This article was last updated on September 5, 2017
When I was a kid I never contemplated the profound subject called happiness, yet I was fully content. My pockets were empty, but Super Mario was collecting coins and that was enough for me to be happy. As the years passed, the game of Mario was replaced by the games of life. I realized in college that my knowledge about the world was improving, but everything I knew about myself was gradually fading away. While enduring the asperities of life, I realized how the folly of my own actions was the source of this blunder of my life. I found myself entangled in the series of worthless tasks and had almost forgotten that life is ephemeral. In the pursuit of solitude and happiness, I came across some of its secrets and I realized this planet is full of people who are alive, but have forgotten to live.
Thus, I’m sharing these 7 secrets to stay happy even when life tries to bring you down.
1. Your First Crush Should Be You
Time never sets itself on rest. One more year has arrived. You and I are still alive. And if we are alive, what are we living for? Some of us have planned resolutions and others find themselves confused as to what to include in the list. After all, knowing oneself is the most difficult task and we aren’t born with manuals. Discerning the complex gadgets is easier than figuring out the control of the brain. One thing is certain, we all are looking for happiness, but the problem is we are searching for it outside, not at the place where it resides. We see happiness in the presence of others. When they are present, we feel happy. In their absence, we get distracted from our paths.
If we can’t enjoy our own company, chances are others will also hate being with us. So, bestow yourself with what you desperately seek from others: love. Yes, your first crush should be you. Fall in love with yourself and see how your life will be transformed. Happiness inhabits in the acts of giving and if you’re determined to give then start it by giving to yourself first. After all, only a heart full of love can spread love and happiness.
2. Your First Date Should Be with Your Own Self
Take time to connect with your inner self and realize what you truly desire. Happiness will spring out of you, once you realize that you can live satisfactorily without the need to prove yourself to others. The more you know yourself, the less of a chance you get hurt by others. Give time to all the thoughts that are transmitting through your mind and conceive all those that you think are pragmatic. Note everything down in your journal and read it before falling asleep at night.
3. Days are Incomplete Without Nights
Life cannot be separated from sadness. Trying to eliminate sadness is like inhaling without ever exhaling – impossible. Your agitation will further engulf you into the bog of sadness. Therefore, the only escape is to embrace it. We live in a world of emotions where we deal with many lousy circumstances. Often bad things happen at unexpected times. But the truth is no one actually expects misery. Do you?
If anticipate sadness, stop! You never know when the ‘Law of Attraction’ will activate itself. Sadness is not a specific thing that you need to root out. It’s an emotion that some feel when things don’t yield the expected outcome. Observe your emotions and accept them, you will find it’s you who is emitting this emotion of sadness. Then it will be easier for you to control your own feelings. If you have messed up something, focus on its improvement rather than loathing for its first outcome. This will help you stay happy when momentary sadness hits.
4. Life is Full of Choices
When life knocks you down you have two options: either give up or gather courage and stand up again. You certainly won’t give up and live as a loser. So always keep your attention on your improvement. Results of your effort will be in your favor when you solely focus on progress and getting better. Everything is possible when you pick the path of self-improvement. Some take this path early and others delay it. If you have to walk on this road, then what are you waiting for?
5. Ditch the Negativity
Happy people understand negativity won’t let them move forward in life. It will stall their growth. Therefore, ditching all the negative thoughts should be on your daily hit list. Assess your surroundings and mindset of all the people you spend time with. If you find anything or anyone filling your life with negativity, send him on a long trip to the island of avoidance. Never compromise when it comes to negativity. It is the root cause of all your sufferings.
6. Follow the Diamond Rule of Being Self Sufficient
If you ask people how they want to be treated, none of them would say: “I want to be treated badly”. The rule, ‘treat others as you want to be treated’ seems meaningless. And the cousin of this rule suggests: ‘treat others as they want to be treated’. The problem with this rule is it is people-oriented. It emotionally involves you with the actions of other people and engages you in futile activities of outer world that do no good for you. Happiness walks into your life when you focus on your life and spend time making it better.
Keep your focus on yourself only. To find yourself, you need to have good control over yourself. As I always say: “People will shoot you with the bullets of criticism, fighting the battle and standing firmly under the shelter of self belief is the only recipe of being a Champion.”
For ounce you’ve taken time to understand yourself fully, it’ll become quite easy for you to understand others. Listen to their stories genuinely and this will bring joy to you. This habit can be developed only when you let the voice of your heart be heard by your ears and brain.
7. Listen to Your Inner Voice
Someone’s opinion, whether it is in favor of yours or against, can never influence your life unless you let it. Thus, removing the extrinsic voices that make you feel apathetic and block your happiness is a crucial step to take. It is imperative to stay in a state of solitude and to listen to our deep inner thoughts; especially when we’re chasing happiness. Are you appreciating your mortal life? Admiring the beauty within and of our surroundings should be a resolution of yours. When was the last time you saw a caterpillar turning into a butterfly… and the beauty of its wings as it flies?
When was the last time you looked up in the sky, gazed the twinkling stars and smiled? When was the last time you held the hands of loved ones and thanked them for being in your life? Acknowledge the beauty that resides within you and honor yourself by bringing smile on the faces of others. Let us all bring the happiness into our acts.
