"Don't worry, Be happy", the song sung by Bobby McFerrine, is a good mantra or quote to carry around and have. It reminds us to be happy and not worry so much. It empowers us and gives us higher self esteem.

Besides, worrying doesn't usually change the outcome and research has found that it causes stress. Stress has a disastrous effect on your body, mind, health, and well being. It can even contribute and increase the chance of cancer and illness in your body. It has the opposite effect of empowerment on you.

Being happy, on the other hand, has such great benefits to your general and mental health.

Being happy also makes you feel happy and content. When you are happy and content, your self confidence is higher and you are better able to cope with everyday occurrences. You feel empowered and self confident.

On the other hand, when you are having a particularly "bad day", for instance, and you focus on how terrible your day is and continue to focus on your "bad day", it tends to get worse. You get more and more upset. It snowballs and more "bad things" tend to happen. Everything bad that can possibly happen, does. You lose your self confidence and sometimes get depressed and disempowered.

An example I would like to use is when a person is running late to an appointment. Everything that could possibly go wrong does, and then they become more late, which leads to them to become more upset and less patient. As they get less patient, they get more easily upset and stressed. It then becomes a vicious cycle. They feel disempowered and stuck in a rut or frustration and anger. To get out of that situation, you have to work hard to refocus your thoughts and start thinking of all the things that you are grateful for. You will have to retrain your thoughts and words and think positive thoughts and grateful thoughts. I

You may also have to do a lot of positive self talk to boost your self confidence and break the negative cycle that you are in.

You may also have to focus on letting go of the fact that you are so upset. You will have to remind yourself that being so upset for being late or whatever it is that is bothering you, isn't going to change the situation or outcome. It only leads to more stress, more ill-feelings, and more stress. Just letting go off the negative thoughts and refocusing on something positive around you (or the use of distraction), will starts making your day better and break the cycle. You will feel more empowered.

What also helps is the act of smiling. Even if you don't feel like it, just pretend to smile and pretend that you are happy. Smiling or pretending to smile starts to make you feel better and happier. It will then be easier to refocus on positive thoughts and feelings. You will also then build your self confidence and feel empowered. I heard that smiling also releases endorphins, the happy feelings hormone. When I smile and feel better, I also feel better about myself and become more self confident and empowered in knowing that I can control my feelings and thoughts and can break the negative cycle that I am in.

It is up to me and my responsibility on how I want to respond and how I want to feel a half hour from now, an hour from now, or later on during the day. I know that if I don't let go, it just gets worse and I feel grumpier and grumpier throughout the day. My day seems to go from worse to terrible. If I choose , on the hand, to focus on letting it go now, in the next 5-10 minutes or so, I will feel so much better about my self confidence and my mood changes for the positive and I feel empowered.

It is not always easy to refocus your thoughts and smile when you are in a bad mood but if you make it one of your daily goals, it will get easier and easier. But it will help you to shift your day into a happier, healthier, and less stressful day.

I have also been hearing more and more how important a happier disposition is to your health. Stress and worry tend to reek havoc on our health. Stress in linked to some of the top causes of death, such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. I know that when I tend to be stress out about the little things in my life, my stomach starts to hurt and I feel all stressed out. I tend to feel more exhausted and less patient with my family. It is a vicious cycle.

A great goal, is to learn to let the little things go and focus on being more grateful. Start off with little things and realize how lucky you really are. By trying to refocus your thoughts, you will in turn, feel happier and more content. You will build your self confidence and feel empowered. You will be able to start loving yourself and your life more. People will tend to want to be around you more, as people are attracted to happy, content, and empowered people. As they want to be around you more, it will build your confidence and self esteem more and you will feel even more empowered. So, in conclusion, the song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrine's song tells us to worry less and be happy more often. It also a good reminder that we should enjoy and appreciate life more to live a self confident and empowered life.