Not doing these 3 things is making you miserable
Happiness is a controversial topic, some people seem to spread it wherever they go, and some people seem to drain it from the rooms they enter (You know the type)
But one thing we can all agree on is that when you’re happy, life seems oh-so-beautiful, the rose-tinted glasses come down and you feel like you can weather any problems that come your way.
So why wouldn’t we want to spend more of our lives in this carefree zone? First things first, I don’t want to give the impression that we should be chasing this elated happiness all the time, I’m a big believer that you can only feel the highs because you feel the lows.
But I think we can all agree we have enough ‘unhappy moments’ in our everyday lives as it is.
(After all, we don’t think about how to put more unhappy moments into our day!)
How to be happier
So let’s focus on building those happy moments instead with these 3 tools.
- smiling more frequently
- showing gratitude
- doing good for others.
Let yourself SMILE
Just Smile; seems pretty easy, and I’m not about to tell you that its difficult, but I know that I’m guilty of forgetting to smile sometimes.
If today was your last day on Earth I’m pretty confident that all of you (hopefully) would want to go out there with a smile on your face, so let’s get that first goal ticked off.
- 1. Write down 5 things that make you happy
These could be spending time with your family, watching a sunset, or eating a meal, it doesn’t matter about what the things are, it’s about writing them down
- 2. SCHEDULE those things.
While ‘scheduling in’ something that’ll make you smile may seem excessive, I’ve found all too well that writing down your plan makes you 10x more likely to do it
- 3. DO IT!!!
Our intense scheduling routine is pointless if we don’t get around to DOING the things that make us happy, so hold yourself accountable, ask a friend or family member to check if you’ve done the things, or do the things with them.
Show gratitude
Gratitude is one of the parts of life that I wish I spent more time focusing on, there are so many things that I am grateful for, but often it’s only when I start writing (like right now) that I reflect on my gratitude.
- 1. Write down 1 thing you’re thankful for
Think hard, it could be a family member’s support, the weather, or the fact that you’ve woken up today.
Try to do it in THE MORNING, it will increase the chance that you think about it again before bed
(I find I’m usually most grateful towards the people in my life, if you’re like me you may find writing 1 thing starts a chain reaction of gratitude, for now just focus on 1 or 2 people or things)
- 2. Show your gratitude
Say THANK YOU to the person you wrote about in the morning, or if you said you were grateful for a thing, find another reason to say THANK YOU to someone.
Message someone who helped you the other day, or speak to your family and say thank you for the support they give you, the actual reason doesn’t matter, the key is saying ‘thank you’ out loud.
- 3. Reflect on your gratitude
Spend a few minutes reflecting at the end of the day, if possible have the piece of paper you wrote on that morning in front of you.
This last step is the MOST IMPORTANT, if you can spend time reflecting on your gratitude AGAIN on the same day it will massively increase the impact it has on you.
Make sure you do step 3 by placing your paper from the morning on your pillow AS SOON AS you have written on it, then watch in amazement as you end up sitting in bed reading your gratitude note again.
Do good for others
This is my favorite, nothing compares to the feeling of helping others, so let’s double down and end on a high
- 1. Look for ways to help
Be aware, take your headphones out while you walk to work, it will help you pick up opportunities to help, even if it’s holding the door open for the person you hear behind you
- 2. Ask to help
Don’t get caught thinking people don’t want help, 9 times out of 10 people will appreciate help.
If you struggle with approaching people in public and asking them directly, start out with your friends, and make a point of offering to help them if they’re doing something.
Not only will you get better at approaching others, but your friends will love you!
- 3. Do the task
Follow through, help the person or people, say ‘you’re welcome’ and accept their thanks, then continue on your way.
Before you rush off to help even more people (I know it’s tempting at this point) take a moment to appreciate the feeling of happiness you have, it’s only a simple feeling but it’s why we’re here. Enjoy it!
Boom, I bet you’re already feeling 10x less miserable and 10x more happy, if not, then just wait, it’ll happen.
Even though these are only small changes, they can have BIG results, and they can help you and the people in your community feel just a little bit happier.
After all, even 1% happier is a win for me
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Until next time,
Guy
