How we achieve happiness can be different for each one of us. Our passions, expectations, life experiences, and even our personalities all contribute to the level of happiness we experience in our lives. Some find happiness in their careers while others prefer the bliss found in their marriages or other intimate relationship.
No matter how you define happiness for yourself, there are certain universal and time-proven strategies to bring, and sustain, more happiness into your life. The following 14 ways to live a happy life can be adapted and even customized to fit your needs. Over time, these strategies will become positive and life-changing habits that will begin to bring more happiness, joy and peace into your life.
1. Notice What’s Right
Some of us see the glass as being half-full, while others see the glass as half-empty. The next time you are caught in traffic, begin thinking how nice it is to have a few moments to reflect on the day, focus on a problem you have been trying to solve, or brainstorm on your next big idea. The next time you get in the slow line at the grocery store, take the opportunity to pick up a tabloid magazine and do some “guilty pleasure” reading. Take all that life throws out you and reframe it with what’s right about the situation. At the end of the day, you will more content, at peace and happy. Take the time to begin to notice what’s right and see the world change in front of your eyes.
2. Be Grateful
How many times do you say the words “thank you,” in a day? How many times do you hear these same words? If you are doing the first thing, saying the “thank yous,” the latter will naturally happen. Learn to be grateful and you will be open to receive an abundance of joy and happiness.
3. Remember the Kid You Were
Do you remember how to play? I’m not referring to playing a round of golf or a set of tennis. I’m talking about playing like you did when you were a child – a game of tag; leap frog, or street baseball when the bat is a broken broom handle and the bases are the parked cars. One way to find or maintain your happiness is to remember the kid you were and play!
4. Be Kind
There is no question that by merely watching acts of kindness creates a significant elevation in our moods and increases the desire for us to perform good deeds as well. Kindness is indeed contagious and when we make a commitment to be kind to ourselves and to others we can experience new heights of joy, happiness and enthusiasm for our lives.
5. Spend Time with Your Friends
Although an abundant social and romantic life does not itself guarantee joy, it does have a huge impact on our happiness. Learn to spend time with your friends and make the friendships a priority in your life.
6. Savor Every Moment
To be in the moment is to live in the moment. Too often we are thinking ahead or looking ahead to the next event or circumstance in our lives, not appreciating the “here and now.” When we savor every moment, we are savoring the happiness in our lives.
7. Rest
There are times when we need the time to unwind, decompress, or to put it simply, just “to chill.” Life comes at all of us hard and fast. Time, as do the days on the calendar, keeps going forward at its own natural pace, which is not always the pace we would choose. Fatigue, stress and exhaustion may begin to settle in on us faster than we may think, or notice. The best remedy for this is indeed rest.
8. Move!
The expression a “runner’s high” does not infer an addiction, but a feeling or a state of mind – a state of euphoria. There is no question exercise, or any physical exertion, elevates your mood and enhances a more positive attitude as well as fosters better personal self-esteem and confidence. Indeed, one way to increase your happiness is to move!
9. Put on a Happy Face
Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it. I’m not suggesting that we not be honest, real or authentic, but I’m suggesting, sometimes, we just need to put on a happy face and keep moving forward. Researchers claim that smiling and looking like we are happy will indeed make us happier. Studies further show that if we act like we are happy then we can experience greater joy and happiness in our lives.
10. Pursue Your Goals
The absence of goals in our lives, or more specifically avoiding to pursue our goals, makes us feel like we are stuck and ineffective. The pursuit of goals in our personal lives, in our relationships, or with our careers, is the difference between having a mediocre life or a life full of passion and enthusiasm. pursue your goals and watch your happiness soar.
11. Finding Your Calling
Some find meaning in religion or spirituality while others find purpose in their work or relationships. Finding your calling may be much more than accomplishing one simple strategy for increasing your happiness, but having a sense of purpose – of feeling like you are here for a reason – can perhaps bring the greatest joy of all
12. Get into the Flow
Flow is the form of joy, excitement and happiness that occurs when we are so absorbed in an activity we love that we can loose ourselves and time seems to stand still. What creates flow is unique to each one of us. To find and sustain true happiness in our lives, we must get off the sidelines and get into the flow.
13. Play to Your Strengths
One way to achieve flow is by understanding and identifying our strengths and core values, and then begin to use these every day. Once we aware of our strengths and we begin to play to your strengths we can better incorporate them in all aspects of our lives.
14. Don’t Overdo It
Know when to say when. What gives you joy and happiness the first time may not work the second time. Too much of a good thing may begin not to feel as good if the “thing” becomes more of a routine, or an expectation. Set healthy and reasonable boundaries for yourself and don’t overdo it.
This guest article was written by Alex Blackwell. Alex writes about how to improve relationships, sustain happiness and create lasting success at his blog The Next 45 Years. If you liked this article, you may also enjoy 7 Practical Personal Development Strategies.
Images by Puja, Riza and Naddsy.
Truly amazing post. Thank you so much for the profound 14 tips….
Alex– this is a WONDERFUL list and guide by which to live your life. Well done guys!
Todd
I put all ways into one. God is one and God is all.—Doug
Great post Alex, we can never be reminded enough.
In love, light and abundance x x x
Alex, this is a great article as usual. I especially liked your point about being in the flow.
I agree, as you say, that “How we achieve happiness can be different for each one of us.”
I will add that the path to a meaningful existence looks different for each of us but the way of finding that path is the same: It is self-awareness.
Thanks for the post…
This is a really great post.
I love what you say about being grateful. A gentleman I interviewed a few months back named Charlie “Tremendous” Jones told me the following:
“If you’re not grateful for what you have today, what makes you think you’ll be any more grateful when you have more?”
I love that quote. Good stuff, good post.
Thanks and take care.
MrAchievement
Stanley Bronstein
Attorney, CPA, Author, Blogger & Professional Motivational Speaker
Ahhh the secret to a stress free life filled with love and happiness, consideration for others and the patience to wait for our destiny to be fulfilled. Sounds like utopia.
I dream of it every night!
Seriously so true, living a happy life is important not only for health but for who you are. Nicely done:D
I especially like #3 (remember the kid you were).
Inside each of us there is a good person who simply wants to be happy. Remembering those moments when you experienced that as a child, is a good way to reconnect to that simplicity and goodness within you.
There is power in the simple
“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.” – James Branch Cabell
to add onto #1 and #2 — my little trick for when there’s an accident that is causing terrible bumper to bumper traffic (very common in the washington dc area), instead of getting road rage, i think about how grateful i am that it was not ME in the car wreck. and then i say a little prayer for whoever IS in the car wreck. that little change in attitude helps me realize what’s important.
No. 4 is the main one I think, if more people followed that we’d all be a lot better off. Not just by being kind but by actively looking for ways to make the world a better place and then getting up and actually doing them.
i’ll take care of the dose of pessimism:
all these are self-evident.
1. be kind to others
2. be kind to yourself
3. enjoy
just like every one of the other “guides to a happy life” i’ve seen. sorry to rain on the parade. guess i’ve broken rule #1
Alex
You are correct that these are self-evident and “just like every one of the other ‘guides to a happy life’”. But that’s the exact reason they are “timeless” and not innovative. There is always room for a reminder, lest we forget such basic and self-evident truths.
Those were my thoughts too Seth. Did I learn anything new from this post? No. Did it put a big smile on my face? You betcha.
Eye opening ideas. I really wonder how you get such nice ideas. I appreciate it and request you to further enlighten us with themes.
Regards..
Great article, perfect timing ..
Thanks a lot ..
The best part of timeless wisdom is that it will always ring true.
I found myself once again feeling good as I read these truisms.
As someone who has recently stepped up my physical exercise and focus on health I seem to have locked on to this one more at this point in my life. But the others are just as true.
A great time to see this information again.
Thank you.
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These is the most simplest and the most effective ways to bring happiness in your life.
Personally I feel having a goal in your life is of utmost imoportance to achieve happiness,and also when you have some inspiration for that at goal ,someone or somethig that you really look forward to ,makes it that much sweeter!
thanks 4 d lovely article……………
really ifelt better
thank u ….i’ll try to have a smile:)
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Good article. It is sometimes hard to be happy when we have all the stress in life coming down on us. I like that you mention to think like a kid. Sometimes we just have to stop and smell the roses
Truely great article.everybody can applay in there life and can feel the happiness
Thanks keep up your good work of enriching other’s life.
True advise. I feel happier already. God bless.
Thanks, Life is hard, i long for simply and happy times
this really helped me, and hopefully it’ll open my eyes in the future. thanks man
I’ll probably be reading through this weekly, and reminding myself on how to keep myself happy.
after i read those steps i realized that all i need is to follow them one by one but the problem is that i don’t no how to start but i have the will to start working on these steps but i would like to know how am i going to be able to confuse my parents that i want to move. I am from Lebanon and i am a Muslim how are my parents going to accept this i find it so hard to start . Every step is true . Anyway after i read it the best part that i liked is when we have to (Savor Every Moment ) and thats what i think that every person should do . I want to thanks for every one who helped in writing these steps THANK YOU.