At each moment of the day, you make a decision, whether you realize it or not. It’s the result of your attitude towards life. And whatever it is—positive or negative—it affects all the events, people, relationships, and basically whatever it is that you encounter in your life. So, if you’re living a complicated life with so many things to do and no time for yourself, it’s your fault. If you have exactly what you’ve wanted and are thankful for it every day, you’re the one to blame. If you’re surrounded by negative people, have a job you hate and can’t even sleep at night because of the many thoughts that pop up in your head constantly, no one else is responsible for that but you. If you’re doing what you love, work hard but still find time for yourself and those you love, it’s due to a choice you’ve made at some point. But there’s good news. Whatever your situation is, you can change it. Happiness is absolutely possible at any time, it’s free, doesn’t depend on age, looks, career or income. Everyone deserves it and it doesn’t need to be found, reached, created, or anything else that requires effort. Here is the happiness formula:
Letting Go + Acceptance + Gratitude
Call them skills, processes, qualities, goals, or else. They don’t really need to be defined. But these are three of the best things you can do with your life—let go of what was and will be, accept what is and be okay with it, thank for it and appreciate it. That will make you the happy, contented person you’ve always wanted to become. You’ll find peace, will free yourself from the burden of the past and anxiety of the future, will start living in the present moment and will see all the beauty and abundance in your life by focusing on what you have and being grateful for it. Now let’s discuss each element of the happiness formula separately.
Letting Go
It is pure magic as it makes us feel so free and contented that we realize we’ve never lived before. The problem is that we hold onto so many things—all our past relationships, painful memories, material objects that remind us of something, etc. We also spend a great deal of time thinking about the future, fearing what might go wrong, trying to change it by taking control and planning. And when things turn out differently, we’re disappointed and devastated. All this makes us weak, sad and desperate. We carry so much excess stuff in our head that we can’t move on. And thus can’t enjoy life and be happy. But if we let go and let things be just the way they are, we will be free, peaceful and will be able to experience the present moment without comparing it to a previous one, without expecting it to turn out in a particular way, without overthinking and worrying about the next one. That’s how we should live in order to be happy—experiencing something, feeling it with our whole being, appreciating and enjoying it, and then immediately letting it go so that we can let in the next one.
Acceptance
To accept is to be okay with things, people, events and yourself. It doesn’t mean you give up on trying to achieve what you’ve wanted; it means that you trust the natural flow and don’t interfere. It shows that you’re in peace and aren’t obsessed with control and change. It allows you to go through life and be at ease, to have joy and satisfaction. You need to realize that whatever happens right now is the best for that exact moment. Then, something else will happen. And you’ll be okay with it because that’s how things should be. You need to trust and believe. Only then will you be free from anxiety, the need to always do something, the discontent and stress.
Gratitude
That’s another thing that can make you the happiest person. Focus on the good things in your life, be positive about what’s to come, be thankful for what you have (even the bad stuff as it’s lessons and experience) every single day, appreciate it, show you care, express your gratitude and love. Then you’ll start seeing all the abundance you live in. Things will become even more beautiful and precious for you. You’ll see the people you love as priceless gifts and will feel so blessed. All that is simple and easy. It will show you the other side of life—the magnificent one. That will let you live the life you’ve been dreaming about without changing anything in your environment. That’s how you choose to be happy. Featured photo credit: Jumping for Joy, by Karen Corby via flickr.com
