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How to A'ain Happiness in Your Daily Life Do you ever look at some people and wonder, how are they so happy? Where does their happiness come from and hey, where can you find some? Instead of blowing up in anger at your boss not seeing eye-‐to-‐eye with your proposal, or drowning yourself in despair a?er the love of your life decides to walk out, how can you be happy with what life hands you? Knowing where to find happiness and how to aAain it in your everyday life eliminates feelings of anger, jealousy and even depression. ConEnue reading to find out how to face situaEons when things don't go as planned, how to remove negaEvity from your life, find what makes you personally happy, how to put it into place, remain inspired and be thankful for what you come across. You may discover things about yourself you didn’t know, find things to be grateful for in places you wouldn’t have looked otherwise and find moments in which you are simply smiling to yourself. Ah, happiness.
“You may discover things about yourself you didn’t know”
Acceptance You must understand that your life will not always go according to plan. There will be Emes when things are out of your control and situaEons pan out in ways that you may not like. Understand at this point that some things happen because that's how it was meant to be, and at some point you may understand why, at other points you may not. In order to have an accepEng aLtude, allow your mind to open. Be conscious of all possibiliEes in a situaEon, as opposed to focusing on one. If things don't go according to your plan, there is a beAer plan out there suited for you.
Elimination
It is Eme to soul search if you don't already know the things in your life that make you angry, dissaEsfied and sad. You may not be a writer, but by expressing these feelings that someEmes slide into crevices of your mind without being addressed, you can beAer understand what has to be changed. In a notebook, create a chart with
three different categories: What do you enjoy? What do you lack in your life? What ac4vi4es would make you happy? A?er you have wriAen these quesEons down, take the Eme to think clearly about the answers. A?er being honest with yourself, note your answers down. It is now Eme to eliminate the negaEviEes from your life and make room for things you enjoy by puLng them into play.
Action
Now that you have addressed the negaEviEes in your life, it is Eme to take acEon. O?en, you may procrasEnate doing what needs to be done and simply allow yourself to put them off. ProcrasEnaEon will leave you feeling dissaEsfied, so take this approach. What were some of the negaEviEes you have wriAen? Bad company? Terrible job? Whatever they may be, in order to stop procrasEnaEng, find soluEons by looking for things you can subsEtute the negaEviEes with. For example, if you believe you surround yourself with company who do not benefit you, stop spending Eme with these people. Instead, look for people who have a posiEve outlook on life and who will encourage you to work towards good. Taking acEon is the most important step because it allows you to get things going.
Motivation Now that you have made a conscious effort to let go of the negaEviEes in your life, it is Eme to be conscious of what makes you happy. You may have chosen to do a lot of things in your life for the sake of earning a living and along the way, you have forgoAen what makes you Eck. Find those things again by taking another look at your sheet of paper. For example, if you no longer enjoy your job, what can you do to change this? Can you take another course about something you're interested in? Do you just feel like you aren't giving back enough to the community? Can you look for a local charity where you can donate your spare Eme for the beAer good? Anything that will bring you a sense of fulfillment is important to add to your life. It is easy to fall into a rouEne and forget about the importance of aAaining happiness.
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Reminders Once you have goAen rid of the negaEviEes in your life and have come to realize what was missing, you should have a list of what it is that makes you feel happy and brings you a sense of self-‐saEsfacEon. Keep reminders around you in order to keep your ideas alive. In your workspace, have sEcky notes of your new goals, aAend lectures and conferences to remain inspired, conEnue to learn about what you are taking up and surround yourself with opEmisEc people.
Whatever you have decided that brings you fulfillment, you have now learned of the stages that will allow you to step outside of a rouEne lifestyle and combat your inner and outer negaEviEes by accepEng circumstances, taking acEon, finding moEvaEon, creaEng reminders and having a posiEve aLtude in all of it. You are set to be a beAer, posiEve and happier person and prepared for what life may throw your way.
Energ4
Strive to do the best in aAaining what it is that makes you happy. By having posiEve energy, you may be able to help other people around you who may be in a rut like you once were. Be paEent with people, be grateful for the people and things around you. Take the Eme to appreciate the beauEful things that surround you. By noEcing the liAle things around you, it will bring you a sense of thankfulness and appreciaEon. Embrace these feelings every day, especially when your plans may not always go accordingly.
Person jumping from happiness
Are you an aspiring writer? Do you know what it takes to live a happy and fulfilling life? Email our editorial department to submit your entries and you could be next month’s writer of the month! More on p. 17
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