I don’t recall most of my early twenties. Most likely because I never took time to slow down and thought about how to live a happy life.
Perhaps you can relate. Most of us live a life on autopilot; a few “wake up” soon enough to pause, reflect and really be in the present.
Too often we take life for granted, delaying our passions and dreams to a “tomorrow” that’s never guaranteed.
The good thing about how to live a happy life is, it’s never too late to take charge.
And it doesn’t have to be a large lifestyle change or uprooting your whole belief system.
It's actually in the little habits and the small things that we do every single day...
We keep getting told that to live a happy life is to sip margaritas on the beach or buy whatever we want or go away on endless vacation...
The reality? Far from it.
Happiness comes from appreciating what’s in front of us. Happiness aren’t necessarily achieved through 'having' more, but rather through expressing gratitude for what we already have.
It’s hard to feel gratitude when you’re going through a tough time, but the truth is no matter how tough life may seem, there is always at least one thing that we could be grateful for...
As you begin to express gratitude for the little things and the big things in your life — your family, your friends, the roof over your head, the internet you’re tapping into to read this — suddenly we start to see the world in new light.
The funny thing is, comfort zones aren’t about comfort, they’re actually the old patterns and hidden fears that can keep us stuck.
If we say we want to live a happy life, we have to be willing to take risks, to grow, to challenge ourselves.
And although it can seem scary, you don’t have to jump out of a plane or travel the world. Start small; do things as little as trying a new restaurant, taking a different commute to work, or even getting a new haircut. Identify your fears. Make small changes on a day-to-day basis.
It's not about banishing your fears or busting your limits overnight - it's about consistent action that help you grow a little more every single day.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Ghandi
The best entrepreneurs don’t know everything. The most successful people are voracious readers. The best coaches are always learning, upgrading their skills and challenging themselves.
Someone wise once said that the only way to mastery is through teaching. Once you start teaching, you’re also learning and forming new experiences and new neural pathways in your brain. You’re stretching and growing.
The world is infinite place with so much to offer, so don't stop looking for ways to self-improve. Surprisingly, the small steps of accepting little discomfort and learning new things can take you a long way to live a happy life.
As a teenager, I remember feeling constantly engulfed by envy, belittling myself because I was never the smartest, the most outgoing, the prettiest, or the “best.” I discredited my achievements, and instead spent days wishing I had (what I assumed) other people’s perfect lives. It took me years to accept that the presence of another person’s success is not the absence of my own.
Like Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparisons are the thief of joy.” They are a human tendency that deprives us from living a happy life. We compare the worst of ourselves to the best we presume about others, and begin to resent our lives.
A better strategy? Compare yourself to your earlier self. What are the qualities you’ve recently developed? What can you do now better than before? These are the healthy comparisons you should be making to appreciate your evolution, and pursue further development.
To live a happy life, do something every day to improve your overall state of well-being. Such as preparing a good meal, exercising, or watching an inspirational video on Youtube. Or it could just be as simple as sitting in silence.
Our body, mind, and soul are connected. Make a change in one of them and you change the state of all three. Isn’t that nice to know?
Take charge of our happiness. Things can change if we really want them to, whenever we want.
It's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself and to make your happiness a priority. It's necessary. Especially if you want to live a happy life.
Life isn’t about settling for what you are given. It’s about what you make of it.
We all have the choice to live a happy life by developing positive habits daily in our lives.
How do you want to live your life? What are some daily habits that you incorporate in your daily life? Are you living a happy life?
Talk to us in the comments below!
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