Why does happiness seem so fleeting? Why does the immediate satisfaction of a fun night out, a shopping spree, or getting more likes on that recent Facebook post never seem to last?
We can get a short term rush out of social validation and material gain but if they don’t fulfill some fundamental criteria for happiness then the joy will always be hollow and fleeting.
If you’re not feeling like you used to, it’s okay — many of us go through ups and downs.
It’s part of being human.
The good news is that happiness has been studied for many years and researchers have discovered what you really need to be happy. To be honest, the word happy is being used here as it’s easiest for people to relate, but truly, this is more about achieving lasting peace as opposed to an ever fleeting emotion.
Want to know how to create lasting happiness for yourself? Here’s your recipe, and it only has five ingredients.
For an awesome book on this topic check out The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior.
Health and Energy
There’s nothing that will suck the happy right out of your day like being sick or injured. Health and lasting energy are the foundation for a happy life.
It’s funny though — many of us don’t really take meaningful action to improve our health until we’re in desperate need of it. This is called a ‘deficiency need.’ The best example of this is dental health. You didn’t think flossing was so necessary until you had a massive toothache, did you?
If you want to have a fulfilling life then taking small measures every day to improve your health will be the first place to start.
Action step: Start with a small health habit that you know you could do. Eating a healthy breakfast, eating out less, or taking an extra walk each day are great places to start. Nail your first habit then keep building from there.
Relationships
Aristotle once said, “Man is a social animal.” For you to be happy you need to feel like you are part of a tribe; like people have your back and you have theirs. Maintaining high quality relationships in your life will make the worst of times manageable and the best of times even more amazing. These people don’t need to be around you every day, you just have to know that they are there.
Action step: Make a habit of calling someone you haven’t spoken to in a while each day. Make sure to focus the conversation around the other person. Find out what’s really going on in their life so you can connect on a deep level again. You will be amazed by how happy this will make the both of you and how much more prideful, comforted, and secure you will feel.
Meaningful Work
People are only happy when they feel they are making a contribution of some kind, meaning they are putting in more than they take out. There are three things in your work that you will need in order to feel fulfilled.
- It must be challenging and interesting.
- It must offer opportunities for growth and advancement.
- You like and/or respect your coworkers.
Action Step: If your current work isn’t doing this for you, maybe something else will. Or you can make the best of your situation by looking to make work more fun by challenging yourself to accomplish more, look to impress those up the chain, and be more social with your coworkers. A lot of people are passive in their work life, but if you’re the one who takes charge to be awesome then most people will join you in making work more fun and engaging.
Financial Independence
Making a ton of money isn’t necessary for happiness, but being broke can be a real drain on it. To be happy you just need to be in a place where you’re not worried about money all the time.
Action step: Do more with less. The best things in life are free. Spend more time outside with the people you love and less time chasing fleeting happiness, which is almost always more expensive. I suggest doing a purge of all of your clothing and belongings, getting rid of everything you don’t use on a weekly basis. You’ll be surprised to see how little you really need, and be comforted knowing that you don’t need a lot of stuff to get by each day.
Self Actualization
You are self-actualizing when you are Becoming who you were meant to be. You reach peak happiness when you feel like you are becoming something better each day. We all have dreams that we yearn to make real and none of them are going to be accomplished overnight. What will make you truly happy is moving toward that goal, even by a little each day.
Action Step: choose just one thing you would like to do, but have written off. Reignite that fire in your life by deciding firmly that you are going to do it, no matter how long it takes, and begin immediately to take steps towards accomplishing it each day. Even if you only work towards this goal for 15 minutes each day you are still closer than you were yesterday, and that is something to be excited about!
So there you have it, the five essential ingredients for living a happy and fulfilled life. Getting started on just one of the actions steps written out here will begin to make your life more meaningful and enjoyable. The more of these ingredients that you can bring in to your life, the happier you will be. It’s that simple. So what are you waiting for? Get cooking!
Source: By Maverick Wilson
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/08/19/5-essential-keys-to-true-lasting-happiness/
THE BRITISH public is taking to a new social media crusade in a bid to stick two fingers up at the doom and gloom surrounding the UK at the moment.
#Alfrexit is the latest craze, alongside Pokemon Go, encouraging people to get outdoors.
Photos of happy faces eating & playing outdoors are filling up Facebook and Twitter feeds in a frenzy to prove we can still party outdoors like our European neighbours: #Alfrexit.
The #Alfrexit boom was started by Gastro Alfresco, a campaign on the road at moment promoting healthy eating, as a Twitter competition,
Fans of outdoor living have jumped at the chance show off their pics and lifestyle, despite the British weather, across Facebook too. Both social media channels are flooded with hundreds of images of the British public at their best.
And it’s only set to get bigger, as the school holidays approach.
Sponsored by large brands including Blossom Hill, Davidstow Cheddar, Shloer, Sacla’ Pesto, Percol and Whitworths Shots Gastro Alfresco is visiting 75 locations across the UK to give away over half-a-million tasting samples.
Brian George of Gastro Alfresco said:
“After two terrible Euro exits and an awful early summer, the doom & gloom of politics, sport and weather is being shaken off on social media by our #Alfrexit campaign.
“We need to take a stand as a community and show the rest of the world that the UK is a place to be admired. Experts are telling us it’s better for us to have fun with our friends and family and to enjoy the outdoors.
“Thousands of people are now taking to #Alfrexit to prove that they’re still enjoying life and to help cheer themselves and others up! And that’s before the school holidays even get started!“
The Gastro Alfresco RoadShow is on the road throughout July and August…so plenty more time for lots of #Alfrexit posts!
You can find out more about Gastro Alfresco and summer at-home outdoor eating & entertaining, plus a full list of the RoadShow dates and venues on the Gastro-Alfresco website or you can Follow on Twitter @GastroAlfresco and Like on Facebook
/gastroalfresco
Source: Antonia Brindle
https://bdaily.co.uk/creative/25-07-2016/alfrexit-booms-showing-uk-happiness/
There is life after Brexit!!!
Congratulations Pokemon, you have finally exposed our society and ripped the Band-Aid off.
We’d rather be virtually happy than really truly happy.
We’d rather walk around neighborhood to neighborhood with our smartphones, chasing little monsters on a screen, trying to find the next little monster, than chase or communicate with real-life people.
This is the most brilliant exposure of our society that has ever happened. We have finally, finally, become one with our phones.
I like to call the phone the “Magic Wand” because that’s how I use the phone.
I look at it when I’m in Palm Springs to find a healthy place to get something to eat and then I push the little button and it takes me to that place via the GPS. Things like that never existed before.
I look at it to communicate with people on Facebook. It’s kind of fun to just pass a little bit of time and communicate with friends and other people and see how other people are living their lives. To be honest with you, that’s about all I do.
I love the fact that we can cruise all over the world nowadays, and get information wherever we are. But I think we have finally ripped the Band-Aid off.
We are a society full of learners.
People are using Pokemon to connect any which way they possibly can.
The virtual world for so many people is far more fulfilling and now they can connect with other people and talk to them about their virtual experience on Pokemon too. I’m not sure relationships or friendships are going to be made this way.
But, this has really shown that we truly are a world of very disconnected human beings. When our true happiness is coming from the screen of a little phone, we’ve really hit rock bottom.
I’m sure there will be other things like Pokemon coming out; this is just going to be the start of the virtual living that people are going to be doing from now on.
Other companies are probably already looking for ways to achieve the same success as the Pokemon Go creators. They’ve seen how many people are playing the game and they want that. They’re out there creating more apps that will lead to people being even more disconnected from the real world and connected to their phone.
I’m sure everybody is thinking the same thing. Except for me. See, I want to socially connect with people in real life. I’m actually putting down my phone more than ever before because true happiness comes from connecting with another person.
When I have something that I need to accomplish, I go out to the field called life, and I speak to things called human beings. I don’t stare at my phone. I don’t Google things. I talk to people because I practice the law of attraction.
Whenever I’m going through something, I tend to meet people that are either A, going through it, or B, already went through it. And sure enough, when I concentrate and put that energy out there in the field called life, I get the answers that I need. I get the connections that I want; I find the love that I want, friendship that I want. That’s how powerful life and human souls are.
But nowadays, we’d rather stare at the Magic Wand all day long. The more hours we can put in front of the Magic Wand, the better we feel because we live in a society full of people that actually fear each other.
It’s almost like they never got passed stranger danger when they were children.
And that to me is really bad because the world is meant to connect. When you go to bed at night and you cuddle up with your phone and the last thing you see is the magic of Pokemon, something is really truly wrong. When you spoon your iPhone, and you think about what Pokemon’s going to bring you the next day, do you realize that that is probably your best relationship? It’s not the way it’s supposed to be.
I’m not a technology basher; I’m all into the beauty of technology, but it is destroying our human race. It’s actually destroying person-to-person connection. And we have to do something about it because Pokemon is going to come at you with a lot more.
There’s going to be Pokegirl. There’s going to be virtual reality boyfriend/girlfriend.
This is just the start of what we’re about to see.
It’s up to us to stop the madness. You need to realize you’re just an addict, and realize you’re missing the real thing — human beings.
Source: By David Wygant - Dating and relationship coach, author
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wygant/the-virtual-happiness-of-_b_11062116.html
I agree 100% with this - had to stop Facebook because I was becoming addicted and spending all my time on it - very worrying - what are your thoughts?
