Achieving Happiness

Many individuals feel burned out due to increased responsibilities, continuous pressure to succeed or constant changes in their lives whether it be at work or at home. How do you switch off from “always busy and connected” to focusing on the current moment and being fully present in order to bring out the best in yourself? Develop mindfulness through awareness and intention by creating routines to improve your entire psyche. Activities such as exercise, meditation, Pilates / yoga, reading, building relationships and connections with others and focusing on the broader view of the situation you are finding yourself in can help you achieve a state of mindfulness.

When you manage your energy effectively to create a healthy rhythm in your daily routine comprising of powerful, engaged and action-oriented behaviours, you can accomplish more than merely focusing on managing your time which could lead to a point of burnout. Learn how to prioritise your energy and create a well balanced approach towards life that includes a more holistic view of what is important: physical activity, emotional wellbeing, mental stimulation, spiritual growth; as well as recharging your batteries. Focus on strengthening positive habits and breaking down and replacing negative habits which drain your energy.

At some point in time we all feel stressed out by our commitments, rushed for time or out of our depth – all which can seriously compromise our health and wellbeing. Keep it simple when you want to reduce stress, such as scheduling quiet time for yourself to read a book or writing in a journal. Physical activity not only releases emotional stress but also physical stress – dance around on your favourite song. Think back to all the carefree activities you did when you were a child – arts and crafts or reading under a tree. Escape your surroundings by spending time outdoors or taking a vacation. Make sure you get enough sleep, stop sweating the small stuff and focus on your choices. Always remember – laughter is the best medicine!

In order to find innovative solutions and seeing your life from a fresh perspective, require unleashing your own creativity, be prepared for new experiences and be open to new ideas. Focus on relaxing your mind and stop focusing on specific tasks and let your mind form connections between different responsibilities. Develop an increasing understanding of your ultimate need or goal and start to ask questions starting with “why” to help you obtain deeper levels of details. Ultimately you should leap from planning to action; from duty to passion and from creative confidence to drive.

Did you ever wish you can adopt a healthier lifestyle or realise personal or professional achievements? You can achieve it by learning how to create, control and change your habits. Once you understand the cycle of a habit – “prompt, routine, and reward” you are well on your way to be able to create healthy habits and ending detrimental habits. Next time you feel like lying down to binge watch your favourite series, identify the prompts that leads you to the routine and the unhealthy reward. When you understand the reason for the habit, you can actively work to identify the prompt and instead of following the old routine make a positive shift in behaviour that will lead to a healthy reward.

Sometimes you might think: “once I get the promotion I will be happy, or when I am able to buy my dream car I will be happy”. The trick is not to “wait to be happy” or to hold onto the thinking of “if I get this I will be happy” but to achieve a state of happiness in every single action you take every day you live. Engage in activities that explore and challenge your negative thoughts to be able to consciously deal with it and improve your sense of wellbeing at home and at work. Declutter your surroundings and live in a pleasant, tidy and open environment – start by putting away your shoes or hanging up your coat. Surround yourself with positive and happy people or pets, and spend money on products that will save you time and allow you to enjoy your life and not be bogged down with daily routine tasks. Spread your happiness and volunteer at your local animal shelter or get involved in a community project. Start becoming an active happiness achiever, rather than a passive dreamer.

For many of us this is probably one of the most daunting and difficult tasks – changing your personal behaviour. “Wanting to change” is the key driver in recognising your behavioural flaws and intentionally bringing about significant changes. You need to understand what triggers your behaviour / attitude and then learn how to take control of them in order to change your deep seated personal beliefs. Self-discipline and a will to succeed are required during the process of breaking down the change into manageable steps and steadily acting on it. Keep record of your progress and avoid trying to achieve perfection. Every change, no matter how small, is leading you to a bigger goal. If you want to change, you can, but remember that change takes time; thus view it as a marathon and not a sprint!

Bouncing back during and after difficult times can leave you feeling vulnerable for any new “attacks”. When you are resilient, you continually reinvent yourself to fit into and adapt to the new environment, which allows you to constantly change and evolve alongside society and world changes. Being able to act responsively in situations allows you to succeed in an ever changing society. Realising that you have the ability to create a meaningful purpose for your life, and the power to shape it as you desire, whilst realising that you can learn from both positive and negative experiences, will build your resilience.