Every single person living on the planet right now deserves to work on having a happy life, and you are no different. When we talk about mental health and self-care, we talk about doing what you can to prioritise the things in your life that can and do make you happy. Understanding how to do this is vital if you want to feel fulfilled.
Whether we’re talking about finally understanding all the steps for getting your own home, or we’re talking about getting a new job that makes you feel fulfilled, it’s time to think about how you can make your life a happier one. Let’s take a look at lucky number 13 ways you can do it right now.
- Put your happiness as your number one priority
So much of us is given to other people that it makes sense that we would put other happiness before our own. The problem with that is that you end up putting your own wants and needs on the backburner. You don’t put yourself first and you don’t look at what you want for a change. Your happiness really does matter, and it starts with thinking about the things that make you the happiest. Once you have that, you can build on it.
- Make a list
Okay, so we love a good list, but it’s on this list that you will make a big difference to your day to day life. Make a list of the things that you think will make you happy. From here, spider-graph it and brainstorm all of the things that you have to do to get to those happy places. For example, if you know buying your own house will make you happy, then one item on the list should be checking your affordability with www.mortgagecalculator.uk and then making a note of the fees you will need to pay to own your own house. It’s important that you know how to get to the things that you want the most. Once you do, you can build on them.
- Surround yourself with positive people
People who make you happy are like gold dust, so make a point of spending your time with people who make you feel good and feel happy. This will prompt you to feel happier and make you feel as if you can do anything, and it’s this confidence that you need to make sure that you continue to aspire to feel good. You can’t help who you have to spend time with sometimes – you can’t choose your work colleagues, for example. But you can control who you are exposed to.
- Start making yourself accountable to you
Taking responsibility for your own life? That’s not easy. However, it’s so important that you take it on and stop making excuses for your behaviour. You need to remember that sometimes, it will be your fault that things go wrong. The key here is in learning from those mistakes and not making them again and again.
- Always climb for more
Have you ever heard the phrase “there is not enough”? Well, you need to model that in your life. There never has to be an end to your ambitions. When you buy a house, you can renovate it and upgrade the outside of it. When you get a new job, you can aim to be the manager one day. You don’t have to stop aiming to achieve if you don’t want to. Always climb for more and make your life full of achievements.
- Create your own happiness
It’s the one thing that’s most important in this list. You are in charge of your own happiness and you can create it. You should look within yourself. Whatever part of you makes you the happiest and healthiest, be that and embrace it. You won’t be disappointed by creating happiness in who you are and what you want from life.
- Keep some things to yourself
We live in a world of social media and a total lack of privacy that comes with it. Whatever you put out there on the internet will come back to you at some point, so it’s important that you work to ensure that you are only ever putting out something you’d be happy to see again. When you’re going through a rough time, it’s easy to feel defeated. However, if you document that rough time publicly for all to see, it can be difficult to come back from it because it will always be there. Learning privacy is one of the most important things that you can do for yourself to have a happy life.
- Be the person you need
We won’t tell you “be kind” because it’s not always possible to be or feel kind. A human has a range of emotions and reactions and it’s important to not put too much pressure on yourself to be the sort of person who has to be 100% kind all of the time. Kindness breeds kindness, so make it your default setting, but don’t feel horrible if you don’t achieve that always. Be the person you need. If you need someone to be direct, be direct with yourself. Talk to yourself the way you would want someone else to talk to you.
- Learn to forgive – not forget
It’s nice to forgive people who have upset you, but it doesn’t mean that you have to forget the way that you were treated. You can learn from the ways that others have treated you and make sure that you move forward. Getting through the pain is much easier than living with it yourself.
- Learn to take some chances
If you want a raise or a promotion, the only way that you’re going to get those things is to ask for them. Sometimes, this will mean that you have to come out of your comfort zone and take a chance. Taking a leap of faith to sell your house and buy a new one, quit your job and find a new one, feel alive and be present – it all means that you have to take a chance.
- Make a bucket list
We talked about making lists of things that you want to achieve, but this should include a bucket list. A list of tasks you really want to achieve ASAP so that you can fill your life with things that you can definitely be assured that you can achieve. Once you make that list, blow it up and make it bigger. You can then ensure that you are on top of it all and are geared toward a happier and healthier life.
- Keep your focus on the things that you can control
If you want to buy a house, you can control the money you save for the deposit and you can control which company you use to buy the house. You can’t control whether the seller will pull out. You can’t control what the surveyor will say about the house itself. Focus on the things that you can control and you’ll quickly learn that not everything can be monitored in life.
- You can do this
Life is not always easy to manage, but you can make yours a happier life. Worrying about things that might happen or that haven’t happened yet has to be something you put away. You don’t need to spend your life panicking and wondering and waiting: get stuck into it and make your life the happy one that you want.
