The Harvard Grant Study was a 75 year long most elaborate study ever done that scientifically proved the secret to a happy life. After following hundreds of people through 75 years, the final analysis was this – The secret to happiness is love. Full stop. 

 

There is is more detail of this in my book Happy Anyway but here’s what I wanted to focus on for today’s Happy Monday… 

 

If love is the key to happiness according to Harvard, and the degree that we love others is based on the degree we love ourselves according to the Bible, I challenge you to ask yourself this question each day like I do. 

 

“If I loved myself, would I ______?” Fill in the blank with what you are about to go and do.  

 

Here are a few practical examples that have helped me with this so much:

If I love me, would I allow this person to continue to treat me like this?

 

If I love me, would I eat A- the salad & grilled chicken or B- the fried yumminess that is causing a slow death? {Pssst, For those of you like me who are just learning the right answer here, it’s A – the salad and grilled chicken 😉} Oh and I must shout this from the roof tops, I ate at an Italian restaurant yesterday and got a salad! Didn’t know that was legal to eat Italian and it not be pasta. Whoop! Whoop! Happy on the inside working on the outside. 🎉 If I can do that so can you, I promise. I’m deciding to love me more each day and plan to lose this “hate me” weight I gained over the years. Wish me luck. Pray for me. Join me and you do the same! We can do this together. 

 

If I love me, would I skip the gym today?  {No! Adrienne – the answer is No!}  Sorry, needed to see it writing.😜  

 

If I love me, would I stay in this relationship with this person who speaks disrespectfully to me constantly? {My husband once began to walk out of the room or hang up the phone when I would speak to him disrespectfully. It was a rough patch for a short season. But guess what, I got the message loud and clear. If I wanted to remain in close relationship with him on that particular day I could not talk to him that way. He was right. I was wrong. And as quickly as I had developed that new habit with him, I abandoned it. He loved me enough to love himself. In the end, that was best for our relationship!}

 

If I love me, would I spend my days making myself sick because she or he walked out of my life or would I put the top down on my car and go to the beach or to coffee with a friend who wants to be in my life?  

 

If I love me, would I stay in bed crying for days or would I keep moving forward like Mom and God would have me do?  

 

If I love me, would I go for that dream in my heart or stay paralyzed by “What if I fail?” or “What are they thinking?”  or “But they don’t approve. Maybe they’re right and I should just sit down and shut up.” 

 

What are your questions you need to ask yourself?  Write them down. Ask yourself this daily….If I loved me, would I ______? 

I’m noticing, once again God’s Word is true! The more I love me, the better I love others. And Harvard is always right! The more we learn to recieve love and not push love away, the happier we are. Now when people choose to not love you, you have no control over that. That’s when you love you and walk free from rejection, pain, and loneliness. People will come and go but that’s when love never fails. You can’t control anyone but the one reading this post right now~YOU. So have self control. Love yourself enough to stop rehearsing the pain. Love yourself enough to start living and being thankful for the people who are thankful for you! Focus on who and what you have instead of who and what you don’t have and watch your happiness soar to new heights! I’m living proof. This works. This is real life tried and true stuff. Not perfect at this by any means but it is our answer we search for. Let’s do this together ~ Love and in your loving don’t forget to love yourself and be happy anyway!! 

 

Happy Monday!