By: Dr. Michael Mantell
Everyone dreams and sometimes a dream is just dream. Sort of like a cigar is sometimes just a cigar, it’s doesn’t have to be a phallic symbol. Living a better life, healthy, fit and happy, emphasis here is on happy, is tied to having great dreams. That’s at least what the most up-to-date science tells me.
Unlike normal, day in and day out dreams, or should I say normal night in and night out dreams, great dreams are always meaningful. Here’s the meaning, according to the Action for Happiness folks, of great dreams.
Giving – helping, doing things and giving connects us to people
Relating—want to live longer, be healthier and happier? You’ll need strong and broad relationships
Exercising—don’t think you can separate your body and your mind. Get active and you activate your mood in a positive way while your body smiles back
Appreciating—here’s where having your eyes open matters. Say thank you more often, be grateful, positive and sensitive (my GPS system)
Trying out—always keep learning, reinventing and be curious. You can boost your self-confidence, just by trying out a new hobby.
Direction—if you don’t have goals, your just running up and down the field. Be SMART about those goals too (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely)
Resilience—do you bend or do you break in the face of daily life winds? Look at the word in resilience…sort of like silence only with the added “I”…that means, at least to me, that I need to be silent in the face of the storm! Yes, brilliant Michael.
Emotion—not just emotions, but positive emotions. Add massive doses of gratitude, joy, satisfaction, happiness, excitement, eagerness and there won’t be room for much else in your brain (or is it in your heart?)
Acceptance—sure you have pimples, wrinkles and warts…be kind to yourself instead of demanding you not have these signs of life…you can be hard on yourself or easy on yourself—the outcome will be the same.
Meaning—what’s your purpose? Really. Think about it. What is the reason you are here? When you find it, you’ll feel that “ahhhhh,” let go of stress and feel happier than you ever have. For some it’s spirituality, religion or the beach, the work you do that can help answer the question. Connect to something outside of yourself and you’ll connect to happiness. The real kind.