We are all in pursuit of happiness aren’t we? Whether we openly admit it or not. In the Western world we have become very good at putting our “happy face” on as we leave the house each morning. Furthermore, the topic of happiness is a complex one with many variables influencing it. From acquiring monetary wealth to learning to meditate, a lot has been said about what happiness is and isn’t. Here are a few tips to help you take one step closer to finding happiness.
What Happiness Isn’t
Lasting happiness doesn’t come from material possessions or anything we buy. I’m sure we’ll all had that euphoric feeling of buying something new, from a chocolate bar, to a new outfit, to a new car. We might feel an immediate sense of pleasure from going on a shopping spree, hence the term retail therapy, but once the newness of what we have bought has worn off, our mood will return to its former state.
Happiness also does not come from comparing ourselves to others. It is easy to look at someone else’s life and think “they have it all”, or “they must be so happy because they have …etc”. But when we look at other’s people lives like this we are looking from the outside in. This is one of the biggest problems with social media. We only see a glimpse of someone’s else life and based on that one little glimpse, we make the assumption, that they have it all. This is not necessarily the case.
Happiness is found when you stop comparing yourself to other people.
What Happiness Is
Helping others, doing good in some way and having a general sense of connectedness to others has been shown to improve mental health and is positively correlated with happiness. Serving others and having a genuine desire to do good, as opposed to focusing only on oneself for personal gain, is known to increase happiness. Finding meaning and purpose in what we do with our lives can also increase happiness.
Meditation (along with other forms of relaxation) helps us to focus on the present moment. Meditation helps to quiet the chattering “monkey mind”. Meditation also helps to improve that connection between mind, body and soul.
Look back but don’t stare. Don’t get hooked on the past, it can not be changed, forgive others, but most of all forgive yourself. Allow yourself time to grieve if necessary, but otherwise take steps to move on. Learn from your mistakes if you made any.
Practice an attitude of gratitude (as in a previous article I wrote). Developing an optimistic style of thinking or being a “half glass full” kind of person will stand you in good stead during tough times. When you can be genuinely grateful for something real in your life, this will be very powerful towards your overall level of happiness.
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. Marcus Aurelius