How to Find Happiness in Life?
There is a lot of overlap between ‘happiness’ and ‘positivity’ as with ‘happiness’ and ‘to feel happy & content’ and whilst I do not claim to know the secret to happiness, I am distinctly aware of when I feel happy and the things that make me happy. Furthermore, I have various strategies to enable me to keep positive and to be positively minded especially when times are tough (we all know that life has its ups and downs); you can also take a look at The Power of a Positive Mind. I don’t think a huge smile physically needs to be present each time you feel happy (as something externalised) but sometimes, happiness can be an internal dialogue with yourself and your external experience. Perhaps think of the time when you may have felt blessed or content with where you are in life or what you have achieved that hasn’t necessarily required recognition from others when you have felt happy (e.g. the first time you managed to learn a new skill such as skiing or managed to cook a delicious meal for yourself and felt excited at the prospect of cooking it for someone else). Making sure you feel happy is crucial to your general health and outlook on life and needless to say, to your cancer-free journey; one should actively strive to seek this, not just in times of difficulty but also for one’s general day-to-day wellbeing.
Courtesy of the World Economic Forum (taken from YouTube) Terms of Service
Courtesy of Absolute – Speech by Matthew McConaughey (taken from YouTube) Terms of Service
What is ‘Ikigai’? – Worth Getting To Know This Term
The explanation may feel a bit academic but just getting a feel for it should actually be enough.
If you have come across the word ikigai in your endeavours to seek true happiness, you are streets ahead of most of us. Although there is no direct translation, this is a term the Japanese use to describe a meaningful life or a reason for living. ‘Iki’ – to live – and, ‘gai’ – worth, reason or value – touches a lot of essential qualities related to happiness and mastering it, is in itself, an art and something likely to be lifelong. With various subtleties and nuances to defining ikigai, the term can be broadly represented by a Venn diagram where the intersection of the four larger circles is the ultimate aim. Seeking your ikigai may be a lifelong pursuit and one that may take a considerable amount of time but the take home message is perhaps to have an awareness of the concept and to try to focus on your personal development to achieving a certain type of happiness. It would be also definitely worth looking at the other topics covered in this Health & Wellbeing Ideas section to enhance your mood.
Courtesy of TEDxYYC (taken from YouTube) Terms of Service
Also, have a look at A Compilation of Eureka Moments (click on the Moment 1 icon) to see what it’s done for me and what it can do for you.
How to Boost Your Happiness?
Well, I think the simple answer to this question essentially boils down to eating well, sleeping well, resting well, exercising well and most importantly, doing the things you enjoy and make you feel happy. Knowing that someone cares about you, caring for others, making the ‘right decisions’ (it may often not be as black and white as this), having friends and family to share and communicate, knowing what ‘ticks’ for you, etc. will all contribute to your feelings of happiness. Just find out what works for you in making you happy, take it from there and build on it. I am sure the world then literally becomes your oyster.
20th March is the International Day of Happiness
‘Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.’ (Denis Waitley)
Have a look at dayofhappiness.net that offers a free 10 Days of Happiness email-based coaching program.
Also, have a look at https://www.skillshare.com (the first month is free) and hopefully you may find something that resonates with you.
Health & Wellbeing Ideas >> The Power of the Positive Mind I How to Calm the Mind? I How to Get You in the Holiday Mood? I Meditation & Mindfulness I What is Psychological Therapy? I Social Prescribing and Other Approaches I Self Help Guide, Apps and Books