subject: 10 Steps To Living Happier [print this page] Living well is something that can be tough and doesn't come easily. It is a battle that is fought each and every day. The first thing you have to realize when trying to make a change in your life is that it is a process. Doing something for one day is good, but to be happy you have to make living well a habit. Here are the ten steps to making your life a good one every single day.
Look Forward Not Back: Failure is a part of life. Dwelling on what we have done wrong is one sure step to make sure that we will keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Understand that mistakes are always going to be made but learn to own them and focus the next day on solving those problems. Sulking on a bad breakup, missing the big promotion, or how you could have avoided financial trouble will not help you get out of those problems. To make sure you are looking forward, make a list, plot out a resolution on paper and then make sure you stick to it.
Be Healthy: To stick to the list you have made in step one you are going to need to have energy to do it. Having energy can be tough if you have a poor diet, don't exercise, and smoke or drink to much. This isn't to say one can't enjoy life or needs to be a super model in order to have energy; just know your vices and try to do them in moderation. Being healthy can't be accomplished over night, but try to set daily goals for your personal health. This should keep you motivated and get you to your goal.
Be Social: This may not be a problem for some people but others it can be more of a struggle. Make sure to participate in hobbies or communities that revolve around things that you enjoy and allow you to meet similar people. Being around others gives you a feeling of self worth and improves self confidence. Having these two things is crucial to succeeding. It's ok if you don't know where to get started if you don't already have a good group of friends. Look online or in the news paper and find an event that interests you and go. It is ok if you don't have anyone to go with (It is actually the point); you are trying to establish a healthy social circle.
Stay Busy: Boredom eats away at the mind and often reinforces self destructive habits. If you constantly find yourself with nothing to do try to find a hobby or an activity that can structure that time. I would suggest something social as you can accomplish both steps 3 and 4 together. If you have the time, volunteer in the community. Volunteering is a great way to spend excess time and also improve feelings of self worth and happiness.
Practice Good Hygiene: This is another thing that you may think is a no brainer. However it is very much worth noting. Good personal hygiene habits are important to feeling good. Feeling good is the key to actually being good at whatever it is that you do. Reminding yourself of these habits can be especially important if you are unemployed and are looking for work. There may not be a job for you to get up and ready for; but acting like there is will help you when that big interview day comes along.
Set Professional Goals: You may not being doing what you want, or earning what you deserve but understand what it is you want and set incremental goals to get there. Success does not happen over night, it takes years of hard work and often disappointment to get to where you are going. This is why setting small goals on short time scales is important. Pick one skill or task to improve on, succeed at that and then move on to the next. If you stay focused at this before you know it your personal life will be where you want it to be.
Live Within Your Means: This can be by far the hardest thing to accomplish for many people. Often times things that we cannot control effect how well we can accomplish this part of the process. That being said living a financially sound life day to day helps when unexpected situations that can come up. Try to establish a stable budget that works for you on a month to month basis. Make sure that you have a sound understanding of how much money you make and how much money you spend. It may surprise you how much money you waste on a day to day basis. There are some helpful tools up on my website to help you with setting a budget and understanding the money that you make.
Keep Your Brain Active: Try to challenge your mind like you were still in school. Day to day things can get a little monotonous and it can be hard to keep intellectually stimulated. Take a class at a local college or read an academic text. Do something that you use to do when you were in school that you just don't anymore. Education gives you the feeling that everything is possible. The droll of day to day life can take that away from many people and keeping that youthful fire in your heart is a major key to living well.
Take The Shot!: It is hard to say exactly what this means. It will be different for every person. All I can say is that in every life there are situations where you can take a risk and just go for it. This is not a license to be foolish or uninformed but to take a chance at doing the things that make you happy. Don't let fear of the unknown get in the way of moving towards your goals. If the opportunity you have been waiting for comes up across the country, go. Everything is possible, doing it is just a function of how badly you want something.
Rinse and Repeat!: Do all of these things in balance and be honest with yourself about how you are doing. Don't get frustrated but give yourself a fair critique on a monthly basis on how things are progressing. Reward yourself for successes and take the time to analyze what has gone wrong. Make sure to understand where you went off track and make a plan to fix it.
Practice these steps and I guarantee you will see an improvement in your overall happiness. Living well is hard and is something that you need to work on every day. It is important to have a framework to work from and to consistently remember the end goal.
