H A P P I N E S S
It’s probably safe to say that all of us in this world want to strive for the same goal: happiness. Life is a mixed bag of the good and the bad, yet sometimes, even when everything is going right do you often find yourself still looking for more? Or during the bad, are you asking yourself “why me?”
Happiness is an emotion. It will come and go, it won’t ever be a constant in our lives. Unless…you make it so! It may not be easy everyday, but the more you train yourself to be happy. Voila! The more you find happiness. Try these Global Health recommended tips and create your own happiness contract today to start living a happier and healthier life.
1. Gratitude.
It is easy to find the negatives in life. Social media and news thrives on controversy and trauma. But even in the hard times you can always find something to be grateful for. Even if it does seem trivial, like your morning coffee or a clear blue sky. Happiness is in your control, if you look for it you can find it and being consistently grateful for even the smallest of things will have a huge impact on your mood.
2. Leadership.
You don’t need to be top of the career ladder or the best of the best to be a leader. Believe it or not you already are one. YOU are the leader of YOUR LIFE. And you should never let anyone tell you otherwise. Live your life with the goal of actively making your world a better place. Make decisions for creating a better you. A better you, creates more happiness. More happiness can help to enhance the lives of the people around you. It’s a win-win! Other people matter of course, but if you can’t look after you then how can you ever expect to care for others?
3. Action.
The old saying is true, actions speak louder than words. If you are constantly setting goals but never acting on them you are creating a void where happiness cannot exist; you reinforce to yourself that you cannot do what you want to do before you have even tried. Utilise the process of SMARTER goals to ensure what you want to achieve is possible in small, bite-size steps so that even the biggest of goals appear simple. If we over stimulate ourselves it’s easy to think it will all be too much for us and not take action, thus entering us into the belief that we are completely incapable. Take small, consistent actions and the bigger picture will start to materialise.
4. Content.
If you surround yourself with the negative, the drama and the trauma how will you ever expect to find the positives? So cull your social media feeds, switch off the news and evaluate your social circle. There is enough negative in the world without you actively choosing to have it in your life. Fill your circle with supportive friends and family. Read books that help you to improve yourself. Watch programmes that make you laugh. Don’t compromise your happiness for conflict. 100% of your life is made out of its content, so make sure you’re accessing the right kind.
5. Present.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Excessive worrying can have a negative effect on your physical and mental well-being, and most of the time our worries relate to imagine potential problems that might occur in the future. So why do we bother? Of course, we need to plan for a future – it’s natural and it makes progression. But instead of worrying on what might go wrong in the future, focus on what you can create in the present that can equate to things going right in the future. Fretting about a problem that you may face in the future will spoil your present. Therefore, take charge of your present life and avoid stressing about things that you cannot control.
It isn’t easy to manage overwhelming situations, but that doesn’t make it impossible. Even when you are stuck in the darkest time of your life, there’s always hope. Top tip to remember: your happiness is your responsibility. Creating lasting happiness is not about keeping your ego fed with compliments or pats on the back reinforcing that you are doing the right thing. True happiness often comes with some tough decisions and hard work. But at the end of the day, is there anything worth more?