There are many personalities hanging out inside of you. They come out when you need them or when you want them. One of them is your inner persuader.

The inner persuader comes out when you need to rationalize something and you are not sure of the consequences. It helps you get rid of your doubts and justifies your actions by providing reasons made up by you that fit perfectly into the situation.

For instance, if you are a smoker and you know you would feel better as a non-smoker but you are scared to quit then your inner persuader may come out and say something like "One more smoke won't kill me!" or "I may die tomorrow anywase so why not do something I love!". Of course these rationalizations are just your inner persuader trying to get you to avoid facing a challenge, and the result is that you don't get to enjoy a healthy life without cigarettes.

Your inner persuader may also show up when you have no concrete explanation for something and usually it leans towards the negative side of things, such as saying "He must be mad at me because he didn't respond to my question. I should try harder to please him." In fact, he may just be in la-la land and didn't hear you when you were talking, but your inner persuader makes up its own loony explanation that you abide by.

Another period when your inner persuader may show up is when you are looking for happiness or satisfaction that you just can't find. It may tell you that you will finally be happy with yourself when you lose another 5 pounds, or it may tell you that you are not going to be happy until you find someone to share your life with. This inner persuader may be hindering your happiness for a long time to come.

The truth is that if you are not happy with what you have now then you probably wouldn't be happy with what you have later. Happiness is a state of mind. It's not something that is brought about because of something coming into your life - no matter how much you try to persuade yourself into believing that happiness is only 'that' far away.

The inner persuader may also be good for your happiness! It can persuade you into asking that guy or girl out on a date. It can persuade you into going for that job opportunity that you want. It can persuade you to reach for your goals and take a chance in life.

The trick to being happy is to avoid or ignore the inner persuader that tells you that you can't do something or stops you from going after something that you want. The more you realize that this negative persuasion is standing in the way of your happiness the more you will be able to stand up to it.