Many of us feel unhappy and disconnected on a daily basis.  Sometimes even when we are doing our best, we get discouraged wondering why we are not a happier person. The truth is, we often overlook some of the easiest ways to turn our frown upside down – our every day habits. What we do on a consistent basis can make or break our happiness,  no matter how good of a person we are.

Here are quick and simple tips (we often forget) that can add more happiness to our every day life.

12 Steps to Being a Happier Person:

1. Smile more and complain less.

2. Connect with people and friends.

3. Spend more time with supportive family.

4. Help others in need.

5. Be more optimistic about life and the way things will turn out.

6. Plan a trip or a vacation.

7. Learn to forgive.

8. Set new goals and achieve them.

9. Do yoga or meditation.

10. Get a pet – and interact with the pet.

11. Get some time off of work.

12. Do physical activity like walking or running.

At the root of our overwhelmed life and often the cause of our unhappiness, unhealthy and negative thought patterns can be found. It’s common knowledge that negative thinking creates a reality based on negativity. What might surprise you, though is there’s a core group of unhealthy, negative thought patterns that contribute to that reality.

Barbara Fredrickson, a positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina, recently published an article on the effects of positive thoughts on the actions we take and the skills we develop. What she found was that negative thoughts and unhealthy thinking patterns can prevent your brain from seeing solutions and other choices when solving a problem. The bottom line is negative thought patterns can impair our survival instinct.

The good news is these unhealthy negative thought patterns can be overcome, and the first step is becoming aware of them. Here are seven common unhealthy thought patterns and how to fix them.

7 Common Negative Thought Patterns (and How to Fix Them)

1. All-or-Nothing Thinking

Any thought pattern that based on extremes can signify trouble. Statements like, “it must be perfect,” or “I can’t do anything right,” only serve to prevent you from compromise and success. The more we believe the all-or-nothing thoughts, the more unhappy our reality becomes.

The Fix

Recognize and extreme statements and reframe them into a statement based on fact. For instance, the common phrase, “I can’t do anything right” is better reframed as “I do not understand what I am doing and I need to find help so I can learn to do it better next time.”

2. Jumping to Conclusions

Assuming the worst without the facts, is a classic example of being in a negative thought pattern. These assumptions are a great example of why questioning your thoughts is necessary to interrupt the pattern. In most cases, your worries and fears are unfounded, and you end up worrying for nothing.

The Fix

It’s important to stop jumping to the end of the story and instead allow the story to play out. When you stay in the present, the situation always ends up being less dire.

3. Emotional Reasoning

According to your mind, feelings are facts, rather than subjective perceptions that change over time. For example, feelings of guilt might mean you’re a terrible, selfish person and being afraid of something means you’re in real danger. That is why it’s important to understand and work through your feelings.

The Fix

It’s necessary to question our thoughts to determine if they are real or perceived. Once we have gathered the facts, then we can create a plan of action to deal with them using both logic and feelings to guide us.

4. Should Statements

You feel disappointed, guilty, frustrated or angry when things don’t go the way you had hoped or expected. Self-talk commonly includes words such as should, must, have to and ought to. It also contributes to having unrealistic expectations for ourselves, we demand a lot and get upset when falling short. “I should have done” … will get you nowhere.

The Fix

Try avoiding the use of the words: “should,” “what if,” and “have to.” Instead focus on changing and improving the things we can change and learning to accept the rest.

5. Personalization

We personalize matters when we blame ourselves for results that are out of our control. We make the lack of results about us instead of about the action that caused the results.

The Fix

We should focus on actions and behaviors and what we can change, instead of focusing on ourselves, or any person for that matter.

6. Playing the Victim

When we play the victim, we blame others for the bad things that happen in our life. Nobody can do anything right, and if it weren’t for them we would be more successful, wealthier, happier, in a better relationship, or you name it. It is easier to place blame on someone or something else than to accept responsibility for our part.

The Fix

We can start looking at our role in challenging situations so we can grow from the experience.

7. Future-Focused

We are future-focused when we feel everything will be better someday in the future when the conditions are perfect. We convince ourselves we will be happier when we are healthier, skinnier, richer, in a job we love, or out of school. It can be anything that is a condition for our future happiness.

The Fix

Change our focus to what we can do today to be happier tomorrow.

When we begin to recognize and change your unhealthy thought patterns, by default we are choosing to seek joy, be optimistic and move forward. When we do that, our brain starts to adapt and will build on those positive patterns.

Finding ways to reframe our thoughts from an unhealthy negative perspective to a positive influence will help us bring the lessons of the past into the present and will move us into living a happier life.

25 Surreal Places You Need To Visit Before You Die

This world contains so much astounding, unbelievable beauty that it seems overwhelming when you think about seeing it all. While none of us will probably get to witness it all in this lifetime, we have put together a list that includes incredible feats of engineering, cascading waterfalls, enchanting forests, soaring mountains, and other impressive landmarks that you must visit before you die.

Get ready to be amazed by the places you’re about to see:

1. Zhangye Danxia Landform in Gansu, China

Formed by the erosion of red sandstone, geologists believe that the topography was formed by layered oceanic crusts folding over one another. The striking variations of the colors draw thousands of tourists each year.

2. Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

This is the world’s largest salt flat at 4,086 square miles and the flattest location on the planet with average altitude variations at only one meter.

3. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Japan

You’ll feel like you’re in another world when you stand amidst the towering stalks of bamboo in Kyoto, Japan.

4. Machu Picchu, Peru

These ancient ruins of an Incan citadel are one of the most famous manmade wonders of the world, located in the midst of a beautiful tropical mountain forest.

5. The Wave, Arizona

One of the most popular sights for tourists to Arizona, you can find this unique sandstone rock formation in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness near the Utah border.

6. Sequoia National Forest, California

People come from all over the world to see 38 groves full of these giant sequoia trees, spread out over a whopping 1,193,315 acres of land.

7. Rice Terraces in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam

Since this area of Vietnam is about 1000 meters above sea level, growing rice in the traditional way like those in the delta areas do is pretty much out of the question. They improvise by growing rice on the terraced field in the green mountain valleys, creating a spectacular work of art in the process.

8. The Maldives

Made up of hundreds of islands in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, The Maldives contain some of the most untouched, beautiful beaches in the entire world.

9. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

One of the oldest national parks in Southeast Europe, the unique arrangement of cascading lakes and stunning waterfalls will leave you speechless

10. Palouse Falls, Washington

This 198-foot waterfall sits within the borders of the Palouse Falls State Park in Washington, and is one of the last remaining markers of the historic glacial floods that carved the striking landscape of the area.

11. Moraine Lake, Canada

Located in Banff National Park, the deep blue shade of the lake contrasts perfectly with the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

12. Niagara Falls, Border Between United States and Canada

The roaring waterfalls that drop into the Niagara River between Ontario and New York release over six million cubic feet of water per minute and attract thousands of spectators from all over the world each year.

13. Sossusvlei, Namibia

The high sand dunes ranging from pink to orange in color characterize this arid desert in Namibia.

14. Northern Lights, Norway

One of the most dazzling astronomical phenomena on Earth, this fascinating display of vibrant colors is actually caused by the collisions of gaseous particles in Earth’s atmosphere and charged particles from the Sun. Simply breathtaking.

15. Mount Roraima, Venezuela

When this tepui plateau in South America is surrounded by clouds, it looks like a mysterious floating landmass 8,000 feet in the air.

16. Vatnajokull Glacier Cave, Iceland

Sometimes called the Crystal Cave, you can find this wonder of nature in Vatnajökull National Park.

17. Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil

Comprised of many different waterfalls that cascade over the edge of the Parana Plateau into the Iguazu River, the falls actually form part of the border between Argentina and Brazil.

18. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

One of the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the construction of these massive pyramids still mystifies scientists today, and is one of the most famous sites in Egypt.

19. Meteora, Greece

Literally translated to “middle of the sky” or “in the heavens above,” Meteora is a complex of Greek Orthodox monasteries seated atop enormous sandstone pillars in the Plain of Thessaly.

20. Yosemite National Park, California

The awe-inspiring Sierra Nevada mountain chain runs through this well-traveled national park filled with giant sequoias, powerful waterfalls, beautiful valleys, picturesque meadows, and even a geographic wonder known as the “Giant Staircase” created by the currents from the Merced River.

21. Tunnel Of Love, Ukraine

An enchanting natural passageway for trains deep in the forests of Ukraine, plenty of lovers also venture down the tunnel to make a wish for everlasting love.

22. The Great Wall of China

One of the greatest wonders of the world, this massive stone and brick wall built on the northern border of China has been estimated to span 13,171 miles in its entirety.

23. The Amazon Rainforest

The largest rainforest on Earth covering 2.124 million square miles, it’s home to more than 2.5 million insect species, 40,000 plant species, and 427 mammals.

24. Great Barrier Reef, Australia

As strange as it sounds, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest living thing on Earth, covering 2300 km. The largest coral reef system in the world has over 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands.

25. Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

One of the tallest mountains in the world, standing at 19,341 feet above sea level.

What other inspiring, breathtaking places would you add to this in comment?

5 Reasons to Stop Multitasking

Don’t blame yourself. It’s been subconsciously downloaded and wired into our brains that multitasking is good. Multitasking is for smart, capable people…the “go-getters.” Multitasking is efficient, saves time, and increases productivity, right? Wrong.

The truth is, the concept multitasking is largely a myth.

Physiologically, the human brain is not designed to process more than one thing at a time. Actually, to be more specific, the human brain is incapableof effectively handling more than one task. What is actually taking place is the “switching” of one task to another. In other words, there is no “multi” anything going on. This switching from one task to another is actually harmful to the brain’s natural makeup.

Here are 5 reasons you may want to stop multitasking.

#1 Multitasking makes you less productive!

Well, that’s a bummer isn’t it? I mean, being productive is reason numero uno why many people do it in the first place.

According to the American Psychological Association – the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States – multitasking creates mental blocks that can result in as much as a 40 percent loss in production time.

Instead, choose to prioritize your workday. Identify the most important things to get done for the day and then simply do them one at a time.Remember: time management isn’t about getting more done in less time; it’s about completing the most important things effectively.

#2 Multitasking is stressing you out!

When you multitask on a regular basis, your brain releases a chemical called cortisol which, if chronic, can make you susceptible to heart disease, weight gain, high blood pressure and diabetes.

In a study at the University of California Irvine, one group of employees was given access to email and messaging while the other group was not. The group that received a regular influx of messages displayed higher blood pressure and heart rates when compared to the other group.

Further, mental health issues can arise from multitasking as well. Researchers believe this is related to poor outcomes (on work, tests, etc.) as a result of multitasking. These unintended consequences can result in self-esteem issues and even depression.

#3 Multitasking is hurting your work!

Multitasking has a detrimental effect on the quality of work performed. Even routine tasks, such as driving a car, are performed with less precision when doing something else.

Consider this study synopsis by the University of Utah:

We used a…driving simulator to compare the performance with cell-phone drivers with (those) who were legally intoxicated from ethanol (alcohol). When…conversing on either a hand-held or hands-free cell phone, their reactions were sluggish… (the cell phone group) attempted to compensate by driving slower and increasing the distance from the vehicle immediately in front of them. When controlling for driving difficulty and time on task,cell phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers.

One expert summarizes this predicament quite well:

“Multitasking is the worst way to try and get lots of things done…it’s contrary to human psychology. We do best when we concentrate on one task at a time. It’s also insulting to the work (and the person who assigned it), because it indicates that task doesn’t deserve our complete attention.”

Quite simply: to do your best work, Single-task!

#4 Multitasking makes you miss out on life!

Adding to its already abysmal record, multitasking makes it impossible to remain present. In addition the harm that multitasking causes to your brain, it is quite possible that multitasking is hurting your relationships as well.

You may even notice it within your family. Have you ever been talking with your child only to have them pull out their iPhone? How about when speaking with your husband or wife only to see them dart for their Blackberry? “I have to check some work stuff,” they say.

Present-mindedness is not something that is practiced often in our society. Even before the advent of iPhones and other mobile devices, people were still preoccupied with work and meeting the demands of their schedule.

But how can we overcome all of these distractions and simply be present with others? Try out the “5 Senses Rule.” It goes something like this:

Do not (consciously) look at, listen to, touch, smell, or taste (eat) while interacting with someone. Even if the other person does otherwise. The basis of this practice is to give full attention to a person or task.

#5 Multitasking makes you dumber!

In a study conducted at Hewlett-Packard, researchers discovered something interesting: excessive use of technology decreases your intelligence. Here are some interesting finds from the study:

• 62% of people checked work messages at home or on vacation.
• Workers distracted by incoming calls and messages experienced a 10-point drop in IQ – more than twice of the impact of smoking marijuana.

• Researchers equated the drop in mental sharpness as a result of technology overload to losing a full night’s sleep.

The answer? Single-tasking!

As with any other bad habit, multitasking can be overcome. Of course, you still want to maintain that productivity…and you can! The simple solution is to single-task. Here’s how productivity and Zen expert Leo Babauta breaks down the practice of single tasking:

1. Keep a short list (3 or so) of the most important things to do today (MIT’s, or “Most Important Tasks).
2. Do not do anything else before completing MIT’s. No Facebook, email, Twitter, etc.
3. Clear away distractions. Turn off cell phones, incoming emails, TV, etc.
4. One task at a time. Focus only on one task until it’s done and then move on.
5. When feeling a loss of focus, gently bring your attention back to the task at hand.
6. Keep going on your MIT’s. Resist the urge to do less important stuff.
7. When important thoughts arise, write them down and store them away for later.
8. Remember to take short breaks, relax, stretch, etc. while completing the important work

With a little bit or work and dedication, you can make yourself into an excellent, productive single tasker! Remember: keep the distractions to a minimum and focus on what’s most important!

10 Ways to Deal With Irrational People

It’s hard to believe there is someone out there that hasn’t dealt with an irrational person and even been irrational themselves. When we are irrational, there are usually other things in play behind the scenes. Irrational behavior happens when we’ve reached the tipping point, and we have to just let it out.

Even though we all experience our version of irrational behavior from time to time and it is understandable, it doesn’t make it easy to deal with someone who is acting irrationally. We might get it, but we don’t have to like it.

Here are 10 ways to deal with irrational people:

1. Listen and Let Them Vent

The best way to diffuse irrational thinking and behavior is to listen as they vent. Sometimes just listening is the hardest part because our natural tendency is to point out the irrational thinking. Doing so will only to increase the emotions of the situation, so it’s important to bite our tongue and listen earnestly. Sometimes, just knowing they are being heard is all that is needed.

2. Make a Personal Connection

An “us” versus “you” mentality will only encourage the person to dig in their heels and stand firm. Try making a personal connection by using their name and making them feel like an individual. Making someone feel special and giving them a platform where they feel respected is an important step in lessening the tension.

3. Summarize What You Heard

When dealing with irrational people, it is really important to them that their message, complaint or opinion is understood. Start by summarizing what you heard to make sure you both are on the same page. This is a great starting point to begin the next steps in solving the situation.

4. Stay Calm

It is very easy to get caught up in the emotions of a situation. Don’t do it. Focus on staying calm and take the time you need to respond in a thoughtful and respectful manner. When you respond with anger, often more irrational behavior will ensue, completely blowing things out of proportion. Calmly hear them out and then help them to calm down too.

5. Pay Attention to Your Word Choice

When trying to talk with someone who is in a heightened emotional state, the words we choose to use can be the difference between handling the situation and escalating it. Choose positive words like, “I will remember” instead of “I won’t forget.” Another tip is to try and make sure to avoid using “you” except when talking about what you are hearing from them. For instance, “what I hear you saying is …” comes across as respectful. On the other hand, “you said …,” can come across as a bit accusatory even though it isn’t meant to be.

6. Be Empathetic

Remember there is usually more to the story. They may have just received some bad news or maybe they are in the midst of a huge life-changing event. Regardless, be empathetic and put yourself in their shoes. Try to understand what is the key issue and just be there to help them work through it. Knowing someone is on their side is needed to help them relax and come back to a place of calm.

7. Ask Questions

Asking questions shows interest in their dilemma. It shows care, respect and interest in what they are going through. Gathering information by asking questions serves a dual purpose. First it allows you to get a true assessment of the situation and secondly it gives you some time to determine the best course of action in a positive way and not in a reactionary one.

8. Detach Yourself From The Situation

During any irrational situation, it’s necessary to remember that irrational thoughts and actions are about them, not about us. When we begin to internalize what is being said, is when things get blown out of proportion. We should strive to be supportive and engaged without making it about us.

9. Be Prepared to Compromise

“A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.” – Ludwig Erhard

It is often the art of the compromise that soothes a tense situation. We should start any compromise knowing our bottom line and theirs. Then it’s up to us to somehow find a way to meet somewhere in the middle. We will know more about what sort of compromise might work if we have taken the time to listen and ask questions.

10. And Finally, Recognize Sometimes There is No Winning

It is important to know that there are some irrational behaviors and requests that may not have a resolution. Do what you can but it’s important not to compromise your principles or values to accommodate someone else’s irrational thinking. At some point, you may have to agree to disagree and be prepared to walk away.

On the surface dealing with irrational behavior can seem a daunting task but with a few important steps, it can become quite manageable. And when it becomes apparent that there is no solution to the situation, we should be prepared to walk respectfully away

We all encounter certain people during our lives that guide us along our paths back home to what we like to call “Source energy”. No matter the duration or significance of your relationships with people, they all serve a vital purpose and can help you grow into your highest form of existence.

Even if some of those people appear to hinder your personal growth, they have an underlying purpose of redirecting you to new people or places that will better match up with what you need on your personal spiritual journey. Some people you meet will inevitably stick around for only a short time, but make sure to keep the following types of people around for the long haul:

3 Types Of People to Keep In Your Life

1. The Mentor.

This person could manifest in a variety of forms, such as a family member, teacher at school, life coach, or friend. You look up to this person because they have wisdom about the universe that they invariably pass along to you. They will likely be older than you since they will have more life experience to share with you, but this isn’t always the case. The universe will send you this person in order to encourage, support, and inspire you in your journey.

This particular relationship will embody that of the student and teacher; it will mostly benefit the student (yourself), but the teacher may also learn new things from his or her younger companion. Also, the roles may have been reversed in a past incarnation, where you taught your mentor important lessons about life. You have likely met this person before in some manner in order to feel comfortable sharing details of your life and attaining wisdom and advice from them.

If you haven’t met them yet, keep on working on your own self-development, and the universe will send him or her along when it’s time.

Remember: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

2. The Soul Mates.

Throughout your life, you will meet people that you feel you have known for lifetimes before. Some call these “soulmates,” others may resonate more with the term “soul family,” while others may call them their Soul Tribe. All of these terms essentially mean the same thing: people you encounter along your journey that you resonate with on a deep soul level. A soulmate doesn’t always show up as the opposite sex; a friend, brother, parent, or really anyone with a similar vibration as yours can manifest as part of your soul family.

Soul tribes are said to come from the same star system, and therefore reincarnate together throughout many lifetimes. You choose these people before you make the journey to Earth as the ones you wish to accomplish an important mission with, or teach you valuable lessons. Upon meeting them, you will likely feel an uncanny sense of comfort and familiarity, and may even have past life memories with them. You literally feel as though you’ve reunited with a long lost soul brother or sister, and just click with them on almost every level.

You mirror many aspects of one another, and share a part of the same soul. You immediately connect with members of your soul tribe, and will likely meet them in unexpected places, so keep your eyes and heart open for connections to form.

3. The opposite.

While opposites can encounter a lot of energetic discordance, this person will show up to inform you of what you need to work on in your path here on Earth. They won’t sugarcoat anything, as that will only distract from the message you need to hear in the moment. Some may call this person your “counterbalance,” or a force that seeks to balance you out so that you may grow into your highest self. They will show strength where you may have weaknesses, and vice-versa.

You may have arguments or disagreements with this person often, but don’t take it too personally; they just want to see you transform into the best version of yourself. For you to accomplish this, they will point out any time in which you act out of alignment with your true nature, and will provide honest insight into how you can improve. Oddly enough, many of these relationships manifest in the form of twin flames, as this relationship perfectly embodies the yin/yang, light and dark, and feminine and masculine energies.

10 Tips to Help You Find Your Soulmate

The idea of the “soulmate” has been the subject of much mystery, confusion, and heartache throughout history, and today, people still wonder if their soulmate exists, and if so, how to make them a part of their life.

No matter your stance on soulmates, you can take the advice below and apply it to many different aspects of your life, including meeting a potential new partner, or even your one and only.

Here are 10 Tips to Help You Find Your Soulmate:

1. Make a list of all the qualities you want in a potential life partner.

You might think, “How does making a silly list help attract my soul mate?” Well, making a list might seem like a waste of time and energy at first, but the Law of Attraction works in mysterious ways. Thoughts always manifest into form eventually, and writing those thoughts down on paper can help speed up the process. Putting your thoughts into written words will also allow you to visually observe the traits you desire in a partner, and can help you envision what your ideal partner would look, sound, and act like.

2. Put yourself out there more.

This seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people just expect their life partner to waltz into their life without any effort on their part. To attract and meet your soulmate, you have to be willing to show your true colors, remain authentic to your highest self, and unabashedly present yourself to the world without fearing the consequences. You never know who you might meet in the most unexpected places, but the first step is to put yourself in situations that are favorable to bumping into your life partner.

3. Love yourself first.

You can’t possibly attract love if it doesn’t have a home within your heart first, so make sure to love yourself now, as you are. How do you do this? It’s simple: just accept yourself, be kind to yourself, and honor yourself. Loving yourself isn’t conceited or arrogant; it just means that you respect yourself enough to have confidence in your own unique cosmic energy. To manifest more love in your life, it’s essential that you first cultivate it within yourself, and send out that energy into the universe.

4. Make a commitment to understand yourself fully.

Just as with loving yourself, you can’t understand others or expect them to understand you if you haven’t done some deep reflection. You have to dig deep and uncover all those secrets that even you might not have known about yourself before. To attract your soulmate, you have to appreciate and realize what kind of person you have been, who you are now, and the type of person you wish to become. Knowing yourself will also attract others who have taken that journey within and understand their strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and personality.

5. Start saying “yes” to life.

It will be difficult to meet your partner if you always say “no” to new situations or opportunities. If you find yourself doing this often, practice opening yourself up to life more. This doesn’t mean to say yes when your instincts inform you that you shouldn’t, it just means to take a little more risk. Join that dance class you have been dreaming about, move to another state or country if you feel it in your bones, or even just meet up with a new friend for lunch. Life is meant to be enjoyed and lived without abandon, so start living!

6. Honor your gut feelings.

You will meet people in the most bizarre and surprising ways sometimes, and that’s usually because you listened to your intuition. Following your gut feelings just means doing what feels right to you, even if you can’t explain it. Maybe you feel compelled to go to a certain place or get in touch with an old flame for no reason other than your intuition telling you to do so. Tune into your intuition often, because it wants to help direct you on your path in life.

7.Pay attention to subtle signs sent from the Universe specifically for you.

We have mentioned this many times before, but the universe communicates to us through earthly methods, such as playing a song on the radio every time we get in the car, or directing our attention to a certain time on the clock, or even making us aware of an upcoming circumstance in our dreams. Pay attention to these signs and messages, because they could very well point the arrow toward an exciting new person in your life.

8. Open up your heart to love.

Obviously, to attract a partner into your life, you need to accept the love you offer yourself, and equally accept the love others give as well. Even if you have been hurt in the past (haven’t we all?), don’t close yourself off to love. Just learn from your past experiences, and transmute that pain into passion and love for life. Accept and acknowledge your pain, but don’t attach yourself to it; commit yourself to a path of love and compassion instead.

9. Have faith that good things are coming your way.

For positive things to happen in your life, you have to first believe that you deserve it, and have faith that good things will start to manifest. The universe may not send you what you desire right away, but just believe that things are looking up, and that will slowly become your new reality and frequency you operate from.

10. Don’t fight your current reality; just go with the flow.

Even if you haven’t met anyone you feel spiritually or emotionally connected to yet, that doesn’t mean that the future doesn’t have these things in store for you. Just enjoy the present moment as much as possible, and don’t get too caught up in what the future holds. Live in the now, and you will start learning to enjoy life from your current vantage point; you will see that your grass is already green where you stand, not just on the other side of the fence.