"Happiness is inside of you, and you can achieve it anytime you like, no matter the outside circumstances."
How many times have you heard this phrase? Although it sounds completely legitimate, it seems unachievable, at least to you. Most of us are like this. We take pride in making philosophical and deeply inspired conversations about happiness and things in life that truly matter, yet when it comes to our own lives, we can hardly reach this state of mind without that job promotion, new love interest or a dream vacation. However, if we take a more systematic approach towards happiness and consider it as an everyday process that includes certain actions, in time we would be able to reach happier and more positive state of mind faster and without external factors. Here are the steps you can take starting today to bring more happiness in your life.
Start from Acceptance
The first step towards achieving any change in behaviour or in any situation we are not happy with is to accept it. When it comes to personal happiness, we are often striving to become someone or to have something else that we tend to neglect ourselves and to completely ignore and disregard who we are. Maybe at this moment you are not your best version and you don’t possess certain things or qualities, yet if you don’t accept yourself now, you won’t be able to find happiness even when you reach all of your goals. Take a good and honest look at yourself, appreciate what is great about you and make peace with your weaknesses. This way you are starting from love rather than judgement or denial.
Foster Gratitude
Happiness largely depends on how meaningful we think our lives are, therefore make sure to generate genuine meaning and appreciation every day. Even though it can sometimes seem like you are in a rut and can find no silver lining to your life circumstances, you are actually blessed each day with so many amazing things, people and opportunities that you regularly take for granted. Set aside a couple of minutes each day to count your blessings either in your mind or if you are a more visual type of person, write down a list of things you are grateful for. Gratitude for even the most essential things inspires appreciation and meaning that increase happiness.
Pamper Yourself
Instead of always trying to make people around you happy, shift to catering to your own needs first. Treat yourself to a nice massage, hot bath, nice movie or a beauty session at a local cosmetic centre every once in a while. This is not to be aimed at changing yourself into being happier, but as a way of showing love for yourself. As you are doing small acts of kindness to your body and soul, your inner being will flourish with contentment and delight that will reflect on all aspect of your life.
Calm Your Mind
One of the greatest challenges of the modern world is the noise in our mind created by hectic lifestyles. It is close to impossible to connect to our inner self when our mind is buzzing with thousands of thoughts, most of which are self-limiting. Meditation is one of the most recommended tools for achieving happiness as it stops the momentum of thoughts and lets us hear our deepest inner desires and provides a more calm and hopeful mindset. Create your own spiritual practice that can include either guided meditations or your own rituals that can take you from never-ending bustling to a serene and more optimistic perspective.
Show Love
Happy is as happy does. By creating a positive atmosphere around you, you are creating a happy momentum for yourself as well. Smile, make someone smile, do small acts of kindness every day without expecting anything in return and watch how your life transforms into a safe, positive and loving space. Forgive others for their wrongdoings and choose kindness and understanding in relation to others. Be the reason of someone’s smile as by making someone else feel better you are creating a chain of positive emotion that must come back to you.
Surround Yourself with Uplifting People
Now that you are aware that no external factor can determine your happiness, it is important to mention that having a great support system cannot hurt. On the contrary, surrounding yourself with people who see and inspire the best in you can only help your wellbeing. Negative and close-minded people should not affect your peace of mind, yet you should not tolerate this kind of energy around you. Loving and caring for yourself means ending destructive relationships and finding a group of optimistic and motivating like-minded people that inspire the best in you.
About Rebecca Brown
Rebecca is a traveler and an interpreter, with a mission to see every country on the planet. and experience the best of life. And while she has spent years always looking for "the next big thing" that would finally make her happy, she has recently come to realize happiness does not live outside her. Today, she is focused on provoking smiles and stressing less, a feat she is yet to master.