Happiness From Within

Many people believe that happiness is something that comes from external sources, like their profession, wealth, having the perfect mate or creating the ideal family. Holding on to such a belief hands control of our lives over to uncertain and unconcerned forces.

Truly happy people though, understand that they have the power to cultivate authentic happiness and become more optimistic about the future. These people recognize that life will endlessly throw challenges in their path. But they can decide how these challenges affect them. Such people view the future with optimistic hope and excitement as they create the life they want to live, creating joy from within.

So, what does it take to be happy from within?

Here are some simple suggestions to get you on track:

First and paramount, make happiness a habit, a way of life. Happiness is a choice that needs to be made every day, every hour, and even every minute. Genuinely happy people are so because they choose to be.

Cultivate mindfulness, In striving to be fully present in each moment, you can live a life of greater depth and meaning

Direct your daily thoughts. Thoughts can easily stray or be moulded by other people and factors. Be aware of the thoughts that you believe in as truths. In order to become aware of your thoughts, begin by writing down your thoughts. Then read what you have written and question whether or not these thoughts are helpful to you or realistic. Are they truths based on facts or just your own beliefs?

Live in a state of flow. Author Mihaly csikszentmihalyi suggested that flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. To achieve flow an activity must have the following components: the activity must be challenging, it must be clear in how it will progress meaning that the rules are simple, it must requre all of our concentration, and we must feel we are making progress and are in control. The more flow activities you incorporate into your life, the happier you will feel.

Now this is a really crucial tip - practice forgiveness. It is the path of inner happiness and peace. In genuinely forgiving another person, and don't forget forgiving yourself, you will feel a profound sense of healing. Not to mention more time and energy you can devote to other more rewarding things.

Genuinely happy people know that joy comes from within, not from outside sources. And here are some more ways you can cultivate happiness from within, and choose happiness as a habit, a way of life.

Develop discipline. By overindulging in food, alcohol, sex or other temporary gratifications, a weakening of our mind, body and soul can result. By practicing self discipline in our daily lives, we strengthen our mind and self-image because we promote a feeling that we are in control of our body. By using restraint, we achieve stability which leads to contentment.

Be an optimist. This includes, but is not limited to, perceiving problems as temporary, and not taking things personally. Such optimistic thinkers view the events that happen in their lives as always having a positive side. They choose to believe that ones ability to conquer hardship is determined by how one recovers from a setback. They hold on to the belief that nothing can hold them down permanently.

Simplify your life. Whenever I travel, I end up realising that I've over-packed. Essentially, I'm carting along baggage that I never use and don't really have to use. And look around you - your office, your bedroom. Going through your wardrobe alone should send you into spasms of regret over wasterd money. Life is needlessly bloated and complex these days. To restore a sense of balance to our lives, we must try to do less, own less, worry less and push ourselves and others less. I'm not saying that you should stop reaching for the stars or expecting the best, but if you look critically, there are meny things you can really afford to let go.

Exercise reguarly. Ah... I'm guilty of not doing enough myself. But daily exercise has a huge impact on how positive we feel about ourselves. Giving our body a regular workout helps reduce tension and stress. Regular exercie also helps to reduce fat, improves muscle tone, clears the skin, and promotes a general sense of energy and mobility.

And lastly, give love freely. Everyone loves being loved, and just as crucial, being told they're loved. But expressing love makes us feel good too. There is powerful magic in the sharing of giving and taking that creates great joy. And konwing that the person you love knows that you love him or her is an indescribable feeling that stays with you like a constant umbrella, shielding you from the rain.

These are but a few first steps to incorporating happiness-producing habits in our lives. I know you'll come up with countless more.

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Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd