Happiness is an elusive thing. Something many of us chase. We say things like “When XYZ happens, then I will be happy”.
But I think, in reality, happiness is all the little moments along the journey. It’s not the destination.
So in this blog, I wanted to focus on noticing more happy moments, and finding a more positive outlook. It’s so easy, despite how we’re hard wired, to recognise negatives in the form of threats. And that’s hard for us to change.
Throughout our We Are Tabono programme, we recognise the need to focus on your wellbeing, as well as your business knowledge and skills. When we talk about self care and looking after yourself, I believe that finding a positive inner voice is a huge, and incredibly important, part of that.
Thinking negative thoughts, and chasing after happiness somewhere in the future is not healthy for our development. It’s also counter-productive in terms of our self-confidence and our quality of life in the present!
So how do we get a bit more happiness and positivity in our lives?
Here are some tips I’ve put together to inspire you to try something different. I’d love to know how you get on.
Progress not perfection.
This is something I live by, and work with all my clients to make a reality. The beauty of this, and how it can bring more happiness to your day, is that with every imperfect action, you are making progress.
Progress creates momentum… which provides evidence that you can do it… which builds confidence… which creates positive thoughts… which lead to happy days!
So each day, set your goals, set those actions you want to take. Make them small and do-able, but make them matter and notice what you’ve achieved. Pat yourself on the back. Give yourself praise. Recognise your successes. Feel the rush of the feel-good chemicals that release when you’re pleased with yourself!
Speak to yourself the way you would to a friend.
We can ruin our own day and make things feel pretty rubbish when we feed ourselves a stream of negative criticism. Think about when you chat with friends, how kind and encouraging you are – right? How would it feel if you talked like that to yourself? Give it a try. There is much happiness and positivity to be found, even if it’s weird for a while!
Plan time with people you love and who make you happy.
So often as entrepreneurs we spend our time working away and just barely squeezing in enough time to look after ourselves or see people we love. Make an effort to keep some time free every week – even if it’s just one hour – to meet up with someone who lights you up and leaves your cup feeling full! Be aware of how much time you might be giving away to any energy vampires because you find it hard to say no. Give that time to someone you really want to see and feel the smiles and positivity flow.
Sing like no-one’s listening, dance like no-one’s watching.
Take a break, turn on the music and have a good old sing and dance! Preferably loudly! Listening to music you love and really embracing the moment gives such a surge of happiness. I often find that when I’m working away on my own I need to plan in breaks to stop me from feeling lonely or too ‘quiet’. Doing this is the ultimate pick me up and feels undeniably happy and positive.
Practise gratitude.
This is always a favourite for me – mainly because I know the difference when you do it and when you don’t. My favourite way of doing this is to use The 5 Minute Journal. This prompts you each morning an evening to list what you’re grateful for, a positive affirmation for the day, and what amazing things happened that day for you. Even when all you’ve got is that you wore something you loved, or the sun was shining, it’s enough to shrug off negativity and look at things in a positive and grateful light.
There may be other ways you have of finding little moments of happiness. Add them to these and keep them somewhere you can always find them. Notice your mood.
Do you find happy, positive moments every day? If not, give yourself a nudge in the right direction.