Posted By: Nichol Chukwuemeka
How do we go about enhancing happiness and
pursuing it whole year round? We know happiness is far more than just
money, fame, or power. Many people have all
three but are not completely happy. What are the secrets to long-lasting
happiness?
According to
Margaret Bonnano, “It is only possible to live happily ever after on a
day-to-day basis.” If we want
happiness all year round, we have to start
small by having a good day every day. Small efforts build up through the
day. Norman
Lear teaches us, "Life is made up of small
pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones
come too
infrequently. And if you don't collect all
these tiny successes, the big ones don't really mean anything."
How do we accomplish this?
There is a simple way that we can do at the start of our day. As we wake
up each morning, we decide
that our day will be as happy and stress-free
as we hope it would be. The first thing to do is we ask ourselves,
“What do
I wish for today?” Feel the desire and then
remember that whatever we wished for, we will surely get it as long as
we try
to make it happen. Ask from God/the Universe
and we can never go wrong.
Master The Boomerang Principle Of Happiness
Ever considered using a boomerang to explain how to spread more happiness?
The Boomerang Principle is
based on the idea that a smile is always returned. Try doing this
activity on a busy location.
Establish eye contact with a person (choose
non-aggressive persons!) and just flash those pearly whites. Most of the
time,
that person will smile back.
There is wisdom in smiling.
Smiling always stirs pleasant feelings. A simple smile effectively
communicates our happiness
to others. It also makes people to feel good
about themselves and encourages them spread the pleasant feeling. Rabbi
Nachman
puts it this way, “Always wear a smile. The
gift of life will then be yours to give.”
Live A Life Full Of Love
Everybody wants to love and be loved by others. If we want to have a happy and harmonious home life, we have to
get along well with the people around us and earn their trust and respect.
We can get involved in
social and community affairs, and this can result in having happy
interactions with other people. Making
a difference in the lives of people, who are
virtual strangers, can give us a deep feeling of happiness. We can do
this by
volunteering our time, effort, and money in
various causes.
Engage In Enjoyable Work
Work does not seem
a burden when we are having fun. Working, while having fun, is most
rewarding. If we love what
we do, it will not feel like we are working
at all. If we are not satisfied with our job, we look for more
interesting and
challenging work. Of course, we all want to
make a good living but more than that, we truly have to enjoy our
occupation or
profession to be able to do it on a sustained
basis.
Research findings from the
Claremont Graduate University pointed out, “Life satisfaction occurs
most often when people are
engaged in absorbing activities that cause
them to forget themselves, lose track of time, and stop worrying.” In
fact, they
have coined the word "flow" to describe this
phenomenon.
This phenomenon is described
as “People in flow may be sewing up a storm, doing brain surgery,
playing a musical instrument
or working a hard puzzle with their child.
The impact is the same: A life of many activities in flow is likely to
be a life
of great satisfaction …. And you don't have
to be a hotshot to get there.”
University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman and author of the book Authentic Happiness have this to say, “Flow stretches someone but pleasurably so, not beyond his capacity. People feel best when doing what they do best."
Achieve Financial Independence
Being financially
independent means being free from money worries. Likewise, it means not
having to depend on others
for livelihood. It is having enough money in
the bank that can support our lifestyle once we decide to retire. The
act of
saving and efficient management of our
investments throughout our working lives will eventually bring us to
happiness. For
some this is the point where they will never
have to work again.
Go For Inner Peace
Peace of mind is
essential for one to be happy. Inner peace is reflected in the face. We
become more relaxed and
stress-free. Having peace of mind also means
better over-all health. When we are healthy -- physically, mentally, and
emotionally
-- our relationships with the people around
us tend to get better. The greater our over-all peace of mind, the more
likely
we will achieve happiness.
Focus On The Trio Of Happiness
The trio of happiness: GRATITUDE, FORGIVENESS, and ALTRUISM.
Current trends show that
more and more people engage in writing “Thank You Journals”.
Psychologists explain that daily expressions
of gratitude have a lot to do with life
satisfaction. “Talking and writing about what they're grateful for
amplifies adults'
happiness,” they report.
We can try one simple
activity with our journal. Select a blank page and write on the first
line “My Strengths (Things that
I am Thankful For)”. In the succeeding lines,
write down as many positive things as we can think of about ourselves
and about
circumstances surrounding us. This activity
need not be completed in one sitting. We should keep the list to read
over and
continue adding to it. The journal is one
effective tool which keeps our focus on what is positive about
ourselves, others,
and life in general, instead of dwelling on
the negative.
Another option is to keep a
diary, which is a wonderful way to reminisce good times. More
importantly, it is a reminder that
bad times don't last. Some people include
photos in their diaries and journals. Looking at happy times and old
friends induces
the feeling of joy.
Altruistic acts boost
happiness in the giver. This need not come in the form of donating
money. It can be as simple as volunteering
our time, service, and skills for notable
causes. There is joy in giving.
Ninth key to happiness: Happiness is enhanced by the feelings of love and appreciation!
