Listen to “Three Steps to Help You Start Cultivating Happiness”.
Almost all of us have bought into the myth that happiness is something we can only achieve once everything in our lives is perfect. However, the truth is that happiness is not circumstantial. We don’t have to wait for everything to be perfect, nor do we have to control anything outside of ourselves to feel good. Becoming aware of this truth is a game-changer because it means we can choose happiness now.
Life happens from the inside out. If you are happy, it’s because of what’s going on inside of you. When we bring our attention inside, the truth of the moment is revealed. Experiences come and go, and we must open our hearts to receive them. Earthly peace stems from being at one with the unfolding of life.
Although achieving eternal peace and happiness may not be possible, we can improve our mental well-being, mood, and daily life.
Here are three steps we can take daily to improve the ability to live in the moment and feel better about ourselves and our lives in general:
Step 1: Practise Self-Love
Self-love can mean a lot of different things, but essentially it means feeling good about yourself, even in moments of weakness and disappointment.
Self-love is the foundation of happiness. When we live from a pure space of self-love, we can achieve sustainable happiness. This is because our internal feelings of abundance will reflect on us in the form of beautiful relationships, purpose-driven work, and financial freedom.
If you don’t love yourself, then you won’t take care of yourself the way you should. More importantly, when you have healthy levels of self-respect, you will be able to talk to yourself compassionately and feel proud of your authentic self.
Step 2: Clean all negative beliefs, patterns and thoughts
It may sound like a difficult task, but getting rid of negativity is a crucial step to feeling good and being happy.
Negative clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes, workplaces, and ourselves. Messy homes and workspaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. The same is true for mental clutter.
The clutter that fills your mind can be just as destructive as the clutter in your physical environment and can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety.
Negative beliefs, patterns and thoughts include the self-limiting and self-critical ideas you may have about yourself. These can weaken your sense of self-worth and prevent you from taking advantage of positive experiences, opportunities, or relationships.
Step 3: Optimise your physical condition
Our bodies and minds are connected. Being active is not only good for our health, but it also makes us happier. Start by listening to your body and trying to understand what it needs. Is it exercise, sleep or water?
Listening to what your body has to say will help prevent you from doing harmful activities and eating unhealthy foods. People who practice self-love respect their body’s by eating healthily and exercising regularly.
Going for a walk can be just as good as spending an hour gardening or cutting the grass. Movement is movement, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be hard or require you to reorganise your life.
Here are a few simple ways to get started:
- Get up 30 minutes earlier than you do now and go for a walk.
- Take the stairs instead of the lift.
- Park a bit further away from your destination or, if you are taking public transport, get off a stop earlier.
Two minutes here and five minutes there may not seem like a lot, but over time it all adds up.
You deserve to be happy and healthy, and you can be. Remember, life is a journey, not a destination.
