Hi everyone!!  Over the last couple months, I’ve been writing goals for the 52 week challenge, on things to improve in life.  Some being; getting more sleep, eating more fruits and vegetables, and also exercising more regularly.  These things are all important when trying to stay healthy but another not so obvious thing is being happy.

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What makes you happy?  Are there things in your life that put a smile on your face?  Are you happy at the end of the day or are you wishing something that happened could of gone a different way?

Everyday, life throws us different situations and obstacles that we have to deal with, sometimes leaving us upset or unhappy.  Then making it hard to bounce back and remember we are important and deserve good things and happiness.

Over the years I’ve had to make a lot of changes to be happier with myself and appreciate my life.  These goals I’ve made are ones I hope to accomplish and put to use for my own life.

Below is a list of ideas to try if your feeling down or need to put a smile back on your face.

 

 

10 WAYS TO BE HAPPY

 

1.  SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE

When reading it out loud it seems pretty obvious.  Don’t hang around people who bring you down or make you feel bad about yourself.  Unfortunately, these people can sneak up on you and before you know it, your spending all your time listening to how horrible their life is.  Of course there’s going to be times when you’re needed by a friend or family to listen to their problems and that’s okay.  Just make sure the friendship isn’t leaving you feeling down or bad about yourself.  Try and surround yourself with positive people for support, laughs and overall happiness.

 

2.  STOP WORRYING SO MUCH

As we all know, life can be scary.  There are so many things that can go wrong.  Your car breaks down, you got in a fight with a loved one and many more situations in a lifetime.  It’s normal to worry about how we will get by or how we will make ends meet, but we need to not let worry consume ourselves.  Sometimes, we need to just let what is meant to happen happen.  One thing I have learned throughout my life is, everything will work out one way or another.  If your in a situation that has you down, talk to a close friend or family member to help you get through it.  Tell yourself you are only spending X amount of time thinking about it each day so your not spending all day worrying about something.

 

3.  DON’T BE AFRAID TO SAY NO

Years ago, I had a hard time saying no to people.  Today, I still have a hard time but have gotten a lot better.  I was agreeing to do things I had no interest in doing, or sometimes spending time with people I really didn’t have a connection with.  I just wanted to please a friend and not make waves.  When I would go to these events I would feel out of place or that I didn’t really belong.  Then, when I got home, I would be mad that I spent a whole day doing things that didn’t make me happy.

When I commit to plans now I ask myself, “am I going to feel comfortable in this situation and are these people I want to spend my day with?”  There have been a few times I’ve said no which wasn’t easy but after I did it I felt so much better.  Never agree to do something you are uncomfortable with.  Do things that will make you happy and feel good.

 

 

4.  BE MORE PATIENT

This is probably one of my biggest flaws.  I don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to waiting on people.  If someone tells me to meet them at 3:00 and I’m still waiting at 3:10 I start to lose my patience.  Or when your in line and it’s taking forever, my patience is tested.  Another is when you ask someone to do something for you and a week goes by and they still haven’t done it yet.  This would really upset me leaving me mad the whole day.  This is a hard one because we can’t control how others behave but we can control how we react to the situation and what we can do differently for the next time.

If the person you are meeting is normally late, tell them an earlier time giving them an extra 15 minutes, so you are both there around the same time.  If you are going to the store and you need to get back for something, give yourself extra time in case the lines are long or shop at off hours when others aren’t as likely to be there.  For the times you ask someone to do something and they just don’t do it, try not to let them get you down.  Ask for things only when necessary and always try and have a back up plan if they fall through.

 

5.  COMPLAIN LESS

We don’t want to listen to others complain all the time, so it goes the same way to not complain to others all the time.  Complaining about our relationships, friendships or work may make the person your complaining to give them a negative feeling towards what your complaining about.  When complaining, to much information about the situation could be shared, which could backfire down the road.  As tempting it may be to complain, try and confront the person who made you feel this way instead.  See if you can work it out with them instead of trashing a friend, co-worker or spouse.

 

6.  TALK LESS WHILE YOU LISTEN MORE

Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them.  There are a lot of good things about this.  One is, you are helping someone get things off their chest and showing you are someone they can trust.  This alone makes me happy.  The other great thing about this is, you don’t have to give someone a bunch of information about yourself.  It’s all about them.

 

7.  STOP HOLDING ON TO THE PAST

This is one I was guilty of.  Always bringing up things that upset me in the past.  I couldn’t let go and it made me miserable.  I’m still working on this but have been getting much better.  When someone or something hurts us, it’s hard to forget and let go.  When the situation happens, try and work out whatever it is that upset you until it’s not an issue anymore.  Doing this helps not stay angry over things that happened months or years ago so you can concentrate more on what is ahead.

 

8.  GIVE 1 COMPLIMENT A DAY

Did you get your hair done?  It looks beautiful.  I love your sweater.  You are a good friend.  Giving compliments makes others feel good and maybe help someone get through a rough day.  If there are special people in your life, it’s good to tell them nice things and show them you care about them.  We all know how good it feels to get a compliment, giving one will not only make them feel good but will make you feel good knowing you brightened someone’s day.

 

9.  PAY FOR THE STRANGER IN LINE BEHIND YOU

I’ve heard stories about others paying for someone in the drive thru line.  How it really made someone’s day.  This would be a really nice thing to do for someone.  Whether it’s paying for a meal or just a coffee.  Making other people happy will make us happy.

 

10.  ALWAYS HAVE GOALS

Finally, keep a list of goals and try to accomplish them regularly.  Goals help us stay focused and when completed, make us happy.  I have lists all over the house.  So many lists of things I want to do and accomplish.  I am happy when something is done on my list and knowing it will bring me a little bit closer to the next goal.

There are a number of things people can do to bring happiness to their life.  This is just a few examples of things I hope to get better at and start using in my life to bring more happiness for the years to come.