Henry David Thoreau once said that
“happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”
I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, but no harm in trying, right? Maybe turning our attention to another direction IS the way to learn how to become happier with our lives, ourselves. Or, maybe, as psychologists these days say, the answer is in our choices: we can CHOOSE to be happy and be happy.
Happiness is defined by the Oxford dictionary as the state of being happy. Okay, so what does “happy” mean then? According to the same dictionary, happy is:
- ’Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment’
- ‘Having a sense of trust and confidence’
- ‘Satisfied with the quality or standard of’
- ‘Willing to do something’
- ‘Fortunate and convenient’
So, the question I’m thinking to ask you, right now, is: “Is this you?” Well, it can be!
How To Become Happier
They say “money can buy everything”. Even happiness? I wonder….
When thinking about how to become happier or the ways in which you can achieve happiness or just simply be happy, I learned that it’s much more important to experience different things, moments, adventures than rather buy things that make you feel happy just for a short period.
Therefore, I have come up with a list of reasons why buying experiences, investing in yourself, in things of value, moments, events, people, rather than actually buying things just for the moment, is the way to becoming happier.
#1. Be at peace with yourself
How can you be really happy if you are internally arguing with yourself? Lay out your problems and seek solutions. This will provide you with a different way of thinking. An open and clear mind changes the way you see the world and positivity are keys to embracing happiness.
#2. Do some soul searching
How would you describe yourself? Which attributes do you consider crucial to the foundations of your identity? Soul searching is something you can do in your everyday life. Discover what parts of your day you enjoy and what parts you wish to eliminate. By doing this will be able to determine your ideal solution and find a way to attain it.
#3. Surround yourself with people who make you happy
The number one rule when it comes to how to become happier is eliminating negativity. If you surround yourself with negative people, it inevitably has a knock-on effect and influences the way you feel and act. It is extremely difficult to find the good in something when other people are placing a negative opinion on the topic. Equally as important, there are many people that can inspire you to be happy in your daily life.
If you admire the way someone lives, you are more determined than ever to achieve happiness in your own way. This is perhaps the hardest step in attaining happiness as many are blinded by those people that have a negative influence on them until they sit back and take the time to determine who is good to be around and who is bringing you down.
#4. Travel wherever you want to go
Travelling is one of my favourite parts of life. Go somewhere you can only imagine in your wildest dreams. Whilst this isn’t always practical, sometimes the benefits outweigh the negatives so, whether it means spending money or travelling a distance, a week away will leave you feeling refreshed and content and, most of all, ready to take on the world.
#5. Remember to sit back and get a reality check
Don’t get too tied up life. Sometimes, our careers and the dramas of everyday life take the focus away from YOU. You are your most important person although it may not feel like this at times. Realigning your focus to look after yourself and take time out is life changing. Sometimes you just need to see things from a different perspective and although this may appear strange, too often do you see things through the eyes of others.
#6. Do something spontaneous
Ask yourself what do you really want to do in life. I’m not talking about having the perfect career or having your dream home but instead, something out of the ordinary. What have you always wanted to do that you have never thought possible? Writing a bucket list is your first step in doing this. Ticking the things off your bucket list is your way of achieving it.
#7. Have a job that you love
Everyone knows that one too many people are stuck in a job that they hate. Jobs can be stressful and quite often taken up the majority of your time, especially when you bring it home. You are wasting time being on a job that isn’t for you and, whilst I know it is not always practical and more often easier said than done, finding a career that you adore will change you. Just look how many people have given up their office jobs in exchange for a desert island and freedom.
#8. Spend your money wisely
Whilst we would all like an endless pot of money to help us achieve these goals, it realistically will never happen. Now by no means am I saying that money is happiness because that is not the case, however, financial worries are without a doubt, one of the key contributors to what is impacting your chance of happiness.
#9. Be real, don’t kid yourself
Be realistic, however, never too realistic when thinking how to become happier. Whilst I have talked about travelling and changing careers, these are all acts that you really can do. Do not live in an illusion whereby you can create in your mind what you believe to be happiness, however, know you will never have the ability to make it happen.
Give yourself a few home truths. While this may appear harsh and brutal to begin with, laying out your problems and discontent is your first step in finding a way to eliminate them.
#10. Allow yourself to dream
Dreaming is one thing that no one can ever take from you. Whether you are super ambitious or quite simply a person in love with an idea, dreaming fills anyone with comfort. This is one of the things in life that you can hold onto without others influence it. So, continue dreaming.
People experience happiness in many different ways and each one is different from the other. It is up to you to decide on your perfect definition of happiness and how to become happier and lay out what you can actually achieve. I have listed ten very broad reasons however, there are much more. Take them as you please. To the most of you remember: no one can choose what happiness is to you and how to become happier as a person. It’s about YOU and only YOU to do something for yourself.
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Source and feature image: pixabay.com
