Declare War on Your Unhappiness - Part One - The Rousing Strategy

Introduction:  Sometimes it helps to put a face on our happiness and unhappiness, to see them as states diametrically opposed to each other.  Looking at it that way, unhappiness makes war on us, our happiness; so, it is time to take the war to our unhappiness.  How do you do that?  By following the advice of the war expert, Sun Tzu.  That is, "to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards."  Let's break this advice down into two parts, covering the first in this article, that of being "roused."  The second part will be covered in my Happiness Spotter blog.

The Rousing Strategy:  The weapons unhappiness bears are our own weaknesses.  Unhappiness uses apathy, depression, and our own capitulation to take advantage of us.  To disarm our unhappiness and arm our happiness, we must do two things:

1. Rouse a passionate distaste for what these negative emotions--i.e., apathy, depression, capitulation, etc.--do to us.
2. Rouse a passionate taste for positive emotions to oppose the negative--i.e., deep concern, love of life, perseverance, etc..

Conclusion:   If you follow the above steps, you strip unhappiness of its power and empower your way to happiness.  After all, if it is that easy for your emotions to work against you, imagine what they can do working for you.  So declare war on your unhappiness today, and let me know how it goes for you. 

For more advice:   Read Part Two of Declare War on Your Unhappiness (The Reward Strategy) on my blog, the Happiness Spotter.