How to feel happy about yourself
There’s no magic solution — but there are 5 practical tips that may help you find your version of happiness.
- Control pervasiveness.
You gave a speech at a meeting and it was awful. Post the “tragedy”, you analyzed the situation fifty times and came to conclusion that (1) you’re inadequate at every part of your job and you have no idea how these people hired you (2) time to pack your belongings because by EOD they will walk you out of the building. It’s one of the biggest mistakes people do — allowing one situation or comment spread and define their entire being. We’re dynamic creatures and being deficient at one thing doesn’t mean we’re lousy at everything. Additionally, many skills are acquired through nurture and are something we can improve on. Never allow one pitfall define the ‘360 degrees of awesomeness’ that you are.
2. Don’t fake it.
This one is huge — I don’t believe in “faking it”. Hundreds of self-help books state that you should tell yourself you’re confident in front of a mirror every day and eventually you will become it. It may work for some people, but in my case, it was detrimental. The act of standing in front of the mirror telling myself lies led me to feeling even worse and calling quits on this “confidence building technique”. My approach to this is by creating small challenges that exercise confidence “muscles” and grow them overtime. In this case, the confidence is based on experience and not lies.
3. Take moments to practice gratitude.
Take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. That was about 3 seconds, right? Nearly 6 people in the world died in those 3 seconds. I hope you’re happy and grateful to be alive.
4. Feel comfortable? Move on.
Avoid falling into routines. It’s comfortable knowing your job in-and-out. It’s comfortable going to the same vacation spot every year and knowing what to expect. But that also breeds boredom and, eventually, depression. Take that promotion that’s a “little over your head”, travel to a city you’ve never been to before, pick-up a couple of phrases in a foreign language — it may sound cliché, but these experiences will expand your understanding of yourself and introduce you to personal traits you thought you never had before.
5. Keep Portland [and Yourself] Weird
Portland is proud to be weird, so should you feel proud that you eat peanut butter by a spoonful three times a day. Undoubtedly, a small percentage of people will be put-off by your quirky habits. But who wants to be around those people anyway? The interesting ones will tease you about it and bring you a jar of peanut butter the next time they meet you.
