30 Ways on how to have a Happy Life

When dealing with stressful times, we ask ourselves how to have a happy life. It doesn’t seem that complicated and yet it is. We deal with life issues and other people problems so often we begin forgetting the little things that make us smile.

Uneasy and unhappy thoughts are the beginning stages that leads to depression and anxiety attacks. So to avoid them, we turn to temporarily external sources to take our mind away from reality.

There may not be a structured manual on exactly how to have a happy life because everyone deal with worldly issues, but we could at least use a list of effective methods that will help us along the way. Everyone deals with different scenarios and receive different perspectives in mind and behavior.

One person may not react the same way to a stressful situation as another person would. One person might be comfortable living a simple lifestyle as others desire to reach the stars.

Life may not be easy to dictate because we’re dealing with the rest of the world, but I summed up a list of 30 tips on how to have a happy life. Consider these reminders and if it helps, print the list out and use it as a reminder in stressful situations.

DON’T

1. Don’t allow material things define you: You life is too valuable to allow your objects to define you. We might want a Lamborghini to show the world how wealthy we are, but if you lost it one day, would that mean you lost your value too? The way we define ourselves revolves around our mind, the way we think, our actions, and decisions.

2. Don’t be afraid to tell someone, “I don’t know“: Like you, no one knows everything in the world. We learn from each other and grow united as a human specie. By pretending we know something when you don’t often hurt us in the end once someone discovers our lies.

3. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes: Everyone makes mistakes when they do anything new for the first couple times. Perfection isn’t a habit that’s formed after a few attempts. It takes time and practice before understanding the process. The most important part of trying anything new is learning something from it so we don’t make the same mistake twice.

4. Don’t become stressed due to situations: Think of all the stressful challenges you overcame in the past and how it made you into a stronger person. It may seem like you’re in a dark place now, but such as how you got through those chain of events in the past, you’ll get past the new ones as well. The way you handle stress defines you as a person. If you’re dealing with a mountain of problems, think of them as life determining how successful you want to be.

5. Don’t wait: Use the power of Now to do anything you want. You’re rarely going to find the perfect opportunity to come your way. So act now and define that moment yourself.

6. Don’t be jealous of what others have: Appreciate what you have because jealousy will only give birth to negative emotions and thoughts. It’s why we become bitter with our lives and start hating others, eventually performing acts we become ashamed of later.

7. Don’t think on living the perfect life: Think about where you want to be because oftentimes, we just assume we’ll be happy once we get certain things. Our happiness shouldn’t only arrive whenever we receive something such as money or a giant house. Learn to enjoy the little things in life that other people don’t have. A peaceful mindset revolves around making the best of what you already have and thriving to achieve a better you.

8. Don’t allow the opinions of others bother you: No one has the right to judge you such as how you don’t have the right to judge anyone else. The only reason people give negative opinions of others is to boost their own self-esteem. So ignore the comments of a cat and act as a lion.

9. Don’t hate the world or others: Love everyone and life will send an abundance of love your direction. It may be tempting to hate someone because of what they did to us, but hatred only makes us bitter and sends more negativity our way.

10. Don’t compare yourself to others: Only compare yourself to the person you were yesterday. Someone may be smarter or have more money than you, but what they don’t have is your mind and determination. If you spend most of your time thinking about others through self comparison, you stop appreciating yourself for what you already accomplished.

Learn

11. Learn how to say “No” to people: It’s tempting to agree with someone to avoid conflict, but it’s necessary for our mental health. When you’re not comfortable or know you shouldn’t make a certain decision, take a breather and tell someone or yourself, “No.”

12. Learn to take the time to learn something new everyday: Even if it’s small, take the time to learn something new. It could be a word, a fact, or another person’s name. The path of self-improvement circles the habit of learning something new to strengthen our character. Don’t beat yourself up if you forget to learn something new one day. Just build a habit of attempting to learn something interesting daily.

13. Learn how to listen rather than talk: It’s easy for us to state our opinion, but it’s even more powerful to listen to someone and understand where they’re coming from. Listening is critical for good communication and building healthy relationships.

14. Learn to respect people values if you want them to respect yours: If we disrespect other people beliefs, they immediately become defensive and mock our beliefs as well. If you want someone to respect your ideas and one day adopt them, be sure to show the same gesture of kindness. People aren’t comfortable with being forced to believe in something, nor do they want their own values stomped on.

15. Learn the art of patience and that everyone is just as anxious as you: Avoid becoming angry when you’re waiting for something to be done or when chasing your dreams. Patience is the winning man’s game whether it’s going towards your career or waiting in line at the grocery store. Patience teaches you not to give up despite what your emotional state tells you.

16. Learn to accept defeat and failure: You are going to encounter times where you don’t do well at something, but rather than blaming yourself, take it as a learning opportunity. It’s difficult for anyone to make the same mistake twice without learning something new.

17. Learn to accept the truth rather than live in a world of lies: People usually lie to themselves to avoid mental conflicts. But it’s to continue this habit because it keeps us from building our life to what we want it to be. If we avoid the truth by telling ourselves lies such as reasons we can’t achieve our goals, excuses for being in an unhealthy relationship or telling ourselves we’re happy when we’re mentally depressed, it only creates a more distressed mind.

18. Learn to embrace challenges to grow further: We grow after the series of challenges we go through and face. You may be suffering in whatever situation you’re in now, but start seeing it as a challenge rather than a burden. Don’t be afraid to try something new out because it’s difficult or different. Step out of your comfort zone to expand your horizon of knowledge. Use fear as your greatest motivational tool to try new things out.

19. Learn to take criticism from others: It’s difficult to hear the negative opinion of others when it’s pointing towards us, but if it isn’t a direct assault of words, take them into considerations. It’s difficult for us to see our own flaws, and by other pointing them out, it makes us wiser and mentally aware to fix them.

20. Learn how to become the best person you could be: It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, but learn the power of self awareness and thrive on improving yourself daily. When you become the person you want to be, it satisfy your desires and you become more contempt with your life.

Being

21. Being different doesn’t mean you’re any better or worse than another person: Don’t concern yourself with the mindset that another person is better or worse than you. We’re all different in our own unique way and that makes the world an interesting place. If you’re shorter than you’d like to be, don’t be uncomfortable with that. If you don’t have the looks of a celebrity, don’t lower your self image. As hard as it might be to believe, people do love you for the way you are. You just have to see it for yourself.

22. Being someone you’re not will fool the world, but never yourself: People normally lie about who they are or what their interests are only to please their friends or a group of people. But lying to yourself will only make you miserable the longer you continue playing an act you’re not comfortable with. This could eventually lead you to breaking ties with those who were once close to you because one day you’ll be tired of the lies and deceits. If you don’t enjoy doing something, summon up the courage to state your opinion, and if they truly are your friends, they’ll accept them.

23. Being vulnerable doesn’t mean letting your guard down, but learning how to trust: Our history is what determines the type of trust we give others. With a list of negative factors circling our head, it could make the idea of trust very scary. But trust is important to healthy relationships such as water is for our body. It’s impossible to live a happy life if we’re suspicious of everyone. We do get hurt from time to time by extending our trust to others, but that only makes us stronger and wiser.

24. Being mature doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to act like a child: Acting like an adult is necessary because it means becoming responsible for our actions. But don’t think you’re not allowed to have fun by doing things that interest you from time to time. Don’t make reckless decisions, but don’t take life so seriously all the time. Take the time to enjoy the simple things in life.

25. Being forgiving doesn’t mean allowing someone to continue harming you: Surrender your ego and arrogance because it’s bottling most of your happiness. It’s not easy to forgive someone who wronged us, but it provides us with growth and wisdom to know what’s right and wrong. Once you forgive someone, don’t make the same mistake by assuming you have to spend the same amount of time with them. For your heart to heal, give it time before you speak to that person again.

26. Being honest will always be more rewarding than lying: Each lie we tell the world will only bury us deeper in a web of chaos. It then reaches a point where we can’t control our lies anymore and they get out of proportion.

27. Being intelligent doesn’t mean you’re a genius: To acquire information is one thing, but to know how to apply them is another. Knowledge isn’t the only tool that determines a person’s success. It’s how they use that knowledge and apply their determination that predicts the outcome.

28. Being alone doesn’t mean that you’re alone: It just means you’re comfortable with yourself and your own interest. Not everyone has the mind of an extrovert and prefer their own space so they could recharge their minds. Don’t think you have a lonely life because you enjoy your personal space, but rejoice in it.

29. Being successful doesn’t mean you’re rich, married, or popular: The level of your success is based on how happy you are with your life and with yourself. Objects and other people shouldn’t be the sole factors of your success because they could disappear from your life. It’s how you mold your mind that determines your happiness, productivity, and self esteem.

30. Being motivated doesn’t last for an hour or day, but is determined by what you set for it: People could be motivated one day but lose it the next. That’s why you need to constantly motivate yourself daily such as you do with other bodily care you do. Motivation is a habit that has to be consciously maintained if you wish to achieve your goals.