What advise would you give me if I asked you to share what you've discovered so far about living the best, happiest, and most prosperous life possible? What are the laws (or maxims) you've absorbed throughout the course of your 20, 30, 50, or 80 years?
Recently, I've received a lot of emails on the issue, and I've had trouble coming up with an adequate response. What matters most in life? What truly brings you joy? I consider it a blessing that I have had the opportunity to experience both poverty and fare share of wealth in my life because each has taught me something. I learned things from my struggles with poverty that textbooks cannot teach. Because of my financial freedom, I acquired knowledge that money cannot purchase. I can assure you that having a sizable bank account, a big house, designer clothes, and a luxury car have nothing to do with real pleasure. The things that are in your heart—love, family, friends, hope, gratitude, adventure, and dreams—are the only things that can truly make you happy.
I then turned to the fundamentals. I gave my own life a lot of thought, and I laid down the guiding principles that inform all I do. Then, I questioned whether any studies had been done on the topic. I was relieved to see that there was. Therefore, these aren't simply my rules; research demonstrates that they can also enhance your life.
And perhaps not unexpectedly, love is where it all begins. Here they are without further ado.
Rule # 1: Put love in whatever you do.
Each of us has a 24-hour day. Filling as many of those hours with love—whether it be through job, relationships, hobbies, or even pets—seems to be one of my ingredients for happiness. Love without fear I do my best to work as many hours as I can each day doing what I love. I adore business ownership. I enjoy martial arts. My loved ones are dear to me. I adore my pals. I cherish my dogs. I adore movies. I adore books. I adore going places. It should come as no surprise that you will find me doing all of those activities with the people I love in a given year. Many aspects of life are out of our control, yet we can have some influence over how much love we allow into our lives.
Rule # 2: Maintain Perspective.
I'll concede there will be days when nothing will go your way, and you'll spend the entire day fighting conflicts, solving issues, and preventing harm. There are days like that for everyone, and it is too simple to get sucked into the drama. Organize yourself; this too shall pass. We can hope that your backstabbing coworker will be transferred soon, that your child will get sick soon, and that there will be days when you actually do everything on your to-do list.
Rule # 3: You should not compare yourself to others.
When I was much younger, I frequently made comparisons between my success and that of my peers, acquaintances, or even my heroes and role models in life. It makes me feel bad to say it now, but it's true. I would evaluate everything, including my income, level of happiness, net worth, work prestige, rate of advancement, and other factors. I'll admit that all it gave me was sadness. You know, I've come to realize that YOUR happiness has absolutely nothing to do with what other people are doing in life. By doing what you love with the people you love, you may live your life to the fullest potential and experience true happiness. It involves being the finest version of oneself possible. Everybody has a unique destiny. We all follow distinct trajectories. Each of us has certain abilities, opportunities, and gifts. And in our search for our truths, we are all on our own. Living an authentic life that genuinely ignites your spirit is the path to happiness. Everything else has no use. Money, a large home, or a high-end vehicle cannot buy happiness. Happiness is found only within. aspire to excellence. Enjoy your life.
Rule # 4: Every day, practice forgiving others.
As I get older, I understand that one of life's greatest blessings is inner tranquilly. Be kind to yourself. Pardon others. Nobody is flawless. Everyone makes errors. Everybody collapses. We all fall short. Forgive. To forgive takes strength. Only the feeble cannot pardon. Ironically, we can never truly be joyful if we harbor ill will against other people. Release all those who have mistreated you. Give up anything and everything that has caused you pain. Release those unfavorable feelings. Accept the lessons learned and look forward to a bright future.
Rule # 5: Treat people the way you want to be treated.
If you try to treat others how you would like to be treated instead of how they would like you to treat them, you can find yourself in difficulties. If you don't like the phone, for example, you might decide not to call your friend because you think they feel the same way you do, even though that may not be the case. Try to be considerate of other people's needs and occasionally go out of your way to help them. Make an effort not to pass judgement. Be kind; make an effort to regularly show someone you care.
Rule # 6: Be in the company of joyful people.
Even if it sounds harsh, I rapidly cut off the bad influences from my life. Everyone has encountered individuals who lament their bad luck, wrongs they have suffered, the unfairness of the world, or their miserable lot in life. I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for pessimistic individuals. Negative people always manage to find someone else to blame for their issues. And in 99% of cases, they are the root of their own difficulties and their biggest issue. Negative people have no business working for me or being a part of my life. Life is too short to waste it on troublemakers and negative people. In the Law of Attraction, I firmly believe. You will become negative and draw more negative individuals into your life if you let negative people into your life. The inverse is also accurate. You'll notice that your life will be happier if you are surrounded by joyful, grateful people. When you are joyful, other joyful individuals are drawn to you. The joyful cycle continues. It is contagious to be positive.
Rule # 7: Put Family First.
My family is my top priority, therefore I quit my job to pursue a freelance career because of the flexible hours it offers. That is not to say that my career is not important; rather, it only means that I must conduct myself in a way that benefits my family and me. How essential is spending time with your family to you? Do you check to make sure that your employment won't hinder you from doing that? What kind of plans have you put in place to make it happen? Although you don't have to stop living your life for your family, setting aside time and making a priority for them will make you feel far less guilty.
Rule # 8: Don't let your inner child grow up.
We have a lot of love, innocence, wonder, dreams, goodness, and potential when we are young. Children believe that nothing is impossible and that no one is bad. However, we somehow lose that magic as grownups. My close friends and family will attest to the fact that, at heart, I am still a child. Long ago, I made the choice that I would never let life's difficulties to alter who I am or what my inner kid is like. I enjoy playing practical jokes. I adore exploration. I cherish dreams. I have faith in human goodness. Nothing is impossible, in my opinion. I'll admit that I've experienced more than my fair share of poor fortune, awful people, misery, and failure. But I decide to keep my inner child safe and live as freely as I can. It would be terrible if we all let our inner kid and faith in the goodness of the world to be destroyed by the bad things and bad people in our life. Life is lovely.
Final Words.
Happiness is not a destination for me. It is not worth pursuing. Don't hold out for joy. Don't put money aside to be happy. Avoid seeking bliss. The choice to see beauty in each day is what makes one happy. Happiness is a conscious celebration of your blessings and the priceless gift of life. A trek toward happiness.
Please note that this is by no means an exhaustive list. I'm sure some individuals will disagree with other items on this list as well. This list is just a collection of my personal experiences and thoughts on life; I am not an authority on happiness. Although everyone's definition of happiness is different, I hope you may take some of these lessons to heart and use them to improve your happiness. In the end, I just want more good days than bad.