How Can I be Happy? - 9 Ways to Promote Happiness

Welcome to this hub of happiness where I shall do my very best to instill a feeling of happiness within you, and have you leave this page with a smile on your face and an optimistic outlook for the day!

What is Happiness?

Happiness is a state of overall satisfaction with life and our place in it. Studies have shown that when we are happy, we are far more productive, much more willing to help others and of course we smile more.

For me, there are 2 main types of happiness - Secure Happiness and Pure Happiness. Yes, that's right, I did just make those two terms up, however, let me show you what I mean by those two very different types of Happiness.

Secure Happiness or Extrinsic Happiness

We have this type of happiness when we feel secure and in control of our lives due to extrinsic factors such as:

• Money
• Job/career
• Relationship
• Family
• Possessions
• Living Location

Pure Happiness or Intrinsic Happiness

This type of happiness is 'pure', in that it needs nothing in order to be. A person with this type of happiness is happy because they exist and they need nothing from outside of them in order to initiate this wonderful feeling.

We have all felt pure happiness at some stage of our lives and most of us still do, albeit sporadically.

This type of happiness is felt in those moments when a person:

• Wakes up from a fitful rest
• Meditates
• Is in love

This is the kind of happiness we should all be striving for. A happiness that doesn't require anything outside of us and doesn't need to be boosted by purchases, achievements and monetary gains.

Still, in this hub I shall give you a mixture of tips. Tips from the Pure Happiness spectrum and tips from the Secure Happiness spectrum.

Enjoy!

1 . Evaluate Your Career or Job

In today's gloomy economic climate, jobs may be more scarce than ever, however, there ARE still jobs out there if you are dissatisfied with your current job. Don't forget, that you still have a choice. You can still decide where to work or what career path to follow. Just take action. Stagnation brings misery, action breeds happiness!

2. Spend Some Time Each Day Making Others Happy

Are you happy when someone offers you assistance or asks you how you are feeling? Yes, of course you are. Unfortunately, although we all love it when someone takes an interest, we rarely offer other people more than what we must. Whether you realize it or not, making others happy is one of the most simplest ways to be happy yourself. Making others happy will make you happy. It is that simple. The more people you make happy, the happier you'll be. Start your day off by making someone feel good, smile at them or assist them in some way and your day will turn out much better as a result!

3. Smile at and Talk to the People You Meet in the street, It Makes a Big Difference

Smile at people in the street regardless of whether you know them or not. Sure, some people don't smile back, but the one person that does, lifts your spirits and fills you with joy because deep down, we all want to be loved. We all want to be 'seen' and 'cared for' and being smiled at by a complete stranger in the street is a great indication that there is love everywhere if you look hard enough. Count your smiles. Make it a game and record them each day.

4. Remember to Practice Gratitude for all the Good in Your Life

Be grateful for the good in your life. Keep a gratitude journal and as often as you can, write in it the things for which you are grateful. Myself, I keep a small pocket book which I take everywhere with me. Because it is so small, I can carry it in my back pocket or a shirt-pocket and whenever I experience something that makes me smile, I record it.

5. Spend Time Doing Something That Makes you Happy Each Day

Sometimes we are so busy with our responsibilities and obligatory tasks, we forget to actually participate in 'living'. When I say living, I mean actually enjoying life and experiencing it in all its glory. What is your hobby? When was the last time you actually got involved with your hobby and had fun? Take time each day, even just 20 minutes to really enjoy yourself and when you go to sleep each night, remember it and smile before you drift off. Purposely have fun each day. Plan it. Vary the activities and get others involved too, joy is wonderful when it is shared with others.

6. Personal Development

Improve your current set of skills each and every day and learn new skills that will complement the set you already have. Make yourself the best you can possibly be and don't just rely on courses and formal education. The internet is a veritable feast of knowledge right here at your fingertips. Go to sleep at night knowing you have improved yourself.

7. Take Some Time Out Everyday

Set aside some time each day to simply relax and unwind. Go somewhere peaceful and read a book or listen to some music. Allow some time, each day for your mind to slow down and not have to suffer the constant onslaught of thoughts, for the entire day.

8. Don't Carry the Past Around With You

Leave the past alone, unless it is a memory that inspires you or makes you feel good in some way. Rather than allow your future actions to be decided by your past, use your imagination to decide the actions you will take. The past is gone. Don't relive it over and over. That gets you nowhere and will severely limit your growth. Look to the future and all the wonderful possibilities it holds for you.

9. Challenge Yourself Everyday

Challenge yourself on a daily basis. As humans we need to be growing and learning all the time, otherwise we stagnate and are filled with hopelessness. That's nature. All things must grow or they stagnate and eventually die. In our case, we become miserable and end up being weighed down by a feeling of uselessness. We lose confidence in ourselves and settle for less. However, when you challenge yourself each day something wonderful begins to happen. You start becoming more confident and sure of yourself (growth), and as you overcome the challenges you set for yourself, you increase the difficulty of the next challenge and so on. This is growth and will eventually turn you into a powerhouse of a human being, who never backs down and laughs in the face of adversity.

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they are supposed to help you discover who you are." - Bernice Johnson Reagon

One More Word on Happiness Plus Some Jokes to Lift Your Spirits

Follow the above guidelines or at least some of them and I guarantee you, that true happiness will find you. Learn to rely on yourself for happiness and not have to call upon friends all the time or indulge in acoholic binges etc. Partying is nice, sometimes but does it really make you happy in the long term? No, it merely papers over the cracks.

Whatever happiness you seek, Pure or Secure, it doesn't matter as long as you have fun and enjoy life. Remember, despite the fact that 'Money makes the world go round', it can't buy happiness so don't think that buying more possessions and commodities will be a short-cut to it, because it won't.

Happy people are more productive and therefore make more money that their unhappy counterparts. Therefore, I suggest you first use the above techniques to boost your happiness levels massively, and then you make more money in order to enable you to experience more by traveling etc.

Happiness=Money and success if a person is so inclined.

Now go forth and prosper!

Funny Jokes to Make You Giggle!

Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one - and let the other one off.

A man walks into a bar with a roll of tarmac under his arm and says: ''Pint please, and one for the road.''

My mother-in-law fell down a wishing well, I was amazed, I never knew they worked.

A sandwich walks into a bar. The barman says ''Sorry we don't serve food in here''

"If you want to be happy, be." ~Leo Tolstoy

"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy." ~Robert Anthony

"Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy." ~Cynthia Nelms

"Happiness is a form of courage." ~Holbrook Jackson