Inspirational English, March 2017 | Page 19

MATCH THE HEADINGS WITH THE RIGHT PARAGRAPH

A ) Energize yourself in the morning .
E ) Look after your body .
B ) Decide what you really want to do .
F ) Practice living in the present .
C ) Take small daily steps .
G ) Make serving others a regular habit .
D ) Remove things that prevent happiness
H ) Separate your happiness from your achievements .
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Letting go of past regrets and future anxieties is not easy , but it ’ s the fastest way to live a full and enjoyable life . Think about enjoying each moment for its own unique role in the ongoing narrative of your life . If you want a short mantra to keep in mind : be here now .
If you think you know what you want and you ’ re determined that it will make you happy , at least decide on small daily steps that you can take to get there . Setting unrealistical goals that you never get to finish is far less fulfilling than setting small goals that you can finish and appreciate — and ones that let you know you ’ re on the right track .
From muscular tension that can trap emotions to serotonin production and bacterial imbalances in your gut , your body is the number one vehicle that will allow you to experience joy and satisfaction , so treat it with care !
As much as we like to think we have control and autonomy when it comes to our feelings , the truth is that momentum is a huge factor . Morning routines have been a keystone habit of content and successful people throughout history , and for good reason ; starting your day with a spiritual practice , a physical practice , and a healthy breakfast may not seem like much , but compounded over years , it can make all the difference in the world to your well-being .
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One key habit of unhappy people that we often don ’ t talk about is that they are inherently self-centred . This doesn ’ t mean that they are bad people by any means . It just means their minds spend a disproportionate amount of time focused on the self . Helping others is one way to break this pattern of attention from “ How am I feeling ?” to “ How are you feeling ?” There are a lot of studies that show that giving to others is more rewarding than receiving .
A lot of people that are searching for happiness will end up with “ shiny object syndrome .” This is what happens when they bounce from goal to goal because they ’ re looking for something ( or someone ) to take away all their suffering . Knowing yourself and what you truly want can help you develop purpose and focus — so much so that you don ’ t even have time to waste pondering happiness .
We all need to learn to separate our happiness from our achievements . It ’ s okay to feel content with our lives simply because we have an inherent sense of self-worth . Reaching our goals can obviously bolster this feeling and give us a deep sense of accomplishment , but the absence of achievement should not mean the absence of happiness .
This is actually a lot more important than finding things to make you happy . Are you in a toxic relationship ? Do you dislike your job ? Are you eating a lot of unhealthy food ? These things all need to go before you start to seek happiness ; otherwise , they can hold you back and you may never be satisfied .

Key- a-4 , b-6 , c-2 , d-8 , e-3 , f-1 , g-5 , h-7

I would like to thank Benjamin Fishel for letting me use his article “ Stop Chasing Happiness : 17 Alternative Ways to Live Your Best Possible Life ” to create this lesson plan . You can read his article here : http :// tinybuddha . com / blog / stop-chasing-happiness-17-alternative-ways-live-best-possible-life /
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