Does happiness ever seem so far out of reach you don’t even know where to begin your quest? Do you wish there was a happiness map or manual? Start thinking of your happiness as a savings account in which you invest time and energy, saving up for a rainy day. What are happiness accounts? Scroll down below this captivating image and we’ll get to the bottom of this!
Scroll all the way down to get to the bottom of this post!
Do You Wish There Was a Happiness Map or Manual?
Maybe you’d like a map and a manual on how to use the map. What would really help is a map of all the happiness manuals.
Fantastic Maps and Where to Find Them!
I should develop a happiness map!
Start thinking of your happiness as a savings account in which you invest time and energy, saving up for a rainy day. Create your happiness accounts and start making investments.
Although it’s okay to focus on a particular account, you don’t want to neglect any account for too long. There are several, so I’m just going to list them for now. As I work through this framework, it is likely I’ll add more or remove some of these.
What Happiness Accounts Count Most?
Happiness Accounts are the areas in which a little consistent action over time will increase your chances of building and maintaining happiness.
Here, in no particular order, are the topics we can look forward to discussing:
- Nutrition
- Knowledge\wisdom
- Fitness
- Parenting
- Mental\spiritual
- Family
- Friends
- Social
- Home
- House
- Philosophy
Don’t wait for me. Pick an account or two and get started working on it right now.
Nutrition Counts in Large Amounts!
Have you ever heard the phrase:
You Are What You Eat.
Of course, you have heard that phrase. According to phrases.org.uk (which recently became one of my favorite sites), You are what you eat has been around almost 200 years. At least something close to it. In 1826, French Lawyer, politician and foodie (he was a famous French foodie! alliteration!) Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin phrased it as:
“Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.”
– Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Translation:
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”
– Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
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Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
Other fun quotes by Jean Anthelme:
“The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity than the discovery of a new star.”
“Cooking is one of the oldest arts and one that has rendered us the most important service in civic life.”
“The fate of a nation depends on the way that they eat.”
Come back for more. We will investigate this Jean Anthelme chap further in the future.
I mean more investigate further, not farther in the future.
Feed Your Body What It Needs Not What You Crave
Human bodies need certain nutrients to survive. They need more of those nutrients to thrive.
According to this Medical Daily article, 75% of Americans May Suffer from Chronic Dehydration. Our bodies need water. We’re 60% water. But we give our bodies soda, tea coffee. Hawaiian Punch and Vitamin Water.
Our bodies need water and we give them water-like substances with sugars, artificial flavors and artificial colors.
Our bodies need magnesium, calcium and vitamins. We give them processed grains and sugars (always sugars) with none of the nutrients we need. Not only are we not giving ourselves the nutrients we need, we’re feeding ourselves substances that wreak havoc on our hormones and easily store as fat. Then that extra fat wreaks more havoc on our hormones.
My friend Nicole wrote an article on how to solve food cravings by giving your body what it really needs (That’s even the title!) Go check it out, because she really helped me with my chocolate cravings.
What Did Your Food Eat?
The same applies to animals, right?
Your dog is what your dog eats.
Even when it eats it twice?!
Don’t be disgusting.
You Are What What You Eat Eats
That means if you eat beef that was all pumped up and steroids and only ate corn, that you’re getting all those steroids and sugar. That sounds like a bad punk song. If your salmon is farm-raised and provided a diet consisting primarily of corn that you’re also getting all the sugar and not as much as the essential fatty acids.
It also applies to plants. If your fruit and vegetables are soaked in pesticides, then you’re eating poison. Acceptable tolerance levels as determined by the EPA, of course!
“You Are What What You Eat Eats.”
– Shayne Seymour
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What amount of poison are you willing to eat?
The EPA determines acceptable levels of poison we can safely eat.
Even if it’s not enough to kill you, it’s poison. Wash those non-organic foods thoroughly.
Or just try it for 30 days. Only eat organic and see how you feel. Wouldn’t feeling better be worth the extra cost of not eating pesticides?
Max Out Your Nutrition Account
Make direct deposits into your health, just like savings with your paycheck.
You hopefully max out your 401k. Your employer automatically puts that portion of savings into your 401k account before you ever get a chance to spend it.
Pay yourself first with nutrition by having a great breakfast. Check with your doctor because everyone is different, but generally, this is a superb breakfast:
Avacado, egg and greens.
The fat in the avocado and the egg yolk are great brain foods. You get a great shot of protein and all the nutrients and fiber of the greens.
I know what you’re thinking.
Greens? Gross!
You swallow those big, chalky vitamins though. Then your body just passes most of whatever is in the vitamin. Just eat a handful of greens. Your body needs them and uses them. And I bet they’re less expensive than the vitamins.
Then when you get to the office and discover that Sammy Suckup brought donuts to the office again, you’re not hungry. You don’t make any withdrawals from your happiness savings. Don’t fall for Mr. Suckup’s evil, Machiavellian schemes. Don’t let his obsequious ways steal your nutrition.
Prepare some vegetables in advance so that you get in a few servings each day. Reach for the stars and go for five servings. Or ease into it. Just try to do a little better than you currently do. If you never eat vegetables, then start by adding one serving each day. If you eat a few, then make a habit of two or three servings every day.
“Make direct deposits into your health!”
– Shayne Seymour
Avoid Deductions From Your Nutrition Happiness Accounts
Don’t start by spiking your insulin. Avoid the cereals and bread.
I love toast. I spread coconut oil on it right out of the toaster oven, then spread almond butter or peanut butter on it. Or maybe I’ll soak tomatoes in olive oil and then put the olive oil and tomatoes on the toast. So delicious, but those processed grains are deductions from my nutrition. I shouldn’t have written about it. Now I’m craving it. Will our hero give into the temptation and craving of crunchy deliciousness, or will he remain strong?
Avocado, egg and greens are just as yummy.
I see people at work drinking two or three sodas every day. I have two or three sodas per year. Don’t get me wrong. I love Mr. Pibb. Its fizziness feels magical. Dublin Bottle Works right here in Texas makes a lemon soda. It’s amazing. Most sodas have a full day’s limit of sugar, though. Many have more. So I don’t do that to myself more than a few times each year.
The other thing is those people don’t want those sodas. They need those sodas. The need the energy from the sugar and caffeine, and they need that brief little escape from the madness and stress. That’s not the path to Independently Happy. ‘Round here we know to escape into the moment, not from it.
Don’t beat yourself up if you withdraw a little now and then. Be nice to yourself. Healthy is hard. Those unhealthy foods are so delicious. They’ve been formulated just right to hit all the bliss points. (I’ll save my junk food rant for other posts.)
You Can’t Outwork Bad Nutrition
Exercise is vital to happiness and health, but it’s not the best way to lose weight. Body composition is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise.
“Work on getting high quality calories in versus high quality energy out.”
– Dr. Daniel Amen
Not only can you not out-burn those calories, the toxins have time to do their damage to your immune and endocrine systems before you exorcise them with exercise.
Coming Soon
How to Max Out the more Happiness Accounts.
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Welcome to the Bottom of This Post!
Scroll all the way up for the top of this post. For added fun, read the words! Please share this with your friends because it really helps me reach more people and they’ll appreciate your thinking about them! I read that if I use a because that you’re more likely to share, so now you kinda have to share because I’m pretty sure it’s science.
This will be a living document. I’ll expand on the other Happiness Accounts in the future. Save this page or sign up to get updates and other forms of fun and frivolity.
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