“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandi
The media routinely touts the definition of success as being the accumulation of material things. The only true measure of success is happiness, and the only person capable of making you happy is you.
Happiness (or lack thereof) is found in our daily routines. Here are 5 actions you can take to immediately begin increasing your level of happiness:
Start and End Each Day with Gratitude
Place a writing tablet or your favorite electronic gadget (iPad, iPhone, etc.) by your bedside. When you wake up each morning, write down at least one thing you are grateful for. It can be anything, just write it down. Before you go to bed each night, reflect on your day and write down one thing that happened during the day that you’re grateful for. Pick a day each week to review your grateful list for the past seven days. You’ll be surprised how this simple task will increase your happiness.
Be Somebody’s Blessing
Nothing exponentially increases personal happiness more than adding value to others. Each day we are afforded countless opportunities to invest in others, so be intentional about being somebody’s blessing. It can be as simple as offering a genuine smile, providing praise, giving a helping hand, and / or buying someone a coffee or meal. When you have a giving attitude, the happiness you bless others with will boomerang back to you exponentially.
Set Realistic Daily Expectations
Violations of expectations are almost always the root cause of unhappiness. To live a happier life requires setting realistic expectations for each day. This action takes practice and there are two benefits to making this your daily routine. First, you will become adept at making expectations that are in your direct control as opposed to being haunted by expectations that are out of your control. Second, your recovery time from a missed expectation will be much shorter allowing you to consistently maintain a higher level of happiness over the course of time.
Do Something You Enjoy
In today’s overworked, stress-filled world, it is critical that you find time to do something you enjoy. I love playing NCAA football on PlayStation 3 as well as reading books and various publications to increase my knowledge and skills. Develop a list of things that bring you joy, and commit to doing one of them on a daily basis. It takes the edge off of a hectic schedule while putting your mind in a happy state.
Stop Making Excuses by Working on Your T.A.N.
To live a happy life requires us to stop making excuses. According to motivational speaker and success expert Jim Smith, Jr., the best way to stop making excuses is to work on your T.A.N. which stands for Take Action Now. Get rid of the “getting round to it” syndrome. When you take action in the direction of your goals and aspirations, you make progress. And progress leads to achievement, which brings about happiness. So constantly work on your T.A.N.
The sooner you make these life-enhancing actions part of your daily routine, your level of happiness will rise, and the faster you can do it, the higher your happiness will be.
The Floor is Yours
What other actions have you taken that increased your happiness? Please share your feedback in the comments below.
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