10 small steps to happiness

What is happiness? Happiness does not mean being cheerful or laughing all day. Although happiness must be defined by each of us, a general understanding of it might be to have more good times and memories than bad ones and to have a general feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. So how can we have more happy moments?

1. Give yourself permission. Give yourself permission to be happy. Many of us have the impression that we are not allowed to be happy, that we do not deserve it. Well, we are all WRONG! We ALL deserve to be happy, no matter what others say or even what we believe. And if you look deep inside yourself, you will feel it in your gut. I am right. You deserve to be happy. So give yourself permission to be. Start enjoying that freedom. YOU CAN BE HAPPY.
2. Smile… even if you don’t feel like it. Yes, smile as often as you can. If you are with people, they will feel warmer and respond in the same way. If you’re alone, smile for at least 3 minutes and your brain will take it as a real smile and start producing feel-good hormones and other chemicals.
3. Enjoy the now. Feeling bad about the past won’t change you one bit, and worrying about the future won’t prepare you any more for whatever eventually happens. Hopelessness lives in the past, fear in the future. Choose the now and make an effort to live it. Only in the now can you be truly free.
4. Like you. Make a list of everything you like about yourself, no matter how big or small, and remind yourself of all those traits several times a day.
5. Love yourself. Every night when you go to bed, take a few minutes to feel love for yourself. Thank yourself for all the good you did during the day and let the warmth of love fill you. If that’s too hard, close your eyes and look for the little child you once were that still lives inside of you and bathe that child in your love.
6. Turn it around. Does someone say something to you or do something you don’t like? You may get angry, upset, or feel mistreated. Or you can turn it around by being original and choosing to interpret it as a wake-up call or a funny situation. They called you something…choose to find it funny rather than offensive. They push you around, ignore you or even talk about you… they choose to see it as just a reminder that we are all human and as such we make mistakes. Love the humanity in those who annoy you.
7. Dare yourself. Early in the morning dare to do something unexpected or different throughout the day. Pick the morning action so you have all day to find the right time to do it. You don’t need to come up with very difficult or adventurous plans, but rather something you wouldn’t normally do, like going to a certain store or eating a new type of food.
8. Share love. Say something loving to one person (or more) today. You can say it out loud or in writing. You can even draw it or sing it.
9. Try new words. Are you one of those who usually use words like… ‘I can’t’, ‘I don’t know’, ‘never’…? Why don’t you try using some easier ones like: ‘I don’t feel like’, ‘I’d like to learn’ or ‘I’m not in the habit of’…? Or choose a positive or happy word that you want to use today and try to apply it as often as you can. Be brave and imaginative with your words.
10. Count your blessings. Grab a sheet of paper and something you like to drink and sit comfortably with maybe some nice music in the background. Then write. Write a list of each and every blessing in your life. Start with the smallest ones: I’m alive… up to the biggest ones you can feel. Don’t leave anything out. Once you are done, leave the list on the table. Read it every morning over breakfast for a week.

Enjoy life… EVERYTHING,

Humanology