Learning the happiness habit – The same way someone can choose to be a miserable sort of person, you can choose to create the habit of being happy. There are techniques and tools you can use in your life to maintain your happiness.
Use gratitude as a way to offset the feeling of lack. It’s so easy to focus on what we don’t have under the guise of setting goals, but we mustn’t forget to remember to be grateful for all that is already present.
Be present in the moment – (it’s a personal battle, but we’re in this together) I have spent much of my life dwelling on the past or dreaming of a better future. But I’m learning the value of being mindful.
Take a moment to realize that where you are right now; this moment will never come your way again. Do you realize how important and powerful this is? You won’t ever get this moment back again. Once you take on the practice of being in the moment and recognizing that you will never have it back again, you will begin to feel happy for what is in the moment.
Every once in a while, stop and be present to what is right in front of you and recognize it as a moment in time.
Set goals that are small and achieve them. Once you truly understand that creating building blocks of smaller goals to reach a bigger goal will make you feel fulfilled and accomplished you can even begin to take steps outside your comfort zone. This will help you to begin to build confidence.
Be giving – (maybe the key point – hey, I never said they were in order!) Get out of your head for just a little while and give your “feel bad” vibes a rest. Go help someone else. Giving back has enormous benefits to the person receiving the help, but even bigger results for you. The hormones and “feel good” vibes released while giving back can lift you out of a sour mood in no time. This is also spoken of frequently in wisdom literature.
Learn how to receive – If you are like most people, you have a hard time receiving help or even asking for it in the first place. Ask for help, learn how to gracefully receive. There’s nothing wrong with receiving love, help or just a listening ear when you need it. Make receiving a habit.
Volunteer – There are plenty of organizations needing help. You can choose to volunteer in any number of ways. No matter the scale, big or small, there are plenty of open arms waiting for your contribution.
Have new experiences that you’ve never had before. As I mentioned in the last post, many people are under the misguided idea that happiness comes in the form of “things”; a new home, new car of some toy or gadget. Studies are now proving otherwise. Happiness comes from experiences, not things. So, go out and try something new. Of course, you don’t have to jump out of a plane (and certainly not if you’re the pilot!), but you can take on a new kind of restaurant, a craft, a sport; something that is a bit more adventurous than what you have always done.
I hope this was helpful.
Have you tried anything new recently? Let me know!
Till we chat again,
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