What are you doing in your life to be happier?
No, wait. I’m going to ask you in another way.
What are you not doing in your life to be happier?
I hope that at this point you do not keep thinking that happiness depends on your circumstances, the luck you have had or how you were educated.
In fact, almost everything that has to do with happiness depends on the choices you will make in your life!
Today I want to cut to the chase. To specific practical choices, you can make to be happier in your life. Things that you can start doing as soon as you finish reading this post and they will help you achieve balance in your day to day and, little by little, feel happiness.
Simple moments of joy or happiness in which you are the one who cultivates your well-being without depending on others to make you feel better.
Here you have fourteen practical ideas to feel happier each day:
1. Work on a small goal every day.
What is your first thought in the morning? is it that you have nothing worthwhile waking up to? Are you a slave to a routine that doesn’t motivate you? Then set a small goal each day! Prioritize one achievable task you can do that day, it can be part of a bigger goal you already have or even small things you want to achieve that day: preparing a healthy breakfast, spending quiet time meditating, reading, watching a movie with your partner, playing half an hour with your son, be in a good mood in the morning, cook something delicious for your wife or husband, not only can this get you closer to bigger goals, but at the end of the day you will feel happy that you accomplished something.
2. Think of three things to be grateful for.
This you can do in the morning or at night.And again they do not have to be expensive or big things you have, or have achieved. Remember that authentic happiness also comes from simple things… In the people who love you and support you, the food you eat, the bed where you sleep, your health, that you have eyes to see, hands to feel and legs to dance … There are sooo many things to be grateful for that I am astonished how immensely fortunate people are and some are not able to appreciate all the good they have and only focus on what they lack.
3. Be true to your values.
You first have to find out which are these core values. And when you already know which are the three that matter the most to you, make sure that you live in balance with your core values. How? Each day focus on one of them and choose how you will behave to be true to that value. For example, in my case one of my first values is service to others, so every day I do something that will make me feel I am being true to this core value and help someone even if it is in a small way, when I help someone feel better or even make that person feel heard, it gives me immense joy.
4. Give yourself something to smile about.
It is about looking for moments that will make your heart smile and this really depends on what you choose to see and how you choose to see things, sometimes we need to learn to see the world with different eyes.
5. Pay close attention to how you speak.
For example, saying things like “I have to…” will make you feel like what you need to do is a burden on you. Observe how you talk to yourself internally and also out loud and if you give yourself messages that feed perfectionism or self-demand, work on changing these messages.
6. Do something that makes you feel scared.
Simple things that take you out of your comfort zone and make you uncomfortable. For example, a call that you know you have to do but that you postpone out of fear, talking to someone you think is attractive or even going to the movies alone. These small risks that make you feel scared are the ones that will bring you immense joy when you accomplish or even dare to do them.
7. Acknowledge how you feel.
Do you ever ask yourself how you feel? Do you do this at least one time a day? If you forget to do it, put an alarm and then ask yourself this important question. Describe it with one word: happy, sad, scared, excited, nostalgic… whatever you feel at that moment is perfectly fine, accept it. It is simply about learning how to feel without judging, or blaming or resisting it.
8. Every day do something to make someone happy
This is one of my core values. It has been shown that acts such as helping a stranger, giving advice to a friend, doing a selfless favor, being affectionate with someone who does not expect it, sending a message of encouragement, write a fun and loving note, making someone feel heard, giving a compliment, recognizing something positive a person did for you… every day make a person feel good by offering something without expecting anything in return, just for the simple pleasure of giving.
9. Give yourself a special moment every day.
This is very important! it does not have to be something over the top or expensive. It can be something that comes up or something that you actively look for, the key is that you know how to stop, recognize it and contemplate its beauty even if it just stopping the car and staring at the beautiful sunset, having coffee in a new place by yourself, sitting for a minute on a bench to observe everything around you, seeing old photos of your family, taking a bubble bath with candles and a wine, putting music and dancing by yourself, the possibilities are endless! It’s about giving yourself a moment of pleasure.
10. Plan something that makes you happy
Those dance lessons you have been wanting to take, that trip you have been wanting to do, what makes you happy? Think about it and then make the choice to do it!
11. Make a list of people who you have not seen in a long time and who would love to hear from you again.
Pick at least one and get in touch with this person, even better plan to go out for coffee or to eat, nowadays with so much technology there is no excuse for locating someone you haven’t talked with for a long time!
12. Forgive yourself for one thing per day.
Make sure every day you reflect on the importance of forgiving yourself, if you can’t do it to you, how do you expect to do it with others? That one thing that you have not achieved, a behavior you don’t feel proud about, that thing you said….
13. Every night, before going to bed, reflect on your three favorite moments of the day
A fun conversation you had with that special person, a great movie you saw, the amazing book you read, the amazing bubble bath you had, the delicious food you had for dinner…
You don’t have to start with all of these at the same time! it’s a much better idea to pick one or things and when you have been doing it for over two weeks, you can add a third (That my friend is how you create a habit!) Remember there is no magic method for being happier, but there are two important things to remember: make the effort to try and be happier, if something is not working, try something different; and sometimes it’s a matter of changing how we perceive the world around us, if we change the way we see things, we might feel different.
