Remember being a kid and your biggest chore was eating all of your dinner?
What a “problem” to have!
When it comes to living happier, you could learn a lot from a children. In fact, children laugh an average of 300 times a day while adults only laugh around 20 times.
It’s easy to forget to live a happy life as you get older. Bills, careers, stress, relationships, and countless other adult activities can burden your day-to-day routine. If you don’t remember to be happy, you’ll walk around with a frown, as if there’s a permanent rain cloud above your head.
But there’s a bright side to being an adult: you have more control over your life than you did as a child. While you have more responsibilities than a child, you don’t need anyone’s permission to do exactly what you want. Making a change for the better is simply a matter of wanting to do it.
So, give yourself permission to be happy. Here are a handful of ways to get happy:
Do Nice Things for Others
Giving to others is just as nice as receiving. For some people, giving is actually more beneficial. Think about the last time you received a random gift. Remember how happy it made you feel? Re-create that experience for someone else. When you see her face light up, you’ll feel happy you’ve made someone else happy—for no particular reason at all! Spreading happiness works like spreading the flu, except with less coughing.
You don’t need to buy your friend a new car to make her happy (although if you did, we’re sure she’d be ecstatic). A simple cup of coffee does the trick.
It doesn’t even have to be a friend, either. Why not buy something nice and give it away to a stranger? Even better: do something nice for someone without them knowing it was you. Doing this removes them feeling the need to reciprocate, too. You still get the good feeling of being helpful and they don’t have the pressure of paying you back.
Learn a New Skill
You can do anything you want. Yes, anything! All it takes is the desire to do so and a little effort. Taking on a new hobby and seeing your newfound skill develop over time will make you happy!
If you ever wanted to play the piano, do it! No one is stopping you. Start today, and in six months you’ll be amazed at your progress.
You could even take a class completely unrelated to anything you do or thought you’d be interested in. Imagine the surprise of your friends and family when you take up karate or archery. Not only will they be impressed by how outgoing you’ve become, but they’ll be inspired to pursue new skills, too!
The takeaway for learning a new skill is to break the mold of regularity. You don’t have to dye your hair pink and buy an entire new closet of clothes. Simply start making small adjustments by learning something new, and happiness will flow through you.
Handwrite a Letter to Someone
Can you recall the last time someone wrote a letter to you? Perhaps it was a card for an event, like a birthday or a wedding invitation. There’s something magical about receiving a handwritten letter. Not only is it more exciting to open than a bill, handwritten letters make you feel special. Getting a handwritten letter means someone took the time to write to you!
Think of someone who brings happiness in your life. Maybe it’s a family member, or perhaps it’s a friend. It could be someone you’ve never met, like a book author or a celebrity. Regardless of who it is, spend a solid hour writing them a letter expressing how good they make you feel. When you’re done: fold, stamp, and send. Oh, and don’t forget to smile, too.
You never know what can come from sending a letter. One couple sent a wedding invite to the Queen of England on a whim. And guess what? The Queen showed up! It just so happened the Queen of England was in the area that day and didn’t have any other plans. Just a simple letter made that couple’s day much happier.
They didn’t ask for permission — they simply took the action.
Remember: you have the freedom to go out and create a happier life for yourself. No one is stopping you. You can start to be happy right now by just putting a smile on your face.
Share your favorite ways to make yourself happy below!
Photo Credit: Denis Collette https://www.flickr.com/photos/62202285@N00/2206463202
