The Happiness Makeover: Overcome Stress and Negativity to Become a Hopeful, Happy Person (Positive Psychology; Positivity Book) (Birthday Gift for Her)

by M.J. Ryan

Overview

Become a Happy Person Through Positivity and Self-Care

“A wonderful blend of motivation, inspiration, and explanation, The Happiness Makeover is a recipe for enjoying today and all your tomorrows.”—David Niven, PhD, author of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

From M.J. Ryan, one of the creators of the New York Times bestselling Random Acts of Kindness series, The Happiness Makeover teaches you how to be a happy person and enjoy the experience of life again.

Train your brain to be optimistic, even in the darkest situations. From stress management tips to positive and motivational quotes, M.J. Ryan’s positivity book shows you how to transform your mindset so that you can face any difficult challenge thrown your way.

We all want the things that we are sure will make us a happy person—money, success, independence, and love. But when we finally get them, we can find to our surprise that we are the same miserable, moody, or unhappy person we always were. Do things have to be that way? Absolutely not!

Cultivating the ability to feel contentment is the key. There are people whose lives are full of serious challenges who nevertheless feel peace and joy—and there are those who have few difficulties in life and yet feel hopeless negativity. You can teach yourself to be a happy person and enjoy your days. M.J. Ryan, the bestselling author of The Power of Patience and Attitudes of Gratitude, shows you how in this positive thinking guide. 

The Happiness Makeover gives you a plan that can help you:

• Clear away happiness hindrances like worry, fear, envy, and grudges
• Discover happiness boosters with gratitude and hope
• Rewire your brain to experience joy
• Learn to think optimistically and be a happy person

If you enjoyed optimism books and positivity books like A Year of Positive Thinking, The Happiness Trap, or Habits of a Happy Brain, then you’ll love The Happiness Makeover.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642509274
Publisher:	Mango Media
Publication date:	04/12/2022
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

M.J. Ryan is one of the creators of the New York Times bestselling Random Acts of Kindness series and the author of The Happiness Makeover(nominated for the 2005 Books for Better Living award in the Motivational category), Attitudes of Gratitude, The Power of Patience, Trusting Yourself, The Giving Heart, and 365 Health and Happiness Boosters, among other titles. Altogether, there are 1.75 million copies of her titles in print.

M.J. also gives speeches and workshops throughout the country, including at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York, Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, the Crossroads Center in Chicago, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts, Esalen Institute at Big Sur, Robert Redford's Sundance resort in Utah, the Alliance for the New Humanity founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias, and a Woman's Way retreat center in Sedona. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

Table of Contents

I You Can be Happier 1

II What's Standing in Your Way? 14

1 Kena Hura, Poo, Poo, Poo What's Your Happiness Myth? 17

2 Is Your Brain Wired to See Danger Everywhere? 20

3 Do You Motivate Yourself Through Discontent? 23

4 What's So Bad about Getting Your Hopes Up? 26

5 Are You Envious of Others? 29

6 Is Your Head Full of Negative Self-Talk? 32

7 Are You Caught in the Never-Ending Desire for More Stuff? 34

8 Do You Need to Give Up Grudges? 37

9 Do You Expect Life to Be Fair? 40

10 Is Worry a Constant Companion? 43

11 Do Expectations Get in Your Way? 45

12 Are You Focused on the Closed Door? 48

13 Do You Suffer from Regret? 51

14 Does Perfectionism Have You in Its Grip? 54

15 Do You Always Have to Be Right? 57

16 Do You Need to Adjust Your Happiness Set Point? 60

17 What about Biochemistry? 63

III Activating Daily Happiness 66

18 Recognize That Your Happiness Is Your Own Responsibility 68

19 Remember, You're Not Responsible for Anyone Else's Happiness-Including Your Kids' 71

20 Know That Everyone Wants to Be Happy 74

21 Find Ways to Use Your Full Powers 77

22 Before Freaking Out, Wait for the End of the Story 80

23 When Faced with an Obstacle, Change, Leave, or Allow-with Grace 83

24 Figure Out What Really Matters to You 86

25 Shine the Flashlight on What's Right 89

26 To Touch the 10,000 Joys, Be Willing to Touch the 10,000 Sorrows 92

27 Be Happy for Everyone Else's Sake 95

28 Learn to Think Optimistically 97

29 Give Yourself a "Why" to Live 100

30 Expand Your Notion of Love 103

31 Revel in Life's Simple Pleasures 106

32 Find Ways to Enjoy Your Work 109

33 Lose Yourself in Something 113

34 Make Your Peace with Money 116

35 Realize We Aren't Meant to Be Happy All the Time 120

36 Remember, You Always Have Choices 122

37 Do You Need a Nice REST? 125

38 Expand Your Happiness Portfolio 128

39 Practice Gratefulness 131

40 Get Out of Yourself 134

41 Accept the Duty of Delight 136

42 Take a Hormonal Happiness Shower 139

43 Shine Where You Are 141

44 Become a Good Finder 143

45 Keep Frustrations in Perspective 146

46 Find Your Tribe 148

47 Make a List of What You Enjoy about Yourself 151

48 Do an Integrity Check 153

49 Stretch Yourself 156

50 Cultivate Sensibility 158

51 Take the Actions You Can 161

52 Make Someone Else Happy 164

53 What Are You Waiting For? 166

IV Twenty-Two Instant Happiness Boosters 170

V Loving Your Life 178

Acknowledgments 183

Bibliography 185

About the Author 189

Editorial Reviews

M.J. Ryan is a wonderful guide for helping people learn the art and science of being truly happy. She speaks from her experience, and her vulnerability and sincerity are infectious. After reading this inspiring and informative book, you’ll know the best ideas and methods for creating a delicious and delightful life.”—Jonathan Robinson, author of Find Happiness Now and Communication Miracles for Couples 

“This book is like happy electricity—connecting us all to our joy, which we continually forget how to access.”—SARK, author/artist of Make Your Creative Dreams Real 

“A wonderful blend of motivation, inspiration, and explanation, The Happiness Makeover is a recipe for enjoying today and all your tomorrows.”—David Niven, PhD, author of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

“Happiness is at the fingertips of every person on the planet. In The Happiness Makeover, M. J. Ryan provides example after example of people learning how to choose happiness. She offers wisdom from the ages and provides practical insights and advice on how you, too, can achieve happiness right now. A fun and enlightening book.”—Barry Neil Kaufman, author of Happiness Is a Choice and co-founder of the Option Institute 

“While we all want to be happy, we’re not always sure that we know what happiness is or how to have more of it. This wonderful book answers both questions. It’s based on the wisdom of the ages, and is informative, upbeat, and a delight to read. Keep it handy.”—Hal Urban, author of Life’s Greatest Lessons

From the Publisher