3 Tips for Regaining Happiness in Your Life

Are you happy with your life? I have had the pleasure (insert sarcasm) of meeting numerous people who were extremely unhappy with their lives for various reasons. This prompted me to think in depth about what would make some of the unhappiest people, well, happy again.

It really isn't that complicated, in my opinion, but, that is just my opinion. I believe in transparency, like one of my mentors taught me to be so I will tell you that I have struggled with financial obstacles, relationship issues, career disasters, you name it, I have definitely been unhappy at some point in my life.

Most people are extremely busy which leads to a great deal of unhappiness in their lives. Being too busy often steals our ability to see the good we have in our life.

Here are three simple tips. Deal with these head on and there is a good chance it will improve happiness in your life:

Contentment

This one hit me square in the mouth a while back. I had the opportunity to speak with several different wealthy individuals who were, you guessed it, unhappy. I have always thought if I could make "X" amount of dollars I would ultimately be happier in life. It doesn't matter if you make $30,000 a year or $300,000 a year, you will still have issues in life. You will still have problems in life. Money doesn't always make your problems go away.

How did I address the lack of contentment in my life? I realized sometimes less is more. Sometimes we need to clear our calendars, unplug, and get away. Sometimes we just need to eliminate the clutter from our lives and this leads to more happiness than we could experience.

If you have a vehicle that is fifteen years old and it gets you from point "A" to point "B", keep driving it. Be happy with it. Trust me, the vehicle payment is a happiness killer, especially when you can't pay your payments on time. Financial problems seem to affect every area of our lives.

Be happy with what you have, more stuff is not always the solution to happiness.

Sometimes we just need to eliminate the clutter from our lives and this leads to more happiness than we could experience.

Health

I am a little overweight and I know it. I also know it is unhealthy, but, I am working on it. About ten years ago I was visiting a family member at a major cancer treatment center in Texas. I saw children at the Ronald McDonald House who were facing terminal illnesses, but they had smiles on their faces. They continued to play, continued to live, and continued to love.

If you are remotely healthy, be thankful. Maybe you are struggling to lose the same twenty pounds you have been trying to lose for five years. Keep trying and don't let it affect your happiness. It doesn't matter what you are facing, if you are alive, enjoy your life. Enjoy what breath you are given and don't take any moment for granted.

Companionship

A recent survey compiled by Psychology Today revealed the profile of the unhappiest people in America. Do you want to take a guess at who they were? The unhappiest people in America were: females, 42 years old, unmarried, no children, income of less than $100,000 annually and they were professionals (doctors, lawyers, etc.) (Psychology Today).

These people had a great income, however, they lacked companionship.

Maybe you are in a terrible relationship, I know many are. Being in a bad relationship can certainly affect your happiness in a negative way. I encourage you, though, don't overlook the companionship you do have in life, whether it be with friends or family.

There are obviously many more issues which affect our happiness in life. For my life, I rely on my faith, my family, and learning to be content wherever I am at in my life. It is a challenge, but it is a challenge I embrace.

What challenges are you facing in life?

Article Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-davis/3-tips-for-regaining-happ_b_8097178.html?ir=Australia

Happiness and Your Job

In the last article in this series on Happiness, you learned about the 7 steps to get you on the path you love.

But many of you work at a job, and you may feel like although it sounds good to get on the path of doing what you love, the job is a necessity to pay the bills. Yet you may have a job that leaves you feeling rather unhappy.

As we all know, unless you have won the lottery, were born wealthy, are independently wealthy, or have a means of income that allows you to live a life of luxury, you have to work.

And that means having a job.

Now some have their own business, but even then it’s a job.

And a job is something that you have for your entire life. It will probably be a few jobs over your life, and it may even be your own business for all or some of your working life.

So since a job is something that you will spend a gazillion hours of your life at, and it is also something that is central to your life – after all, a job = money – doesn’t it make sense that your job should bring you happiness?

After all, if your job doesn’t bring you happiness, or at least a modicum of happiness, then what good is it? Life is too short to spend most of your waking hours at something that is drudgery and that you have a sense of dread about.

Doesn’t it make sense to do something you really enjoy? That’s a sure recipe for happiness.

That being said, I’d like you to heed the words of Walter Murch, an Academy Award-winning film editor and sound designer.

In Murch’s book, The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film, he discusses how to choose the work that makes you happiest.

Here’s what he had to say:

Walter Murch

“As I’ve gone through life, I’ve found that your chances for happiness are increased if you wind up doing something that is a reflection of what you loved most when you were somewhere between nine and eleven years old…

“At that age, you know enough of the world to have opinions about things, but you’re not old enough yet to be overly influenced by the crowd or by what other people are doing or what you think you ‘should’ be doing.

“If what you do later on ties into that reservoir in some way, then you are nurturing some essential part of yourself. It’s certainly been true in my case. I’m doing now, at fifty-eight, almost exactly what most excited me when I was eleven.

“But I went through a whole late-adolescent phase when I thought: Splicing sounds together can’t be a real occupation, maybe I should be a geologist or teach art history.”

What great advice from someone who speaks from experience.

My advice to you is to take it to heart.

Article Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/happiness-and-your-job/15503/

What did you like to do between ages 9 and 11?

Robin Williams' daughter Zelda writes heartfelt message on depression, happiness

Photo: Instagram/Zelda Williams

Posted:Sep 06 2015 08:21PM CDT

Updated:Sep 07 2015 12:11PM CDT

(KMSP) - Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda Williams penned a heartfelt message on Saturday about learning to find happiness after grief and sorrow.  It was just over a year ago when she and America lost Williams when he took his own life on August 11, 2014.

She reaches out to say, “for those suffering from depression, I know how dark and endless that tunnel can feel, but if happiness seems impossible to find, please hold on to the possibility of hope, faint though it may be.”

Here’s her Instagram post in its entirety:

“Moonrise on the lake 🌕 I spent this night shivering and laughing under a clear, cold sky full of stars with people I love just to witness something beautiful. We mooned the moon and laughed ourselves hoarse, and I'm so incredibly grateful for every silly second. I came to a realization this year that I feel compelled to share here, for whomsoever may need it: Avoiding fear, sadness or anger is not the same thing as being happy. I live my sadness every day, but I don't resent it anymore. Instead, I do it now so that the wonderful moments of joy I do find are not in order to forget, but to inhabit and enjoy for their own sake. It's not easy. In fact, I'd say it takes much more effort to consciously do than it does to just stay sad, but with all my heart, I cannot tell you how worth it it is. And for those suffering from depression, I know how dark and endless that tunnel can feel, but if happiness seems impossible to find, please hold on to the possibility of hope, faint though it may be. Because I promise you, there're enough nights under the same yellow moon for all of us to share, no matter how or when you find your way there.”

Source: http://www.fox9.com/entertainment/17040433-story

How amazing is this post? :)