{"id":54937,"date":"2018-02-01T19:28:14","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T03:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=54937"},"modified":"2018-02-05T19:22:29","modified_gmt":"2018-02-06T03:22:29","slug":"accelerate-your-happiness-with-these-14-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/accelerate-your-happiness-with-these-14-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Accelerate your Happiness with these 14\u00a0Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There\u2019s this underlying sentiment, subtly propagated through media that we first need to achieve something notable, to prove that we\u2019re ‘enough’ and happy.<\/p>\n

But the biggest breakthrough we could ever make in our lives is to cultivate the habits, which allow us to move deeper into embracing our present.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only then, that we\u2019ll be in a better position to experience great breakthroughs.<\/p>\n

1. Make Yourself Feel Good Every\u00a0Morning<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Your daily morning routine is the foundation for your life. If you start off each day by cultivating the mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional areas of your life you\u2019ll head into your day with a spring in your step.<\/p>\n

Whether you read, exercise, journal, meditate, take a cold shower, or else\u200a\u2014\u200aa sign that you\u2019re moving in the right direction is that you practice what puts you in peak mental and physical state each day.<\/p>\n

2. Mostly Eat Healthily<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Anyone can eat a couple of fruits and vegetables per day. Anyone can eat one protein-rich meal per day. Anyone can skip the soda and make sure they drink enough water.<\/p>\n

Eating healthy is not a pursuit of perfection, it\u2019s just about feeding your body more of what it needs, and less of what it doesn\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet, in a world where companies are spending billions of dollars on marketing processed foods, it\u2019s okay to slip up on occasion. But by feeding your body more nutritious foods most of the time, you\u2019ll down-regulate part of the lure processed foods have over you.<\/p>\n

3. Exercise\u00a0Daily<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Exercise isn\u2019t just about accelerating your physiques development; it\u2019s also a way to improve your physiology. Similarly to fine-tuning a car, your body needs the right intervention to operate at its best.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re exercising in some form every day (even if it\u2019s just taking a long walk), then you\u2019re also leveraging all the areas of your life closer to their full potential.<\/p>\n

4. Laugh Whenever You\u00a0Can<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Based on a whole library of research documented by Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage<\/em>, people who laugh often are happier, and likelier to achieve more in their lifetimes. As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times per day. As adults, that number got whittled down significantly.<\/p>\n

Humour is our primordial philosophy, but we only cultivate it through being mindful of the looking-glass we navigate our lives with.<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Love More of What You\u00a0Do<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Each day is precious, finite, and fleeting. Yet, because it is given to us freely, it\u2019s easy to forget that. It should be our aim to suck the marrow out of each day, quietly embellishing ourselves in its full possibilities.<\/p>\n

A day spent in drudgery is a day that hasn\u2019t been lived fully. While a day that\u2019s been experienced with an underlying sense of play can make the most seemingly ordinary days an adventure.<\/p>\n

In the myriad responsibilities of work and life, you can make the most out of your day by imbuing as much of what you do with a sense of love. And you can go further by cultivating your creativity through an art form each day.<\/p>\n

6. Communicate with Your Family and\u00a0Friends\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s so easy to let our social and familial lives slide down into a small corner of our lives in favor of our work lives. Because of our goals and \u201cresponsibilities\u201d we\u2019ve been taught that it\u2019s okay to focus on staying \u201cbusy\u201d.<\/p>\n

Yet, strong relationships have been shown in numerous studies, to be the strongest predictors of life satisfaction. When you express yourself with a couple of different friends every week, you give yourself the best chance of being happy.<\/p>\n

Life then doesn\u2019t seem like it\u2019s all about this solitary pursuit, but more like an experience, you\u2019re cultivating to the benefit of everyone around you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Based on the longest study<\/a> on happiness by a group of Harvard researchers, a major finding was that the quality of your relationships\u200a\u2014\u200adetermine the quality of your happiness<\/em>. According to positive psychology, that means you\u2019re likelier to move in the right direction in every other area of your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

7. Travel Somewhere Every\u00a0Year<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While life may partly be about the hustle, it\u2019s also about having a holistic life that makes you feel energized to be the best person you can be. Going away allows you to come back home renewed, ready to fire on all cylinders.<\/p>\n

Travelling is about much more than taking the time to have some fun and relax. It\u2019s about going on adventures that disconnect you from your existing culture\u200a\u2014\u200aso that you see yourself with a little more clarity.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about enriching your life, with unique, memorable experiences. If you\u2019re not able to travel abroad due to circumstances, even trips to different cities in your country can have the same sort of positive effect. A change in the environment creates a change in perspective.<\/p>\n

8. Realize That Everyone is your\u00a0Teacher<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Everyone you meet knows something you don\u2019t. Every person you come across is a potential teacher or mentor.<\/p>\n

Marcus Aurelius, the famous Roman Emperor, in his book, Meditations wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cthe span we live is small\u200a\u2014\u200asmall as the corner of the earth in which we live it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

To make your view of the world clearer, and life larger, you have to: be open, ask the right questions, and continually test out new ideas. <\/strong>You need to reach out to potential teachers, and look for the gems in what they share with you.<\/p>\n

9. Read Books that Broaden your\u00a0Horizon<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you realize that everyone is your teacher, you\u2019ll naturally gravitate to books. Reading them will shape and mold your character. They\u2019ll make you consider possibilities you would have never otherwise considered. And they\u2019ll allow you to lead a more intentional and aware life.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the most profound insights you have in your life will come through reading one sentence, one quote, in one book.<\/p>\n

10. Invest in\u00a0Yourself<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Countless people similar to you have made mistakes and often pass on their decades of experience\u200a\u2014\u200aso that you don\u2019t have to always learn things the hard way.<\/p>\n

Warren Buffett, the world renowned investor, once said:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to learn from your mistakes. But it\u2019s better to learn from other people\u2019s mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having the willingness to let go of your ego, by investing in yourself through education, will cut your learning curve. Just because you\u2019ve finished your degree doesn\u2019t mean your life education is over. In fact, it\u2019s always just getting started.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t invest in yourself, then who will?<\/p>\n

11. Reflect on the Direction you\u2019re\u00a0taking<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You only ever have so much energy to give, and every once in a while; you need to take a pit-stop to reflect. You can do this by writing a journal, or simply calling a friend or family member to reflect on your year so far.<\/p>\n

Your reflections will give you the clarity needed to act on hard truths\u200a\u2014\u200aso that you can make huge strides in your development.<\/p>\n

12. Save Money Every\u00a0Month<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you don\u2019t have money under control, you don\u2019t live as freely as you can\u200a\u2014\u200aand you\u2019re not preparing for the future. Brian Tracy, one of the most prominent self-improvement authors, in his book, the 21 Secrets of Millionaires<\/em>, wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t save money, the seeds of greatness aren\u2019t within you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Making a saving plan doesn\u2019t have to be complicated. You just need to calculate how much you automatically spend every month, and then set a monthly saving goal that you can easily commit to.<\/p>\n

13. Be Mindful of your Media Consumption<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Be the director\u200a\u2014\u200aby being mindful of the quality and quantity of information you allow to flow into your life. You decide whether you want to experience the better part of the thrills you seek, through a screen, or your life.<\/p>\n

With a flick of your fingers, you can get access to a whole variety of entertainment on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Based on a 2015 International Communications market report, the average person in America consumes an average of five hours of Television per day!<\/p>\n

Zig Ziglar, in his book, How to Stay Motivated<\/em>, mentions that the average Chairman of a board only consumes four to eight hours of television per week. Even if you\u2019re not chairman of a board, you can apply the same principle.<\/p>\n

14. Put Yourself out of your Comfort Zone Each\u00a0Day<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Stoics practiced a form of voluntary discomfort in their routines. They would take fasts on occasions, wear \u201cthe scantiest of fare\u201d, and sleep on the floor\u200a\u2014\u200ato absolve themselves of everything they feared from being taken away. Ryan Holiday, in his book, the Daily Stoic, mentions:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must fight our biases and preconceptions: because they are a liability.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Doing what may seem unfathomable to the average person, whether it\u2019s part of your routine or something that you muster up the courage for, will open you to up to a new dimension of gratitude and fulfillment.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re a creative and interested in learning how to upgrade the way you live your week, read my free guide<\/a> on Spiritual Productivity<\/em>.<\/p>\n