Find Ways to Be Happy Every Day

As we anxiously watch the clock tick our days away, we're also watching precious minutes disappear from our lives, one second at a time. Rather than wishing for a day or event to be over, find reasons to love where you are in your life at this very moment!

Take small moments of your day and turn them into something bigger. Take a look at the nature around you. Whether you live in a concrete jungle or on a farm - take a few seconds to feel the wind blow through your hair, the sun beam on your head, the rain grace your face. See the tiny details of trees and flowers, and consider their amazing complexity. Nature is incredibly calming and balancing, and helps us recognize our place in the totality of the universe.

Don't just aimlessly pet your dog or cat. Take time to look into their eyes, see their expressions, truly feel their heart beats and their warm soft fur. They have even more limited time than we do, so never take for granted a single moment with them. Our pets are simply on loan to us, for a brief time, so we need to value every second we're given with them. If you don't have a pet, get one! Even a tiny companion like a hamster or guinea pig can form an incredible bond with you, and make your days brighter.

Don't live in the past. Sure, the past shapes your future, but the key is to not let your past dictate your future. If you've had a lousy past, try your best to move on - you're only hurting yourself by dwelling on the hurt and anger that come with an awful history. Ask yourself, "What's more important - yesterday's mistakes or the improvements I can make tomorrow?" By applying this to every aspect of your life - friendship, love, work, self improvements - you will gradually ditch your bad history and see changes for the better. But keep in mind that history does serve one important purpose - it teaches us lessons. By analyzing the past we avoid repeating our mistakes, and learn what chances we should take to improve our futures. In effect, all moments of our lives are continually becoming history - so by making balanced choices, you can use past lessons to create a pleasant future.

Appreciate and learn from the people in your life. Whether they're crazy family members, gossiping co-workers, drama-ridden friends, or a feisty significant other, these people teach us tolerance and communication - and if nothing else, make us thankful for not being like them! If there are people you simply cannot stand having in your life, take whatever steps you have to in order to get away from them. With some people, it may seem you're fighting a losing battle, and that you will never be good enough in their eyes. In this case, exclude them from your daily life as much as possible. At the worst, their opinion of you will not change. At best, they will see your withdrawn behavior and begin to question whether or not they've treated you fairly. People who treat you badly without any legitimate reason don't deserve to have you in their lives - accept that, and move on to people who appreciate you for who you are.

See the best in every possible outcome. Going to extremes and thinking of only a positive or negative outcome will set you up for failure. By taking an optimistic-pessimist approach to situations that might not turn out perfect, you will see both sides of a situation and be prepared for either outcome. And as every Boy Scout knows, being prepared is half the battle!

Stop being scared. If there's something new you'd like to try, do it! Assess a fear and see if there's any real ration behind it. Chances are, there is not. Fear of flying? Look at the low statistics of plane crashes and go buy a ticket. Fear of drowning? Go learn to swim in the shallow end of a gym pool. Fear of heights? Go to the top of a tall building and sit there until you're comfortable looking down. Most simple fears are completely irrational and prevent people from experiencing enjoyable activities. It's time to start controlling your own mind, and stop letting it control you.

Don't be afraid to succeed - or fail. Some people remain stagnant in every aspect of their lives because they are constantly in fear. Fearful that extreme success might upset their family, loved ones or friends, they ride the middle ground and limit themselves to please others. Here's the truth - if you are surrounded by people who want to hold you back, then you're surrounded by the WRONG people! Whatever their motivation for holding you back, it's wrong of them to do, and wrong of you to accept. Life is one big experience to be lived, so by letting others limit your full potential, you're only cheating yourself. As for failure...we're all afraid of this one, but what person hasn't failed without also learning at the same time. Everyone constantly fails, from birth all the way to death. When you tried walking for the first time, you fell...again and again. Eventually you figured it out and moved on to your next life lesson. You simply can't let fear of failure paralyze you from trying new things. Every day, you should repeat this old adage to yourself: Better to have tried and failed then to never have tried at all. Sure, failure brings about hurt and complications, but these fade with time. The value of success far out weighs the pain of failure.

Learn from the good, the bad and the ugly. Let's face it, some situations are just not pleasant, no matter what kind of rose-colored glasses you're wearing. The best you can do for situations like these? Learn something you didn't know before and use it to improve your life, or somebody else's. I'm a firm believer that every situation happens for a reason, although that reason might not be clear to you for months or even years. Bad situations and events make us all a little stronger, so don't be ashamed of your battle scars; rather be proud of what you've learned.

Be good to yourself. Yes, devoting time to helping others can be very rewarding, but don't forget about yourself in the mean time! Do things within your means to make yourself feel special, and refuse to let anybody make you feel guilty about it. You deserve time to do things that make you happy, so set aside a little time every day, or at least a few hours a week just for yourself. This is one of the few times it's good to make excuses. Learn to say no to yet another unnecessary project someone has thrown your direction, or an errand or task that can simply wait for another day. If you feel frazzled and over-worked, you need "you" time to relax and get back to a content state.

Hopefully this article will shed some light on appreciating life, and living it to the fullest. Just remember, we're here for too short a time to live in regret or repeat patterns that result in failure and frustration. You can either see the bright side of things or wallow in the darkness, the choice is yours. We're all part of the giant mystifying puzzle, and nobody should lead a life that makes them end up wondering "what if?" Keep on trekking, trying, and smiling!