lowering nighttime Human Growth Hormone production make you fat, but it will also speed up the again process and make you look old. About 80% of this fat-burning and anti-aging "super hormone" is released during sleep.

Here are a few simple tips to make sure you get the most from your last meal of the day:

• Eat about 3 hours before going to bed, you'll have some time to burn off calories but you probably won't get too hungry before going to sleep.

• Eat frequently throughout the day, small, healthy meals and snacks spaced about 3 hours apart to minimize hunger cravings at night.

• Your last meal should consist mainly of a lean protein like chicken breast, low fat cottage chesses, fish, turkey, and low glycemic carbohydrates like vegetables and fruits. You should avoid all starchy carbs close to bedtime like breads, pastas, rice, potatoes, and cereals. The only time you should be consuming these starchy carbs close to bed is if you workout late at night, because then they will be stored in your muscles for energy instead of being stored as fat.

• If you get major carb cravings right before bed, then eat some carbs. Just make sure they're the high-fiber, low-glycemic kind like apples, berries, peaches, plums, citrus fruit, fresh vegetables or vegetable juice.

• If you're currently strength training to build lean muscle, a great late night meal option is low fat cottage cheese of skim milk, because it is full of slow digested casein protein.

7 Food-Groups to Avoid If You Have Heartburn and Acid Reflux

Do you experience the pain associated with Constant Heartburn and Acid Reflux? The good news is by avoiding some food-groups you may be able to totally eliminate the painful symptoms and discomfort of these conditions!
For many of us, our first choice for any physical discomfort is usually medication. 

You just want something to take the pain away. The problem is the affects usually wear off and you certainly don’t want to become dependent on this type of quick-fix.
A healthy lifestyle can really improve your symptoms by making simple nutritional changes to your diet. Avoiding foods that trigger your condition and increasing the intake of specific food items can help reduce or eliminate the incidences of heartburn and reflux disease.
However, simply changing to a healthy diet is not the answer; It is a very specific group of foods that can cause these reactions. By targeting these food groups and avoiding them as much as possible, you should experience relief.
What Are These Food Groups?
What you eat contributes to the delicate inner balance in your body. There are known food groups that directly aggravate various GERD conditions. These food groups should be consumed in smaller amounts or avoided if possible. Understanding your food-choice options is the first step in reducing the pain and suffering that comes from Heartburn and Acid Reflux..
Here are the 7 groups:
1) Caffeine Products & Coffee: Beverage products that contain caffeine increase the acidity levels in your body and should be avoided. Coffee is the big culprit and by simply limiting yourself to 1 cup or possibly 2 cups per day will help. If you can eliminate coffee from your diet and switch to tea or even herbal teas you will reap many health benefits and likely reduce your Heartburn symptoms. If you do prefer to drink coffee be sure to not consume it before bedtime.
2) Alcohol: Another beverage of choice should also be avoided Alcohol which can irritate the stomach and relax the LES muscle increases acidity and contributes to acid reflux. This is a difficult one for many people; however, once you begin to experience less and less pain from your Heartburn condition, it will be well worth the sacrifice.
3) Fatty Foods: Foods which ake a long time to digest such as high fat foods are a big problem for acid reflux sufferers. Because they do not move through the body easily and take longer to be eliminated they increase the changes of GERD symptoms. The only exception is the omega-3 fatty acids food group, which comes primarily from fish and fish oil, and are in fact powerful anti-inflammatory agents. High fat foods are generally not healthy choices so think of this as a health decision as you enjoy better tasting, fresh foods as an alternative.
4) Chocolate: This one really hurts because it is most people’s favourite food – Chocolate. Unfortunately chocolate contains a lot of fat and caffeine and can increase acidity and worsen digestion. If you absolutely have to have some. Try sticking with dark chocolate and organic varieties if you can get them. Even with that I would limit yourself to a small amount each week.
5) Dairy and Milk Products: From the Milk family - Milk and milk-based products should be avoided before bedtime due to the large proportion of calcium. These products can be very hard for some people to digest so if you think you have a dairy sensitivity check with your doctor.
6) Mint Products: Strong mint products such as peppermint and spearmint can also worsen acid reflux symptoms. You should avoid foods that contain strong mints, including mint-based herbal teas.
7) Acidic Foods: Foods with high acidity such as oranges and tomatoes can also promote acid reflux symptoms. Also cruciferous vegetables which include: onions, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach, as they act to promote the opening of the oesophageal sphincter, thus increasing acid reflux. Unfortunately these are also healthy foods so try doing without them by rotating one at a time. If you find there is a difference in your Acid 
Reflux then you may have identified the specific triggering food group.




Making these dietary changes coupled with a healthy motivation to alter your lifestyle, can help you overcome Oesophageal Reflux Disease symptoms and improve the quality of your life. You can choose to prevent the recurrence of Constant Heartburn and Acid Reflux Disease by making simple dietary and lifestyle changes. 



Yes, there are a variety of Natural Solutions to help reduce or eliminate your Heartburn and Acid Reflux Symptoms. Dietary changes are just the beginning.