Keys to happiness

Hey guys, my first post here and I thought I would start with something positive and beneficial to pretty much anyone!  I’ve been to conferences discussing this topic and read a lot of books as well as studied the advice of people who have lived happy and contented lives. So here are a few steps and things to keep in mind to stay on the sunny side of life! 

Today is all that you have

When you wake up in the morning do not expect to see tomorrow – live as though today is all you have. Yesterday has passed with all its good and bad and tomorrow has not yet arrived. Your life’s span is one day! With this attitude you will not get caught between an obsession over the past with all its anxieties and expectations over the future with all its uncertainty. 

O past that has departed and is gone. I will not cry over you because you have left me never to return.

 O future you are in the realm of the unseen. So I will not obsess over you and your dreams because today you are nothing.

Doing good to others gives comfort to the heart 

The first one to benefit when performing kind acts and charity is the one giving. If you find yourself distressed, help someone and you will be first to find solace and peace when you see the smile form on another.

Be individual 

Don’t attempt to mimic others; you are your own person, with your individual habits, preferences, idiosyncrasies and voice. There is no one like you and there never has been in the past and never will be in the future. Pretending to be someone you are not leads to unhappiness, artificiality, self-loathing and a destruction of one’s individual entity.  

Don’t set a date for your happiness 

Be satisfied with what you have, never say ‘I’ll be happy once I get this or achieve that’.  Accept your reality, do not put all your hopes in the future – life is unpredictable; you may not get what you want and worst still you may get it and it does not meet your expectations!  How many sports people have had their lives spiral out of control after becoming world champions – the truth is – sometimes things are just not what their cracked up to be! Be content and you will be the richest of people. 

Pain and hardship isn’t always a bad thing

Pain, struggle and difficulty builds character and helps you to truly appreciate the good things and times. When most people are going through a struggle in life they often talk about it as the worst thing imaginable – but when people talk about struggles in the past they often talk about them in a positive way – how it makes them appreciate today, how it made them stronger and resilient and the person they are now. 

Approach life with a smile! 

Some people are like perfume, wherever they go their beautiful scent rubs off on others and makes them happy to be in their company, and when they are gone they are missed and remembered. If you approach things in life with a smile, you will uplift the people around and they will elevate you. Be a perfume, not a foul odour!