How to Start Living a Happier Life

Whenever you hear the word happiness, you associate it instantly with laughter, freedom, and desire. Resembling a state of utopia is something that anyone would want to have at the end of the day.  However, if you come to think of it, as simple as how it can be described, there is no perfect formula to chase it. Come and search online for the best financial models and you’ll get a hold of a list of the same in just a matter of clicks. On the other hand, surfing the web for happiness can only provide you with rough ideas–but all of which could not lead you to any precise results alone.

To achieve the utmost happiness, you need a rigid dedication to make things work in your life. You must accept to understand that where you are right now is not necessarily where you’re headed; still, you can conquer greater miles. With that said, here are five tips on how you can recalibrate your life and make it much happier than it has ever been before:

1. Identify the things that make you happy

The most important thing when discussing a context of any sort is definitions. Does cooking make you happy? Does setting new goals give you the rush and excitement to wake up every day? Aren’t you at your happiest at this point? What is your true purpose? These questions, among others, are the fundamental ideas that you must answer. After all, you cannot go to a location that you’ve never been to without a map or any other guide–it may be spontaneous, but there is no guarantee that you will enjoy the outcome of going out unprepared.

You must make an in-depth assessment of your current state. Specifically, pinpoint what your new goals are, along with the skills that you need to acquire to succeed in making those ambitions come into reality. All of which, no matter how feasible it is or not from your viewpoint, must be anchored at the endgame–it will be for the benefit of happiness on your end. 

2. Focus on self-growth

For once, you may have experienced doubting yourself and your capabilities. At a moment in time, you told yourself that you are limited at a certain point in doing something. Yet, by mustering the courage, you happened to debunk that assertion. You proved yourself wrong, that you can’t achieve anything as big as that. And that is where real happiness starts–the moment of realizing that there is so much in yourself that you still must discover. 

Hence, the importance of prioritizing growth. After pinpointing a specific knack that you want to be better at, you must start a mindset that fuels you to develop your capabilities for you to live the happy life that you have been yearning for. Despite how lackadaisical it sounds, track your improvements and learn how to celebrate them. Progress is never linear, so you must understand that relapses are normal–what matters more is that you never lose the will to get back on track and restart. 

3. Hone a positive mindset in life.

Life is never rainbows and butterflies. It is full of uncertainties and tough times which make us crave happiness. Hence, to make sure that you become successful in your pursuit of happiness, you must inculcate in your mind the essence of looking at the glass half full. Slowly, practice the value of gratitude for the things that you have–some do not have anything on their plate in the first place. You must prevent yourself from seeing the world through the lens of a cynic–people and the environment where you belong have goodness in them that they can share with you. You have to open your eyes to the possibility of such and appreciate it as it lasts. 

It must be differentiated, however, from toxic positivity. Still, remain critical and grounded in your moral foothold. Certain circumstances such as injustice and calamities cannot be rationalized as sources of positive energy. There are still things that are not up for debate; fortuitous sufferings are lurking around, still. 

4. Establish healthy relationships with people

Achieving a happier life entails being free from guilt or stress. Hence, building good networks with the people around you is a big step to achieve your ultimate goal. By giving your best shot to know them on a deeper level and understanding why they act a certain way, you can realize that there is goodness in each person–some just don’t put it on the facade for personal reasons. This can further improve the mindfulness of your emotions with others. Knowing that one’s mind is intricate, you may understand that being angry at them in upsetting situations is not the best option to choose–something that both of you will be thankful for later.

Practicing kindness is great if you want to be truly happy. On one end, they can realize that you intend no harm in engaging with them; and on another, you can feel a spark of pride and joy knowing that you can make a difference in someone else’s life. Thus, in an era where you are encouraged to go online, turn the switches off, and reconnect with others personally. 

5. Aim to attain a work-life balance

One of the probable reasons why you aspire to live happier is because you are already drained and exhausted now. May it either be caused by something that is within or beyond your control, you must remember to live life your way–it’s a key to making a well-lived journey in this world. By figuring out the common signs that you experience whenever you are at risk for burnout, you can be proactive on it the next time by using them as indications that you may need to take a pause. 

Before being a student, employee, or anyone else responsible for accomplishing tasks for your higher-ups, you are a child of your parents and you have once been a kid. Hence, learning to enjoy life by redirecting your energy away from work can help you recharge and garner the strength that you need to carry on.

These are only ideas, and not imperative rules, on how to live a happier life. You can find true joy by discovering something that is not mentioned above. There is no such thing as “one shoe fits all” kind of advice. However, if you put your welfare at the front and center in everything that you do, rest assured that you’ll never go the wrong way. And that is the real key to happiness–it must be following your will, not anyone else’s.