How to Create Long-Lasting Happiness

What can I do to be a happy person? How to proceed with creating happiness? These questions keep bouncing around us like nimbuses of missed goals. We hear the word “Happiness” here and there—in the media, press, and television. But, a lot of people talk only about short-lasting happiness. If you want to create long-lasting happiness, follow these seven steps.

Conduct an audit.

An audit is something you can plan to do every three months to plot your progress towards greater happiness. To achieve this, you need to ask yourself three all-important questions: where am I, what stops me from achieving my goal, and how happy do I want to be? After you do that, justify what you need to stop doing and what activities you should start doing to achieve the lifestyle you crave for.

Forgive yourself and others for past mistakes.

If you want to be happier, hit the stop button, and admit you messed up. I know it can be hard to forgive yourself and others, but you’re allowed to play a little bit. Consider wrapping your apology in a little humor. One woman who owed her husband an apology sent him a copy of the game “Sorry!” with a note asking if they could play. Not to be beaten, her husband responded with a copy of the old Brenda Lee single, “I’m Sorry.”Sweet and simple.

Watch less negative news.

Yes, watch less news. It’s not only on the TV. There’s a lot of news (about problematic movies or music stars) on Facebook and other social networking sites. It’s been proven that news has a negative impact, causing stress and anxiety. On average, people spend around one hour a day following the news, and some spend over three hours every day! And how many hours do you invest in the news? Answer yourself a few questions:

1. Does watching bad and negative news add value to your life? 2. Can negative news guarantee that I will be happy?

Believe that you can become happy and identify which of your beliefs stop you.

As you know, life isa mind game. A lot of things depend on what we believe is true. Research suggests that we are often physically more capable than we perceive ourselves to be. For instance, researchers found that subjects who were given a placebo but told it was caffeine could lift significantly more weight than those who were really given caffeine. So, if others have convinced you or you have convinced yourself that you cannot be happy, you should change this belief. Do it, and you will get more peace in yourself, which leads to greater happiness.

Give up on judging people and situations.

As humans, we want to put labels on others and ourselves, thereby closing the information gap. So, every next time you judge, ask yourself why you’re judging. Judging takes time, so why should you waste your time? Remember Al Bundy from “Married... with Children.” He had a habit of judging others. Don’t be like him!

Slow down and learn mindfulness.

Whenever you feel anxious about your future or your past, just breathe. Try to sink in the present moment. Living in the moment—also called mindfulness—is a state of active, open, intentional attention to the present. When you become mindful, you realize that you are not your thoughts; you become an observer of your thoughts from moment to moment without judging them.

Work on happiness each day! It will bring you balance.

If you want long-lasting happiness, make sure you invest in happiness no less than ten minutes each day. If you forget to work on it, you will return to where you were before.