5 Ways to Happiness
by Harleen Kaur - July 19, 2009
We seeks happiness even as it continues to elude many of us. However, the fact is that if we focus our attention on other things and not strive for happiness itself, we will experience this emotion more often.
Characteristics of a Happy Person
• A happier person has a positive outlook towards life
• He lives each day without worrying about the future
• He appreciates and enjoys the blessings in his life
• He is able to enjoy his life to the fullest
• He forgets past happenings and forgives the wrong-doers
• Lives a longer life
Happiness is a state of mind and one can choose to be happy, assert a number of psychologists. According to Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist who conducted a study in 1994, “Happy people do not experience one success after another and unhappy people, one failure after another.
"Instead surveys show that happy and unhappy people tend to have had very similar life experiences.”
Dr. Lyubomirsky adds that the only difference between a happy person and an unhappy person is the attitude towards events in his life. While a happy person sees the bright side of life, an unhappy person wails about negative aspects in his life. That’s the vital difference.
It’s how we react to the happenings around us that matters. We can learn to react positively towards life by weeding out negativity from our lives. But to achieve this, we need to nurture positive attitude towards life.
Here are a few ways to develop the ‘propensity’ to happiness:
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
“Don’t worry, be happy,” often goes a famous saying. Although most of us have heard this quite often, we fail to put this into practice.
If we wish to conquer happiness, we must work towards it with all our efforts and stay committed. Stop worrying about things in your life. Like a Swedish proverb puts it, “Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.”
Forgive and Forget
An important step towards becoming happier is to forgive and forget sour events of the past. If you keep your mind glued to the past happenings, you are unlikely to progress towards happiness.
Let your mind get rid of bitterness and you will feel the negative emotions moving away from you.
Express Gratitude
Psychologists say that if you want to be happy, you must cultivate a habit of being grateful for all good things in your life every day. This will help you to nurture positive feelings and clear your mind of all negative thoughts, including frustration or despair.
Increase Your Social Connections
Make new friends and increase your social circle to become a happier person. Psychologists believe that depression is the gift of today’s individualistic society where people don’t have time for each other. Confiding to a close friend helps us overcome difficult times.
Cultivate a Hobby
A hobby helps a person spend his leisure time in a fruitful manner. It is one of the best ways to tame your mind into something meaningful. A hobby can be anything you love to do, be it painting, reading, music, gardening or even social networking.
To know more about benefits of laughter, click here
Happiness is not a matter of chance but a choice that we make. By incorporating the above mentioned ideas in your life, you can see a positive change in your personality. So choose happiness and enjoy your life.
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on July 21, 2009 - 15:07 | Write to author: Harleen Kaur |
