We continually seek out happiness and contentment in our daily lives whether we recognize it or not. Our subconscious mind is always working in the background. Even curmudgeons who appear to be miserable to everyone else, are seeking out happiness and contentment in their own unique ways.
Obviously, some make the process of finding daily happiness and contentment harder than it needs to be. Following are some suggestions to make it easier.
- Make your health a priority. A healthy mind and body is "step one" that cannot be skipped.
- Recognize that sometimes happiness and contentment are decisions of your will. You must simply decide that this will be your state of mind no matter what the world throws at you. Attitude is everything.
- Forgive yourself and others. Start anew. Read my previous blog post on the power of forgiveness entitled FORGIVE[N].
- Be grateful...for everything.
- Find something to look forward to each and every day. The morning of, or even better the night before, think about something positive that you are going to do that day. The practice of visualizing, anticipating, executing, and reflecting is powerful.
- Find joy in the little things. No matter how seemingly trivial, identify something that will bring you even the smallest amount of joy such as the smell of coffee, the warmth of sunshine, or the comforting words of a favorite book.
- Live a simple life. Step back from the overwhelming complexities, and leave the details to God. Realize that it is perfectly fine to just be yourself.
- Recognize that you, and only you, are responsible for your life...your health, your happiness, your outcomes. When you stop blaming others and realize that you hold the power of happiness within, life suddenly gets easier.
- Develop a relationship with God and work on your faith. With time comes greater understanding and inner peace.
- As a general rule, if something does not make you happy, do not do it very long. Temporary struggles do not have to become permanent realities.