Top 5 Proven Techniques for Living a Truly Happy and Joyful Life Inside and Out!
Learn to Be Happy by Adjusting Your Thinking and Living Habits!
True happiness can be experienced by all who apply ‘happiness habits’ to their day. There are some who are simply born with a happy disposition. But the truth is; most people have to learn to be happy by thinking and living in a particular way.
Often people are happy in life when everything is going just right. Yet those who have learned how to be truly happy aren’t always the ones who ‘have it all.’ External circumstances do not control their level of happiness. They have discovered the secret of being able to experience an underlying peace and well-being; which is the essence of true happiness.
Happy people live their lives differently. And when acquiring any new skill, it pays to learn from the pro.
“We can think of happiness as a skill no different from learning to play a musical instrument…it is possible to train our minds to be happy.” – Richard Davidson, Ph.D. UW-Madison
So if you are ready to let some joy shine through you from the inside out, then take a look at these five key skills.
Top 5 Proven Techniques for True Happiness
1) Notice and Give Thanks for the Happy Things in Your Life
Learn to take note of everything good and positive in your life, regardless of how small. What are the things that you see, feel, taste, hear, or smell that bring pleasure?
Intention activates a part of the brain, the reticular activating system (RAS), which is responsible for turning on our memory and allowing it to bring anything important to our attention. When you decide to look for the positive, your RAS makes sure that is what you see.
We tend to feed the unhappy, negative side of life. Make it a game to see how many good things you notice during the day. Take a few moments to savor the positive things and make it a habit to feed your happiness.
2) Do Not Believe Everything You Think
Do not believe everything you think. Our thoughts are not always true.
For example, you may give a presentation and focus in on the one person with a frown on their face, and think you’re doing a terrible job. Yet the fact is you are really doing a great job, but you do not notice the rest of the group that is smiling and nodding.
It is said that we average one thought per second during our waking hours and the vast majority are habitual, negative thoughts. This whirlwind of automatic negative thoughts can stimulate parts of the brain that involve depression and anxiety.
Learn not to believe every negative thought that wants to hijack your happiness, and instead focus in on the positive compliments. It is important to break the natural tendency to register the negative thoughts, feelings, and experiences more deeply than the positive happy ones.
3) Exchange the Bad Thought for the Happy Thought
When challenged with negative, unhappy thoughts and feelings in a situation, learn to exchange them for equally true, positive, happy thoughts.
For example, have you ever faced a deadline and thought it was going to be impossible to finish on time? Why not exchange that self-defeating thought by searching your mind for an equally true positive thought such as: I regularly manage to get things done on time and I can ask for help.
Learn to be more optimistic and see the glass half full. Pay more attention to the positive part of the truth in a given situation and lean into those thoughts. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength.
4) Appreciate the People in Your Life
People with good social relationships tend to be happy. Under times of stress we need the support of friends and family. And the best way to keep relationships happy and healthy is through appreciation.
“One of the most important things a person can do to raise his or her happiness level is to acknowledge those around them.” – Judith W. Umlas (author of The Power of Acknowledgement)
By showing appreciation to others for the support they give us, we reinforce that behavior; which in turn deepens our relationship with them. Engaging and communicating with others during times of stress has a calming effect and keeps us on the road to happiness.
5) Live with a Passion and a Purpose
Bringing a sense of purpose and passion to your routine activities will boost your happiness. Think about the activities in your life that you are passionate about. What is it about those things that make you happy?
One person may feel like an underpaid janitor, but another may passionately do their job the best they can with a purpose to make the building a beautiful place for others.
Learn to incorporate purpose and passion in your daily life at work and at home. Do all things gladly from the heart as unto the Lord.
The truth is: You do not have to let life just toss you around in unhappy waters. You can choose to learn new skills, live your life differently, and raise your level of happiness. 🙂
May your happiness increase daily and your life be filled with growing prosperity!
God bless you –
Cheers,
Brenda
