Happiness is an art. It takes focused attention and strong determination. It hardly ever happens by accident. We all know someone who just radiates joy and love, seemingly by nature. What you probably don’t know is that that person is choosing to be happy every single day, to wake with a smile every day and to share that joy with others.
This isn’t something you’re born with. You can cultivate happiness and joy of living simply by putting a few good habits into practice. Pretty soon you’ll find yourself singing in the shower, smiling in line at the coffee shop and waving down total strangers just because you like the color of their sweater.
1. Make the commute your favorite part of the day
Everyone knows long commutes are a drag. All that time you could be sleeping, making a nice big breakfast or snuggling with your spouse in a nice warm bed. Oy. The things we do to make a dollar.
But a long commute can also be a blessing in disguise, if you use it creatively.
Try audiobooks. Many public libraries have a good selection. An eReader will even read them to you, if you don’t mind the computer generated tones. There are loads of great audiobooks on Amazon too, read by real people, and they’ve come down in price substantially since the digital revolution. On the go? You can download a great book instantly on your smartphone using iTunes.
Take an audio course. Language courses are great in a car, since it’s the perfect place to practice rolling your r’s. Some websites allow students to apply for and listen to courses online, sometimes even for credit. Let the car be your classroom!
Listen to great music. Many people turn on the car radio as a reflex. For goodness’ sake, get that dang cord that connects your phone/iPod to your car – it’s not expensive! Burn some CDs, if necessary. Listen to the music you love.
Carshare. Buddy up with someone at work to split the gas and enjoy great conversation.
If you really can’t find a way to enjoy the ride, move. Commuting eats up way too much of your time if you don’t enjoy it. It’s worth the trouble to find a job closer to home, or, as another option, move into that slightly-smaller-but-way-more-central apartment you’ve had your eye on.
2. Practice gratitude
Gratitude is a major game changer, forcing you to give your attention to the things you love about your life. This creates a fundamental shift in perspective. As a reflex, you’ll start feeling good in the morning, rather than worrying about that upcoming meeting or overdue paper.
Start a gratitude practice. Even if it feels a little ritualistic at first, it helps to have a routine so that you won’t forget to practice daily.
Try it with your morning coffee. For once, sip your coffee and do nothing. Don’t check your emails, creep your ex-lover’s facebook profile or browse around on HuffPost. Just be silent and enjoy the taste. Think of the people you love, the special moments you’ve had this week, month or year, and remember a time when you felt really lucky. Relish it.
Say grace at dinner. It might be old-fashioned, but the practice is still around for a reason. It doesn’t have to be religious, either. Just take a moment to acknowledge your love for whoever you’re sitting with or whatever awesomeness has come into your life as of late.
3. Dress in colour
Black and gray are way too boring! Colours have power. Live loud by wearing tons of color. You’ll find it changes your energy, infusing you with a mega dose of chi, prana…whatever they’re calling it these days. Speak up! Clash if you want to. Stop disguising your beautiful, shining spirit. (Guys, that means you too! Aren’t you lucky to be living during a time where it’s okay for the men to wear color too?)
You’d be surprised how much your world can change when you start dressing in orange, yellow and green. Give it a try, just for a day.
4. Stop telling people how busy you are
“Busy” has become the standard response to a conventional greeting, especially at work. Everyone’s so busy, it’s become a badge of honor. People seem to believe others guage their importance by how busy there are. Not true!
Practice a new way of communicating. Rather than rattling off your life’s stressors, start rattling off your life’s brilliance! Even if it’s wildly simple – maybe you ate the most delicious roast last night, maybe you got some new insoles that keep your feet deliciously comfy all day long – let your friends and colleagues know!
And how about we stop greeting each other conventionally? Instead of a boring old “hey, how are ya?”, how about a “hey, how great is this day?” Make it easy for others to tell you what’s good in their lives.
5. Find ways to laugh more
The health benefits of laughter cannot be overestimated. But science be damned, it just feels great to laugh, to double over with that kind of belly laughter that makes your stomach ache.
It may be surprising that laughter is actually something you can practice and cultivate in your life. Try a laughter yoga class. Make it a practice to watch only funny movies for a while and skip the high Hollywood drama. Laughter is a muscle, literally and figuratively. The more you laugh, the stronger it gets and the easier it becomes to laugh even when the going gets tough.
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