Don't worry, be happy!

Simple steps to turning that frown upside down….

Dr Timothy Sharp - also known as "Dr Happy" - wants to teach you how to be happy. "So often," he says, "We focus on our physical health or our wealth more than our happiness. But by motivating yourself to do certain things to be a happier person, you'll lead a far more fulfilling life."

The first important point is that we need to prioritise achieving happiness and living for today rather than focus on menial issues such as, better jobs, more expensive cars and holidays.

Here are a few of my favourite tips:

1. Part of being happy is expressing gratitude and appreciation. So it is important to focus on the little things.

2. Don’t exaggerate the small stuff. Attend to them in a positive and constructive way, keep things in perspective.

3. Exaggerating the severity of a situation makes you less able to cope with it, look at things realistically.

And finally:

4. Don’t constantly ask, “What am I doing wrong and what can I fix about it?” Also think about, “What am I good at, and what are my strengths? How can I use these and strengthen them?”

Dr Sharp, makes a point of making us realise that in today’s society which is becoming increasingly aesthetically bias and fast, we need to avoid focussing on the outside and work on the inside. So, whilst you are slaving it out on the bike machine grab a copy of this book and give your inner happiness a shape up!

By Michelle Jackson

Dr Timothy Sharp's book, 100 Ways to Happiness, is published by Penguin and will be available in all good bookstores come August 4.