Being happy is one of those intangible and sometimes elusive goals we, as human beings, are constantly searching to find. No one sets out with a conscious goal toward becoming miserable. And, I know, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon’s education to realize that living a happy life can also lead toward living a healthy life. Living in the state of happiness actually wards off stress that has been medically proven to be the cause of serious illnesses such as heart disease, strokes and has a great impact toward being predisposed to cancer.

Change is a Dependable Fact of Life

I know I often make reference to familiar clichés but I also believe there’s no need to re-invent the wheel. Other people, a lot smarter than I am, have made observations that span the test of time such as the statement, “The only thing you find in life that remains the same is change.” Although change is inevitable, you can control it. Plus, there is comfort knowing that even those supposedly most unbearable moments of life will soon change. Sometimes the change comes about through your relationships with other people.

Social Networks Are Essential To Happiness

Unless your life plan is self-subsistence on a one-person island somewhere on the globe, you are bound to run into a few people during this life. In fact, human beings have been social animals from the very start and, unlike other species on the planet, rely on one another from an early age on. As life moves on it becomes extremely important to accept unfamiliar people for just who they are because when personalities clash, arguments ensue and tempers flare, stress appears causing mental and physical impacts upon a person’s life. Sure, it is easy to sing “Don’t worry, be happy,” but there has to be some type of guide that will help you “choose” to be happy including:

• Adopt a Grateful Attitude
  There is a great deal found in this life for which you can be thankful. Try to remember to be thankful for the little things like saying thank you to your waiter or waitress when dining out, expressing your gratitude toward the people who take care of your landscaping, or simply just a grateful nod of the head to a person who opens the door for you on your way into a building. You can also thank your mailman, your local policeman for keeping you safe and don’t forget to thank God for being alive.

• Read Less News.
  I know all you “keeping up with current events junkies” are going to be horrified with the notion of not starting your day off with a satisfying dose of daily news. Unfortunately, the world being what it is, most of the news that is brought to you quickly is of a negative nature that conveys something that is altogether bad. Try starting your day off with reading some kind of inspirational message or quote that can put you in a better mood before the realities of life are approached.
   
• Find Some Spiritual Connection.
  You are reading this piece because you’re looking for ways to be happy and, in my opinion, becoming part of the spiritual, or religious group, involving yourself with all its wealth of activities such as group study, music, prayer, participating in sacramental rituals, chanting and other involvement is a great way toward creating inner happiness.

• Time Management.
  This is one of most invaluable commodities we have in life and one that is far too often wasted. You can manage your time by viewing it as a set of rules that includes such things as creating lists of things to do and prioritizing them, making short- and long-term plans, setting personal goals and creating schedules. Once understanding the core basics of time management, you should be able to develop a set of skills that will effectively make better use of the moments you have in your life.

• Find A Way To Laugh Every Day.
  Granted, there are those instantaneous and improvisational moments when chuckles cannot be avoided. However, take it upon yourself to learn a joke every day and tell it to your coworkers, family and friends. Remember, you can insert in here once again an old cliché stating, “Laughter is the best medicine.”

• Express Your Feelings. If you want people to be nice to you, be nice to them. If you want people to hug you, hug them. If you want people to love you, love them. Human beings typically reciprocate the actions shown to them by other people. Additionally, human beings also are subject to adverse emotions such as anger and frustration. Discover different ways to express these adverse emotions so that it never causes an injury to yourself or others. Some people jog or run, some people punch a pillow. It is important to relieve the stress, but do it in a non-destructive way. In other words, make sure your pillow opponent can take a shot.

• Work Effectively At What You Do. Some people claim that hard work is a path toward creating happiness in life. This may not necessarily be true. However, I have found that working effectively by working passionately at whatever task you choose will provide you with a great deal of satisfaction, ergo, happiness. Hopefully, you remember the point just above this one when you see somebody accomplishing something you will express an “attaboy” (“attagirl”) that you may also receive when you’ve accomplished something special.

• Learning Leads To Happiness. Discovering new things, new places, new ideas and more is one of life’s most joyful activities. Therefore, you should consciously learn something new every day. When I was a young student, I was tasked by my teacher to learn a new vocabulary word every day and use it several times throughout that day. This was a fun activity that actually became a lifelong quest seeking the words of expression to get my point across.

• Be Active. Take to walking, jogging, cycling, running, swimming or even tree climbing. The human body was made for moving and moving reminds the human body that it is alive. Active is a good thing that leads to increased happiness.

  “Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” - Anonymous