How to Be Truly Happy

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Everyone seems to be on a quest for the elusive key to genuine joy.

From every corner of the globe, individuals embark on this pursuit, trying to grasp the essence of “joy.” What makes us truly joyful?

This question has provoked countless individuals to chase after relationships, wealth, and success.

Yet, many eventually realize that joy is not found externally or in the circumstances around them.

Instead, it is nestled deep within, lying in a sacred place within ourselves, waiting to be discovered and liberated.

Joy has been dwelling inside you for as long as you can remember.

Unearthing this inner joy is akin to peeling an onion, where each layer signifies your fears, negative thoughts, and beliefs.

Gradually, as you remove each layer (shedding what you are not), you inch closer to the core (what you truly are).

At this core, you find your purpose, understand your existence, and finally uncover the true essence of joy.

For genuine joy, you don’t need to isolate yourself or spend your life in perpetual meditation.

To experience true joy, there are fundamental principles you need to understand.

This guide, the “Joy Empowerment Bible,” will help you unravel these principles and understand what it takes to grasp the true meaning of JOY.

Unlock Your Inner Joy: The Basics

Claim Control and Ownership

Your body houses trillions of cells, all of which are at your beck and call. You are their leader, and their sole function is for your benefit.

You must assert control over these cells and accept responsibility for them. By doing so, you become the master of your mind and body.

Embrace Your Authentic Self

Newborns are universally imbued with a high level of joy. Yet, as they age, their joy levels vary.

To pursue joy, remember that your innate nature is soft, energetic, enthusiastic, and full of love.

You should never compare yourself to others because your uniqueness is something to be celebrated.

Accept and love yourself for who you are instead of blaming yourself, your parents, or others for the things you dislike about yourself.

Instead of dwelling on the negatives, make efforts to eliminate them to pave the way for joy.

Clear Away Negativity

If you truly desire joy, cleanse your mind and body of negativity. Remember that nothing is inherently negative; it is our perspective that makes it so.

Rid yourself of fear, frustration, ego, tension, hatred, anger, and stress. Be mindful of your goals, visualize achieving them, and relax.

If things are meant to happen, they will, only if you desire them.

Once you have mastered self-control, embraced your uniqueness, and rid yourself of negativity, it’s time to fill yourself with positivity.

Imbue yourself with hope, kindness, compassion, positive feelings, gratitude, desires, and love. By doing this, you will be on the path to unlocking your inner joy.

Why People Feel Blue Today

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The state of the world today, riddled with wars, natural disasters, and various catastrophes, has rendered many people sad, and in some cases, depressed.

If you’re feeling low, remember, you’re not alone. Everyone experiences sadness.

But remember, the clouds of gloom do not last forever – it might be a few hours or a couple of days at most.

Understanding Sadness

Sadness can make the world around you seem hostile and gloomy. It brings a crushing pain that weighs heavy on your heart and spirit, often leading to tears.

However, crying can be a healing process for many and can often alleviate the painful feelings.

As the cloud of sadness begins to lift, it’s as though a weight has been removed from your heart, allowing happiness to seep in once again.

The Common Causes of Sadness

Feeling sadness is a natural human experience.

It may be due to not achieving something you desired, missing someone dear to you, experiencing rejection, or simply having low self-esteem.

There are myriad reasons why individuals might experience bouts of sadness. One of the most frequent triggers is loss.

Losing a loved one, a pet, or moving to a new city and leaving old friends behind, can induce feelings of sadness.

In addition, relationships, while often a source of joy and happiness, can also be a source of sadness.

Many young people today struggle with familial conflicts, particularly with their parents, as they grapple with growing up and gaining independence.

Work-related relationships can also induce sadness, especially when constant disagreements with colleagues occur or when efforts go unnoticed by superiors.

Perhaps the most pervasive cause of sadness today relates to self-image and how one perceives themselves.

Many adults are discontent with their appearance and compare themselves unfavorably with others, leading to feelings of inferiority in various life domains.

This is particularly apparent in social situations, such as conversing with the opposite sex, where people might feel they are not “good enough.”

Although these causes of sadness are understandable, dwelling on such feelings can be detrimental.

Ultimately, the pursuit of happiness should be a priority, and this guide hopes to shed light on how to achieve this, regardless of the circumstances.

What Is True Happiness?

“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Are you happy? If you are, how happy are you?

True happiness refers to the measurement of two kinds of happiness, namely experienced happiness and remembered happiness.

True Happiness

Experienced happiness pertains to those moments of relief, bliss, laughter, or joy that you have experienced within a day.

Imagine your friend asking you randomly during lunch time about what you are doing and how happy you actually are at that very moment.

That is experienced happiness, the kind of happiness that comes from the things that you do for a particular period of time.

On the other hand, remembered happiness refers to how you think about yourself in general.

This is how you will answer that million dollar question “Are you happy with your life?”

This is how you remember those years you had in high school, the vacations that you went to, the holidays you have spent with your whole family, the early days of childhood with other kids, your history of jobs, or even your divorce.

Remembered happiness is pretty much like the bigger picture or perspective on your state of happiness.

It is not surprising that experienced happiness and remembered happiness do not match all the time.

For instance, millionaires in general have higher rate for their remembered selves compared to those people who only earn $50,000 each year.

However, a millionaire might have more responsibilities in life.

He may experience more pressure in his work, with a larger house to run and a spouse who is more demanding.

It only goes to say that even if they are earning millions, these people might have lesser moments of spontaneous happiness during their day to day lives, and living their lives less happily.

Meanwhile, an ordinary employee who considers himself as less happy since he lacks the kind of luxury that he has been dreaming of might, in reality, experience great bliss and pleasure with their jobs, with their family or with their hobbies, thus, they tend to have more blissful moments in their day.

Experienced and remembered happiness might be entirely different things but once you have happy moments in your past and your present, then, you can say that you have reached the so-called true happiness.

What Is The Empowered Happiness Mindset?

Do you want your life to be happier? Do you want your relationships with other people better than before? Do you want your business to be successful?

Well, the real secret to all of these lies on your mindset. Weird as it may sound, you are living in a world in which things happen depending on what you think.

This is something that most people fail to realize. Whether you actually believe this or not, this is something that works similarly for everyone.

By focusing on the things that you do not want or complaining about those negative things in your life, more negativity tend to enter your life.

But if you start to focus more on things that you want and think about all the positives happening to your life, you also bring in more of that.

What Is It

Happiness, as they always say, is a choice, which means that if you choose to be happy, then, you will be.

Happiness is a kind of choice that you make and create for yourself.

It is not something that depends on creating the happiness of other people or getting their approval.

In reality, the level of your life’s happiness has nothing to do with the things that other people say or do, even if you feel like it actually.

Happiness is not something that you capture through the affirmation or actions of others. Can you really make up your mind to be happy? The answer is YES.

The empowered happiness mindset is set on the principle that despite the things that happen to you or whatever dire circumstances you might be in today, you can still be happy.

Your happiness comes from within and happiness can only be experienced if you have established a connection to your core self, that part of you that lies deep within and never changes even after all those years.

If you decide that you will be happy right from your core, then, you are the one who have the power to identify the degree of happiness that you will experience.

If your core self is not being overpowered by hormonal or chemical challenges or overshadowed by your mind’s incessant chatter, then, there is a high chance for you to experience the so-called “unconditional happiness.”

Your core self has the ability to stick to its decision of being happy and not falling apart or giving in to discouragements once it encounters less than perfect conditions.

When you learn living from your core, it is not impossible for you to be happy even during the toughest of times because you already know how you should hold on to those good times and chase all the bad away.

With an empowered happiness mindset, you will know how you should let life to happen and stay open to wallowing in bliss of happiness whatever your circumstances might be.

Traditional Happiness Ideas vs. New Age Ideas

When you dream of happiness, you probably dream of that one place where suffering is absent – a place with no guilt, anxiety, melancholy, and mood swings.

With the present way of life of many people, most of them surely look forward to that one day when all their mental battles and worries will subside – that one golden day when purely positive things will take place and there will be no more reasons to experience pain, tension, and sorrow.

Ways To Look At It

But unfortunately, all these things are just part of a mythical place.

This is a kind of place that society would like you to believe exists, just another gold pot sitting at the end of that proverbial rainbow, which, when found, will give you security and wealth.

The traditional happiness ideas revolve around this mythical place with perceived security and comfortable luxury.

However, there is no way for this ideal to come to reality all because of one law of life, which can be easily summed up in a single word – change.

Change is everything that life knows.

Your assets, your moods, your relationships, your liabilities as well as the other conditions of your existence are not going to stay constant, whatever your cultural idea might make you believe.

Disaster, death, unforeseen misfortune, conflict, disease, heartbreak as well as the simple anxieties of your everyday life will continue and disrupt what you perceive to be peace of happiness.

The new age ideas about happiness dwell on the principle that even though the traditional happiness ideas might be mythical and somewhat boring, still, there is a chance for you to find a deeper and truer state of being.

As a human being, your greatest satisfaction will lie not in the constancy, but in the transformation.

For the modern era, true happiness is about accepting, embracing and even laughing at your pain. Its aim is to understand that your pain is a natural result of the changes in your life and it is a crucial precursor to your growth.

True happiness in the modern sense does not revolve around the absence of suffering but rather about acknowledging it, dealing with it, and growing from it.

It is a concept that values resilience and adaptability, understanding that life’s ups and downs are a natural part of the human experience.

It believes that by accepting and even welcoming changes and challenges, we can experience a deeper sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

The new age ideas about happiness challenge us to face our pain and fears head-on rather than avoid them.

It teaches that the trials we face can serve as catalysts for growth and transformation, leading us to a richer, more rewarding life experience.

This way of thinking invites us to become more introspective, to examine our attitudes and perceptions, and to seek personal growth and understanding.

It pushes us to redefine our expectations of what happiness means and to shift our focus from external circumstances to our internal state of being.

At its core, true happiness is about finding peace within ourselves, regardless of what’s happening around us.

It’s about being content with who we are, what we have, and where we’re headed.

It’s about living in the present moment and appreciating the journey, not just the destination.

Ultimately, true happiness comes from recognizing that we are in control of our thoughts and emotions.

It’s about making a conscious choice to focus on the positive, to appreciate the good in our lives, and to keep moving forward, no matter what.

The ultimate goal of true happiness is not to live a life free of hardships, but to build the strength and resilience to overcome them and continue to grow.

It’s about learning to dance in the rain, not just waiting for the storm to pass.

True happiness is a journey, not a destination, and it is this journey that enriches our lives and gives them meaning.

Understanding and Embracing Change

This transformative concept of happiness asks you to embrace life’s unpredictable rhythm of highs and lows.

It’s not about eliminating suffering or creating a life of constant pleasure. Instead, it’s about learning to ride the waves of life with grace and courage.

True happiness is not a static state, but a dynamic process. It’s about learning, growing, and evolving. It’s about embracing change, not resisting it.

Change is the only constant in life, and the sooner we learn to accept and navigate it, the more at peace we will be.

By letting go of the traditional notion of happiness as a constant state of bliss, we free ourselves from the pressure of chasing an elusive ideal.

Instead, we can focus on cultivating a deep sense of contentment that is rooted in our inner self and not dependent on external circumstances.

Learning from Pain and Suffering

Instead of viewing pain and suffering as obstacles to happiness, the new age idea suggests that we can use them as catalysts for growth and transformation.

Pain, loss, and suffering are part of the human experience. They are not something to be feared or avoided but are often the greatest teachers in life.

Every challenge we face is an opportunity for growth. When we face our fears and pains, we can learn valuable lessons about ourselves and the world around us.

We can use these experiences to build resilience, develop compassion, and gain wisdom.

By reframing the way we view our struggles, we can transform our pain into power.

We can turn our trials into triumphs and our hardships into stepping stones towards personal growth and true happiness.

Cultivating Inner Peace

New age ideas on happiness place a strong emphasis on the importance of inner peace. Inner peace is a deep sense of calm and contentment that comes from within.

It’s about being comfortable with who we are, accepting our flaws and strengths, and being at peace with our past, present, and future.

Inner peace is the foundation of true happiness. When we are at peace with ourselves, we can weather life’s storms without losing our sense of self.

We can face challenges with courage and resilience, knowing that we have the inner strength to overcome anything that comes our way.

Cultivating inner peace requires practice and patience. It involves mindfulness, self-reflection, and self-care.

It’s about learning to silence the noise of the world and tune into our inner voice. It’s about finding balance, harmony, and tranquility in the midst of chaos.

Learning to Be Happy

Learning to be truly happy is a journey, not a destination. It requires self-awareness, introspection, and a willingness to embrace change and growth.

Practices and Strategies for True Happiness

The first step towards true happiness is self-awareness. It involves understanding your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

It’s about recognizing your strengths, weaknesses, and patterns. Self-awareness gives you the insight you need to make positive changes in your life.

Mindfulness is another powerful practice for cultivating happiness. It’s about being present and fully engaged in the moment.

It’s about paying attention to your senses, thoughts, and feelings without judgment.

By practicing mindfulness, you can reduce stress, improve your mental health, and enhance your overall wellbeing.

Gratitude is also a key ingredient in the recipe for happiness. It’s about appreciating what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t have.

By practicing gratitude regularly, you can shift your mindset and increase your overall happiness.

Exercise and physical activity are also crucial for happiness. They help to boost your mood, reduce stress, and improve your physical health.

Regular exercise can also help you sleep better and boost your energy levels.

Building strong relationships is another important part of happiness. Healthy relationships can provide support, love, and a sense of belonging.

They can also help you grow and evolve as a person.

Developing a Growth Mindset

Developing a growth mindset is another powerful strategy for cultivating happiness.

A growth mindset is the belief that you can improve and grow through effort and practice.

It’s about embracing challenges, learning from mistakes, and seeing failure as an opportunity for growth.

A growth mindset can help you to become more resilient and adaptable.

It can boost your self-esteem, enhance your performance, and increase your overall happiness.

Self-care is also vital for happiness. It’s about taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health.

It can involve activities like taking a walk, reading a book, meditating, or spending time with loved ones.

Finally, finding purpose and meaning in life can also contribute to happiness.

It’s about pursuing your passions, setting goals, and making a positive impact in the world.

Living Authentically

Living authentically is about being true to yourself and your values. It’s about expressing your thoughts and feelings honestly and openly.

Authentic living can boost your self-esteem, improve your relationships, and increase your overall happiness.

Remember, true happiness is not a destination, but a journey. It’s about embracing life with all its ups and downs.

It’s about growing, evolving, and becoming the best version of yourself.

It’s about finding joy, peace, and contentment within yourself, regardless of external circumstances.

The Role of Love and Relationships in Happiness

Love and relationships play a significant role in our happiness. Human beings are inherently social creatures. We thrive on connection, affection, and intimacy.

Healthy relationships contribute significantly to our happiness and well-being.

They provide support during difficult times, bring joy and fulfillment to our lives, and promote personal growth.

The concept of love extends beyond romantic relationships. It includes the love between family members, friends, and even the broader community.

Experiencing and expressing love can bring immense satisfaction and happiness.

Research shows that individuals in loving relationships tend to be happier and healthier, both physically and mentally.

Love and close relationships can lower stress and anxiety, improve immune function, and increase lifespan.

Furthermore, a strong social network can help individuals to deal with life’s challenges more effectively.

Building Healthy Relationships

Building healthy relationships requires time, effort, and commitment. Here are a few tips to help you cultivate strong and fulfilling relationships:

Communicate Effectively: Effective communication is key in any relationship. Express your thoughts and feelings openly, and listen attentively when others do the same.
Show Empathy: Understand and share the feelings of others. Empathy helps to build trust and deepens your connection with others.
Be Honest: Honesty fosters trust and respect in a relationship. Be truthful with your words and actions.
Show Appreciation: Show gratitude for the people in your life. Appreciate their efforts, and acknowledge their presence in your life.
Spend Quality Time Together: Shared experiences and activities can strengthen your bond with others. Make time for those who matter to you.

Maintaining Healthy Relationships

Maintaining healthy relationships requires continuous effort. Here are some tips to keep your relationships strong and satisfying:

Resolve Conflicts Constructively: Disagreements are inevitable in any relationship. Handle conflicts in a constructive manner. Listen to the other person’s perspective and find a mutually agreeable solution.
Show Kindness: Small acts of kindness can go a long way in maintaining a strong bond. Be generous with your words and actions.
Support Each Other: Be there for each other in times of need. Support each other’s goals and dreams.
Maintain Balance: A healthy relationship is a balanced one. It’s important to give and take, and respect each other’s individuality and independence.
Keep the Spark Alive: In romantic relationships, keep the spark alive. Regularly express your love and affection.

Remember, healthy and loving relationships significantly contribute to our happiness.

By cultivating and maintaining strong relationships, we can experience a deeper level of joy and fulfillment in our lives.

Money Can’t Buy Happiness, but It’s a Start

Money, while important, is not the key to happiness. Money plays an important role in our lives. It helps meet our basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing.

It provides us with the means to enjoy comforts and luxuries. Having financial security can reduce stress and anxiety about the future.

However, money is not a surefire guarantee to happiness.

While poverty and financial difficulties can lead to unhappiness, beyond a certain income level, additional money does not significantly increase happiness.

Studies have shown that once a person reaches a comfortable living standard, further increases in income have little to no impact on their sense of well-being.

This phenomenon is referred to as the “Easterlin Paradox,” named after the economist who discovered it.

He found that higher incomes are associated with better moods, but only up to a point. Beyond that, more money does not equal more happiness.

Why Money Can’t Buy Happiness

Money can buy comforts and luxuries, but it cannot buy the things that bring us the deepest satisfaction: meaningful relationships, fulfilling work, personal growth, and the joy of helping others.

These things are not purchasable; they require time, effort, and personal investment.

Furthermore, the pursuit of wealth can sometimes come at the cost of personal relationships and well-being.

Long hours at work can strain relationships and lead to stress and burnout. Money can also lead to comparison and envy, which can detract from happiness.

Finding Happiness Beyond Wealth

While money is necessary for a comfortable life, it’s essential to seek happiness beyond material wealth. Here are some ways to do that:

Invest in Relationships: Spend time with your loved ones. Cultivate meaningful relationships.
Pursue Your Passion: Do what you love. Find work that you find fulfilling and meaningful.
Help Others: Generosity and altruism can bring immense satisfaction. Help those in need.
Focus on Personal Growth: Strive for personal development. Learn new skills, acquire new knowledge, and embrace challenges.
Practice Gratitude: Be thankful for what you have. Gratitude can lead to feelings of contentment and satisfaction.

In summary, while money can contribute to happiness by providing comfort and security, it is not the key to true happiness.

The pursuit of wealth should not overshadow the things that bring deeper satisfaction and joy.

Does Being Happy Make You Healthy?

There is a deep connection between happiness and health. The link between happiness and health is a complex one.

While the exact mechanisms aren’t fully understood, research has found strong correlations between the two.

Happier individuals tend to have healthier lifestyles, better immune function, less inflammation, and lower risk of chronic disease. They also tend to live longer.

Happiness can have a direct impact on our physical health. It can strengthen our immune system, making us more resistant to illnesses and diseases.

When we’re happy, our bodies produce more “feel good” hormones like endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, which have a positive impact on our health.

On the other hand, chronic unhappiness can lead to stress, which has a negative impact on our health.

Long-term stress can lead to various health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression.

Ways to Enhance Happiness for Better Health

So how can we boost our happiness for the sake of our health? Here are a few suggestions:

Exercise Regularly: Physical activity releases endorphins, known as “feel-good” hormones. Regular exercise can also improve your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
Eat a Healthy Diet: A balanced diet can not only keep your body healthy but also improve your mood. Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon and walnuts, can boost your mood. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can also contribute to better mental health.
Practice Mindfulness and Meditation: These practices can help reduce stress and anxiety, increase self-awareness, and promote relaxation, all of which can enhance happiness.
Cultivate Positive Relationships: Quality relationships with friends, family, and loved ones can provide emotional support, increase feelings of belonging, and promote happiness.
Practice Gratitude: Taking time to appreciate what you have can enhance feelings of happiness and well-being.
Seek Professional Help: If you’re struggling with chronic unhappiness or mental health issues, don’t hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you develop strategies to cope with stress and enhance happiness.

The Future of Happiness

With the advances in technology and a greater understanding of human psychology, the future of happiness looks promising.

In the future, as our understanding of the human mind deepens, we will likely see a more nuanced approach to happiness.

With the help of artificial intelligence, personalized psychology, and brain imaging technologies, we may be able to understand and influence our emotional states more effectively.

This could lead to more effective treatments for mental health disorders and an overall increase in well-being and happiness.

Moreover, our changing societal values may also influence our understanding of happiness.

We might see a shift towards a more holistic understanding of well-being, where mental, emotional, and spiritual health are seen as equally important as physical health.

The focus might shift from external achievements and material wealth to inner peace and emotional balance as the key indicators of happiness.

In terms of technology, we could see new tools that help us track and improve our emotional well-being.

Already, there are apps and devices that monitor our mood, sleep, and stress levels.

In the future, these tools may become even more advanced and commonplace, enabling us to take proactive measures to boost our happiness.

Furthermore, with the ongoing advancements in neuroscience, we might see new ways of directly influencing our brain to alter our mood.

These could range from non-invasive methods like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to more invasive ones like deep brain stimulation (DBS).

However, it’s important to remember that technology and science can only aid our pursuit of happiness. True happiness ultimately comes from within.

It’s about cultivating a positive mindset, maintaining healthy relationships, finding purpose and meaning in life, and living in alignment with our values and beliefs.

No amount of technology or scientific breakthroughs can replace these fundamental aspects of human happiness.

In conclusion, the future of happiness looks bright.

With the advances in technology and our understanding of human psychology, we have more tools than ever to understand and boost our happiness.

But it’s crucial to remember that these tools are just aids in our journey towards happiness. The key to true happiness lies within us.

Congratulations on completing this journey to understand the nature of true happiness. Remember, happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Keep exploring, keep learning, and keep growing. Here’s to a happier you!

Don't Worry Be Happy

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