Relationships Articles

There's no doubt that meaningful relationships bring happiness into our lives. Although at times, they can also bring sorrow and frustration. Leaning how to be happy with oneself is crucial in building health relationships with others which ultimately bring happiness into our lives.

HTBH 022: Relationship Advice; Are Arguments and Sarcasm Healthy?

by Jared Akers

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Emily I rarely argue… actually, I’d say we don’t. Sure we may get snippy with each other from time to time, but we’re quick to recognize it and squash it as quickly as possible. That certainly is a contrast to many of our past relationships. Today we’re looking at the question: are arguments and sarcasm healthy?

We sat down to discuss arguing, sarcasm, and a few questions we thought of along the way. Below are some we touch on in this episode of the How to Be Happy Podcast.

A lot of successful couples will say that arguing in relationships is normal. But is it really? And when do healthy argument’s turn into something more?

What is sarcasm? Some say it’s harmless and think it brings humor to their relationships, but what is it really doing to those involved?

Is there really a way to “fight fare” and what does that mean? [Read more…]

Do You Want it More Than You Are Afraid of It?

by Jared Akers

Hanging out on Facebook the other day I saw a quote posted by Henri over at Wakeup Cloud. The quote was from Bill Cosby and it said, “Decide that you want it, more than you are afraid of it.”

Henri’s comment on his FB post was, “When you make this shift, everything changes.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Real change starts when we decide that no matter how great the fear, the possible payoff is worth it. Moreover, with this perspective and attitude, we have the open-mindedness and perseverance to turn obstacles into challenges.

The Convergence of Emotional and Financial Support [Read more…]

Learning to Love Yourself, Are You a Liar? (plus one awesome tip on loving yourself today)

by Jared Akers

Are you trying to alter the lens of others in order to be liked?

When someone asks you to do something you don’t feel like doing, do you fabricate some story or excuse? In other words, do you lie?

Chances are you do, or have in the past. Or, like me, maybe you’ve been doing it so long you don’t even realize you’re doing it.

It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, we just want people to like us. It’s natural to think that by telling someone you have to mow your lawn will hurt their feelings less then “I don’t feel like hanging out with you.”

Just Say No, You Don’t Have to Lie Anymore

In the summer of 2006, shortly after starting my journey into self-discovery, I was working for a friend installing radon mitigation systems in residential homes. I was scheduled to do an install one week and decided to blow it off because I just didn’t feel like doing it. So I rescheduled for the following week. [Read more…]

How to Be the Person Your Dog Thinks You Are, 5 Tips on Humility

by Jared Akers

A few years ago I was sitting in a support group discussing humility when a burly man shared, “I just wake up each morning and try to be the man my dog thinks I am.”

That made sense.

Maybe you’ve heard the saying: act as if?

If only it was that easy. Act happy and you’ll be happy, act strong and you’ll be strong. Of course it’s not that easy… or is it?

Author Francine Ward suggests, “Self-esteem comes from doing esteemable acts.” The key word in that quote is doing. Never has any significant life changing event taken place in my life from just sitting around thinking about it.

Taking action, or acting as if, puts us out into the universe where we can interact with others, receive feedback and change the course of our lives and those around us. You’ll get better results if you strive to live your way into right thinking as opposed to thinking your way into right living.

Most of my life I worked towards being the man I thought everyone wanted me to be; instead of whom I was meant to be. As for humility, it was more of a tool to getting something I wanted as opposed to a virtue or character building. [Read more…]

HTBH 004: Coping with Death

by Jared Akers

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In this episode of the How to Be Happy Podcast, Emily and I discuss death. But before you make a decision on how morbid this sounds, have a listen.

Some topics you’ll hear in this episode:

Dealing with Death

What to say to others then they’ve experienced a loss.
We share about our personal experiences with death of loved ones.
The reality of facing our own mortality.
Although tragic, death can also be beautiful
Does everything happen for a reason?
Is there anything on your bucket list?

Being of service

Thinking about what you can bring to a situation/relationship as opposed to what’s in it for me?

Groundhog Day? (yes we talk about the weather)

Reminding ourselves to stay in the moment, even when looking forward to something in the future.

We get back to the topic of death and about allowing people to reach out to you when you’re going through something difficult.

Things mentioned in this episode:

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

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