text: 15 Minutes To Conquer Happiness And Motivation | DrKareem.com
  By Dr. K in Article | 28 comments
  15 Minutes To Conquer Happiness And Motivation
  Master Your Attitude – Creating Energy, Enthusiasm, and Focus
  Eating healthier is as easy as storing the right foods in your house and committing to eating only at home. Feeling better is as easy as establishing a routine that makes you feel better; focus on memories that naturally energize you and allow you to feel ready to love your day.
  One feeling, above all else, seems to create instant happiness: Gratefulness.
  When you feel grateful, you want to 'give' to the world and fulfill the reciprocity equation; you live each moment of your day with a different perspective. Feeling grateful is taught by every religion, religious figure, and self-help guru in the business. In my opinion, it's the common denominator between both 'happiness' and 'motivation.'
  For years, I've worked on 'mastering my attitude.' Even during a moment of anger or frustration, creating 'positive perspective' can change everything. Being grateful seems to automatically give me 'positive perspective' and avoid my negative feelings, altogether.
  I've tested and tweaked the following method to be the "minimum effective dose" of happiness/motivation programming for myself. I hope it helps you too 🙂
  Study this chart — which personality type are you?
  Energized by the outer world Energized by the inner world
  Acts first. Thinks later Thinks and may act.
  Values breadth of experience Values depth of experience
  Introverts — you're going to build energy and enthusiasm through taking time to self-reflect and re-charge. You need a quiet and isolated environment while enhancing your day with this 15 minute routine.
  Extroverts — you'll benefit from a public space, other voices, music, and/or interactions to create your energy for the day. Be sure to be in a stimulating environment while enhancing your day with this 15 minute routine.
  Begin the following 7-minute morning routine:
  Think of 5 things for which you are grateful.
  Now, visualize each of these things — while integrating all 5 senses — allowing them to come alive and regain meaning, as you start your day.
  Diaphragmatically breathe as you consider why you're grateful.*
  *In order to diaphragmatically breathe, it's best you're sitting in a semi-reclined position, with your dominant hand just below your breastbone (on your diaphragm.) Now, take a 'sniff' breath in for 4 seconds, hold for one second, out for 4 seconds. This will equalize your nervous system and prepare you for weight-bearing and activity.
  Implement the 'Big Smile':
  Randomly choose 3 times throughout the day to rate your happiness level from 0 to 10, where:
  0 = totally depressed and unhappy
  10 = the happiest you've ever been
  If your happiness level is less than an 8, perform the BIG smile and think about being happy while you do. Here's how you do that:
  Smile as BIG as you can — ideally while looking into a mirror and until you make yourself laugh — for 60 seconds straight.
  Establish the following 5-minute Bedtime Routine:
  Diaphragmatic Breaths while feeling grateful about 1 thing from today (5 senses) — replay the entire memory in your mind, as you settle into bed and wind down.
  Every day you wake up, you have a choice how you'll live that day; when you go to sleep, you have a choice how you'll remember it. Let every day improve in your life and it will.