We’ve all been in those certain situations-they’re usually of a certain level of high intensity. Depending on our natural emotional nature, these situations can be viewed as either good or bad, up or down, fun or irritating. What am I getting at here? It’s all in how we choose to look at things.
Have you ever been standing in line to buy tickets to what you deemed to be the concert of your lifetime? The location was packed with more people than you could possibly tolerate under most circumstances, but because you were there with a purpose, you just withstood the fact that you’re among this large “trough” of people. Or are you just someone that doesn’t mind lines, or crowds? Or do you feed on the positivity of new experiences? Are you someone who revels in every new moment? Most of us know a person or two like this in our lives. It often is the quiet ones or cranky ones that are friends with the explosively wacky crowd loving funsters. Opposites do attract! For those that get annoyed at everything, it can sometimes be fun to peak that world through these friend’s eyes.
Did you know we actually can sell ourselves on our own happiness. If we tell ourselves we’re happy and that we like what we’re doing-then we’ll be happier. If we tell ourselves we’re miserable about things, then so it will be. There are definitely issues in life to feel less than cheery about, but standing in line for concert tickets to a concert that you want to go to, shouldn’t be one of them! It’s how we choose to look at things that will determine “how full our glass can be”.
There have been many things written about how to be happy…it’s a popular subject. I’ve read a lot of those things. There are blogs, books, research papers, entire careers devoted to the subject. Here are some simple thoughts culminated from some of that material. Try them you’ll like them.
1. The happy people find pleasure in the little things. Happy people aren’t sitting around waiting for that big life-changing event to make them happy; they find happiness in the small things. It’s the mounting small things that continue to make them happy. It’s actually better than wishing for that one big event that will take too long to happen or might not happen at all. They notice the small details about the amazing world we live in; they’re constantly observing…it’s the “ah” moments.
2. The happy people clearly define what makes them happy. Happy people say that their happiness comes from people or children or community or work, etc. They believe that happiness is a personal objective only reached by knowing what it looks like for them; they know what makes them happy and are able to make changes about what in their life is not making them feel that sense of happiness. It’s a decision, not a wish.
3. Happy people believe in themselves. Insecurity is a big source of unhappiness. Happy people choose to be confident so they can focus their time and energy on possible opportunities and relationships. It’s when they maximize their self-confidence and enjoy the journey to success as much as the end result that they’re continually happy.
4. Happy people are always working on self-improvement. Those happy people are committed to constant learning and personal development; if they feel a lull, they’ll actively pursue new opportunities to discover and challenge themselves.
5. Happy people are grateful for what good things they’ve received. They make a habit of outwardly showing their thankfulness for every day-this often can include charitable contributions. If you’re not used to doing this, it may feel awkward at first, but if you continue to do it, it’ll become easier. The people around you will recognize your happiness and they too will start to think about what they have to be happy about. It’s contagious.
How full is your glass? If you feel like your glass could be a bit fuller, you could try the 5 things above. Start with one of them. It’s your choice to choose to do those things. It’s your choice to choose to be happy. What new things have you done lately to create your self-improvement? Any new classes or books? Meet any new people? Have you shown anybody how thankful you are for something they’ve done for you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.