Happiness is an inside job

“Happiness is an inside job”-Sylvia Boorstein

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

I saw this quote a few weeks ago and it stuck in my mind. Our happiness is indeed our job.

We are responsible for our happiness and we all know that. But do we believe in that and do we try to do stuff that makes us happy?

Well, the answer to that question is mostly no.

What makes you happy?

Most of us think that happiness comes from things or people. You might think that you will be happy if you buy the latest phone or a car but does it make you happy?

If you are angry at the world and if you are frustrated then no matter what car you drive and no matter how much money you hold in your bank accounts that will not make you happy.

One of the best ways to be happy is to give up on expectations and live a life with as little mental baggage as possible.

Expectations!!!

I know it is tough not to have any expectations from people or yourself. It is a difficult task. We expect people to act and respond in a certain way and when they do not do that it will end up creating mental baggage which weighs you down.

Tips from my experience

It would be wrong if I go on talking about happiness and do not share any tips from my own life on how to be happy or content.

I have thought for a long time before I wrote this post and made a list of things that make me happy.

This list is not 100% accurate and it might not work for you as it comes from my life and my experiences in life.

But it might give you a slight idea about what works with me and it might help you with your experiments with life and happiness.

Smile

I have always said this and I will repeat that smiling makes us happy. They say that smiling produces chemicals in your brain that make you happy. But that is not all; it also makes other people happy too.

Imagine you come back to your house after a day’s work and someone smiles at you and it makes you calm.

Smiling always has a compounding effect. You smile and someone who sees you smiles too and then they go on to their workplace or home and smile at their family. It has a chain reaction.

I remember one of my friends from the university always had a smile on his face. And for no reason he would smile, sometime his smile would have a comical effect on my classmates and they would end up laughing.

Can you do me a favor and smile when you read this?

Playing with kids

This is my way of relaxing and finding happiness. An hour playing with children can make you feel happy and content. Their laughter, their silly jokes, and their cute talk will make you happy.

I do not have any kids of my own but I have a few nieces and nephews. Spending time with these little kids makes me happy.

Spending time with kids makes me happy and the same thing might not make you happy or you might not even like kids. It is perfectly okay and you just need to find something that you love and you enjoy doing.

A lot of people enjoy the company of animals and often get dogs, cats, or an aquarium filled with fishes. The only person who knows what you need is you so you decide what you think makes you happy and just do it.

There is no hurry so do not hurry and do not chase it. Just be natural and let good things take charge. It will be rewarding.

Nature

Planting trees is one of the top things I do that makes me happy but even when I am not planting trees I spend time in nature. It never fails to make me peaceful. I have often spent time at a park doing nothing but sitting under the shade of a big old tree. I often remove my shoes and socks and take a walk on the green grass.

It has a soothing effect on me and makes my day better.

We live in a very fast world and have busy schedules that do not allow us to relax and be ourselves. I would suggest that you guys find time to sit under a tree and relax. Do not do anything just be yourself. Dream or scroll away on your phones. It does not matter; nature does its work and it will destress you.

Meditation is also something that a lot of people do and it helps people calm down. It is not a magical spell that will start working the first time you try it. Learning how to meditate can take a few tries and once you get the hook of how to do it you can use it to declutter your busy brain and grow peaceful.

Start by taking a deep breath and close your eyes. Do not think of anything and enjoy the experience.

Conclusion

So, these are the few things that make me happy and I hope you will also share your list in the comment section below.

There are many books, blog posts, and gurus who will teach you the art of finding happiness but in my opinion, happiness is found within us. These books, blog posts, and gurus can only guide you and try to help you at the end it is you who should act and take action.

In the end, let me also add that it is not wise to chase happiness. I have seen people chasing it as if happiness is a materialistic thing that they can buy or own. In reality, you can never own happiness but share it with people you love.

What makes you happy? I know food makes me happy. I would love to know your opinions and experiences.