Tip 1
Make happiness a priority. If happiness is
not at the top of your list then other things will take precedence. If other things take precedence, they may well
interfere with your efforts to feel
good.
Tip 2
Make plans to be
happy. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Just like in any other life
domain, the successful pursuit of happiness
requires planning.
Tip 3
Set happy goals. Following on from Tip 2,
planning requires effective goal setting.
And don't forget to make sure your
goals are SMART (specific,
measurable, achievable, relevant and timed).
Tip 4
Do things that make you happy. Although this sounds obvious, many people simple forget to do things
from which they gain pleasure. And do them as often
as possible.
Tip 5
Set yourself tasks
from which you'll gain satisfaction. As well
as pleasure and enjoyment, satisfaction is also an important part of
happiness. So make sure that when you're planning your tasks and activities you
include things that might not be fun, but from
which you'll gain a sense of achievement.
Tip 6
Play and have fun.
Don't take life too seriously. Although we all have
responsibilities there's no reason why we can't approach much of our lives in
a playful manner. In fact, those who do so will undoubtedly be happier.
Tip 7
Identify where your strengths lie. Know
where your faults and weaknesses are to avoid problems. Know where your strengths lie to be really happy and to
succeed in life.
Tip 8
Utilise your strengths. Although we all can and should
endeavor to improve in areas in which we're weak there's just as much, if not
more, to be gained from focusing on the
maximal utilisation of your strengths
(including all your positive qualities and attributes
Tip 9
Be curious. Constantly
search for new ways to be happy. Keep a look out for new ways to
approach life and to have fun.
Tip 10
Be grateful and appreciate what you have.
We all have many choices in life one of which is whether to focus on all the
things we don't have (of which there might
be many), or to focus on all the things we do have. There's no doubt, that
gratitude and appreciation will
significantly increase your chances of experiencing
happiness.
Tip 11
Learn to like and ideally to love yourself.
We must love before we can be loved. To love others and to be loved by others is a key component of happiness.
Tip 12
Invest time and energy
in to your key relationships. Happy people spend more time
working
on and in their relationships. Happy people tend
to be more supportive of other people in their life. Happy people are more generous and altruistic.
Tip 13
Socialise and interact
with others as much as possible. Happy people have both more and
better quality relationships. So as well as
working to improve the quality of
your relationships (as noted in Tip 12) it's also worthwhile working to improve
the number of your relationships.
Tip 14
Weed out unhelpful thoughts. The Dalai Lama
has been quoted saying that "The central
method for achieving a happier life is to train your mind in a daily practice that weakens negative attitudes and strengthens
positive ones." Learn first to identify your thoughts and then begin to
challenge those that are negative and
unhelpf
Tip 15
Plant happier, optimistic thoughts. As
noted in Tip 14, there are two parts to
developing helpful, optimistic thinking.
The first is to weed out unhelpful negative thoughts and the second is to plant
more positive, optimistic ones. This is essentially a skill, and like
any other skill becomes easier and more
effective with practice.
Tip 16
Live a healthy life.
Eat well and keep active. Exercise regularly.
Although not impossible, it's difficult to be happy if you're constantly
sick and not very healthy.
Tip 17
Ensure you gain
adequate sleep and rest. Consistent with Tip
16, it's difficult to be happy if you're constantly tired and struggling to
find enough energy to get through the day. To
assist with this, regularly practice relaxation
and/or meditation strategies.
Tip 18
Manage your time and
priorities. Happy people tend to believe they're
more in control of their lives. In doing so, they're more
likely to take an active approach to solving
problems. If something's not quite right in your life, do something. And
further, make sure that what you're doing
is important. Put first things first.
Tip 19
Control what you can
control. Accept what you can't control. And
learn to be wise enough to know the difference.
Tip 20
Live in the present moment.
The author, Henry Miller once said "Every moment is a
golden one for him who has the vision to recognise it as such." The only moment in which we can truly be happy is the
present moment. The only moment over which we have control is the present moment.
So be happy now! Because if
not now, then when?
Tip 21
- an EXTRA tip to make you happy!
Make happiness an
integral part of your life. Develop happiness routines and make them a
part of your every day living. Remind yourself however you can to do what you
need to do and reward yourself as often as
possible for doing what you've done.
By Anaam