12 Tips On How To Be Happy

How to be happy, may sound pretty much common sense, but it is not as easy as it sounds. If it is, there will be not so many desperate cases out there. Just think about the tens and thousands of people who take anti-depressants. Or think about the increasing number of divorce cases and the public spates that can ensue. Think Britney Spears. With all the wealth that she has, you would think that she is happy. Apparently not.

Closer to home, what about the constant worry that you going through? Or that you are unhappy with your current situation, because you have not attained what you want? You may not even have realized that with your desires, you are really looking for happiness. And your wanting state, coupled with your focus on lack, is not something that you enjoy waking up to everyday.

Let’s put things into perspective here a little more. For instance, you say that you want more wealth. But it is likely that you are really hankering for the freedom that comes with having more options in life. In essence, you are searching for things that can bring about happiness.

“Behind Every Desire Is The Desire To Feel Good” Quote taken from “Ask and It is Given‚ Learning To Manifest Your Dreams” by Esther and Jerry Hicks

Material wealth is just an illusion. It cannot on its own bring you true happiness. True happiness can only come from within.

I have been searching for the answers to the question on How to be Happy for some time. Here is a list of 12 tips of what I have gathered, after pouring through books, talking to people, attending workshops and retreats:

1. Live In The Moment. How to be happy starts when you live in the moment. You do not worry about the future; neither do you complain about what is past. You see things as they are. When you live in the moment, you focus on the present. The most important moment is the here and the Now.

“Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry & all forms of fear are cause by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.” — Eckhart Tolle from “The Power of Now”

2. Learn To Let Go. To live in the moment, you must let go of your negative thoughts and beliefs. How can you ever be happy if you hold on so tightly to thoughts that have not served you well? Letting go has several aspects to it – letting go of past hurts; letting go of things that are beyond your control; letting go of your negative emotions; and letting go of your attachments to your desires.

“When you become good at the art of letting sufferings go, then you’ll come to realize what you were dragging around with you. And for that, no one else other than you was responsible.” — Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Indian Spiritual Leader, 1931-1990)

3. Love Yourself. If you suffer from low self esteem, you can find that it is hard to feel happy. To improve your sense of self worth means that you have start with loving yourself first Unconditionally. You cannot have a meaningful relationship with others, when you do not have one with yourself.

“Love is a mutual self-giving which ends in self-recovery.” — Fulton J. Sheen

4. Find Your Purpose. You need to find a purpose, for which you live for. When you have a purpose, life is more meaningful. You also tend to take actions which serve this purpose.

“Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” — Helen Keller

5. Build Interests or Find Your Passion. Your passion may make up your purpose but it need not be. You can also have a number of passions or interests. For instance, you can be passionate about sports, art, fishing or scrapbook making.

6. Build A Happy Home. From the self, the relationships that you need to spend time in cultivating are the ones with your family. Make an effort to build a happy home. To have well adjusted kids, there also must be a pair of happy parents to begin with.

“The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.” — Thomas Jefferson

7. Smile Often; Laugh Wholeheartedly. Make it a point to be happy. Happiness is a choice. Remind yourself to put on a smile everyday by choosing to think happy thoughts. You may find it difficult at first but as time goes on, a smile on your face can feel like the most natural thing in the world. Forget what the fashion magazines say about frown lines when you smile. You do not need any additional make up when you can have a smile that lights up your entire face!

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. — Thich Nhat Hanh

Also, it is often said that laughter is the best medicine. Learn to see the humorous side of things, even when you are facing a challenge.

8. Connect With Happy People. Mix and mingle with happy people. Negativity attracts negativity while happiness will attract happiness. If you have friends who are negative and you find yourself being affected by their negative thinking, then consider reducing your interactions with them. It is important to surround yourself with happy and joyful people to feel happy.

9. Be Healthy. Eat well, exercise regularly and you will automatically feel better. Leading an unhealthy life can have a bad effect on your mood and you will not have energy or feel alive. So eat healthy and be happy!

10. Always Be Looking Up. Rather that feeling sorry for yourself, try and look for a solution to your problem. Happy people never buckle under pressure. Adversities make them stronger.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an opportunist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

12. Take Responsibility. Do not allow others to make your decisions for you. Take responsibility by seeking information on how best you can make a decision for yourself.

If you are being pressured into doing something that you truly do not want to do, politely decline the offer. You need to take charge in all the important aspects of your own life and that includes happiness!

12. Serve Others. You must give in order to receive. I’ve also come to the conclusion that we are all here on this earth, to serve others in one way or another. It is a Universal law, in the flow of energy. Energy needs to circulate. Love needs to circulate. If you find that you have not been happy for the longest time, you may have blocked the free flow of abundance that is available by resisting it. To allow more happiness in, send more happiness out.

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” —Albert Schweitzer

To be happy, you need to change your attitude and how you perceive things. Let your emotions be your guide. If an activity makes you feel good, choose to do more of the same. With enough frequency, you will soon find yourself becoming net-positive than net-negative in your emotions and thoughts.

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