The Happiness Challenge: How To Be Happy
Only one in three Americans say they’re happy. Let that sink in. What does this statistic mean? It means that despite how essential happiness is to living a healthy life, not many people feel it.
It’s easy to focus too much on the negatives. We complain about so many small things, completely ignoring the small miracles of life happening around us. If you look carefully, life is full of reasons to smile.
If you’re unhappy, what steps have you taken to change that? How have you taken control over your life? Laying the blame on yourself or others isn’t the answer. It never is. Life isn’t about the bad things that happen to us. It’s about how we respond.
Take the happiness challenge. Do the following and see how your life turns around.
Don’t Expect Specific Outcomes
If there’s one undeniable truth out there, it’s that life is unpredictable. Whether it’s about our appearance, our careers or our relationships, not everything turns out as we plan. In short, stuff happens. Life happens.
When you base your happiness on a specific outcome, like a promotion or a marriage, it leads to misery. Be present in each moment you live. Instead of worrying about a particular result, train your mind to be happy, rain or shine.
Define Your Own Happiness
Happiness is subjective. There’s no one way to achieve it, and it doesn’t look the same for anyone. A steaming cup of coffee, nice weather, a loving smile—these can all be the sources of perpetual happiness for some.
For others, happiness might mean progressing in their professional lives and vacationing in the Maldives.
Since there’s no standard for happiness, it seems silly to become sad in the process of imitating others’ accomplishments. Avoid the rat race and define your own happiness, success and wealth. The beauty of life is that we get to choose our goals and aspirations.
Step Outside Of Your Comfort Zone
One way to truly know what makes you happy is to do something that terrifies you. Happy people become that way by experimenting, by challenging themselves and by growing. Each day, plan out something that you’ve been wanting to do but were too afraid to.
It could simply be saying “hello” first or giving your opinion confidently during a meeting. Putting yourself in unfamiliar territory can make you feel more alive. When you feel truly alive, that’s when you find happiness.
Looking for Motivational Speakers for Business?
Steve Rizzo is a renowned member of the Speaker Hall of Fame with bestselling books such as Motivate THIS! on motivation and confidence. His keynote presentations and literary works have earned him the reputation of being one of the top motivational speakers in the world.
Learn more by emailing jeff@nlspeaker.com, calling 512-986-2868 or visiting steverizzo.com.
