In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double. Don’t worry, be happy. — Bobby McFerrin

I have many years under my belt of trials and tribulations and WORRY. I can honestly say that the worrying never serves me well, and I have worked hard to find ways around it.

I learned this technique many years ago from life coach, Tony Robbins. Here’s how it goes:

Q: How are you feeling right now? Any part of you tense, stressed, sad, or worried? If so, it’s time for a state change.

Sit still and imagine yourself at a time when you were truly, VERY HAPPY.

Maybe it was THE HAPPIEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE. (Remember those days at the beach? <3)

Try to recreate the scenery of that happy place in your mind. Recall the noises you heard, the smells, and the sensations you felt as you basked in the moment. Remember how happy you felt and let the warm glow rush over you.

Are you feeling it? If not, reread the previous paragraph until you come to a place close to BLISS. (Don’t feel bad if it takes you a while; at my lowest point, it was hard for me, too.)

Take a few minutes right now and sit with those wonderful feelings.

Take a few MORE minutes and see if you can muster EVEN MORE of those good feelings. (Don’t be afraid to allow yourself to come close to an ECSTATIC STATE OF BEING!)

Are you feeling it? Are you FEELING it? ARE you FEELING it? ARE you FEELING IT? ARE YOU FEELING IT?

If not, return to the beginning and keep trying. Do not pass GO until you get to some kind of state of FEELING GREAT!

And now…ENJOY! (You are welcome….)

Ahhh…paradise!

Okay, congratulate yourself! You just created an amazing emotional place of bliss for yourself, and you didn’t have to travel, spend any money, surround yourself with friends, or indulge in mind-altering substances (like an ooey-gooey chocolate cake).

You just took yourself through a change of state. Your body moved from one emotional state of being to a better one.

As Glinda, the Good Witch, said to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz:

You had the power all along, my dear.

You, too, have the power to transform any less-than-good state into a better one.

Anytime, anywhere.

And you don’t even need to spend money on some gorgeous ruby slippers. (But you could, just for the fun of it!)

May you be blessed with the ability to use YOUR POWER to create a happier life for yourself.