What Is Happiness and How Can We Be Happier?
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” — Aristotle
Do you find yourself struggling to feel happy? if you do, you’re not alone. Even the most successful people struggle with happiness. The question is, what is happiness?
Recently, I asked a couple of people around me what happiness means to them. I got different but similar answers. This got me thinking about the nature of happiness and how we can live happier lives.
To sum everything up, happiness is a state of feeling positive emotions that bring satisfaction.
It can be spending time with family, doing what you love, or going on an adventure.
Depending on what brings you joy, there’s one truth that we can all agree on: we’re constantly seeking happiness. We can’t be happy every single moment.
Honestly, I wish it was possible to be happy every time. But that’s not how life works.
The problem is that sometimes we feel like we have nothing to be happy about. We feel like life is unfair and we’re victims. And yes, life can be unfair but we’re going to have to embrace that fact rather than be sad about it.
It’s hard to maintain a constant state of happiness because different things contribute to our level of happiness.
For example, we always look for things outside of ourselves to give us joy. We then end up comparing ourselves to others and worry about the things we lack in our own lives.
We always want more, new things become old and the thrill of having them fades away. Bad things happen to us that mess us up emotionally.
But our long-term happiness depends on how much we’re willing to take control of our emotional state.
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” — Aristotle
Maybe you don’t have a job or aren’t doing well financially. Maybe you’re trying to heal from trauma or have experienced some form of loss recently.
Regardless of what the situation is, the best thing you can do for yourself is to learn to cultivate happiness.
5 Ways to Cultivate Happiness
We’ve established that it’s on us to create happiness for ourselves. The question is, how can we find happiness when we feel like the world is conspiring against us?
Here are 5 ways to cultivate happiness so you can feel more powerful and in control:
1. Practice Gratitude
We all have something to be grateful for. the fact that we’re alive is enough reason to be grateful. I’m grateful for being able to share my stories on Medium. I’m grateful for my friends and family. I’m grateful for the things I own that I never used to have.
Find something to be grateful for each day.
Acknowledge that there are things you have that you never used to have. It can be anything.
Search deeply until you find something you’re grateful for. Keep cultivating this habit and you’ll feel a sense of satisfaction from doing it.
2. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparison is the thief of joy.
We’re constantly comparing ourselves to others. Even the people you’re comparing yourself to are comparing themselves to you. It’s human nature.
We’ll always look outside of ourselves for something. it’s also necessary for our survival. But don’t get consumed by this. Rather, use it as a source of inspiration and growth.
If someone is doing better than you, think of ways you can improve yourself. Not because you want to compete, but because a sense of growth will bring you joy in life. Become comfortable in your skin and do the things that a true to you.
By all means, do what you want. But make sure it’s not for the validation from others. Do it because a sense of growth will bring satisfaction to your life.
3. Stop Trying to Be Perfect
I’d say every human being is guilty of this. But as we get older, we realize we don’t have to be perfect.
Focus on growth.
Realize that you don’t have to meet up with society’s expectations of you (it will always be high). You also have to manage your expectations of yourself.
Don’t beat yourself up for mistakes. Learn from them and don’t repeat the same mistakes. Cultivate self-awareness and understand your strengths and weaknesses.
4. Forgive Yourself and Others
I’ve been down the rabbit hole of blaming society for my problems. I’ve beat myself up for mistakes I made. I blamed my parents for not giving me the life I believed I deserved.
I used to point fingers at other people until I realized that being in that state kept me sad and stagnant.
People with hurt you and you will hurt people. Those situations can hold us back if we don’t let go of them.
Forgiveness is an intentional decision to let go of resentment and anger.
Learn to detach from negative situations by reframing your thoughts about them. Don’t let them weigh you down.
If you want to feel happier, you need to let go of the past.
5. Acknowledge Your Emotions and Take Control
Okay, so I’m not saying that practicing these things will put you in a constant state of bliss. There would be bad days. Bad things will happen, and life won’t always work in our favour.
What you can do is to acknowledge these moments. Cry if you need to, but don’t let them consume you. Acknowledge your emotions by understanding that it’s a phase and it will pass. Find creative ways to manage your emotions.
You can pick up a new hobby or explore your curiosities. Focus on learning and growing from those moments so you don’t get consumed by them.
Life is yours. Live it, love it!
Final Thoughts
Everybody wants to live happy lives, but it’s not easy to feel happy all the time. The secret is doing things that can help us experience positive emotions. I hope you were able to learn a thing or two from this article.
We’re all in this together. And I encourage you to keep doing the things that bring you joy in life. Let go of any pain you’re holding on to. Don’t compare yourself to others, and be grateful for the things you have in life.
I’d like to hear from you. What does happiness mean to you? And how do you create happiness in your life? Please share in the comment section.
Thanks, see you next time.
