Find Your Happiness

Everyone would like to be happy.  What happy means varies from person to person, but whatever it is, it’s a goal worth setting and achieving.

Happiness makes life enjoyable.  It’s an underlying state of being.  Happy people don’t get that way because they have a lot of things or have achieved a certain level of success or wealth.  Happiness can be temporary, and yes, you can be happy if you win the lottery or get a new car.  But after you spend the money or the car needs a brake job or a new set of tires, it doesn’t give you the same initial amount of happiness.

If you’re stuck in a career that you hate or are going nowhere fast, you’re probably not very happy about anything.  You spend a third of your day at work, with time on either side getting ready, driving to and then driving home, which adds a couple more hours.  Having to spend that much time being miserable five days a week is a pretty sad situation.  But, there are things that you can do to regain happiness and get back to enjoying life.  The Mind Unleashed listed 10 things backed by science that you can do to find your happiness. 

 Exercise unleashes endorphins that can make you feeling happy.  And you don’t have to spend hours in the gym.  New research says that seven minutes is all you need.  Exercise can’t only make you happier, it can dispel depression, make you love your body and give you more energy.  Not bad for only seven minutes of your time.  The seven minutes should be spent in high-energy interval training, spending 30 seconds on each exercise with only a few seconds in between to get the maximum benefit.

Getting more sleep and spending time with family and friends are not new ideas.  But moving closer to work is an idea that can have a profound effect on your happiness, stress level and leisure time.  Imagine spending a day at work and having to fight traffic all the way home.  Now, imagine a short drive or easy walk to and from work.  Closer to work means more time in the evening to do other things, like exercise, reading, meeting friends or spending time with family—all things that make a person happier.

Take a vacation.  Or just take a mental vacation.  Where would you like to travel?  If you get stressed just thinking about the expense or have a fear of flying, you don’t really have to take a trip to get the happiness benefit.  Visualization is a way to experience something without actually doing something.  The planning stage and anticipation of taking a vacation can be as enjoyable as taking one.  You can experience the sights sounds and foods of the place you’ll visit through videos and visiting restaurants with the same cuisine right at home.  Planning a mental vacation spares the expense while giving you the happiness benefits.

Planning for a new career can give you the same type of happiness.  You can get stuck in a career and feel helpless if you don’t take the time to plan your exit and next phase of your career.  What job would you like to have?  Or, have you always wanted to have your own business, be your own boss and take control of your life and time?   Make a plan.  Set a timeframe to move out of your job.  What will it take?  Education?  Some business classes?  Finding a mentor?  Saving some money and paying off bills?  Make a plan for success.  How much money will you make?  What type of work will you do?  Travel?  How will your life change?  Planning and visualizing a new life and career can be the key to happiness now and for the future.

Photo Source:  Freedigitalphotos.net: imagerymajestic