How to be Happy: 5 Ways to Create A Happier You

It’s fair to say that we live in a world where many don’t know how to be happy. In other words, we’ve prioritized the valueless over our values and we’ve become reactors instead of creators. I think it’s completely understandable considering the circumstances. Being happy isn’t just a good feeling, it’s also healthy, like medicine to the soul. Here are 5 ways to create a happier you below:

1. SIMPLIFY to be Happier

I find the more I disconnect, the more I connect. The world moves at such a fast pace and things are constantly changing. Because of that, many of us find ourselves in a constant chase. Just when we get a hold on things, we’re introduced with something new. “You’ll love the way you look, I guarantee it,” until the next still comes out. I never realized just how much I had until I had ‘nothing’ at all.

Here’s a story for you. While pursuing my civil engineering degree, my funding was cut short. Because I had already pursued a previous degree, the number of credits I had amassed had exceeded the set limit. During this event, I understood the magnitude of the situation. But I would also have to learn how to be happy with the change that was about to take place. It was going to be a long road, but if I simplified things, I knew it would help slow things down for me.

The first mission was to keep going. So I sold my motorcycle and adopted my bicycle. That’s when it began. I realized since I had less I had to find more things to be grateful for. I couldn’t focus on what I lost and ignore what I had left. Therefore I biked every day with the intention of acknowledging every little thing I could find along the way. From the ants that crawled, to the vultures that soared, it was life. “Blessed,” I thought, therefore contributing to my new formula of how to happy. It was just that simple

2. Appreciation for Life

Life is the most precious gift to our existence. Not appreciating life is like valuing a car without a motor. How far are you expecting to get without it right?  If we build a deep appreciation for life, we will find how easy it will be to simplify things. As I said before, it wasn’t until I lost, did I truly gain. My appreciation for life’s gifts grew exponentially, due to the experiences I was able to create.

Things were not the same, but things were different. In other words, I was introduced to another world of living. The tougher things got, the more appreciation I found for my circumstances. The more appreciation I found, the smoother things became. It didn’t matter what the unpredictable was. The only thing that mattered was that life was on my side. This meant an opportunity was presented. and as long as that is true, I’d have a chance.

3. Find Your Purpose

If there is one thing that is inevitable its that we all must go. There’s really no way around it. No need to invest too much time thinking about it when we can be living it out. “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how,” the words of Friedrich Nietzsche. 

No matter what life serves you, once you uncover your purpose, nothing can stand in your way. It’s like being the only car on an open road, it’s all yours. Knowing what makes you move and what gives you life provides another road to how to be happy. Living outside yourself takes all of the ‘me’ out of the equation. When you aren’t so focused on yourself, you are able to find beauty in all things.

What makes you move? What makes your heart pound? Is there any more of yourself you believe you can give for a greater cause then yourself? What is it inside of you that is burning to come out? That firing desire is your pass to the destination you are looking to get to. The more you satisfy that desire, the happier you’ll feel.

 4. Change Your Perspective

Ever observed a photographer at work? Ever noticed how many pictures they tend to take with hopes of catching the ‘perfect’ shot? For events with 2 photographers, 1000 photos are taken. Out of the thousand taken, only 20% will be chosen for a final review before cutting more.

To accumulate that many pictures, the photographers take as many different pictures as possible. They focus on many different angles as possible in order to capture the different angles of beauty that exist. Such is life. We experience different circumstances. The angle we choose to view it from will dictate the overall outcome. At times, it’s even worth it to lay out a few perspectives in order to give ourselves a better chance at understanding what’s in front of you.

I can assume that someone’s anger towards me could be based on hate. I can also assume that this human being is going through something that is tearing him/her up inside. I’ve been guilty of seeing things from an unpleasant angle, only to be made of aware of how wrong I was.

With time, I learned to look at things from the perspective that served me best. Why waste time in the negative when the positive is just as likely. Defining a picture based on one angle isn’t fair for that one angle could never fully define that object. The more perspectives, the better chance you give yourself at narrowing down the truth, creating more positive experiences. When we learn how to look at situations differently we can learn how to be happy in any regardless of our circumstances.

5. How to be Happy by GivIng

Giving is living. You can learn how to be happy, but unless you’ve invested time in helping others, it’ll be easy to get lost in yourself. That is where the true gift of life lies. Understanding the value of life and the importance of happiness only moves you to want to spread such a sacred find.

That Good ol Feelin should be something that feels so good we want to share it. It’s like going to a great party and telling people along the way just how amazing it was. There is a feeling you get from giving that is unmatchable. No matter what we obtain out of life, we tend to find that true living comes from serving others.

After following the chaos and obtaining what we think is happiness, our life does not often take shape until we start giving. Giving is not always money or material things. It can be as ‘little’ as a few encouraging words you take the time to share with someone. There’s an amazing feeling that is felt when such a transaction is made. When we give and see the affect our giving has on the receiver, it creates a smile in our hearts and a feeling that enhances our own happiness.

Despite of your circumstances and how little you may possess, you still have the ability to give so much. Words, now more than ever, have more value than you can ever imagine. When you speak, make sure that your words are able to breathe life in someone else so that they too can experience how to be happy through you.