Happiness

Nobody in this world can make you happy. It's on you. You have to create it for yourself. Waiting for your life to be perfect could become a lifelong journey. But finding joy in your life every day is pretty easy. Without any help from other human beings, you can make yourself feel happy, content, and fulfilled.

Think about it. Not only do you have the power within you to make yourself happy, that same power can be used to make yourself feel sad, angry, lonely and empty.  Think about the times where you have felt great versus the times that you've been down in the dumps. You talked BS to yourself and spiralled into a weepy mess. Your highs and lows are a result of your  thoughts and your internal noise. It has to do with your mindset about yourself, specifically the words you use and statements you make during self talk. Truth is, you would never say most of the mean things you say to yourself to anyone.

Next time you catch yourself feeling crappy and talking shit to yourself, stop and think about what you're saying. Focus right in on the words. we can be horribly mean to ourselves.

Happiness is a state of mind that relies on many factors but the key ones are your emotions, your mind set, and your physical state. People who enjoy lots of happiness know that they should not seek happiness from others. They've mastered the art of knowing how to simply reject the people and things that steal their joy. What that means is your journey to happiness is a solo trip.

Maximizing your joy may require a purge. You might have to let go or distance yourself from people in your life that bring you down. Spend less time with the joy-stealers and try to surround yourself with the people and the things that bring joy to your life.

Here's a few tips to help you build your own happiness.

1. Watch the movie, Happy! It will explain the science of happiness and introduce you to people who have found the secret and entire communities that have they've mastered the art of happiness. 

2. Exercise, eat well, and drink lots of water. This all about worshipping your body and loving yourself enough to take care of it. Exercise and nutrition are the keys to feeling good, having energy, and staying healthy. Walking, running and other aerobic forms of exercise stimulates endorphin production which help you to feel amazing.  There's scientific proof that exercise makes you feel happy. So get out there and speed walk, jog, run, hit a Zuma class, or dance around your home. Get moving!

3. Spend your spare time with happy people. This is about surrounding yourself with joy. Try to hang out with the people that you have the most fun with. The people that laughter comes easy with. Or, just try to find the humour in as much as you can. Think about your self as expensive and that your time is valuable. You won't always be in control of who you spend time with but when you can, be very picky. Protect your positivity.

4. Spend time with kids. Whether they are yours or someone else's, they have a knack for being real and making you notice the little joys in life. Kids have less hang ups than grown ups, making it easier for them to see the silly side to life. 

5. Take time to celebrate the little miracles in life. You know the times when you thought something wasn't going to work out, but then out of nowhere, a little surprise happened and everything went smoothly. Those are the moments to celebrate. Little miracles happen every day and when you take the time out to notice them, your faith builds up. Faith helps you to manifest a happy ending to all that you do. The more faith you have, the less time you have to worry.

6. Be grateful. Gratitude is about being thankful. Take out the time to show gratitude and acknowledge the things you are thankful for. Acknowledge the little miracles. Don't let the great things that are happening go unnoticed no matter how small. A good exercise to help you build gratitude can be done at the end of each day by taking a moment to write down or reflect on 3 things that happened that you are grateful for. Positivity is a mindset for which you must be intentional. Need more convincing? Check out happierhumans.com for the benefits of gratitude. You'll be convinced.

7. Listen to music. Whether you listen to old tunes that make you remember fun times from the past or new jams that make you get up and move, music has a way of setting a vibe, helping you forget your troubles. Sitting around feeling glum? Put some tunes on that make you jam, feel peaceful, or relaxed and watch how fast your feel better. 7 Undeniable Benefits of Listening To Music from huffingtonpost.ca tells why you need music in your life. 

8. Be in the moment by practicing mindfulness. Worship and feel the present moment you are in. Yesterday is a gift is the past, tomorrow is not yet yours, but the present is a gift that's yours to enjoy. The Mindful website defines mindfulness as "the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us."

9. Laugh as much and as loud as you can. Laughing uplifts your spirits. Watch a comedy show or read a funny book. Look for laughs online and watch funny videos of silly things that people do, bloopers, practical jokes etc. Check out Lifehack.org for 9 Suprising Benefits of Laughter You Need To Know. Can you believe that laughter increases your immunity?!

10. Stop taking life so seriously and don't be such a tight ass. Listen to Let it Go from the movie, Frozen! Actually, watch the whole movie! It could lift anyone's spirits. Read or listen to the Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz to learn how to get rid of the "self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering". Free yourself and your mind so you can enjoy life and get over your self.

11. Get to know yourself better and build up your emotional intelligence. Psychology Today defines "emotional intelligence as your ability to know how to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others". This about emotional awareness and knowing what emotions you are feeling and understanding your emotions, and knowing how those emotions play out and impact others. It's also about regulating your emotions and helping others to regulate theirs. Knowing how your react and the impact you have on others will help you to build up your relationships rather than break them down. 

12. Surround yourself with people who love you. It makes a big difference in your life if you surround yourself with people who appreciate and love you just as you are. They are usually the people that have your best interest at heart making the time spent with them joyful and inspiring.

13. Take a leap, you will most likely soar. You've been thinking about doing something, staring a blog, a trip, move to a different country, becoming an influencer, painter, etc. What are you waiting for? You have one life. Don't let it go by without doing the things you want to do. You deserve everything you want but it's not going to come to you. You are going to have to take the leap and have the faith and work ethic to make it happen. Now is the time to work towards that thing you've been thinking about doing for a long time.

14. Organize your life. Use a calendar to keep your appointments and events straight to avoid conflicts and make sure you're always prepared. This means organizing your space too. Make sure you have a spot for everything and it all goes in its respective spot. Clutter can chip away at your peace of mind.

15. Get rid of the crap. Get rid of the things you don't need. If you haven't used it in the last 6 months, you can easily buy it again if you ever need it, and it doesn't bring you joy, it's time to sell it, give it away or throw it away. Lifehack.org has some great tips for you in How To Organize Your Life: 10 Habits of Really Organized People.

16. Last but definitely not least, do what ever works for you!

Now get out there and be happy! 

TTFN

Wendy