Follow the OHI “5 P’s” For a Happy New Year

“The happiest two days of your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.”

–Mark Twain

Happy 2013!

Speaking of happy, there’s an entirely new branch of psychology, Positive Psychology, that focuses on what people need to be content in their lives.  Dr. Marty Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania spearheaded the research, which revealed it wasn’t great wealth, or a person’s age, education or social status that determined whether or not they were going to be happy.  It boiled down to three things:

1. Faith in something greater than yourself, which would encompass personal ethics and values;
2. Friends, which included close family or a supportive community, and
3. Purpose – doing something of meaning in your life, whether it was volunteering once a month, or pursuing an entire career in being of service to others.

The Optimum Health Institute (OHI) is built on these principles, and incorporates them into its “Five P’s to Optimum Health.”  Following these guidelines can help you make 2013 your happiest, healthiest and most rewarding year yet.  Here are OHI’s Five P’s:

Purpose:  Prayer and mindfully focusing your thoughts inward can help you determine your true purpose.  What issues do you care about passionately?  When do you feel most fulfilled?  What are you naturally good at, and what do you feel you were “born to do?”  Meditating on the answers can help steer you towards your divine life purpose.

Positive Mental Attitude: Part of the Positive Psychology research required participants to nightly reflect on the three most wonderful things that happened to them that day, and determine their role in making those things happen.  Knowing they were going to have to come up with that list each night kept the people looking for fun, interesting and positive things the entire day.  The exercise completely shifted their consciousness from, “What can go wrong” to “How does it get any better than this?”  That quantum shift in their thinking clicked them into a positive mental attitude all day, and became a habit.  As the mind stays in a healthy, balanced and happy state, the body and spirit naturally follow.

Persistence: The natural tendency is to give up when things don’t come easily. By shifting into a positive state of mind as outlined above, we can list ‘sticking with a goal’ as one of the day’s three top victories. Developing our persistence in this way can give us the strength to keep going when it gets tough.  Just as it takes some time to develop unhealthy habits, it takes some time to substitute healthier new habits, too.

Patience: “God grant me patience – NOW!” is a funny but ineffective prayer. The quickest route to switching into a more patient mode is to simply take a deep breath.  That delicious lungful of oxygen not only delivers more mental alertness – it signals us to slow down, to reassess, to take a step back.  From this more mindful state, we can consciously choose to be patient and gentler with our self as we navigate opportunities throughout the New Year.

Prayer: Prayer is talking with God.  Through regular prayer we define and nourish our relationship to Him, and focus our feelings and intent by putting them into words.  This mindful and verbal connection to the Divine Source gives us a clarity and feeling of connection that no other discipline can.  Perhaps the simplest yet most effective prayer is a heart-felt, “thank you” – a prayer that will guarantee your happiness throughout 2013.

When your body, mind, and spirit are aligned, you can achieve good health. If you are looking for a holistic healing program, in San Diego or Austin, visit Optimum Health Institute . We can help you achieve your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual goals for optimal health. To make your reservation, call us at (800) 993-4325 to learn more.