Most people think they would be happy if they had more “stuff” or more money. A better car or a better house sounds pretty good to most people. But more money and “things” don’t necessarily make you happier.
Having a car might make it easier to be happy if it means you don’t have to walk everywhere. Having more money can make it easier to be happy if you currently can’t pay all your bills. So these things can remove some of the obstacles to being happy, but they don’t really provide joy and happiness.
Consider these ideas for more joy and fulfillment:
Someone to love. Everyone needs someone to love. If you don’t think you have someone to love, go find someone. The world is full of people that feel unloved so it shouldn’t take you too long to find a volunteer. We all need someone to cherish and care for. Fortunately, the people and animals we genuinely love tend to love us back.
Something to do. There are plenty of wealthy people that are miserable because they don’t spend their time doing something that they love. Life is about doing and experiencing things. If you spend all day doing stuff you love to do, it’s pretty difficult to be unhappy.
Find ways to spend your time in activities that are meaningful to you. Make a list and start incorporating those things into your life on a daily basis. If you can find work that you’re passionate about, so much the better for you!
Something to look forward to. If the only thing you have to look forward to is more of the same, boring routine, it’s difficult to be happy. Everyone should have something to look forward to in the near future.
Think about something you’d really like to do or see. Maybe it could be something as simple as a yoga class. If you love going to yoga on Thursday nights, it can make your Mondays a little easier when you know that yoga is looming in your future.
Using downtime joyfully. Perhaps your biggest challenge is dealing with downtime. When you’re bored, lonely, anxious, or sad and don’t have something to do, it’s easy to resort to less than ideal behaviors. These behaviors not only accomplish nothing positive, but they can also make your life more challenging.
This would include things like watching TV, surfing the internet, eating when you aren’t hungry, shopping for stuff you don’t really want or need, drinking, drugs, serial dating, and more. These behaviors do nothing to solve the underlying issue and can create more difficulties.
Coping with negative feelings effectively makes life much easier. Read something worthwhile, go for a jog, meet up with a friend and do something fun, make a new friend, or work on a hobby. Substitute you’re negative habits with new, more beneficial habits that bring you closer to the good life you imagine for you and your family. Please see my post: How to Balance Your Emotions and Experience More Joy.
Learn to take a moment and pause before you go on autopilot. If you’re going for the fridge and you’re not hungry, simply STOP. Ask yourself why you’re doing this and what other action you could take.
If you think you’re unhappy because you don’t have enough money or toys, you’re probably mistaken.
Having meaningful relationships, something to do, something to look forward to, and not shooting yourself in the foot are the keys.
Find ways to incorporate these ideas into your life and you’ll begin to feel more joy in your days!
Here are some more activities will make a marked difference in helping you find that sense of newness, joy and fulfillment you’re seeking:
Reading is a great way to expand your horizons and give you an appreciation of concepts and ideas which you’ve never really given much thought to before. You’ll quickly find that you’re becoming more imaginative and even more accepting of the points of view of others around you – bringing them more joy as well.
History books give a true sense of appreciation of cultures and may help you determine why some cultures have behaviors that are so different from your own. If you’re inclined to behave a certain way, such as a free-loving spirit or a goal-driven individual, try reading to learn about how you can break out of your mold and live in another realm. You’ll be surprised at how liberating it can be!
Engage others. Partaking in meaningful conversation with others outside of your loyal friends or your everyday co-workers is a great way to open up your mind’s eye. Try visiting a new hang out spot or accept invitations from random acquaintances and see what new possibilities open up.
Not much into politics? Give it a shot by engaging politics-driven individuals in conversation. You may not ever become a politician, but you can at least understand their point of view!
Thinking about giving back? Why not spend some time with charity workers to understand the impact of their work? That may be the push you need to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.
Create. As a child, was there ever anything you wanted to be able to create? A written expression, music, useful new gadget, or even a structure? Now that you’re grown, and possibly in a better position to create, why not take a shot at it? Try and do something totally unrelated to your current stage or status in life.
Write a book sharing your innermost fears and insecurities; you may find that it gives you the liberation and joy you’ve wanted for many years. Dance and ceremony are my go-to’s when I need to get out of a rut and lift my spirits. This is an incredible course that can help you do that too, if dance and ceremony call to you: The 5 Elements Through Belly Dance and Ceremony.
Appreciate. Although there are things other people accomplish that might not be in your normal scope, why not try and take the time to appreciate their worth? While the impact may initially be beyond your insight or understanding, actually spending the time looking into it for its worth may allow you to gain an appreciation you never had before.
The reality is that you’re really never too old to learn!
There are endless lessons just waiting to have a profound impact on you, if only you’ll let them. And the more you expose your mind to, the broader your horizons will become.
Remember that knowledge is power, so avoid limiting your knowledge base and open your mind to new possibilities.
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