1. Pay attention to your mental garden. Are you planting flowers or weeds? If you notice the weed of a negative thought sprouting up, don't leave it alone to multiply. I challenge negative thoughts as soon as I find any. For example, if I walk into a room and another woman looks at me with a strange look on her face, my mind might automatically say, That woman just judged me. Or, that lady doesn't like me. Instead of accepting that thought, however, I change it. How do I know the look on her face has anything to do with me? What if she's just having a bad day or is upset about something? Then I go with the new thought that brings me the most peace.

2. Stop thinking so much! I jokingly say that people do way too much extracurricular thinking. This is thinking you're not getting paid to do! If you are a person that mentally covers every angle and creates hypothetical situations to think some more, you're abusing your poor mind. Inspiration finds it hard to show up in an overactive mind. If you're seeking the solution to something and feel you must think, please consider that your answer will arrive much faster if you allow your mind some peace. Your solution will show up in the form of an inspired thought. Here's how I learned to slow down my mind and bring it into the present moment:

I used sticky notes. That's right. Sticky notes. I put sticky notes on the mirror in the bathroom, in my car, on my phone, and on my computer monitor. The notes simply said, "Don't think." Every time I saw a note, I asked myself, Does what I am thinking about have to do with the present moment? If it didn't, I kicked that thought out of my mind and refocused on the right here, right now.

3. Make a list of what is going right. If you find yourself feeling unhappy, make a list of what's going right in your life. You can do this in your mind, but it's better to write it down so you can read it. Sometimes our mind gets tricked into noticing only what's not working. The best medicine is to provide the mind proof that many things are good. I visualize an imaginary attorney inside my head, someone who is capable of making a case for either feeling. Why not build a case for happy? If you're feeling down about a tough day at work, what is going right is that you have a job. What is further going right is that you've been given an opportunity that day to grow as a person and learn how to prevent an incident at work from ruining your whole day. If your partner is grumpy, try making a list of times of when he or she was funny or thoughtful.

4. Find joy every day in the little things. For many years I wondered why joy was so elusive. I could certainly find it in the big things, like when I got a new house or a new car, but ordinary days just weren't joyful. Yes, my focus was misplaced. Joy lives inside all the little things. It reveals itself to me in a warm feeling that comes over me when I watch my dog roll around in the grass. It's in a beautiful flower I happen to notice in the backyard. Sometimes it comes home from the grocery store with my husband in the form of a surprise treat. His moments of thoughtfulness certainly do bring me joy. How does joy show up in your day?

5. Notice the energy of things. When you are engaged in daily activities, pay attention to how you feel as the day moves along. Do you have a friend that you dread talking to on the phone because she drains the life energy out of you? When you watch late-night dramas on the TV, do you have trouble sleeping? When you listen to the song on the radio that reminds you of an old boyfriend, do you feel blue? If so, why are you participating in these activities?

Why not spend time talking to the friend that makes you laugh? The feelings in your body will give you the indication of whether something is working for you or not. If you pay attention, your feelings will guide you to activities that sustain and uplift you. Remember, you are investing your energy in the activities you participate in. Be selective.