Happiness is a Choice You Make
If you are not a happy it is because YOU choose not to be…. You are in control of your life and the decisions that you make. True happiness has little to do with wealth, possessions, status, or even the position you hold at work. There are people in this world that seemingly have ‘everything’ but are absolutely miserable. Happiness is a choice. Happiness comes from within.
Happiness is Subjective
What makes you happy may not make make someone else happy. You might find happiness in rock climbing while someone else might be afraid of heights and find the idea of rock climbing scary. Happiness is subjective because happiness comes differently to people. Everyone seeks and finds happiness in their own way.
Naturally Happy
Are some people predisposed to happiness? According to studies, researchers have linked happiness to genetics.
“Approximately one-third of our happiness is likely unmodifiable and genetically determined” —Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor
If you are not naturally happy there are things you can do to increase your happiness level just by changing the way you think and the things you do.
Sleep
Sleep plays a major role in your happiness. The body needs adequate sleep in order to function properly. If you’re not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep (yes you can get too much sleep), you may be subject to irritability, moodiness, and/or an inability to think clearly…all of which can result in unhappiness. To ensure happiness you need to get a good night of sleep.
Exercise
Exercise helps you stay fit but in terms of happiness exercise stimulates the brain to release endorphins which produce feelings of euphoria (its a natural high). By simply doing basic exercises and working up a sweat you can create happiness.
Meditation
Meditation enables a clearing of the mind and has a wide range of benefits. The act of meditating actually stimulates the left side of the brain creating positive emotion in the body.
Questions to Ask Yourself
When seeking happiness in life there are 9 questions you need to ask yourself and answer honestly.
1. What really inspires and engages you?
You may find this question difficult to answer but you need to be very clear about where you get your inspiration from.
2. If you couldn’t fail, what would you do?
The fear of failure and past failures keep people doing things. because they are afraid to fail or they have failed in the past.
3. If you were forced to start over again, what would you do?
Many people find themselves stuck in unfulfilling situations not doing what they want.
4. If money wasn’t an issue, what would you do?
Money is often the biggest obstacle standing in the way of people pursuing their dreams.
5. What is your biggest dream?
There must be something you really want to do that you dream about. Think about it and focus on it.
6. What is the biggest barrier stopping you from following your dream?
Name all of the things that have caused you to not pursue your dreams. These things could be people who do not support you, money, fears, etc…
7. What passion are you afraid of owning or admitting?
Some people think their passion is silly to other people.
8. As a child, what did you really want to be?
Every child has a dream of what they want to be when they grow up. Certainly you had one too.
9. If you knew that you were going to die in the near future, what would you regret not doing?
Many people have regrets when they realize they are going to die real soon. It is often too late for many people to go back and change the things they missed out on.
Once you’ve have answered the above questions you should have a good idea of where to begin your pursuit of happiness.
