We are on a never ending search to add and refine happiness in our everyday lives. Would you not agree?
In my life I see those who are prone to diving into negative things in many aspects of their lives. However, it is up to us to figure out how we approach those negative things. Being that we are creatures capable of thought, we have the ability to culture processes that can train our brain to keep positive and problem solve.
I made a list to try and help you reach your happiness goals:
Be Grateful.
Are you a grateful person that is thankful for the good things in your life no matter how big or small?
In modern society, it is rare to find people who are grateful for what they have gained so far. Our current environment is set up to drown us and keep us from evolving. Thus, we have to be smart about it.
I admit that I was not grateful enough in the past. Which is why I always complained about my problems at work, all the while I never realised the lessons and opportunities for me to learn how to problem solve and accomplish were right in front of me. Looking back I should be grateful for that moment. I realise now and feel grateful for how those opportunities brought me knowledge and new challenges. I then learned how I could prepare, understand and learn from these events. This has taught me to be better and think with more depth.
Needless to say, learning gratitude is very important to me and has taught me to be happier. The first step to being grateful is to recognise in advance the little things we should be thankful for. God put us on this earth for a reason!
We should all take the time to give thanks daily and keep our focus on being grateful. I know this is hard given we have a lot less free time these days! However, I believe it has the potential to make anybody happier.
“When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity.”
Elie Wiesel
“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”
Zig Ziglar
“Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality”
Jen Sincero
Know Who You Are.
Knowing ourselves is the key that will unlock how to fulfill our needs and bring us joy. I recently took a few personality tests at HumanMetrics.com. These tests required me to answer a series of questions about my preferences and how I view the world or myself. These tests can offer me a better understanding of who I am.
I’ve been writing examples in my life of my experiences each day. Keeping detailed notes about what happened no matter how small. I began doing this to help me go back and critically think about those events at a later time. I use these notes to evaluate my response to situations and help me act better the next time a similar situation arises. In order to accomplish this, I had to learn to be in better control of my emotions. We all know emotions are an important factor to our decision making process.
Consequently, I must monitor mine well to understand who I really am.
In his book The Powers: 12 Principles to Transform Your Life from Ordinary to Extraordinary Mark W. Erwin says, “Thinking for yourself also means that you take the time to carefully evaluate a situation and, if it seems reasonable, take a stand and eventually show that you can accept responsibility for your own decisions, good or bad”.
We can begin to learn about ourselves through our strengths and our weaknesses. Many times our strengths become our favourite things to do. On the other hand, when we find something challenging we focus our energies away from it. It is then up to us to decide if we want to work on our weaknesses to become a more well rounded person. I believe that balance brings us true joy.
Know What You Worth Is And Owning It.
You are the only person in control of your self worth. It is hard to make goals for the future until you know your self worth. Once you know who you are, you can plan around your strengths and weaknesses to achieve any goal you set your mind to.
Remember To Smile More.
You have the ability to smile and impact those around you.
Whenever I am in a bad mood and I am feeling anxious. I tend to take a moment and spend that time in prayer (every prayer is heard), to talk with my family and friends, or to watch my favorite comedies. I do all of these things to ensure I smile more as they bring me true happiness. Find more time to smile. Explore a new idea in your mind and leave some extra time in your day. Smiles are contagious. A smile on your face can improve your mood, extends good vibes, and brings us joy through our own growth.
“Your smile will give you a positive countenance that will make people feel comfortable around you”
Les Brown
Find Your Peace.
Take control of your morning and start your morning with positive vibes. The better you mindset going in, the better the output in the end. I’ve been listening to positive music, personal growth podcasts and reading inspirational books/articles each morning on my way to work and additionally before I fall asleep. I honestly believe that I found my peace by doing so. I accomplish this by bringing myself to look for the beauty and the goodness in my everything around me.
Consequently, start to build self-discipline! Feeding your mind with positive ideas. I personally take time to meditate for up to 30 minutes in the morning, to go for a walk and spend time in nature, and to write down what I aim to accomplish that day. I then review back to confirm I completed those goals while making a plan for my next day as well. Never stop pursuing your peace in everyday life. Focus with your energy on your goals, try your best, and most of all be true to who you are. Continue to be yourself and do not allow anyone else to stand in the way of your goals!
Freedom.
Do you allow events from your past to influence your present? let it go! Do not allow these things to live in your mind and steal the rest of your day. Do not diminish your future with your past, it’s dead and gone.
I’ve been trying to stop holding myself in the darkness of my past and focus on the next positive. Not only do I give my energy to today, but to my future, which is in my hands to be created. In consequence, I decided not to open the door for somebody to come into my life and steal my joy. I will not allow someone else to give me a negative influence. And once again and most importantly, I am the only person in charge of my future.
I was once told “You cannot worry about the past because that moment is not coming back to look for you, whatever you had the chance to do in the past won’t come back but you have this moment, you have this chance to do something great and best version of yourself”.
Therefore, if there is someone that did you wrong just let it go! They will ruin more of your life if you allow them to invade your mind. It will only affect the quality of your life in every other areas and stop your growth mindset.
Show your ego by being brave enough to let go. Find the courage to let go of what you cannot change.
Reducing unnecessary triggers that disrupt your day will release the heavy weight from your back. If we let it go, then start to create our best versions of ourselves and live life fully.
Rule Out Your Negative Bias.
Many of us have negative experiences and worry that they will be repeated again.
Our brain is the first line of defense that protects us before we do something that will harm ourselves. The tendency of our brains to focus on what could go wrong is known as negative bias. This negative bias is always looking for what might go wrong. It does this by always thinking about potential dangers. If we allow this to stay in our lives then we will not enjoy ourselves and will possibly cause depression and anxiety.
I had really bad moments in my past that hurt me. I have had people try to tear me down and those things stay in the back of my brain. To this day those insults suddenly appear to me from time to time. I’m trying to figure out what went wrong, because they usually remind me of my past. In doing this, I begin to worry about my future and all the things that could go wrong.
But I have to deal with that. I cannot allow my past hurt to negatively influence my future. Especially given that those things may never happen. I keep my positive thoughts in my negative bias, always give positive compliments to myself, and keep my emotions calm when I notice that I’m beginning to be negative. Therefore, continue to keep my focus on the future.
We must be aware of when we are being negative. By noticing this and attempting to control our brains with positive things, we can keep calm and feel good doing it. I do this because I believe feeling good triggers negative bias.
Embrace Positive Thought.
“Lots of people deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try to see positive things, to just touch those things and make the bloom?”
Thich Nhat Hanh
I have found myself feeling a bit lost recently and seeking greater meaning in my life. I have done a lot of soul searching in the past and I am still searching.
All of my efforts went toward fixing myself. I tried developing new skills, making new friends and studying new things. Don’t get me wrong, negatives thoughts have caused me to lose my focus once or twice. I felt alone, powerless, and had no control over anything in my life. I honestly really felt very vulnerable. However, I decided to try my best to fight all my negative thoughts and improve my self-confidence with positive thoughts. I told myself “you can do this”. I set greater goals for myself to accomplish. To gain a better understanding of my own self worth. To truly and honestly believe in myself and become my own best friend. When I achieve that I can become the best version of myself.
You cannot have a positive life with a negative thought. The power of positive thought can change your entire life. By changing one’s thoughts we can change our world. We are a product of our habits and mindset. If we have a negative attitude to start our days, most likely it will not be a good day. On the reverse, a good mindset will start our day off with the best chance to succeed and grow! Don’t let life get away from you, Don’t be afraid to chase after it!
Make sure to plan your day. If we know where we are going and chase it, we will always know where we need to go. And remember If we have no direction, we will end up at the destination.
“Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you”
Ralph Marston
You are not here to be like everyone around you. You are more than enough as you are.
Your dreams and your happiness are activated the moment you realize you’re worthy of achieving them.
Don’t forget to always say prayers during your journey!
“I find that if you begin with a prayer, you can think more clearly and make fewer mistakes”.
Sir John Marks Templeton
And I agree! I’ve proven it to myself.
Good Day !