“Being happy doesn’t mean everything’s perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” ~ Author Unknown
Happiness is your birthright.
Everyone, no matter who you are, deserves to be happy. Interestingly though, the happiest people in the world aren’t the ones with the most money, possessions, fame, power, friends, health or even love.
Most of us, from an early age, learns to be unhappy. We form hidden or subconscious patterns that create unhappiness. Some people even come to identify with their unhappiness. We develop internal messages that reinforce self-pity, negative moods and gossip. In this way we create our own shadows and wonder why we aren’t standing in the sun.
The truth is that we can claim happiness. Relax into it. We can make a choice to be happy by letting go of the subconscious patterns and hidden self-concepts that block us from perceiving our own right to happiness. Happiness is not found in circumstances, possessions or even relationships. It is an attitude we bring to all aspects of our life.
Here are 7 ways to be happy NOW, even if your life isn’t perfect YET.
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You will enjoy the present moment
If you are always waiting for things to be perfect to be happy, odds are that you will ALWAYS be waiting for some perfect moment in the future that may never occur. And, even if it does, you will find some other condition for happiness.
Practice enjoying – and appreciating – the present moment and, if you achieve your lofty goals life will be even that much sweeter. The best part is that you will stop obsession about having the end result and will enjoy each step of the journey.
Look around you. What is in front of you that you can enjoy right now?
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You will achieve greater success
Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University have found that people who express positive emotions are more open and experience growth in their life faster than people who express negative emotions. People who express emotions in general are more stable and experience greater personal and social success.
How will you get in touch with your emotions today, especially the positive ones?
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You will have better health
When you tune into joy your health will improve. When you are healthy, you have more possibilities open to you in life. Christopher Peterson, Ph.D at the University of Michigan has studied the link between happiness and health for over 20 years. He found that optimistic people develop strong immunities and tend to take better care of themselves.
Decide to be happy and reap the benefit of better health.
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You will enjoy the little things in life
Consistent, long-term happiness depends on your ability to notice the “little things” and appreciate the details. Even if you get everything you want, you will still experience highs and lows in life. If you don’t learn how to appreciate the little things in life, you will always feel unhappy. When you appreciate the little things in life, when something challenging happens, you might feel disappointed, but you will still be determined to make the best of things.
Think about things that fill you with the most joy – spending time with your family, petting your dog or cat, listening to the rain hit the roof, going for a walk. Focus on those things right now, in the present, and let them brighten your day.
When you appreciate the little things in life, there will always be simple pleasures to bring joy to your day.
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You will appreciate your small achievements, which will build your self-esteem
When we obsess about being perfect, we never achieve happiness because there is always room to be better. We will always be dissatisfied and disappointed with ourselves.
But when we set small, achievable goals that can be accomplished day-by-day, we find satisfaction in that achievement. Each “baby step” is one step closer to achieving the bigger dream.
When you focus on being happy, you will feel good about yourself and the successes you have accomplished.
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You can be the person you want to be
You may think you need to change dramatically to be the person you want to be. Maybe you feel you need to lose weight, or earn more money, or have more friends to be happy.
But the truth is that can be the person you want to be no matter your circumstances.
Do you want to be more charitable but don’t have money to share? You can be generous with your time, compassion and love.
Do you want to be more adventurous? You don’t have to sell your house and go on a journey around the world. You can find ways to create adventure in your day by trying new things and meeting new people.
How can you be the person you want to be in this moment?
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You will make a difference in the lives of others
Though we all have different dreams and goals in life, most of us want to make a difference in the lives of others.
Happiness is a moment-to-moment choice. When you consistently make that choice, other people will notice. And you will inspire them to do the same.
And, when they follow your lead and choose happiness, you will have had a positive impact on their life, health and future happiness.
The bottom line about happiness is this: the path to happiness is in finding and living our life purpose. It’s about finding alignment through guidance and support from others on the same path.
Are you ready for deep, inner happiness and meaningful success?
Contact me here to learn more about how I can help you discern and move past your pain and stuck places to live a life of freedom, healing and success.
How will you tune into happiness today? Leave me a comment below.
Sources:
Emotion-Cognition Interactions. University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University, 2013.
“Optimism Associated with Lower Risk of Having Stroke.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 22 July 2011.