(Last updated Aug. 11, 2020)

Ten Simple Tips How to Become and Stay Happy

“If you want to be happy, be.” ~Leo Tolstoy

Searching for happiness can be a lifelong pursuit, especially if you think that happiness should come as a result of fulfilling your goals. For example, people usually think that happiness implies having a great house, perfect job, or ideal family.

And then, as it often happens, when you realize your goals, instead of being happy, you find other reasons to feel empty, and imagine that the next goal on your list will change that.

Joy and a profound feeling of happiness are what make you rich, not the other way around. Being happy doesn't mean possessing everything, but being grateful for what you have. The first step is the hardest, and it is called making a decision. Having a desire without a decision won't make a transformation.

Your soul, as a perfect reflection of the blissful Spirit, is the very essence of happiness. Divine happiness is indestructible. God is ceaseless, ever-conscious, ever-new joy.

Happiness is not something that should happen in the future, one day, if everything goes according to plan. Happiness is here and now. It happens together with the people we are with right now, doing things we already do.

“One who wants to do something will find a way; One who doesn't will find an excuse.” ~Confucius

You are not restricted by things as they are; you are restricted by what you think you are not. So, don't wait for happiness. Just be happy. Below you can find some tips on what you can do right now to increase your happiness. Select one of them and start working on your own feeling of happiness today.

1. Be present

Don't think about big things in the future. Don't think about things that have already happened in the past. Learn to be present here and now. Live your life and accept it as it happens. Flow peacefully along with your life. The beauty of your life is in the present moment.

2. Spend quality time with the people you love

Let it be your priority when you plan your day. Don't let anything come between you and the people you love. Happiness is making other people happy. Happiness is forgetting about your own wellbeing in order to make others happy. Living only for your own self-interest leads to great suffering and great misery.

3. Direct your attention only at good things

Everybody's life has positive and negative aspects; whether you are happy or not depends on where you put your attention.

4. Consume your ego in your work

If you do things you love, it won't be difficult to lose your sense of self-importance while working. Put all your positive energy, all your attention, into the task at hand, forgetting about anything else. If you can work this way, you will find a source of great happiness.

5. Find time to slow down and enter into peace

Because of the quick pace of life, it is difficult to spend some time alone and in silence. If you can't do that, you should at least slow down. There is no need to hurry. We have already examined this topic. Learn to eat more slowly, to drive more slowly, to walk more slowly. If you can slow down, you will reduce your stress levels and increase your satisfaction with everything you do. If you practice meditation for just 10 minutes every day, this will likely be the happiest part of your entire day.

6. Notice small things

Don't wait for big events like marriage, children, a house, a car, a promotion at work, or winning the lottery. Instead, direct your attention at small things. It could be a cup of tea in the morning, the pleasure of reading a nice book, or a relaxed walk in nature. If you can learn to notice the small pleasures that each day brings to you, your happiness will only grow bigger and bigger.

7. Be grateful

Learn to be grateful for everything you have, for the people who enrich your life, for the people who help you every day, for everything you have been able to give and receive. But above all, be grateful to God for the precious gift of life He has given you. Love Him and adore Him.

8. Meditate

You don't have to go to a monastery. You don't have to learn the right meditation posture. Just sit and meditate. Meditation can increase your happiness, and you can do it wherever you are, right here and right now.

Here is how you can practice a simple meditation. Close your eyes and direct your attention to the breath. Breathe through your nose. Follow the breath as it enters and exits your body. If thoughts appear, just notice them and let them go, directing your attention back to following the breath. The more you meditate, the more conscious and the happier you will be.

9. Learn to accept

One of the biggest challenges people have is to accept things as they are at the very moment they appear in their lives. So, learn to love everything that comes your way, even if the situations are not perfect and don't conform to your understanding of an ideal life.

10. Look for miracles in your life

Miracles are happening all the time. Look a bit closer. Can't you see the miracle of life that grows all around you? Notice the kindness of a random person that brings you a feeling of warmth and love. Faith is a miracle. Find these miracles in your life and enjoy their magnificence.

Happiness, which seems to be dependent on outer conditions so much, is in fact totally dependent on our point of view. When we change our mindset, we can always direct our energy at what brings us great happiness and wellbeing. So, if you don't choose to be happy, don't blame others for your misfortune.

Make a conscious decision that, from now on, you will see only good things, hear only harmonious sounds, and speak only positive words. We are all created in the image of God, and therefore, we should behave as such.

True Divine happiness can survive in the midst of all life circumstances. You only have to reply in a positive and friendly way to those who poison your life with negative energy. If you can forgive yourself and others for something bad, you will be able to keep your inner peace and get to know true happiness.

Life is a gift, and that's why you should fill it with real, lasting values.

If you think you can find happiness outside of God, you are mistaken. God is in everything there is. God is the only reality in this Universe. Everything else is an illusion. You won't be able to find happiness in any other thing, simply because nothing is completely and totally real except God.

God is a perfect completeness. The perfectly pure happiness you can find in the unity with God is beyond words. It keeps you in a state of joy and peace, day and night. To know this joy means removing any sorrow from your heart.

To attain this perfect Divine happiness you need no martyrdom. What you need is meditation and discipline to follow your spiritual codex. In fact, the truth of the matter is, if you are not happy, you won't be able to find God. The happier you are, the more you are in harmony with God.

Those who know God are always happy, because God is the very essence of happiness. It's the only endeavor worth living for. God is the purpose of our existence. Only from within your heart can you reach the heavens.

So, don't be afraid to light up the light in your heart, to reach great spiritual heights, and experience a lot of insight and enlightenment.

This book is for those people who are not afraid to stand up each time they fall, who give more than they receive, who love even when their love is not reciprocated, who have a smile on their faces in times of trouble, who shed light on everyone's path, and who radiate smiles and happiness.

Thank you for making the world a much better place.

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