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What does happiness and success mean to you?
Most of us were taught by family members, teachers, coaches, neighbors and others at a young age that setting goals and achieving in areas of good grades, attending a great college, having a distinguished career, living in a high end neighborhood, driving a fancy car and the perfect family would bring us happiness.
Many would like to achieve these fine things in life with minimal worry, stress or anxiety. These are constant and ongoing which tend to lead us spending more of our time experiencing negative emotions instead of focusing on the positive. We may reach a big goal and feel really happy for the moment, a week or a month. Then what happens? The feeling fades away and we are on the path to reaching yet another goal…and another…and another. Many people feel that if they could just get that “Dream Car” or the “Dream House” then they will be happy. The pursuit of material objects usually does not bring long term happiness. We struggle to reach and attain so many dreams and yet the failures we encounter along the way take us back into that feeling of being unsuccessful. So how can we be happy and successful? The two are different and don’t always mesh with one another.
Happiness and success mean different things to different people. For example, some people may say having a lot of money would bring them happiness. However, there are very wealthy people who are not happy. Happiness is really a state of mind. There are some keys to aligning the two in order to attain happiness and success.
Take time each day to write down the positive things that you already have in your life. Refuse to let negativity in and instead develop a mindset of gratitude. Challenges, problems and failures are learning opportunities which can help us become better.
Learn to appreciate just being in the moment. Enjoy the simple things that are right around you including: children, friends, pets, stars or a beautiful sunny day. We are never problem free and there will be constant challenges up ahead so enjoy being present in the moment and focus of the positive.
Make it a habit to use your time wisely. This allows for you to manage the areas in your life without adding stress. Preventative measures can take place to avoid crises and unnecessary anxiety when you plan out your days and avoid procrastination.
Set realistic goals and create a definitive plan to achieve them. Write them down and detail your plan of action. Too many people set unrealistic or superficial goals and get discouraged when things don’t work out. Create your plan and timeline and stick to it.
Begin your mornings early enough to accomplish tasks. We feel better when our work gets completed. Our minds can rest knowing we have taken care of our responsibilities and this creates happiness and success.
Our happiness and success can depend on our health. Take care of your body by getting plenty of rest, proper nutrition and exercise. Incorporate a healthy lifestyle as a daily routine.
There have been studies in the field of positive psychology which shows your brain works increasingly better when we maintain a positive and peaceful mindset. You have the ability to choose to be happy no matter what your previous circumstances were in the past. Adapting these mindset principles and behaviors can open the door for long term happiness and success.