How to be Happy in Life

Knowing how to be happy in life is a secret many can never understand. We struggle, save money and work hard just to fill our life with happiness, but can there be an easier way to understand how to be happy in life? Here’s a checklist that can change your life!

All of us want to know how to be happy in life. But we look for happiness in different ways.

And almost all the time, greed and want for luxury takes the driver’s seat in the pursuit of happiness.

And many years later, the older folk look back and realize how their pursuit of the finer things actually stopped them from enjoying the true happiness life can offer all around us.

How to be happy in life

If you want to experience true happiness, you don’t really have to follow the path others preach.

Each of us have our own paths to experience happiness in life.

So if you’re ambitious and want money, go ahead and make some for yourself.

Contrary to what many say, money and diamonds can make you feel happy too. So if someone says don’t chase money, you really don’t need to believe that person. [Read: Money can buy happiness in love]

The real secret behind knowing how to be happy in life is to slow down and look around once in a while, as you speed down the road of your personal ambition. The drive towards success can be fun, but taking a break to experience the countryside once in a while may slow you down just a bit, but that would be one of the happier memories on the road!

If you want to know how to be happy in life, and experience a life that’s more fun and fulfilling, try these simple steps that will definitely lead you to a happier life. Chase your dreams, but always remember these pointers to experience life, and you’ll understand the real meaning of happiness and the secret behind how to be happy in life.

Understanding true happiness in life

Happiness lies in progress, and as long as you feel like you’re one step further today than you were yesterday, you’d be a happier person. So whatever aspect of life you may be dealing with, make a few changes every single day, and you’ll be so happy, you’ll put Santa’s ho-ho-ho to shame!

#1 Be nice to people who matter

You’re the popular one, aren't you? Great! But are you actually nice to all of them? Well, you know your P’s and Q’s and you may also overdo them, but are you generally nice to your lover and your good buddies?[Read: Money Can't buy love]

There may be a few things that you've been doing wrong, like bossing people around or ranting and arguing for donkey’s reasons.

Slow down and take those rose tinted shades off. And be genuinely nice to the people who matter. Even if the progress is slow, you’d be able to notice that your friends will start to behave in a better way with you. If your friends trust you and enjoy your company, they’ll be nicer to you and would want to have a lot of happy conversations with you. Being appreciated and feeling loved can make you a lot happier in just a few days.

This is something you may not notice at first, but we all have a tendency to nag or whine about circumstances and people. Stop bitching about the people who are close and look at the positive side. If you don’t keep a check on this, we’ll only end up losing great conversations and great friends who are sick of all your negativity.

#2 Be more efficient

You do a lot of things every single day, but do you really put your heart and soul into every single thing you do? One of the things that are most frustrating in life is leftover business that’s been left unattended. Every time you feel lazy and push something away for tomorrow, you should remember that you’re only piling your stress up. It could be doing your laundry or checking up on an old friend. Try to be more efficient and you’ll see how calm your mind can be.

And being efficient isn't just about ticking away at a checklist. It’s also your behavior with friends and the people around you.

Do you still flatter your mate, or spend time with your loved ones on their special days the same way you used to? Do you really want to spend time with your partner or your family, or is it only because you have to? These little things do matter. Every little thing that you do does.

If you’re actually spending time with your lover or pals, whether you want to or not, why not just try having a better time doing it? And hey, happy times make you happy. And someone who sulks will only miss the happy moment. You know that, don’t you?

#3 Help someone in need

Do you have a lot of free time in your hands? Sometimes, true experience can be experienced in abundance by actually helping someone in need. It’s selfless, pure and it can bring an instant halo on your head when you look at yourself in the mirror!

It could be your friend, a lady carrying two huge grocery bags, or a child who needs help building something, or a charity.

You don’t always have to help someone like a boy scout, but when you walk past someone who needs help and you hesitate just a second wondering if you should help, go right ahead and help them! Even a smile from a stranger filled with gratitude can make your day.

#4 Meet more people

Meeting new people is the best way to live life to the fullest. The world is full of interesting people, and there’s an opportunity to meet someone interesting in every nook and cranny of your street. The chances of meeting someone interesting are high when you expand your social horizons. If you want to know how to be happy in life, go out there and mingle.

Salsa classes, book clubs, volunteer work, asking friends for help… it’s all out there, and filled with people just like you. Make a note on your checklist, the more effort you put in, the better your chances. Go out into the world and be seen with a smile on your face. And the world will smile at you.

#5 Party more

Now we’re not really being specific to parties that involve gyrating grinds and claustrophobic smoky enclosures. It could be anything, all the way from office dinner parties to the singles night-out kinds. To each their own!

But one thing’s certain, you will be able to meet a lot of people. If you’re not the party animal or if you don’t like the typical stampede of huge dinner gangs, then group up and form small groups among your friends.

You can take turns with a small group, each hosting a dinner party at their place every week or so, with the rule that at least a few outsiders are invited to the dinner every time. Keep yourself busy and meet new people. The world is full of people, millions of them. And they are all unique, just like you. And every single one wants more happiness in life, just like you.

#6 Ditch the bad habits

This is the hardest one, bang on in the middle slot. You may have bad habits, and this isn't restricted to booze or smoking, which seems to appear on pretty much anyone’s checklist of bad habits. Some people are lazy, some of us whine, and some of us hate getting dressed to go out. Ditch these habits. Only you know the small irritating habits that are holding you down.

If you want to be happy in life, you have to fill your mind with positive and enthusiasm. Go on out there and be ready for life. One of the best things you can do is to watch rubber-jaw Jim Carrels Yes Man. It could just change your life.

Don’t let any bad habit of yours hold you back from being happy in life.

Knowing how to be happy in life is actually very simple. It just takes a bit of effort, an open mind and positive vibes. Click here to read the next six points on how to enjoy life to the fullest.