You can listen to the audio version of this article.
Achieving happiness is everyone’s dream. Finding satisfaction with life, both past, present, and future can be tricky but it is possible. It is even easier than you may think.
Happiness can be defined in a variety of ways and the key to finding happiness in life is to define what makes you happy and what you want to achieve. Then, you can start working towards your goals.
However, there are numerous ways to find happiness along the way – for life is about the journey and not just about reaching a final destination.
Here are six steps for achieving a great level of happiness while also reaching a higher level of satisfaction with everything in life, including your job, personal life, and family time.
Surround yourself with positivity
Choosing who you want to surround yourself with is vital to your own happiness. If you surround yourself with a lot of negativity then you will eventually be pulled into those same behaviours or complaining sessions, without even realising it.
According to Dr Mike Brooks, a psychologist in Austin, Texas, when you take a close assessment of the closest five people in your life, you will want to pay close attention to how they make you feel. If they are negative or simply not an overall positive influence on your life, then you may want to reconsider how much time you are spending with them.
Keep your values
Never, ever, ever compromise your values. Your values are part of what makes you who you are. Don’t compromise them for any person or any job. These are important to hold onto as they define your character. The more that you hold onto your values, along with the more that you actually honour them at the same time, then the happier you will be overall.
3. Express goodness
When you begin manifesting what you want in life, then it will start to happen. Do you want that dream job? Of course, you have to work to get it but the first step is to express what you actually want. This can include anything from having positive thoughts about what you want in the future, to planning your dream house, to having a clear vision of what you want to happen with your life.
Do what you love
It is also important to do the activities that you love. These will make you happier overall. If you love running, then make sure that you squeeze in a run every single day. It might not be as long as you want if you are short on time, but you will feel immensely happier if you make the effort to do something instead of nothing.
- Recognise your purpose. Finding your purpose in life is essential to your overall happiness and attaining greater satisfaction in life. This can be something as simple as helping others every day or something as complicated as changing careers in order to make a difference here on earth. It is fulfilling once you find your purpose and what you can do in order to help others, help the planet, or to be a part of something bigger than you.
- Don’t be scared of change. Most people don’t change their internal belief systems or negative thought patterns simply because they are scared of change. Once you recognise this and are able to make these changes, then you will find that change isn’t always so scary. You can then make changes more comfortable by leaning into it instead of away from it.
- Make a list of what you really enjoy doing. If your list is too general, identify the where, what, when, why, and how to identify the specific parts of what exactly you enjoy doing and why. Your list may be a combination of hobbies, likes, loves, and interests.
Practise every day
With these simple steps, you will find yourself on the right track from changing your thought patterns and anything holding you back from achieving the highest levels of happiness. Be sure to enjoy the simplest pleasures that life offers you on a daily basis.
What makes you happy in the present moment will further surpass what you think will make you happy in the future. If you spend more time enjoying the present moment, then you will spend less time fretting over the past or worrying about the future.
Takeaway
Visualising what you want to happen is a great way to ensure that it will happen. If you continuously think about what you want to happen, then you’ll express the possibilities. Then, once it is within sight, you can grasp onto it and find the joy that you are seeking today.
Dennis Relojo-Howell is the founder of Psychreg.