My Own 5 Secrets to Happiness
by Marianne Woods
(Louisville, KY, US)
I appreciate this opportunity to share my views on happiness. I believe you can capture happiness in your own life through your own effort. Don't bother looking for someone or something else to make you happy. It just won't happen. This is a wonderful thing, because it puts you firmly in control of your own happiness!
Some spend their entire lives searching for the person, thing, or situation that will make them happy. They don't see that happiness is within their own reach - in their everyday, ordinary life.
Here are my five steps you can use right now, in your own life to capture happiness...
1. Be thankful! That's right, by showing thankfulness and gratefulness for what you do have, you automatically become a happier person. Say "thank you" when someone does something nice for you. Remember to be grateful for those little things in your life - things you may be taking for granted right now.
Even those with the hardest lives can find something to be grateful for. Have you noticed that it's often people who have the hardest situations that are happiest? Someone who is disabled or has lost everything in life through no fault of their own often has a positive outlook on life that boggles the mind of everyone around them.
It's because these people have learned to be grateful for whatever opportunities life has given them. Be thankful for your home, your apartment, or even the room you're still living in at your parent's house!
Be thankful for the meals you get every day, no matter how meager they are. Be thankful for the job you're able to go to, and for the money you make. Be thankful for the smiles on people's faces. By making thankfulness a habit you'll automatically lift your mood and become happier.
2. Notice the good things. We tend to dwell on the negative and just gloss over those good things in life. This step goes hand in hand with thankfulness. Pay attention to your life. Good things do happen to you, no matter how small they are. Notice these details and give thanks for them. One good event can carry you through a week of bad ones. Just notice something good happening and hold onto it. Keep giving thanks for it. Remember how it made you feel. Know that you can create more happy times like that. You'll be surprised at just how many you've got!
3. Lend a hand to others. You'll find that just by focusing on someone else (for a change) you'll start to feel better about yourself. This works in two ways - first, you'll see you're not the only one with "problems" and your life is not quite as tough as you thought it was. Second, it just feels good to help other people and know you're making a difference for them.
4. Take time off for hobbies. Spend time out walking in nature, sewing, doing needlepoint, playing a sport - just find something that you enjoy doing. This can be a release for you. Make sure you pick something you truly enjoy. If it brings more stress into your life, that's not what you need. Sitting back in the bathtub reading a good book can qualify. This time to unwind, relax, and possibly express yourself will really enrich your life and help you feel happier.
5. Protect yourself and your thoughts. You'll find as you start to focus on the good things in life the world will try to bombard you with the negative. Your family, friends, and co-workers will even try to get you "down." It's human nature to want others to feel the same we do, and as the saying goes "misery loves company."
Stop reading or watching the news if it always brings you down. If co-workers are constantly negative, just excuse yourself from the conversation and say you need to get to work. It may be harder with family, but excuse yourself from negative conversations too. You may even find you need to change friend groups if everyone in your group is constantly negative - and especially if they have a "victim" mentality.
The outside world will try and bombard you with negative - and you need to protect yourself. These five steps will give you a good grounding in developing a positive attitude. From there, you'll find yourself feeling happier and life will become an exciting experience for you and those you love.
