Actions 4 Happiness

By Patrick Driessen

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet." - James Openheim

After I published my blog post about What Makes You Really Happy? I received many responses from people who informed me it was a real eye-opener for them and in many cases they had concluded they were after things which would NOT make them happy…. I also received a lot of requests for additional guidance on how to become happier and more successful.

Below you’ll find a broad overview of actions which you can take to increase your own happiness. Success guaranteed! You can’t go wrong with any of these and I’m sure they’ll help you to become more successful and happier in each and every area of your life!

• Have Meaningful Goals
  People who strive for something significant, whether it’s learning a new craft or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations. As humans, we require a sense of meaning to thrive. Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. Click here for guidance to help you decide what you want. Click here to help you with dreaming and goal setting.
• Build Valuable Relationships
  Now more then ever we can really claim “It’s a small world”, because thanks to new technology and social media networks, it has become fairly easy to build relationships with other people around the globe. As long as you make sure you turn your new relationships in valuable relationships, they’ll make you happier! Click here for more information on how to use social media to expand your network.
• Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
  It sounds simple, but it works. Happy people…see possibilities, opportunities, and success. When they think of the future, they are optimistic, and when they review the past, they tend to savor the high points. Even if you weren’t born looking at the glass as half-full, with practice, a positive outlook can become a habit. Click here to learn more about smiling.
• Say Thank You Like You Mean It
  People who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis are healthier, more optimistic, and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals. People who write “gratitude letters or emails” to someone who made a difference in their lives score higher on happiness, and lower on depression, and… the effect lasts for weeks!
• Maintain Your Brain
  Our brain is where all our experiences, learning’s, emotions, etc. are being turned into….HAPPINESS! The better the condition of your brain, the larger its capacity to turn your emotions and experiences into happiness! Daily intake of apple juice, almonds, whole wheat, Omega3 (fish oil), vitamin-B Complex, enough sleep and various brain exercises will all help to boost your brain power. Click here for more info on how to maintain your brain.
• Savor Everyday Moments
  Pause now and then to smell a rose or watch children at play. Study participants who took time to “savor” ordinary events that they normally hurried through, or to think back on pleasant moments from their day, showed significant increases in happiness and reductions in depression.
• Avoid Comparisons
  Comparing ourselves with others can be damaging to happiness and self-esteem. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, focusing on our own personal achievement leads to greater satisfaction. 
  
• Bake Your Own Bread
  Satisfying, rewarding, healthy and easy to do: bake your own bread. With your own bread machine you can wake up every morning with the smell of fresh baked bread, which makes you happy and will make you smile. Click here for information on how to do it.
• Put Money Low on the List
  People who put money high on their priority list are more at risk for depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, according to various studies. Research findings hold true across nations and cultures. The more we seek satisfactions in material goods, the less we find them there! The satisfaction has a short half-life; it’s very fleeting. Money-seekers also score lower on tests of vitality and self-actualization.
• Coach Your Own Health
  People who successfully manage the health of their body and mind are more balanced, more successful and happier! A combination of the right nutrition and liquid intake, exercise, relaxation, and regular health checks will result in the best possible and happiest health. To learn more about how to coach your own health, click here.
• Take Initiative at Work
  How happy you are at work depends in part on how much initiative you take! When we express creativity, help others, suggest improvements, or do additional tasks on the job, we make our work more rewarding and feel more in control.
• Make Friends and Treasure Family
  Happier people tend to have good families, close friends, and supportive relationships. But it’s not enough to be the life of the party if you’re surrounded by shallow acquaintances. We don’t just need relationships, we need close ones that involve understanding and caring.
• Make Love!
  Yes, it’s no surprise that lovemaking boosts your happiness levels!
• Get Out and Exercise
  A Duke University study shows that exercise may be just as effective as drugs in treating depression, without all the side effects and expense. Other research shows that in addition to health benefits, regular exercise offers a sense of accomplishment and opportunity for social interaction, releases feel-good endorphins, and boosts self-esteem!
• Give Hugs
  Hugs stimulate oxytocin, the “love hormone”; spreading a feel-good boost.
• Keep a Gratitude Journal
  Writing about what you are thankful for both helps retrain your brain to be more optimistic and positively impacts your health!
• Give It Away, Give It Away Now
  

  Make altruism and giving part of your life, and be purposeful about it. Helping a neighbour, volunteering, or donating goods and services results in a “helper’s high,” and you get more health benefits than you would from exercise or quitting smoking. Listening to a friend, passing on your skills, celebrating others’ successes, and forgiveness also contribute to happiness. Those who spend money on others create much greater happiness than those who spend it on themselves! For example: Spending time on teaching, coaching, mentoring and guiding others to succeed is most rewarding and satisfying and really makes you happy!

If you follow these proven 'Actions 4 Happiness', I am sure it will also enable you to become more successful, increase your happiness and enhance the quality and quantity of your life!

A good question to ask yourself is: will having more success make you happy, will being happy make you more successful, is it both or somewhere in the middle? For you to find out!

"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want." - Margaret Young

Make this a Positive & HAPPY day....unless you have other plans!

Thanks, warm regards & success,

Patrick Driessen