The end motive of human life is happiness. It is a common belief that you need to have luck on your side to lead a happy and content life. However, psychologists believe that happiness is a choice and each individual can choose to be happy regardless of anything else. Psychologist William James opines that it is quite possible to inculcate happiness if you change the way you approach your life.
1. Happiness and success
Most people believe that it is important to have a successful career, a lot of money, a luxury car, and a big house to be happy in life. In one way or another, it means that rich people are the happiest. If it were true, all those who have a big pile of money would be happy. You must be aware of so many people who have big piles of money yet not happy. They are incredibly successful in their professions but struggling in their personal lives. The truth is that you need to be happy if you wish to invite success in your life. Success makes you happy but that is only momentary happiness, which fades away with time.
2. Practice gratitude
Even when you face adversities of life, you have an option to make a choice. You can always choose to look at the world in a negative or positive light. Those who are out and out negative find it hard to cultivate happiness. If you are able to develop a broader perspective, it is not at all difficult to overcome the hardships of life. Nothing can keep you from achieving success in life when you have a positive attitude to strengthen your efforts. Practice gratitude and be kind to all others around you to boost up a positive attitude.
Kindness and gratitude boost up your happiness. Do not forget to be thankful for what you have in your life in an attempt to find happiness. If you pay close attention and analyze things, you would see that you have all you need to be happy all your life. Do not wait for perfect moments when everything is going to be all right. There are no miracles. Find happiness in everyday moments and hold them close to your heart, as happiness is a choice.
3. Nothing matters at the end of the day
It is not necessarily true that only those who have really blessed live a happy life. Nothing matters in the end. It is an irony that most people realize the fact when it is too late. Years later when you would look back at your life and start analyzing your success and failure, nothing would seem important. You always have an option to take your pick in life. Live an exemplary life that inspires even others. Nothing can be more painful than the regret that you did not follow your heart.
4. Be happy each passing moment
The food you eat, the books you read, and every single person you meet on a day-to-day basis, everything has to be a part of your happiness. It is important that you know that time goes by and it never comes back. Live each moment to the fullest. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. You are left with nothing but good and bad memories when it all ends. It’s all here and now.
5. Be your best friend
Happiness stems from within. It is good to take suggestions from all others around you but always listen to your inner self as it guides you the best. Those who avoid their inner voice always lead a life full of confusion and uncertainties. No one can be more trustworthy and reliable than your inner self.
6. Keep a smile on your face
Research says that those employees who keep a smile on their faces are more productive and contribute in the growth and development of the organizations. Those who believe that they can fake it must know that a fake smile leads them to the feelings of anger and withdrawal.
Smile, not because everything is fine but because it could have been worse. Successful people always cultivate happiness in almost everything. If you get rejected in an interview you always have an option to try harder next time instead of losing heart as it certainly is not the end of the world.
If you make up your mind to be happy, you can find happiness even in adversities of life. Life has beautiful surprises for all but those who live by the fact that happiness is a choice prove themselves worthy.
How to Overcome The Roadblocks to Happiness
The pursuit of happiness always takes you in the opposite direction. The more you try to be happy in your life, the harder it gets to attain happiness. Most people believe that you really cannot synthesize happiness, which is only partially true. You cannot control the uncontrollable but you sure can make efforts to get rid of the emotional barriers to happiness. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Give back to society
If you wonder what people get by giving a significant amount of their income to charities, then let us tell you that they get back happiness. Giving is something that allows you to receive much more than you have given. Try helping a person each day, not necessarily in monetary terms, and see how you will be taken care of by the universe. Even if you give a little, you get a lot of happiness in return.
2. Be grateful
It is a very simple thing that you should practice every day. Just be grateful for whatever you have received in your life. Look at people who do not even have what you have got. You will find yourself blessed. Be thankful for every little thing, whether it is a roof over your head or good food to eat. Gratitude can make you feel happy from inside.
3. Do one good thing for yourself daily
Not simply for others, but you should also do nice things for yourself. Whether it is about pampering yourself with premium products or cooking yourself a healthy meal, every small thing can add to your own happiness. Take out time for yourself and pursue your hobbies. Believe us, such little favors to self can prove to be healthy in terms of happiness.
4. Be kind to yourself
Most of the time, we are the root cause of our own feelings of unhappiness. This happens when we start criticizing ourselves for not reaching perfection or when we start comparing ourselves with others. However, to be happy, it is critical that you listen to your inner voice and love yourself before you love others. Do not talk to yourself in negative ways and forgive yourself for not reaching perfection. We are all imperfect in our skins.Thus, stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself that you love it as you are.
5. Work on maintaining your health
Happiness comes from a healthy body and a healthy mind. Thus, maintaining your health is highly essential. Start feeding your body some healthy foods and give it regular exercise. To make your health a priority, ensure not to skip meals or go on extreme diets. In addition, it is also important to take care of your mental health. Thus, practice meditation for a few minutes daily, do deep breathing, get yourself sunlight, listen to your favorite music, or simply go into the lap of nature to experience the divine energy.
6. Laugh each day
No money can make you happy. Thus, invest some time in small things that fetch you happiness. One necessary thing is to laugh every day. Even if you have to find a joke to laugh at, do it. Laughing can release the happiness hormone called oxytocin in your body that will uplift your mood.
7. Connect with happy people
Happiness induces happiness. Be around friends, colleagues,or family members who can make you happy. Try to eliminate toxic people from your life and do yourself a favor for life.
7. Know that you are attractive or intelligent
Most people are over-concerned with their looks. They feel that they are not attractive like most others around them or that they are not smart enough to make wise decisions in their lives. However, the truth is that beauty is not only the way you look but it has more to do with the way you carry yourself and treat others. Even those who believe that they are not smart must not forget that they cannot base their judgments on one single aspect of smartness. You are one beautiful creation of the universe who can work wonders. You only have to realize the power of your inner self.
8. Never give up
Even those who have terrible experiences in their lives must not give up or consider themselves unlucky. Life is strange. You may have to go through countless bad experiences to get that one moment that can change your life forever. Put in your best efforts since hard work always pays off. Successful people usually have a long series of mistakes and failures before they get success in life.
9. Don’t Be Afraid
To your amazement, most of your fears are usually baseless. They never turn into reality but can keep troubling you if you feed them. Fear of failure, fear of loneliness, and even fear of being alone, these fears are as powerful as you make them. Face your fears head-on, as they can keep you from leading a happy and successful life. Start taking measurable risks in life to get into action and to move forward on the path of success.
10. Know that life is worth all the efforts
Life is a beautiful gift of the universe. Find your passion in life and pursue that on a regular basis. Your passion can give direction to your life and make your life worth living. Make time to do things that you love doing the most and follow a fixed routine of work so that you can make the best use of every single minute. Passion is the energy that gives direction to your life.
Thoughts are truly powerful. Challenge your negative thoughts and turn them into positive ones as thoughts turn into actions and actions may eventually turn into a behavior.
It’s Easiest to Find Happiness in a Simple Life
Who says that you need to be special to live an extraordinary life or to make yourself memorable long after you are gone? It is more important to be ordinary and to let the real you come out to make a connection with all others around you.
With your ordinary self, you certainly can make a difference in your life and in the lives of many others. If you pay close attention, you would see that you appreciate those who are elegant but love and admire those who treat you nice and value you.
1. Ordinary life is much more valuable
Those who always stuff their dreams with worldly possessions and expensive gadgets forget the fact that simplicity is the real beauty of life. Everyday moments you spend with your loving family never come back. You may own luxury cars and shift to your big bungalow a few years later but the coziness of your small living room would still be much more valuable. Learn to enjoy simple moments in life. There is nothing better than sharing a laugh together with your loved ones. It is even more expensive than a world tour to some people.
2. Live each day to the fullest and be happy with you have
The habit of crib over everything takes you miles away from happiness. Do not forget that time never remains the same. You must value each moment you have and live life to the fullest. Do not compare or focus your attention on other people’s lives as it keeps you from appreciating what you have in yours. Wishing to change something would not make a difference but accepting what you have would certainly do that. All have their own demons to deal with; there is no one whose life is perfect. Remember, the more you compare your life with others, the harder it is to attain happiness.
3. Feel free to be happy
Those who keep waiting for a miracle or think that there is a perfect time and day when they could be happy usually hold themselves back. The real happiness stems from within you. Life is the biggest gift of the universe. Each day is a blessing with beautiful surprises for all. You must keep your options open and do not miss a single opportunity to keep yourself happy. Moments you spend talking to a lovely stranger on your way to the office or the way your dog expresses its love for you are priceless. Learn to find happiness in moments of everyday life as life is beyond every treasure.
4. Live a simple life
Most people keep almost no space for happiness in their lives. The Internet, TV, music and fashionable clothes seem important. You must not forget that there can be nothing much more valuable than your attention for your loved ones. Do not buy things that you do not need, as your actual needs are very less. Eat home-cooked food as that is much healthier than the food served in expensive restaurants. It is good to have new experiences in life but there is no match for a simple clutter-free life. Life seems trouble-free without needless worries and baggage of depressing thoughts.
5. Take it easy and enjoy everything you do
Develop a routine to get up a little early so that you can reach your office and finish half of your work even before lunch. It helps you relax and makes you able to enjoy everything you do in your daily life. Make time for yourself when you can relax and pay attention to your feelings.
Those people who learn the art of living do not look for big days in their lives as they are truly happy and content with they have. Make time for valuable things in life that help and minimize needless distractions of the modern world.
Decisions of Extremely Happy People And How To Choose To Be Happy
The 9 choices are:
1. Intention
Having the active desire and commitment to be happy and making the fully conscious decision to choose happiness over unhappiness;
2. Accountability
Assuming full responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and feelings and the emphatic refusal to blame others for your own unhappiness. Being happy is your choice and hold yourself accountable to that.
3. Identification
The ongoing process of looking deep within yourself to assess what makes you uniquely happy, apart from what you’re told by others should make you happy.
4. Centrality
The non-negotiable insistence on making that which creates happiness central to your life. Being happy needs to be your priority.
5. Recasting
The choice to convert problems into opportunities and challenges and to transform trauma into something meaningful, important and a source of emotional energy;
6. Options
The decision to approach life by creating multiple scenarios, to be open to new possibilities and to adopt a flexible approach to life’s journey is a key factor of being happy.
7. Appreciation
The choice to appreciate deeply your life and the people in it and to stay in the present by turning each experience into something precious;
8. Giving
The choice to share yourself with friends and community and to give to the world at large without expectation of a “return;”
9. Truthfulness
The choice to be honest with yourself and others in an accountable manner by not allowing social, corporate or family demands to violate your internal contract.
