6 Factors Guaranteed To Promote Happiness

I’ve read at least two dozen books and written 56 articles related to happiness. Here are the top 6 factors (in order) which seem to always repeat. Think about making some life changes around them!

Nurture relationships

We are happiness when we are around our closest friends.  Close friends also provide much needed support and guidance in difficult times.

Nurture your health

Taking control of your body, be it meditation or exercise reduces stress, worry and promotes calm and positive emotions. Try taking a walk instead of having a drink after work.  Meditate in the morning instead of rushing out the door.

Express your gratitude

Appreciating life in general and all of its small gifts on a regular basis will always boost your happiness. Write out an appreciation audit (list everything you are grateful for) and go over it at least once a week. You will love this exercise and it will always bring you back to what is truly important in your life.

Be kind to others

Doing acts of kindness will lead to others to like and appreciate you more.  This will improve your social relationships. Kindness also increases confidence, optimism, compassion and promotes purpose and meaning in life.

Live In the present moment and find joy

Worrying about the future is prevalent in our information drenched society. Bad news saturates our day. Learn to live in the present moment and clear your mind of endless chatter. Yes….smell the flowers… find a sense of calm…. take in a beautiful morning.  Each morning I stand outside and take in the fresh air while marvelling at the sounds of the world waking up.  THEN I get in my car.

Devote yourself to a goal

Happy people find meaning and purpose in life through committing goals. We become more confident as we accomplish our goals. Finding a goal provides structure in our lives. Find a goal that will be personally rewarding and meaningful for you today!

How I Am Learning To Live My Best Life

Opening my heart and finding beauty

I was not brought up in an emotional household. My parents were very strict and unforgiving. Years later I realized that this was the way they cared. Better to have strict parents than parents that don’t care. The worst thing a parent can do to a child is not care. Children want to know that their parents care for them in some way shape or form. I know my parents cared. Now years later, I am on my own spiritual path. I am on a path to open up my heart and to be totally free. I want to be free of worry, doubt, envy and fear. I want to find beauty in all of life’s simplest of moments. I want to live each and every moment to the fullest. Tonight I was watching the sunset turn the sky into ribbons of a deep salmon color. It was one of those beautiful “ah ha” moments. This is what life is all about. Letting go of all those illogical worries and loving my short time on this earth. I want to embrace each moment and open my heart to all of them. Always.

Opening my heart before my mind reacts.

As I drive across the bridge in the morning, I sometimes click off the Audio book I’m listening to and drive in silence. I then hear the soft thumping of the tires on the bridge struts. As my mind quiets I watch the soft, grey morning clouds float off the top of the skyscrapers. I watch the golden rays of sunshine reflect off a thousand window panes, creating a magical splash of vibrant gold across the city. If a driver cuts me off, I feel my heart contract and begin to close. Before my mind reacts I allow my heart open again and let the moment go. I am too much in love with this morning and this life to allow my heart to close and have my mind react negatively. It is going to be a magnificent day. I only have a short time on the earth. This is my path. I am on it now, there is no going back.

Peace

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away Beautiful day

U2

Related Posts

2 Guaranteed Ways You Can Drastically Change Your Life

3 Proven Ways You Can Radically Change Your Life

5 Huge ways You can make Your Yourself Happy

If you enjoyed this post today, please do me a big favor and use the “Twitter” button down below (click on the + sign) to share it with your Twitter friends and followers (You can also share it on Facebook, Digg, or any of the other sites you see below as well).

2 Guaranteed Ways You Can Drastically Change Your Life

I continue to draw on meditation and living in the present moment to live a calmer, happier and more carefree life. They have all helped tremendously. Now I am in the process of finding an endless energy flow by releasing all useless thoughts and fears.

Each thought takes up valuable energy

Every movement, emotion and thought that passes through your mind takes up your energy. A closed mind closes off your energy. An open mind opens up you to more energy. To experience high energy means to live a life without your inner voice constantly chatting you up. Learning to live with an open and quiet mind is a key to living a truly remarkable life. When we fight life with constant thoughts we continuously restrict the flow of energy and allow fear to take over our lives. Don’t lose yourself in your thoughts. Be aware of them and let them go. You are not your thoughts. You are more than that. Let go of them right now. Begin by asking yourself “Who am I?” You really are not your thoughts.

Fear is the cause of every problem

Fear stems from emotions such as anger, jealousy, possessiveness and envy. Getting rid of fear will open your heart and remove those endless negative thoughts that run like a movie reel through your mind. Learning to accept and let go of your fears will be the best life change you can achieve. It is our fears that hold us back in life. Fear that we will not be good enough at work. Fear that we will not find love. Once we latch onto our fears and dwell in them they become very difficult to let go. We allow our fears to condition us and this in turn makes us act certain ways. This also uses up our precious energy. Remove all the obstacles that create your fear. Let them go. Keeping your fear inside you will only trap you. Let it go. Open your heart and let in what life is trying to teach you. Now you will be on a remarkable spiritual path to feeling at peace with yourself and the world.

Check out these related posts.

Meditation

Happiness and Awareness

If you enjoyed this post today, please do me a big favor and use the “Twitter” button down below (click on the + sign) to share it with your Twitter friends and followers (You can also share it on Facebook, Digg, or any of the other sites you see below as well).

A Simple Strategy To Start Meditating Right Now

Here is a simple strategy to begin meditating tomorrow morning. Meditation isn’t some mystical journey whereas you are required to become a Zen or Buddhist master. Meditation is simply staying in one place quietly, eventually learning to be in the present moment until it becomes natural.

Living in the present moment is the beginning to ending the mindless clatter and worries that are constantly bombarding you. Meditation teaches you to ignore self destructive thoughts and become at peace with ones selves, warts and all.

My meditation techniques are based on the practices of Pema Chodron .

Find a quiet room away from your bedroom. Sit upright, hands on lap, legs crossed and focus on a spot 4 to 5 feet in front of you.  Concentrate on your outer breath as a way of focusing the mind. When a thought arises, label it as “thinking” and go back to concentrating on your outer breath.  Let your thoughts go over and over again by labeling them as thinking. Continue to relax and allow whatever thoughts to arise without labeling them good or bad. Return to your outer breath.

Try to perform this exercise 15 minutes a day to start. After a while you will notice that you can return to the present moment much easier. This is one of the best ways to reduce the stress caused by over thinking and worrying.

You are the master of your life.