So many people are seeking ways to 'be happy' that they overlook that happiness is within their own hands - if only they knew how to unlock the secrets.
Here are six quick ways to increase your feelings of happiness right away. They don't involve any cost to you except the investment of some time and they are all well within the grasp of every person to achieve. All you need to do is use the power of your thoughts and a little self-discipline in the application of each one.
1. Accept What You Have & Who You Are.
Unhappiness occurs when you look at the people around you and conclude that they have what you don't. You want what they have and yet feel that you can't get it, so you feel dissatisfied. And the more you feel that way, the more intense the feeling becomes.
Eventually, envy and dissatisfaction becomes the overriding emotion in your life and you become consumed with negative feelings about your life and situation.
Happy people, on the other hand, are those who have learned to accept what they have and who they are. Their expectations are tailored to realistic goals and their day to day thoughts are confined to reality - not constantly centred on 'what ifs'.
Yearning for things that others may have but are beyond your current reach is fruitless and these desires cannot be fulfilled in realistic terms. Focusing on the good things that you already have and enjoy produces the fulfilment you crave and that, in turn, gives rise to powerful feelings of happiness.
Dr Jose de Jesus Garcia Vega of the University of Monterrey, Mexico observes,
"We spend a lot of time complaining about the things that happen to us but this is a waste of time and effort. To be happy, we need to enjoy what we have."
So, to become happy, simply start to look at what you have with gratitude and appreciation. Stop looking at what others have with envy and longing and learn to be content with your lot.
2. Fill Your Time Productively.
Have you noticed how tiring it is doing nothing? Boredom can sap your energy and leave you feeling depressed and miserable. And how can you feel happy when everything seems so uninspiring??
Eunkook M.Suh, a psychology professor at Yonsai University in Seoul advises people to actively fill their time by building a rich and varied social life.
By taking every opportunity to accept invitations or to check out new areas of interest you can enrich your life greatly. Cloistering yourself at home alone, spending your time doing 'insular' and passive activities like watching television only serves to prevent you from fully experiencing greater levels of satisfaction and pleasure in the company of others.
Social interaction brings deep and long lastingbenefits to your health, your happiness and your sense of self-worth, so get off your backside and go and do something!
3. Have a Plan
Spontaneity is a wonderful thing and can brings unexpected happiness but - by its very definition - cannot be a long-term state.
Research has shown that truly happy people are well organised & have a clear idea of where they are going in life know how they plan to get there.
We all feel happier and more fulfilled when we feel a sense of achievement. If we feel that we have some momentum in life that is actively moving us towards our long terms goals, then we are more content with what we have at present.
So why not spend some time really thinking about what it is you want to achieve in your life and jotting down a rough plan on how you might go about reaching your goals? Not only will it give you a road map to follow, you will also be able to chart your progress as time passes, letting you see that you really are making headway in the right direction.
4. Turn Your Back On Worrying.
Worrying is probably the greatest waste of people's time and energy than anything else you care to think of. It's something that we all do without thinking and somehow feel that it is 'noble' to do so!
And yet, worry is just an acknowledgement of our fear of some possible future event actually happening so, in essence, we are spending time making ourselves feel really anxious about nothing!
Happy people worry less than unhappy ones, yet their lives are affected by all the unpleasant ad unwelcome things that everyone has to face, so why are they able to keep anxiety at bay?
It seems that it is all down to your attitude towards what gives rise to the feelings of worry. Happy people are able to recognise and acknowledge that 90% of the things that can cause feelings of worry won't actually happen - it is just fear of a potential, future state - and so manage to rationalise their true state of affairs.
Once you can do that, most of your worries simply cease to exist and allow you to deal with real situations that confront you more effectively.
5. Learn To Value Happiness Itself
Did you know that happiness can actually be learned? It's a skill that anyone can master but so many people fail to do so because they all make on fundamental mistake - they make 'happiness' their goal.
Happiness itself isn't something that you can go out and get. You can't see it, you can't touch it and you can't smell it. Happiness doesn't possess a physical form so to try and 'get' happiness can never work.
The trick is to ignore the pursuit of happinesslearned what things make them feel happy and then decide to incorporate them into their lives over and over again.
By doing things that make you feel good and by surrounding yourself with people that you enjoy being with, you will become happy without even realising it.
You will have learned how to be happy!
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