5 STEPS TO KICKSTART YOUR JOURNEY TOWARDS PURE HAPPINESS
The way in which we view the world is shaped by our life experiences, people that we interact with, the culture that we live amongst and the environment that we are surrounded by on a daily basis. This means that it can be very easy to get stuck in the same ways of thinking, reacting and handling situations that we find ourselves in. Changing the way that we think can seem like an impossible task but it is incredibly important for our long term happiness to be in control of our emotions and able to constantly grow and develop our mindset. After all happiness is all about mindset!
ure happiness is different for everyone. As Stephen Bartlett says “Happiness is not a destination” its ongoing - you should be living and breathing it every day. If you are feeling a bit bogged down, a bit stuck and just generally a little bit sad then you are in the right place.
Sometimes, all you need is a heart to heart with a close friend to help shift your mindset and give you that epiphany moment.
Our 5 steps towards pure happiness are the friendly advice that you are missing and will give you a kick start into your journey towards pure happiness:
Let go and forgive yourself
We have all made mistakes, we are human after all. Unfortunately, this sometimes comes with feelings of guilt and regret which can be really hard to shift. It is important to remember that dwelling on the past only hurts you and carrying the burden of past actions will weigh you down. In order to move forward you need to learn to forgive yourself and move on. One of my favourite quotes summarises this really well ‘Forgiveness means giving up all hope of a better past’. You can’t change the past, but you can make peace with it, let go and focus on building a positive future. If it is someone else that you need to forgive in order to move on then remember you aren’t doing it for them, you are doing it for yourself… but they don’t need to know that!
2. Practice Self Reflection
In such a busy world where we are surrounded by constant distractions we simply don’t spend enough time self reflecting and focusing on the present. Can you honestly say that you know exactly how you are feeling right now with your life? Take the time to reevaluate. Sometimes we can get so consumed by the situation that we are currently in that we don’t actually know whether we are happy or not… or whether we are doing the right things to make us feel fulfilled. Write down all of the things that you are questioning and next to them create a mind map to capture how you are feeling about each of them. Use a highlighter to colour the positive feelings in green and the negative feelings in red. The visual will show you the key areas that need to change, more red means more negative energy. It is likely that you might be considering big changes… whether your job is fulfilling enough or whether you see a solid future with your partner all of which can seem daunting. Sometimes big changes can be the most life changing. Take risks!. Nothing good came from staying within your comfort zone.
3. Swap expectation for appreciation
Our society is based around consumerism and at times it can be hard not to get sucked into this way of life even if it isn’t for you! This comes with lots of comparing and high expectations of things that we think we deserve, a new Mercedes because your friend who earns less than you just got one on finance, a 10 thousand pound diamond ring because your favourite influencer has one and shared it with the world on social media. The question is would this really make you happy? Are these things that you want or things you think you should want because everyone else is swooning over them? Take some time to be grateful for what you have. If you are reading this blog post then it is likely that you have a laptop or phone, which means that you are also likely to have a roof over your head, food and warmth. All of which are so easy to take for granted, reflect on this - you are incredibly fortunate. Try reflecting in the moment and saying to yourself, yes I would love to have a Mercedes, but my little car that I saved for years to buy, worked so hard for and am actually really proud of is enough for me. That’s pretty special! And remember the world doesn’t owe us anything. I believe if you work hard, give back and be kind then good and happy things will come to you.
4. Build up others
It is scientifically proven that doing kind deeds for other people releases ‘happy hormones’ in your body. If you are anything like me you regularly think nice things about people but struggle to say them for fear of sounding weird. So make a change, set yourself a goal to actively tell the lady at the till in Tesco that she looks pretty or has great hair, buy the local homeless guy a sandwich, donate to a charity that is close to your heart. Don’t just think about, actually take the step to do it. If the thought of doing a selfless act doesn’t entice you then remember, you get something out of it too and best of all you can completely change someone’s day!
5. Positivity attracts Positivity
If you believe in energies then this is a great one for you. Surround yourself with people operating at the same frequency as you. Positive energy attracts positive energy. Do a cull of people and things that drain you. Use self-reflection to identify who and what these things might be and get rid of them. Sometimes you won’t even realise how much of a drain they are until they are gone.
