Choosing to be in a good mood · Inspired Life, Empowered Being

Choosing to be in a good mood

Hey Everyone,

Happy Tuesday!

I was thinking recently about mood, and to what extent we have the power to choose the mood we are in.

I cannot remember exactly who said each of the following quotes, but I’ve picked them up over the years from my occasional study of Stoicism, and I try to apply them to myself (with varying success):

“Every morning, when you wake up, you have two choices: be happy or be really happy.”

“The most important choice we make every day is to be in a good mood.”

I’ve even written them down on the inside cover of a notebook I often use. That said, like many people, I find myself slipping up more often than I’d like, getting impatient or moody with people close to me – people who deserve better.

If I am good at one thing, it is being in a good mood at work and in public, or at least appearing to be. It is in private that I need to be better.

I think it was Jim Rohn (I could be mistaken), in one of his speeches, who asked “Are you the same person in private as you are in public?” or something along those lines.

I am not there yet, but I am working on it, and already this year I feel like I have improved my private self, interactions with family members, and mood outside of work from writing down some of my social interactions and reflecting on them later.

I think having a solid routine in terms of sleep / exercise / nutrition helps a lot, too. I’ve worked with people who are quite moody at work, and I think their moodiness could be largely attributed to a lack of stability in those areas.

That said, to what extent do you think we can choose our mood?

Does smiling really make us feel happier? I have read/heard that it does.😁

Can one simply choose to be happy, regardless of circumstance?

In case it's of use to you, one tactic I’ve used to try to improve myself at home is as follows: upon arriving at my apartment, before going up the stairs, I say to myself: “no matter what is going on up there, or how I am received, I am going to be kind and positive to everyone.”

I think these kinds of self-reminders are helpful, assuming we remember to do them.

How about you? What are some tactics you’ve used to improve your mood and interactions with others?

Do you have any mood-related quotes you like?

Cheers!

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