“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
Marcus Aurelius
“If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.”
Chinese Proverb
Saying no is often the easier way out.
When you say no you can safely stay within your comfort zone. You don’t have to fear failing or being rejected.
But if you say yes your life can expand and deepen. The yes allows you to open up your life to more happiness.
Today I would like to share 10 things that I have said yes to and that have helped me to become happier in my life.
Pick one of these that resonate the most with you and focus on making it a part of your life.
1. Being imperfect.
Trying to be perfect is setting the bar too high. It will be impossible to reach.
And so you’ll lower your self-esteem. You may not feel very happy about how things are going in your life.
Even though they might be going very well indeed.
Perfectionism is mindset that eats at you and your happiness. Saying yes to being imperfect can turn that around.
2. Being you.
Not being able to be yourself, always trying to change for others or censoring yourself don’t feel good at all.
It makes life feel so small and limited.
So how can you be yourself? Your environment plays a huge part.
3. The things that make you come alive.
It is important to find some time and energy for the things that you feel makes you come alive.
4. Optimism.
Pessimism can really limit your life and bring it to a standstill.
It can make it feel like there's no point in trying because it won’t make a difference or you’ll just fail. It can create ceilings and walls made out of glass where there really are none.
Saying yes a more optimistic way of thinking can on the other hand open your life up.
5. Turning negative self-talk around.
It is very important to keep your motivation and your self-esteem up to live a happier life.
Your inner critic may be one of biggest obstacles standing in your way of that.
If you make a mistake or fail, if someone criticizes you or if you are just getting tired then that small inner voice can become louder and louder and drag and keep you down.
6. Saying no when you feel it is the right thing for you to do.
7. Forgiveness.
Not clinging to the past and to the hurt that is there but to let it go and look to the now and the future is an essential thing to find more happiness in your life.
8. Making someone else happy.
Making someone else happier has many benefits. The happiness spreads back to you as you see his or her face light up and as you know you did the right thing.
9. Openness and growth.
Saying yes to being open to the good things in life and growing as a person plays a big role when it comes to happiness.
10. To living your life fully despite setbacks.
When things have been standing still for while or you hit a bump in the road then it's easy to back down. To shrink. To give in or give up.
But a better way to say yes to happiness in those situations is to say yes to living your life fully.