The Easy Way to Find Happiness. No, Really!

We all long for it. We all search for it. Is there a roadmap to happiness?

Lifehack author Lidiya K. thinks so. She says happiness is absolutely possible and that everyone deserves it.

She says happiness is a choice – and whatever decisions you make in life are a result of your attitude towards life. If your attitude is positive or negative, that attitude affects every aspect of your life.

So step back and take a look at your life. If you hate your job and everyone you work with, it’s on you. If you love your job and are grateful for everyone and everything in your life, you’re responsible for that. If your job is great but you’re stressed about not having enough time for those you love, that’s your choice too.

Are you trapped?

Lidiya doesn’t think so. In fact, she’s come up with her own happiness formula.

HAPPINESS = Letting Go + Acceptance + Gratitude

With this formula, you can let go of what you don’t need any longer, accept it for what it is and be ok with it, and finally, be grateful for it.

Letting Go

We hold on to so many things from our lives, like painful memories of past relationships, hurtful experiences or disappointments. And we allow those memories to keep hurting us.

We spend a great deal of time thinking about the what-if’s, worrying about the future, what might go wrong, what could go wrong. And when things turn out differently than you planned, the disappointment can be overwhelming. Like a rolling snowball picking up more snow, you allow more gloom, more despair, and more sadness to set in.

You need to let go. It’s in the past. Free yourself from outlining your future.

Most of the things you worry about never happen.

“That’s how we should live in order to be happy—experiencing something, feeling it with our whole being, appreciating and enjoying it, and then immediately letting it go so that we can let in the next one,” says Lidiya.

Acceptance

Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up. It means you stop denying or resisting current reality. You can acknowledge “what is” which allows you to respond from a more powerful place. You don’t try and control everything in life. You’re comfortable and at ease with how things unfold – according to plan or not, and you allow more joy and satisfaction to enter your life.

Once you become in tune with accepting, you’ll find things flow better in life. You’ll start trusting and believing in letting go. And when you’re letting go, you also let go of anxiety and stress.

Gratitude

Studies prove gratitude is a life booster. It improves our lives in many ways. Set aside some time during the day, even a few minutes, and focus on what is positive in your life. You’ll find that time passes quickly when you’re counting all the things in life you’re grateful for! Take nothing for granted – write it down: a morning cup of coffee, a co-worker’s helpful act, a kind cashier at the grocery store, the morning dew on the garden flowers.

“Then you’ll start seeing all the abundance you live in. Things will become even more beautiful and precious for you. You’ll see the people you love as priceless gifts and will feel so blessed,” says Lidiya.

Acknowledging all the things you’re thankful for will reveal something awe-inspiring to you: there are things in your life that are beautiful, magnificent – and too often taken for granted.

How You Can Pursue Happiness

In a previous post, I talked about the pursuit of happiness and why recognizing and accepting your moods is key in “being happiness”. You need to realize that you CAN weather your moods. Think of your moods like the weather – forever changing, never constant.

Using this knowledge, appreciate the moments of pure pleasure when you’re in an upbeat mood. And when your great mood dwindles and you start to feel disappointment, realize that nothing lasts and that your goal should instead focus on appreciating the good times as they happen.

If you feel really down, understand that your natural balance will soon bring you up again. In the meantime, go for a walk, talk to a good friend and count your blessings.

Remember: all your moods are temporary. Pay close attention during “down times” to how you interact with others. It’s easy during times like that to take out your frustration on others or to blame someone else for your perceived misfortunes. This hinders your ability to lead and will only make the down time last longer.

Make The Choice

Happiness can be a choice.

Make it your choice.

A few minutes a day…write down things you’re thankful for…praise a person or thank them each day…and follow this gratitude pattern for three weeks. It will change your life.

The next time you have a great day – or even a “bad” one – remember that it’s only temporary and appreciate it for what it is. This perspective will set you on the high road to happiness.

What are your perspectives on happiness? How do you get through the “down” times? Share your thoughts below!