Making your days great takes a little effort now and then. The truth is we can’t wait for happy things to happen to us week after week. If we did, many of us would struggle pretty often. Life throws you curve balls and circumstances don’t always go the way you had hoped. What can we do to stay positive and make our days great when there doesn’t seem to be anything to really “get happy” over?
2 Beginner’s Tips on Learning to Live Happy Days.
1. Live in today. Life is moving so fast for most of us that we rarely take the time to simply be in the moment today. We are looking at tomorrow and the calendars in front of us and listening to the programmed alarms dinging on our phones reminding us of appointments. Most of all, we have goals we want to reach that may be pretty far down the road. With all of this forward, further thinking, it can be hard to just accept what is happening today. Living in today means we are here in this moment… now. We give ourselves fully to the person with whom we are having a conversation. We make eye contact and actually tune-in to the words being said. We don’t just show up for appointments we have made for today, but we fully engage in our scheduled dates and add input where appropriate. Don’t check out and cruise through today always waiting for tomorrow. Today is your life.
2. Accept who you are and where you are today. You may not be thrilled with your place in time. But accepting your background; the good the bad and the ugly, and choosing not to let it hinder your forward progress in life, is a huge first step to finding joy in your day to day. The good news is you have the future always ahead of you, and there is no better place to start than now to see your possibilities with a positive mindset and fresh expectancy. Daily choices toward positive outlooks and hard work are giant steps on the journey toward your goals.
Accept that when things are out of our control, one thing you can control is your response. Learn to accept when your plans get derailed; traffic is especially hectic and you’ve missed your appointment. You got a double charge on your credit card because a sales clerk wasn’t attentive. Or any number of daily irritations that can send you in a downward spiral toward frustrations and ultimate exhaustion. Choose to say “oh well.” This choice can do a lot for your mindset and your attitude. “Worst case scenario, I’ll call the credit card company and get the extra charge reversed.” “I missed the appointment, so I will call to apologize and make the appointment for another date and time.”
Living in the moment and accepting your place in life today are not easy steps to take but they carry a lot of weight. These are the 2 first steps in the beginner’s guide to living happy every day because they chart the course! You can’t experience happiness without being fully who and where you are today. Take charge of your daily happiness and make a few small changes toward Happy Days.
Look for upcoming posts with more tips on how to make your every day a little more joyful.