Want To Live A Happy Life? Stop Doing These 12 Things

Who isn’t looking for happiness now a day? All of us are! Yet we fail to find the happiness and contentment within. The reason for this, primarily, is that we don’t know the dos and don’ts of leading a happy life. So, to sort things out, we have compiled a list of 12 things which are needed to be stopped for the pursuit of happiness.

1. Stop Doubting Yourself:
   Self-doubt is detrimental to mental health. It leads you to believe in things which aren’t true. For a happy life know your inner self and trust your instincts.
   

2. Stop Following Others:

Do what makes YOU happy. Do not blindly follow others. Not everyone is or can be your cup of tea. Even siblings living under the same roof do not share same interests at times. Do what your heart tells you. Follow your intuition. Your sub-conscious mind is the best guide you could ask for.

1. Stop Skipping Gym!

Exercise or any form of religious activity has been known to relax the mind. Exercise freshens the mind by releasing stress. It helps to boost your focus and your self-confidence. Physical fitness leads to mental fitness. Your energies are then positively channelized and you are all set to achieve your goal. Exercise allows you to exude joy, merriment, and exuberance. Your emotional well-being is very crucial to the pursuit of happiness.

1. Stop Missing Opportunities:

Never miss any, I repeat, ANY opportunity that excites you. Let it be a new job, a chance to attend a comedy show, a theatrical drama that was your childhood favorite, a holiday vacation, a chance to catch up with old friends or simply a chance of learning a new skill. Those are the things which you need to explore if you want to be happy and experience intense joy! Studies have shown if you keep on learning new things or new skills, the chances of getting Alzheimer’s are diminished. The person who travels lives many lives in a single span of his life. It’s the little things in life, which matters the most. Appreciate little things throughout the day. The happiness and the joy lie in the smallest of gestures and acts of kindness. In order to appreciate simple joys in life, learn to express Gratitude. Gratitude is the key to maintain the flow of happiness.

1. Stop Over-analyzing:

It is important to be well aware of the results of your past decisions. Also, be aware of your present state, be mindful about things which matter and analyze your past mistakes just to learn about them and do not go overboard on them. Don’t be stuck in your past. Let bygones be bygones. Life is meant to be spent forwards not backward after-all! Every situation requires your attention, yes, but not 24/7 critical analysis!

1. Stop Fearing the Failure:

See your failures optimistically and learn from them. Embrace your failures as they are one true teacher in life. Own your failures and accept them. Your failures allow you to learn 156 other ways you were Not supposed to do things. Just because of a couple of set-backs, don’ stop trying! Learn about your passions in life. At any given time in life, you can re-assess your love for your work/job. If you seem to lose interest in it, then let go. Change path. Nobody is in charge of your happiness, but you are. If something does not make you happy you ought to lose it.

1. Don’t Forget Family!

Stop avoiding those family gatherings that you loathe. Once in a while, you need to get back with your clan in order to get back in your head space. They are the ones who have seen you grow up, and it’s nice to be with people who know you inside out, for a change. You don’t have to explain yourself to them every time you talk and they don’t judge you while you rant about almost everything going wrong in your life. They are your oxygen supply in tough and testing times!

1. Don’t Stop Reading!

Exercise and meditation are for our physical fitness. For the mental exercise, Read. Reading adds dimension to your perception. It allows our brain to jog. You get a 3D vision on any matter in life. Reading broadens your horizons. It doesn’t matter what you read, let it be a newspaper, a well-written piece on history, a comic or an intense novel, what matters is the act of reading which allows your mind to ponder over different situations and myriad ways to perceive certain incident.

1. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others:

Comparing yourself to others will do you no good. You don’t know what their journey is all about and they don’t know yours. If you want to see how far you have come, take a look back and see from where you started. Compare the starting point of You with the current status of You. That will give you the most accurate diagnosis of your achieved milestones. It will give you a sense of achievement and will act as a benevolent happiness booster.

1. Forget The Past And The Future. Live In The Present!

The past cannot be changed no matter how hard you try. Nobody can possibly know what the future holds for us. So, live in the present as it is a gift (pun intended). Be present in the moment. Gather all your energies and efforts in order to make your today work. Do something which you can, and stop bothering about the things which are in the past or which may or may not happen in future and hence can’t be changed. Control your today to make your tomorrow work.

1. Stop The Hate-Blame Game:

Accept your failures like you accept your successes. Stop blaming people for your failures whether it was or it was not because of them. Don’t start hating people and learn to forgive them for their wrongdoings. Practice patience. Practice forgiveness. As we grow older and wiser we realize that life is not pure white or pure black. Same goes for our actions. There is a lot of gray areas involved. Accept the fact, for your own sanity, that just like you have your own set of shortcomings, others do too. By accepting this, you will allow your mind, soul, and body to liberate from the burdens of others’ mistakes that you’ve been carrying around. You will feel light and will find the happiness that surrounds you.

1. Stop Saying Yes!

Multitasking is a lie. People who are in managerial positions or are CEOs do not work themselves. They only work on things they are good at. They make a team and let others do the job. Similarly, you can’t juggle 5 bottles at one time. Accept the fact that you can’t be of any help to people all the time! Stop lending others a hand when you possibly can’t.