Most of us think we will be happy if we lose 10 pounds, get a new job, buy that designer bag or a new pair of shoes. But will we? Maybe for a few minutes or a day. But then we return to our normal state.
Maybe it’s better to be happy with life as it is right now.
It’s choosing what is good for you, and the person you are. Not your ideal self, or the person other people want you to be.
I enjoy spending time with people but because I’m more introverted by nature I get all used up. After 2-3 hours I’ve had enough time with others and want to get away and recharge. And that’s ok.
We can decide to be happy right now.
We don’t need more of this, or less of that.
We can do one or more things each day that makes us feel happier and keep doing more of it.
And of course, if anything doesn’t give us joy, we can stop doing it (in most cases).
For me I’m happy with life when I
- Walk in the fresh air and can feel the elements on my face Not so much a howling wind, but a gentle breeze and bird song is ideal.
- Listen to live music, and I can do this on my own. I get a real buzz from watching and listening to musicians.
- Have a clean and tidy home I love a good clean and then I can step back and look at how lovely and tidy it is.
- Experience the new often via travel. This clearly costs a bit of money, but I’m happy to save to have this experience to look forward to. I find the planning and looking forward almost as enjoyable of my time away.
- Exercise to music I do both Zumba and Barre Fitness. Both are exercise classes with a strong dance soundtrack it makes me highly energised.
- Swimming ideally in the open air. I need to swim at least 10 lengths before I get into the zone and feel calm and focused.
- Converse sometimes we bump into people and strike up a conversation. I love these, talking about anything and everything, really peps me up.
- Cuddling up to my grandchildren and I need to do more of this.
But there will be more.
I should remind myself of when I’ve been happy in the past
Many times, it has been listening to live music, which I do. Also reading books, which I don’t do enough of. I tend to leave books to be something I do when I’ve nothing else that must be done. Maybe I need to schedule a reading break after my lunch?
Rather than pressurise myself to try and remember these times, I’m going to go with the flow and make a note of when I’m happy, so I can do more of this again.
Do you want to play along with me?
I’d love to know your thoughts and comments. Feel free to add to my blog. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Image byFree-Photos from Pixabay