If You Want To Be Happy, You Should Ask Yourself The Same Question Every Day

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When you wake up in the morning, what pops into your mind first?

Do you start thinking about all the work you should do? The emails you should reply to, the pile of paperwork on your desk that you have to complete, or maybe it's the housework that you still haven't done?

Or...

Do you think about all the things that make you happy? The kiss your little son or daughter is going to give you before leaving for school, the hug your partner will greet you with when you return home, or the fact that, although you might not have everything you desire, you're still doing just fine?

According to Albert Einstein,

"The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or a hostile universe."

So, is the world you live in friendly or hostile? It's up to you to decide.

And you should make this decision every single day.

Wake up and ask yourself: "Do I live in a good or a bad world?"

Whether you view your world as friendly or hostile impacts your attitude as you live each day.

You become more understanding when you see things happen that you didn't necessarily expect.

Somebody cuts you off in traffic? It's ok. At least they didn't hit you, so it's not the end of the world.

Is there a tourist walking slowly in front of you on the roads of New York City? Be patient! Enjoy this given 'extra' time instead of whining.

By beginning your day with a conscious decision that the world is friendly, you're less likely to react negatively each time things don't go your way. You become a little more patient. A little more hopeful.

Positive thinking brings positive feelings.

Plus, how you see your day right at its onset can also affect how many positive things will happen as the day progresses.

According to Susan Reynolds, co-author of Train Your Brain to Get Happy, "feeling pleasure can be so stimulating for your brain that it is primed to respond to pleasure in a way that reinforces that pleasure."

This means that the more good you search out in the world, the more good you will receive in return.

When you wake up and decide (consciously or unconsciously) to live in a hostile world, you go through your day much differently. You get frustrated when you wind up behind someone who's walking super slowly or when you get stuck in traffic. Standing in line at a store feels like an eternity, and everything you do seems ten times more difficult.

Nothing works out as it should, and you are constantly expecting things to go wrong (which they usually will); all these things "prove" that the world is a hostile place.

So, it's obviously better to try and be optimistic when your day begins. It's also good for you physically.

Deciding to think positively provides a lot of great health benefits. It reduces the risk of depression, decreases anxiety, and even makes you more resilient against any bug that's going around. Those who look at the bright side of life tend to live longer as they have an easier time coping with everyday life's stressors.

Of course, it's really easy to get stuck in negativity, especially with everything currently going on in this world. You can't go through your social media feeds without noticing several posts of all the things that are going "wrong."

However, feeling that way prevents you from being happy. It prevents you from reaching higher levels of success as negative thinking has been associated with a reduced ability to think creatively and even respond to life in a healthy way.

If you want to improve yourself, thinking positively every morning is the best way to get there.

But how can you do that?

If this whole "positivity" thing sounds new to you, here are some tips to help you concentrate more on the good than the bad:

• Select words and statements that reflect a positive attitude, like: "I will have a good day" or "I'm excited about today."
• Focus on things that make you smile:"I look forward to seeing my partner today!" or "I can't wait to see where my project at work takes me!"
• Appreciate the good things in your world, like your health, your family, your friends.
• Spend more time with positive people. That will make it easier for you to be positive yourself!

It's never going to be 100%, but if you focus on the good just a bit more, you are making progress. It's all about baby steps.

When you wake up tomorrow, don't forget to ask yourself this question:

"Do I live in a good world or a bad world?"

And you should know that you do have a choice. Do yourself a favor and select the good. It will make you happier and healthier.