Choose to be Happy: And I Choose Happiness Over Sadness

By Dr. Robert Knapick

Choose to be Happy is designed to help individuals understand how stress is created and how it affects the body. Once a person is able to understand how daily experiences can contribute to stress, he or she will want to learn how to deal with stress in a positive manner that will allow the negative stress

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadersMagnet LLC
• Release date: Jul 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890910967

Dr. Robert Knapick

Dr. Knapick is a well educated professional with 5 degrees in mental health. He has been in practice for over 40 years and has spent the past 20+ years working with suicidal children and teenagers in emergency rooms and PTSD Veterans in equine therapy programs. He has structured outpatient programs to help a variety of people how to manage stress. He has over 100 letters from past clients who reported that without the programs help they would have committed suicide. He is a world class scuba diving instructor and balances his life through diving in oceans all around the world. He produces a weekly world class award winning television program. Life is a balancing act and a person needs to reduce stress when it affects their lives and increase stress when live becomes too dull. Life is precious and we need to appreciate life and what opportunities we can create with a positive outlook on life.

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Choose to Be Happy: And I choose Happiness over Sadness! (Second Edition)

Copyright © 2023 by Dr. Robert Knapick

Published in the United States of America

ISBN Paperback: 979-8-89091-095-0

ISBN Hardback: 979-8-89091-138-4

ISBN eBook: 979-8-89091-096-7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of ReadersMagnet, LLC.

ReadersMagnet, LLC

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Cover design by Tifanny Curaza

Interior design by Dorothy Lee

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter I What Does Happiness Fee Like?

Chapter II Can You Be Happy?

Chapter III Why Are We Not Happy?

Chapter IV How Does Being Happy Effect Your Health?

Chapter V Happiness Produces More Happiness.

Chapter VI How to Use Energy

Chapter VII Learn to Navigate Your Life.

Chapter VIII Tools Needed to Navigate Your Life.

Chapter IX Learn to Dream

Preface

I wrote this book because I believe I have something to offer to persons who are challenged to deal with life’s difficulties. Stress, unhealthy relationships, unrealistic expectations, negative self-esteem, and life’s pressure which cause our mind, body and soul to kilter out of balance and then, our health suffers.

Stress is connected to all physical and mental health complications. Given my 40 years of working with adults, teens and children, I have developed programs in schools, hospitals and my private practice that have helped individuals develop successful coping skills.

Happiness is a feeling state that can be obtained if effective strategies are applied. To be successful, people must consistently work at making needed changes in their lives.

My education has prepared me to contribute to helping people with replacing the sadness and discontent in their lives with happiness. My first master’s degree was in behavioral science, it was a very conservative methodology; and, my second master’s was in metaphysical science, a more liberal approach to mental health. My Ph.D. is in wholistic life coaching that combined the two degrees. As I examined each of the techniques and practices used to help turn negativity into happiness, I researched and tested the use of all of the different coping skills that had been developed. Throughout this book, I provide personal experiences and testimonials by individuals who have used these techniques.

The result of my findings, proved to me that people who are dealing with negative thoughts or feelings can make changes that will put a smile on their face and enabled them to enjoy life. After counseling over 15,000 suicidal patients, I treated in emergency rooms, I can say that if a person makes a commitment to refocus or make personal changes in his/her life, happiness can be achieved. They can be happy. So, it’s your choice, you can be happy or you can be sad. For me… I Choose to Be Happy!

CHAPTER I

What Does Happiness Fee Like?

As I experience new adventures in life, I find that I am commonly greeted by people with a simple phrase, How are you doing?, which is a basic greeting. My response to their question, sometimes gets strange looks, because I say, Great… I am on the right side of the dirt. This response usually gets a puzzled response, but it is a true statement. While walking on a beach on July 17, 2017, I stepped on a sea shell the size of your fingernail and was infected by Flesh Eating Bacteria. The result was a 6 week stay in a hospital with the doctor telling me that I might lose my toes. Within two days, the response from the doctor went to several toes, my foot, my leg and on the 5th day was told that I might lose my life because he could not stop the infection.

Needless to say, on that 5th day, I was not happy and began looking at my options. I was 60 years old and had a lot more living to do, so I told the doctor that I was going to do my part by living and I needed him to do his part by keeping me alive. After 2 surgeries and the amputation of my 5 toes on my left foot, the doctors were able to get control of the infection. Dr. G told me that they were using the last hope which was most potent antibiotic they could use and it worked. I went from a depressed state to feeling hope.

But, I was not out of the woods, Dr. G told me that I could not put any pressure on my foot for several months. If I did, the stitches would break and he would have to remove my foot. So, I did my best to not put any pressure on my foot. The good news was that I was alive and would most likely see my next birthday. My depression began to subside, but I was left with the question, what am I going to do with the rest of my life?

While in bed I began to ponder my options. As a therapist trained in solution focused therapy, I began to review my goals in life. I had three goals that I had delayed for many years. Goal one: Finish my Ph.D., Goal two: Move to Belize near the ocean, and Goal three: Write and publish books.

I had been working to complete my Ph.D. since 1984, when I finished by first Masters. I was enrolled in the University of Houston and had completed one class, but I was too busy working on a private practice and dealing with a divorce. My head was just not into classes. Throughout the years, I let go of working on my Ph.D. and went along my way in life as a licensed psychotherapist. But now, I almost died from flesh eating bacteria and I needed to get busy and finish my goals. One of my goals was to focus on this book and I had plenty of down time to write this book and relax. A second goal was to complete my Ph.D. For the past 7 years I had completed a second undergraduate degree and needed to complete my master’s thesis. Thanks to the flexibility of the University of Sedona and the support of my advisor, Lynda, I had no deadline to complete my education. Once out of the hospital, I dedicated time and effort to complete my Master’s Degree. My thesis was on Newtonian medicine vs. Quantum Physics approach to disease. I Choose this degree plan because, I had little training in metaphysical science and wanted to explore this alternative approach to disease and medicine.

Upon the completion of my thesis, I stalled in my attempt to complete the Ph.D. It is interesting how you gain a new perspective on life when you face death. I was given a new lease on life, so I decided to take on the challenge to finish my degree. I called my advisor, Lynda and told her I wanted to finish my degree and she was very supportive. After Lots of dedicated time working on the doctoral dissertation, I graduated with my Ph.D. on May 9, 2019. Lynda was intrigued with my dissertation topic, Metaphysical Aspects of Animal Communication that Facilitates Psychological Restoration and asked me to present the dissertation at graduation. I was honored and accepted the task of presenting my paper.

The next goal/dream was to move to Belize. So, I focused on this dream and started doing my research. Along my journey I met some individuals who had similar goals and dreams. We had similar interests in the outdoors and wanted to make a move in our lives. We were looking at directions to go for a new life. We looked into Canada, Florida, Colorado, and then we came up with Belize. Goal two came into reality on July 19, 2019, when I moved to the Sittee River in Belize. I created an eco-lodge in the jungle, on a river only 15 minutes from beautiful beaches and some of the best diving in the world.

I was serious about writing books, so while sitting in the audience preparing to graduate, a classmate showed me a book she wrote and shared different publishing options. This pushed me to commit to finishing a book on happiness. On my trip to Belize in June 2019, I was sitting in a hammock on my front porch, listening to the birds and hollering monkeys and I outlined my book in two days. On October 4th, 2019, I completed my book and only needed to proof it and send it to the publisher. Not bad for 3 ½ months of work.

So, two years and 2 days went by and I have completed my three new goals/dreams in life. No matter how bad life gets, I am grateful for each day I wake up on the right side of the dirt. As quoted by David Copperfield, the magician, My Dreams are a dress rehearsal for my future. (n.p.) Over a two-year period of rehabilitation, I had numerous obstacles/ speed bumps to overcome, but I kept my eyes on my dreams. I returned to my passion of diving in January 2018 and strengthened my legs so I could walk a mile with no pain or over exertion. I had special shoes made for my left foot and I have gotten into better shape physically, mentally and spiritually.

If you ask me how I am doing, you will hear that I am on the right side of the dirt and feel blessed and happy to be alive. I was lucky to lose only my 5 toes and not much more. Happiness is something you choose. It is your option - you can be happy or sad and I choose to be happy. It’s not easy, but the reward for all the hard work is well worth the effort.

So how does happy feel? According to dictionary.com, the definition of happiness is: delighted, pleased or glad over a particular thing characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy favored by fortune, fortunate or luck as action, utterance or ideas.

If you look up happy in dictionary.com, you will discover the following definition: delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing: to be happy to see a person.

characterized by pleasure, contentment, or joy (n.p.)

Humans have sought happiness since the beginning of time. A thousand years ago, people were happy to have food, water and shelter. This is what motivated us to make changes in our life. Individuals looked for basic necessities to make us happy. Primitive people were happy having their basic needs met. This was the purpose behind my use of survival training with mental health care. When I teach wilderness survival training, I am amazed at how people react to this course. Members of the course are given a baggy full of basic tools like a knife, string, a tarp, a tool to start a spark, a compass, and a few other items. Their first response is What is this for, where is our food, water, shelter, bed, fan lights, tv, phone, and tooth brush?

When I set up a survival training course, I find a group of individuals who are having difficulty dealing with life. The course consists of three days of education on survival skills whereby students learn how to start a fire, make drinkable water, build or construct shelter and find food. Throughout the program, members of the group are encouraged to process their feelings and mental health concerns. While immersed in the outdoors, group members find happiness in their skills and ability to produce a cup of water, find wild berries, build a shelter, make a spark to start a fire, and create a signaling plan to help ensure being rescued. I believe that everyone should experience living off the grid and learn how to take care of their basic needs in life. Team members that complete the course are grateful for simple things and learn to appreciate life. One group of international professionals, voiced a sense of pride and accomplishment. One person told me that if she could survive three days with almost no supplies, she can overcome almost any obstacle in life. One group from France was proud of their shelter and made me lay down to see how comfortable it was with a padded bed made out of leaves and a few trash bags they found. I believe that it is the simple things in life that make us happy and sometimes we need to leave electronics out of the equation for happiness.

Once we see that our basic needs can be made with simple/basic items, we are able to broaden our ability to overcome problems in life. As history progressed, people have been able to develop tools like the wheel, an ax, a knife, levers, gears, motors, electric lights, computers and much more. As these items became more complex, we expanded our definition of happiness. Today the cell phone and internet are the keys to happiness for most people. It connects them to peers and links them to the world. Without a phone and/or the internet, people are helpless and become very anxious and depressed.

In the beginning of time, man and woman were happy with the creator and the creator’s creations. The world began with a simple couple that cared for all living creatures. They experienced a world with plenty and all of the couple’s needs were met. Not so bad, but soon other couples were included into the mix and envy caused people to realize they were not satisfied with what they had. People wanted bigger, more and better-looking possessions. As time went on, people desired what other people had and were not willing to work hard to achieve it. This caused conflict and soon people started taking and demanding what other people had. Some people moved away from favorable climates and resources to find happiness. The larger the group became, the more work people had to contribute to be