7 Simple Ways To Be Happier In Life

Seth Simonds of Lifehack.org writes some incredible Posts on life changing. I share them here with you mixed with some of my own advice.

1. Listen to your inner child
I wonder sometimes what would happen if we all pursued the art of being a goofball. If both sides of a debate dropped their pickets and traded knock-knock jokes instead, what would change? Would we see each other differently? As opportunities, rather than problems? Chris Voss Advice: Learn to laugh at human nature and life. Enjoy life like you did when you where a child. See the wonderment again. If you cant laugh at life your arteries are hardening for cancer. Laughter frees the soul and has been shown to improve your health. Hard times in life usually end up as something you can look back and smile upon as they made you grow.

2. Be grateful for something every day
One benefit of being grateful and expressing your appreciation to others is the reciprocal nature of such things. The natural response to somebody saying, “thank you” or “wow, I really appreciate you” is the discovery of reasons to respond in-kind. If you’re constantly finding things to be grateful for and sharing your discoveries with others, be assured that they’ll begin to notice things you do and express their gratefulness to you before long! Chris Voss Advice: Remember to be good to good people and pay it forward. Thanking people and being positive is like “Chaos Theory,” its spreads goodwill around the world. If your having a bad day, dont share the ugliness by being mean to other people, find a reason to laugh and reverse the negative cycle. The good Karma can only help to improve the rest of your day.

3. Let some plans go
Giving up goals works in any area of your life. Take health and fitness: I used to have specific fitness goals, from losing weight or body fat to running a marathon to increasing my squat. Not anymore: now I just do it because I love it, and I have no idea where that will take me. It works brilliantly, because I always enjoy myself. Chris Voss Advice: This is something that I found really works for me, I’ve seen some people drive themselves mad in the vain pursuit of goals. Sometimes they become destructive to themselves just to attain them. You have to like it, love it or leave it. I’ve set goals and then pursued what I loved and what gets me motivated about them, in the end looking back I attained the goals without thinking about them.

4. Reduce your exposure to negative media
If information isn’t helping you make decisions and only makes you feel miserable, why are you consuming it? Surrounding yourself with celebrity magazines and television shows featuring spoiled rich kids can fuel that urge to compare. Chris Voss Advice: Learned this from Anthony Robbins – turn off the news, its all negative and depressing. Most news is build around fear motivation and “if it bleeds, it leads.” Subconsciously it affects you and most it is about stuff you cant control so its a waste of your time. Focus that time on positive productive stuff you control, remember there are only so many hours in a day.

5. Learn to say “NO!”
At the end of the day, it’s about how you say “no”, rather than the fact you’re saying no, that affects the outcome. After all, you have your own priorities and needs, just like everyone has his/her own needs. Saying no is about respecting and valuing your time and space. Say no is your prerogative. Chris Voss Advice: Some of the best people I know are “givers,” moms and caretakers. There are points where you can burnout with giving because you dont say “No, now is Me time.” It’s ok to take time out for yourself and reward yourself including letting people give to you. Then we can recharge ourselves for sharing with others.

6. Nurture happiness where you find it
Be grateful for your joy, every day. Be in the moment with that activity, instead of having your mind drift elsewhere. Refresh your joy often, by starting over or approaching things from a new angle or doing something a bit differently. Find new people to share this joy with, people who love it as much as you.

7. Get and stay organized
The National Association of Professional Organizers estimates that a huge percentage of work days are lost to people looking for things they have misplaced. Disorganization is the enemy of productivity, and it may even fuel procrastination. A few minutes spent every night organizing papers, assignments, long-term deadlines and goals can pay off handsomely in higher well-being and accomplishments.

What have you found makes you happier? I’d love to know!

Source: 7 Simple Ways To Be Happier