“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within you, in your way of thinking.”
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
“If you want an hour of happiness, take a nap.”
If you want a day of luck, go fishing.
If you want to be happy for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, help someone else.”
Chinese proverb
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the door that has just opened for us.”
Helen Keller
Happiness doesn't always have to come from big things and events. It can also come from smaller, daily habits.
Today I want to share with you 3 quick tips and habits that help me live a happier life.
1. Start by setting a low bar for happiness.
When you wake up in the morning, say to yourself, “Set the bar for happiness low today.”
When I say this to myself and try to keep it in mind throughout the day, I appreciate things more.
The food, my work, the weather, the little events of the day no longer become everyday things, but something I am happy with.
The little things, or things we take for granted, are now things I often stop to think about and appreciate.
But if I become happier in my daily life through the little things, does this mean I am no longer motivated to keep working on the bigger things?
That is not my experience.
This way of looking at life gives me more energy and inspiration, life becomes lighter and I feel less inner resistance while discovering and working on small and bigger things.
I recommend you give this a try and see if it works for you.
And use a reminder on your phone or on paper to make it easier to keep the bar low.
2. Help someone.
Helping someone is one of the simplest yet most powerful things you can do to live a happy life.
How can you help someone? By giving them value in some way.
Here are some ideas on how to do that.
Provides practical help.
For example, with work, moving or cooking dinner.
To give good advice.
People don't always want advice, but when they ask for it, give the best advice you can, based on your own experience.
Cuddly toys.
One or more hugs can improve the other person's situation somewhat.
To encourage someone.
There is a lot of discouragement in the world, so be an exception and encourage people to believe in themselves and what they want to do.
Just listen.
Sometimes people don't want help at all. They just want to vent their frustrations or have someone listen to them while they sort things out and release pent-up emotions.
It may not seem like much, but it can be a huge help to someone who needs it. So be fully present – don’t sit there and think about something else – and listen.
Put things into perspective.
It's easy to get caught up in a problem and make a mountain out of a molehill, but you can help by adding your perspective.
The two of you can talk about it, maybe laugh about it, and even discover the hidden opportunity in the problem that one person felt like the sky was falling over.
And don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back and appreciate yourself for helping someone. Don't brush it off or make it smaller than it is.
Take a moment to quietly reflect on what you did well.
3. Be kind to yourself.
Being kind to yourself is a very useful thing for healthy self-image and for a happier life.
Of course, there are many ways to be kinder to yourself, but here are three good ways that I have found to be very effective.
Change your input into things that are kind and constructive.
Destructive messages from people around you or from people further away, such as the media, advertising and society in general, do not help you to be kind to yourself.
So replace them bit by bit with other daily and weekly inputs.
You can get support from friends and family, or help from someone close to you who has been in the same situation as you are now.
These can be practical personal development books and blogs that help you with real solutions to the challenges you face and the goals you want to achieve.
Or you can spend more time in nature and silence, to relax and recharge.
Compare yourself with yourself.
Comparing your performance and results to those of others can undermine your motivation and negatively impact your self-confidence.
There are always people who are there for you.
So concentrate on yourself.
About what you have achieved. And about how you can and have improved your results.
This is important because it is a great motivator to see how much you have improved and how far you have come.
Give yourself a break.
I sometimes hear that you should always be positive or always win or work towards your goal. That may sound inspiring in theory.
But reality is not ideal or perfect, and that goes for you and me too.
Sometimes life gets in the way. You might be in your own way. And sometimes you just don't have the energy or the courage or the time to do something.
And that's fine.
Instead of trying to live up to a perfect image that others and/or yourself impose on you, it is better to choose human standards for yourself.
Choose to give yourself a break when things aren't going the way you hoped and choose to give yourself some space.
