I posted a meme the other day with two cartoon characters. One had a shirt on that said “happiness” and the other character said, “Where did you find that? I’ve been searching for it everywhere.” And the other character responded, “I created it myself.” It was a simple sketch drawing but the meaning behind it is powerful!
We often look for happiness in all the wrong places. We think that finding a relationship will make us happy. We think that if we find a new job we’ll be happy. We think that if we make more money we’ll be happy. We think that if we have more friends, we’ll be happy. The truth is exactly what the meme portrayed. Only YOU can make yourself happy. If you’re missing out on this, seek within and you will be amazed.
I just took a 5 day challenge with Jay Shetty. Jay is a motivational speaker and life coach. His messages are so powerful. He comes to you with enthusiasm and wisdom. Check out his “5 habits to happiness” challenge on Facebook. What I like about him, is that he actually provides action items. He doesn’t just give you a to do list. He actually tells you how to do it. Anybody can tell you to you that you need more confidence. But how do you achieve more confidence? Or they can tell you that you need to have more gratitude in your life, but how do take this on? Take his challenge and you’ll learn a lot!
My Daily Habits for Happiness:
Talk nice to yourself – it’s so easy to be so damn critical of ourselves. Who’s guilty? I know I am! What I have been doing lately has been quite profound. I recite positive affirmations in the mirror daily. For some reason, it’s so much more beneficial when you’re looking at yourself in the reflection of the mirror. So, each day tell yourself 3 positive things about yourself. For example, “I am bold. I am strong. I am enough.” It’s ok if you give yourself funny looks at first. It’s weird. I get it. Tell yourself these affirmations everyday until you believe it!
Get enough rest – mandatory 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Sleep is so important. It helps with immunity, energy, weight management, productivity, cellular regeneration, mood, etc. The list goes on. Sleep is your friend so make sure you are making time for this. Everything else can wait. In fact, you’ll get more done in less time if you’re well rested.
Gratitude – showing you’re grateful is one thing but truly feeling it throughout your whole body is another thing. Feeling gratitude isn’t as easy as showing gratitude. It’s easy to thank others for nice things they’ve done for you. It’s common manners. If somebody opens the door for you, you say “thank you.” If somebody tells you they like your haircut, you say “thank you.” This is manners. Challenge yourself to go beyond the simple thank you’s and truly feel thankful. You can start by writing in a journal. Start with 3 things per day that you are truly grateful for. Close your eyes, feel it, be there in that moment, move on to the next item and then repeat.
Community – make meaningful connections with your friends and your community. Loneliness is so bad for your health. You can be in a happy relationship and still be lonely. Connections are good for your health and soul. This is one area that I struggle with, especially since we just moved to a new community. I need to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people in my community. I loved Jay Shetty’s advice on this. He said to reach the greatest happiness from relationships, you should aim to GPS with friends once per week. This means that you GROW together through experiences, you PLAY together in a sport or activity, or you SERVE together through volunteering. GPS – Grow, Play, Serve. I love this bc it can make your regular hangouts with friends so much more meaningful. Your hangout has purpose and you will leave that person with more elation than as if you just went and hung out at a bar together. Be present with each other and leave the phones alone. You can do it!
Be consistent – whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve, be consistent. Whether it’s incorporating a new workout routine, writing in your journal, breathing exercises, sleep, etc. Consistency is what will help you reach your goals. Nobody dreams of something and then it just magically happens. You have to work towards it and then you can reap the reward.
These are just a few habits that you can incorporate to bring you more joy in your life. What are some other habits that bring you joy and happiness?
Goodnight,
Tay
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