Happiness can be an elusive thing. Too many people are walking around in a constant state of discontent and don’t even know where to begin with happiness. We let days slip by into weeks and years without ever forcing ourselves to discover what truly makes us happy and going after it. Read over the following ways you can work toward a simple happiness that makes life worth living.
1. Practice honesty with everyone. Even little white lies can gnaw away at your conscience and erode your integrity. Be honest with others and true to yourself in order to alleviate the stress that comes with deception. You will have a lot more respect for yourself and relationships will improve exponentially.
2. Give selflessly of your time and resources. Helping others is one of the best ways to help yourself; few things in the world will give you a greater feeling than doing something for someone in need. Donate a few hours, extra outfits you may have in your closet or spare change in your pocket.
3. Treat yourself well. Wallowing in self-pity, being permissive with depression or allowing others to belittle you in any way will hold you down forever. Be appreciative of who you are and all that you have to offer and let nobody, including yourself, treat you any less than a loved and worthy human.
4. Find forgiveness for yourself. We all have skeletons in the closet and a long list of mistakes we wish we could do over; you are no different. Make a conscious effort to forgive yourself and work toward receiving the forgiveness of others by proving to them that your actions were truly in error and are regretted. Although we cannot erase our mistakes, we can make amends and rise above them.
5. Do at least one thing you love each day. No matter how busy or demanding your day is, find something along the way that makes it all worth while and gives you reason to smile. A quiet walk by a lake, your favorite CD on your iPod or visiting an old friend–what ever gives you enough pleasure to fuel your soul.
6. Count your blessings. You probably have more to be grateful for than you realize and counting the good things in your life can put it all in perspective. True happiness is found in the act of enjoying living itself, not in the material things you can surround yourself with.
7. Don’t force happiness or pretend it. If you are chronically unhappy or find yourself forcing too many smiles, learn why. Therapy, soul-searching or writing a daily journal are all ways you can help yourself discover the root of your discontent. Until you know why happiness is eluding you, your efforts at achieving it will be in vain.
Becoming a happier person requires a certain combination of elements that only you really know. If you have yet to discover these elements, make it an important goal to learn what they are, and if you do know what makes you happy, consider yourself lucky and try to teach someone else how to realize that magic!
