5 Ways to Happiness

Personal happiness is something we all want both for ourselves but also for our loved ones. Unfortunately with the hustle and bustle of daily life and responsibilities we do not get much time to devote to ourselves. Below are five useful steps that can improve your personal happiness.

Step 1. Take responsibility for your happiness…..By this I mean you should take a proactive role in making yourself happy. What makes you happy is something that you need to decide on. I use the list format meaning I create a list of the things that make me smile and feel good. I then place them in order of importance to me. So if I write on my list "long mountain hikes" and "working out" I would place "working out" as a higher priority because I can do that more often.

      Once you write your list and prioritize it review it once more. Carefully think about making the most of your happiness list and then set up a routine that coincides with that list. Once you start following that routine you will be on the road to enhanced happiness.

 

Step 2. Live more in the present…..Most people either worry about the future or dwell on the past. This is normal human behavior but not conducive to increasing your personal happiness. You can't change things that happened in the past and you can't control the future so worrying about it doesn't help. Now, I'm not saying you should not plan for the future or make the same mistakes from your past. However in order to enhance your personal happiness your mind and soul should be focused on what you are experiencing right now at all times. If you are at work your mind should be focused on your work. If you are at school your mind should be focused on your school work. When you are doing what you like your mind should just be on that act.

Step 3. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it……Did you ever see someone over react to a situation? Of course you have...everyone has done as well. Kids do it all the time especially when it comes to doing things like homework or chores. When confronted with an unpleasant circumstance or situation take a minute and take a few deep breaths. Most difficult situations can be deescalate by coming up with more than one reaction. Review your options and pick the best response that will cause you the least amount of grief both in the present and the future. Here is an example: Your boss shows up 5 minutes before quiting time and asks you to complete a task that will take you some time to complete. A response like " Are you kidding me!!! You come to me now!!!" would probably not be your best choice. You may want to reconsider how to best reply to your employer in a manner where they will be grateful for your professional assistance while understanding that they should provide you with their future requests in a more appropriate time frame.

Step 4. Train your mind as well as your body…..Exercising your mind as well as your body can lower your stress levels and enhance your chances of becoming happier. Healthy eating habits, not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption and walking the middle path can lead to a more stable life with fewer health issues. Training in the martial arts takes it one further still. Not only do you get the benefits of physical exercise but you get peace of mind knowing that you are conditioning yourself to be prepared for traumatic situations such as physical assault to yourself and or your loved ones. When you train in a martial arts school you are taking personal responsibility for your happiness thus following step 1. At the same time you can only focus on what you are doing in the present thus following step 2. Training at a martial art also teaches you how to temper your reactions like in step 3. Which leads to the 5th step.

 

Step 5. Help others become happy as well…..Once you have achieved steps 1 to 4 you are ready to share the wealth. Nothing brings a feeling of well being like helping others. So once you feel that you are happier than you were prior to following these steps teach them to someone else in need. Everyone can use a bit of good karma in their life. So try these steps out and follow the path of least resistance and you will flow like water.

Bruce Lee once said "You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend."