Enhance your happiness with these 8 power guides
Many of us believe that happiness is the only purpose in life. Obviously, we all prefer being happy to being sad. I mean, why undergo all the hardship and pain of this life? There is no need, right? Truth be told, happiness boosts our health and there are myriad reasons we shouldn’t mess with it. It’s good for our hearts. That’s why we are all kind of pursuing happiness. But, why isn’t our life not about happiness? Many are the times I’ve been in that pursuit but it’s not forthcoming. Aluta continua.
Have you ever asked yourself why we buy unnecessary s*it? Sometimes we work hard seeking approval of people who doesn’t matter to us or even share our cookies with people we don’t love. We waste our precious time analyzing why others don’t live fulfilling lives. But, as blacks, why do we do all these nonsense? Reserve your reasons. However, one thing that is sure is that it all has got to do with our culture , economy, history, media et cetera. I’m I the only person who gets agitated by seeing blacks analyze their fellow blacks? Can we change or it was meant to be that way! Anyway, we are who we are.
At times, I feel nostalgic seeing the things we do in pursuit of happiness. We buy things, hook up with people, seek for well-paying jobs or even go on holidays thinking all this will make us happy. Unfortunately, many are the times we get disappointed. As I write this, I’m lying on my bed and thinking about what could be next in this endless search of happiness. It’s quite obvious, pursuing something that makes me happy. I think that’s a hoax at the word go.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wasn’t going nuts when he said that ‘the purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.’ Mnh, we have to look at this from a different perspective.
Can we achieve happiness?
For me, happiness is a product of usefulness, not a goal. As such, it’s not achievable. Going on holidays, having drinks, dinner or even buying cars are just some of the activities we do expecting to get happy. But, are they useful? I doubt. In a nut shell, you aren’t creating anything out of those activities. Better said, you are just a consumer, which is not a bad thing. BTW, I also cherish going on holidays and shopping sprees but honestly, that’s not something that adds any meaning to my life. Think about it, chances are you’ll affirm having experienced such a thing.
As people, we can only be truly happy when we’re useful. Create something that you can use or have others use and see happiness coming your way. This won’t cost you the earth. For instance, who would have thought that Colin Kaepernick would elicit so much love through a simple act of kneeling! But see, it is the main thing now in the fight against racism. Aim to do something useful and compassionate and see yourself make some difference. It’s only through this that we can be truly happy.
These 8 steps below will make you useful, and help enhance your happiness:
- Connect with others.
Social connection as a way of boosting happiness is a widely researched area. Connecting with family and friends in place of always working is a behavior that accrues greater happiness. Our happiness is dependent on the happiness of other people whom we connect with.
- Reflect on your blessings and be grateful.
We all have something in our lives to be grateful for. Talk of good health, fulfilling relationships, satisfying careers, supportive family-the list is endless. A daily reflection on such is enough to center in. Expressing personal gratitude increases happiness and protects us from negativity, depression and anxiety.
- Give yourself a confidence boost.
Chances are that you wouldn’t bother enhancing your happiness if you felt you couldn’t succeed at it, right? That’s why it’s vital to boost your confidence. Convince yourself that you can surely increase your happiness. Imagine yourself being happy. What does it feel like? What needs to happen to feel this way? Start with an easier skill like gratitude and doing fun things that you love. Get a quick win, within no time, you’ll have become very confident in the fact that you can change your life for better. The positive vibe you rack up by doing all this will surely begin taking to the path of happiness.
- Have goals to look forward to.
Being optimistic about the future is vital for enhanced happiness. Have goals to motivate yourself. Be ambitious but realistic in your goals-setting. Let them be challenging enough to excite you, but let them be achievable as well, lest you get unnecessary stress. Having goals to look forward to brings a sense of satisfaction when we achieve them, thus enhanced happiness.
- Always be resilient and find ways to bounce back.
In life, stress, failure and loss are inevitable. How we react towards these situations highly impacts our well-being. In as much as we can’t choose what happens to us, we can choose how to respond to what happens. Honestly, that’s easier said than done. However, resilience, just like other life skills can be learned. Embrace it and see yourself increase happiness in your life.
- Live in the moment
Worrying about the past over the future is a waste of time. Change you mindset and live in the present. Focus on now. Become more aware of your current surroundings, how you feel, how your family and friends are fairing on et cetera. Living in the moment is a proactive way to up your happiness, fortunately, it’s something we can all do.
- Giving
Doing good things for others is core to our happiness. It makes you healthier too. Caring and giving results into a stronger bond between people thus helping build a happier community for everyone. Giving is not all about money, sacrifice some time, energy and ideas. All of us can afford that. You want to feel happy, do good.
- Ask for help when you need it.
At times, we’ll get overwhelmed and fail to meet our deadlines. One can also run into unforeseen difficulties and fail to know how to handle it. Asking for help when you need it won’t hurt. If anything, it’s good for a positive attitude and good mental health. It helps you move ahead towards achieving your goals, thus enhancing your happiness.
What are you doing towards making a difference?
Sadly, some of us can’t cite any useful thing done in their lifetime. Fam, we can’t change the world, but we can make it better than we found it. For instance, as this coronavirus pandemic sticks around, what things have you done to make a difference? There are loads of ideas here, you’re never too late. Come what may, as our black lives continue to matter, let’s strive to make up some own useful activities.
Being useful doesn’t involve doing anything big. However, when you do something useful daily, it will culminate into a life that mattered. Let there never be zero evidence that you ever existed. That’s the only way our lives can be happy, by being useful. Don’t be among the lot who asks ‘why should I work more?’ and then stamp a permanent mark on the coach watching episodes on Netflix. Strive to be the player and not the spectator.
Right Decisions
Think about what you’ve done or are doing for this world. If your answer is nothing, change your mindset. That’s the first step towards being useful. It all starts with making the right decision. Life is never too serious though, don’t kill yourself with thoughts, just do anything useful. That’s the only road to a calmer and happier life.
Final Thoughts…
For long, Afro-Americans have been like sleeping lions. There are loads of us who despite having the potential never add much to our community. Many leave no legacy behind. This is terribly sad.
Your turn: Do you think that happiness is the most important purpose in life? In your opinion, what’s the most important purpose in life? We will be glad to read your views in the comments section below.