7 Steps to Happiness – Happiness Principle Number Two

7 Steps to Happiness – Here is the second happiness principle which is essential to your sense of happiness and self-fulfillment

If you’re like most people, you want more happiness and self fulfillment in your life. In fact, there’s a general malaise in the world which is becoming epidemic. It seems as though everyone is searching for more happiness and meaning in their lives… and yet the solution is surprisingly simple.

I believe that there are seven basic happiness principles anyone can follow which will immediately lead to more happiness and a greater feeling of self fulfillment in your life. In this article, I’m going to focus on the second of these happiness principles.

Happiness is about Being Present.

What does that mean, to be present? One thing it means is to be focused on and experiencing what’s happening right now.

If you pause for a moment and observe where your attention lies, you’ll find that the vast majority of the time your attention is focused on things that happened in the past. It may have been something that happened 10 years ago, 6 months ago, yesterday, or even 5 minutes ago. But most of the time, you’ll discover you’re thinking about stuff that has already happened.

And if you’re like the vast majority of people, the stuff you’re thinking about is likely to be something that makes you feel unhappy. It may be a regret, or an incident, or an argument. And you’re probably replaying this over and over again in your head.

Let me ask you this question; how can you be happy if you are spending the vast majority of your time focused on past experiences, past conversations, or past circumstances that make you feel bad?

You can’t!

So the trick is to be present.

Happiness is about learning to say “Stop”

Every time you catch yourself dwelling upon something in the past, take a deep breath and tell yourself to stop. Say it out loud. It will help invoke a “pattern interrupt” that breaks your thought cycle. Now, once you’ve done that, shift your focus to what’s happening right now.

For example, right now as I’m writing this it’s early morning. The birds are singing and it’s bright and sunny outside. I’m sitting beside my patio door and enjoying the feeling of the warmth of the sun and the sounds of the birds. It’s a great way to be spending my morning and I’m thankful I’m not stuck in a traffic jam somewhere. I feel happy.

Notice that as I described what I’m doing, I didn’t mention anything that happened yesterday and nor did I spend any time worrying about what might happen later. I simply allowed myself to be present in the moment and examine what’s wonderful about it.

This is so simple to do.

To be Happy, Learn to Let Go

The past is in the past and you can’t change it. So learn to let it go instead. Realize that right now you are best served to be thinking of right now.

As you move through your day to day experiences, remind yourself that your present life is what you are experiencing right now in the present moment. Focus on what’s good and wonderful about whatever it is you’re experiencing right now. There’s always something if you look for it.

You’ll begin to notice an interesting thing happen once you begin making a habit of doing this. Because you have started to build the habit of looking for what’s good and feeling better about your present, you’ll start to find you feel excited about your future. Coming from that happier place you’ve found in the present, you will naturally begin to think about where you’d like to go in the future and look to the future with anticipation rather than worry or dread.

You’ll begin to realize your future is the result of the choices and decisions you’re making today. Now isn’t that fun?

I’ve co-written an entire program that reveals how easily you can find true happiness, starting today. It doesn’t cost a lot, and it could end up leading you to the life of authentic happiness you really want. Learn more about it here: 7 Steps to Happiness Program