Happiness is not a destination, its a way you walk through. Many people are finding happiness into the money, but money can't buy happiness. Then how to be happy?
Being happy may just be the single most
important thing you can do for your health, making it just as necessary
as diet and physical activity.
Happy people don't sit around waiting for good vibes to happen to them.
Whatever makes them happy, they go for it, said Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside and author of "The Myth of Happiness."
Editors Note: Follow Nashas's Happy Project to explore what happiness means today, dive deep into the different ways we pursue it and find some tools to help make your life better. Come join us and #gethappy & #nashas!
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"Here is 10 Ways to Get Happy Instantly or maybe forever"
1. Take charge of your own development
No one cares about this more than you. Today’s careers are all about moving from one role to another, gathering experiences for your portfolio along the way. Lateral moves and stretch assignments are more important than following a straight line up. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand and ask for something more.
2. Avoid negativity
Making the decision to be happy at work means avoiding gossip, negative conversations and the unhappy people you can’t change. No matter how positive you might be personally, negative people can have an impact on how you feel. They tend to suck up all the oxygen in the air, leaving you out of breath and frustrated.3. Focus on the positive
Even though you might not love your job, there is always some aspect of it that you do like. Find that nugget and focus on it, along with ways to incorporate it into other aspects of your day.
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4. Check Out Buddhism
I’m not religious at all. I guess I would be considered an atheist. But whenever I encounter Buddhism I think, now this is a religion I could get down with. I recently bought this beautiful little book called True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart and each time I pick it up and read, I find it totally enlightening. It makes me want to delve deeper into Buddhism. I love the idea of incorporating mantras and mindfulness into my life. I think these monks are on to something.5. Focus on time, not money
Although people typically focus on money, marketing professor Cassie Mogilner has found that that focusing on time often helps people realize that time is a precious resource. That knowledge helps them be more deliberate in how they spend it. "This leads people to spend their time in ways that are more fulfilling and that make them happier, like connecting with the people in their lives," said Mogilner, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.6. Write a Love Letter
Love breeds happiness. Make Valentines come early for that special someone. Do it the old fashioned way, get some stationary, pour your heart out in perfect penmanship and mail that baby off. Just knowing that the note will arrive in your beloveds mailbox in 2-3 days will set your own heart -a- flutter.7. Embrace failure
Failing is way to learn what doesn't work before we learn what does work. People who succeed often fail many times before they succeed. "Success requires acquiring experiences and learning lessons," Bono said. "Very often, the best way, and sometimes the only way, to acquire that experience and learn those lessons is through failure: trying things one way, realizing what doesn't work and then making the appropriate changes."Recommended:
8. Get spiritual
There's plenty of research showing that people who participate in their local church, synagogue, mosque or other preferred spiritual community are happier. Even reading spiritual literature can be helpful. Not religious? There are ethical societies and movements that get people thinking beyond themselves9. Paint Something
Finding time to make art (that’s not of the finger paint variety) is next to impossible. This weekend when you have some free time, drop everything. Let the dishes go un-washed, leave the toys where they are. Take out some art supplies. My favorites are water colors. Find an image, maybe one of your baby, and paint it. Then as soon as that sucker is dry, hang it up. You will feel so proud each time you walk by your new work of art. Hey, and if you’re not a painter make a crazy collage or graphic image on the computer. But bottom line is DO IT!10. Practice kindness
Do something nice for someone else, whether it's someone you know or a stranger. It can be spur of the moment or planned out. You can do the good deed anonymously or help the beneficiary directly, said Lyubomirsky.A Bonus Tip to find happiness:
Email an Old Friend- You know that friend you haven’t spoken to in years. There’s really no reason you don’t talk any more other than you live in different cities and have just gone your own ways. Maybe she, or he, was your bestie in high school or college. Reach out and give her an update on your life and find out what she’s up to. You don’t need to make plans or say why you haven’t kept in touch. Just say hi and tell her some news. It’s like a happy two for one!If it makes you happy to share, please let us know the ways you used these tools on social media using the #gethappy hashtag.
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