Most of us just want to be happy. In the pursuit of happiness, many of us lose our way. The things we do for the benefit of our happiness can be the things that actually make us miserable.
Here’s a look at how to achieve happiness, but first, here’s the number one thing that stands in most people’s way…
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Money
Most of us believe that we will be happy once we’re earning more money. What happens can be frightening…
You end up working long hours doing a job you hate. You manage to eke out a little extra earnings this way. However you save very little. Here’s why…
Because you’re miserable. You spend extra money on things to get you through life. They could be holidays, alcohol, cigarettes, and clothes you don’t need. You may spend more on your partner or children out of guilt for not spending enough time with them. Any extra you earn quickly dwindles away.
You don’t end up much better off financially, and certainly not happier.
The truly frightening thing is that this draws you into a negative cycle. You increase your earnings, increase your stress levels, and increase your spending. What you don’t increase is your happiness. If anything it decreases. Sound familiar?
You then reason that you need MORE money to be happy, and this never ending cycle goes on.
Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with wanting money, but don’t confuse it with your search for happiness. They are two different things.
What is happiness?
We’ve established that happiness is NOT money. Then what IS happiness?
Happiness is a state of mind. It has very little to do with money or even your personal circumstances. It’s about choosing to be happy right now.
Most of us are not happy because we don’t live in the moment. Money is great at dragging our minds away from the present, and into the future. We think about how great our lives will be one day, rather than how great they are now. If you constantly live in the future, you can never be happy now – and now is all you’ve got.
You must be positive about everything in your life. Too many of us focus on the bad parts and end up thinking that our life is all bad.
You will NEVER have a perfect life. Learn to appreciate what you’ve got NOW. If you don’t, then you’re in danger of living a life looking perpetually forward to what you should have. That means you will never appreciate what you have right now. There will always be more you think you need.
Change your mindset
Choose to live your life more in the moment. Enjoy gazing into your partners eyes. Take in the wonder of the stars at night. Enjoy the food you eat, even the air you breath. You can gain pleasure from EVERYTHING with the right mindset. All you need to do is keep reminding yourself to ENJOY THE NOW.
If necessary, leave notes and signs, reminding you to enjoy the now. Leave them in prominent places, such as on your fridge, at your desk, and on your walls at home.
Say to yourself every morning “I enjoy my life NOW” ten times. This helps get you off to a good start.
With these reminders, you will quickly notice a sharp rise in your happiness levels. They will also get you in the habit of thinking this way all the time.
Get into meditation. This quietens your mind from flitting from past to future. It helps you stay in the now and enjoy the moment. A very simple meditation can be to close your eyes and count your breaths. Focus all your attention on the sensation of breathing. How it feels and how it sounds. Do this for as long as you wish, everyday. Even 5 minutes is very beneficial.
Once you have a more settled mindset that isn’t just thinking of money and possessions, you can find more time to connect with family and friends. They are VITALLY important to your happiness, yet most people neglect them. Your pursuit for money and possessions can leave you thinking that spending time with loved ones is a waste. NEVER again think like that. Make sure you find time for them.
With the correct mindset it doesn’t matter what is going on in your life. You will have peace of mind and will be happy.
Final thoughts
Being happy is most peoples’ ultimate goal. We do things in an attempt of attaining happiness, but often end up focussing too much on the wrong things. They actually make us more miserable.
Let go and live. Live in the moment and appreciate EVERYTHING around you. Even the supposed bad things. Not only will you feel much happier all the time, you will not have that negative energy sapping your strength. You’ll probably find that many of the things you want will naturally flow into your life when the time is right.
Don’t put your happiness on hold any longer. Enjoy your life NOW.
This is a guest post by Jon Rhodes. Jon is a clinical hypnotherapist from the UK. He can help you in more ways than you can imagine with his huge collection of therapeutic audio sessions, where you can try some for FREE. Please click here to visit his site HypnoBusters Hypnosis MP3s
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