5 Tiny Habits That Will Make You More Upbeat Than 98% Of People
How to find your happiness and joy.
Unai Huizi Photography / Shutterstock Just like any good navigation system, your feelings of joy and happiness tell you if you’re on course for what’s right for you — for your soul and your life.
It’s the one true barometer guiding you in life. When you’re in joy, you’re in complete alignment with your truth — the truth of who you are. It leads you to the next best decision or the next best opportunity.
So if you want to learn how to find happiness and live a happier life, you have to tap into your feelings of joy and let them guide you — whether it's toward a new relationship, a new job, or a new city.
Here are 5 tiny habits that will make you more upbeat than most people:
1. Following joy — not doubt or fear
If you allow yourself to drop into doubt, despair, fear, or worry, you’ve disconnected from who you are and from what makes you come alive.
When you feel these emotions, they’re telling you that you’re off course and coming from ego. This is the state of being that is responsible for survival, but it’s meant to be an assistant, not the leader in your life.
The ego is an important part of us. It keeps us safe. Unfortunately, it was never meant to be the one in control. It’s only there as a reminder to pay attention. The truth of who we are —that part that is connected to a higher consciousness — is the part that’s meant to lead us in our lives.
When you follow your joy, you’re in connection with this greater part of you.
2. Using joy as a gauge
By using joy as your gauge, not only do you have much more fun, but you also come a little closer to what it is you’re meant to be doing in your life. It’s a win/win.
You enjoy what you’re doing, and you’re moving forward in your purpose here on Earth. With this in mind, why wouldn't you want to strive to be in a continual state of joy or happiness?
It might sound unrealistic to do, but you really can decide to have a better outlook and look for ways in which everything you do is enjoyable. When you decide to approach life this way, you open a window of awareness in your mind.
This awareness is always on the lookout and open to positive interactions and reactions. When you approach life this way, you start to notice more positive situations that you wouldn't otherwise have seen before. They’re around you all the time, but unless you’re open to seeing them, you won’t notice them.
3. Bringing more joy into your life
To bring more joy into your life, start by committing to finding the fun in everything you do. At first, it might feel difficult or different to do, but what you’re doing, is forming a new habit of being.
You’re also forming new neural pathways in your brain where you have expectations of fun and enjoyment. As you practice this way of being, you begin to actively look for fun and joy.
The more you practice this, the more it becomes a habit. And as the habit builds, you’ll find you’re in a state of joy or happiness much more often. It starts becoming a natural way of being for you.
4. Learning to listen to your inner wisdom
When you start practicing this, you’ll begin to notice when something feels "off" when you’re not lined up with what’s right for you. Your intuition or gut instinct will increase.
You’ll start saying "no" to situations that aren't in your best interest on a soul level and you’ll begin to say "yes" to some of the amazing opportunities that come into your life.
When you make this commitment, you're sending a message out to the Universe that this is what you expect and what you deserve. By doing this, you enlist a powerful support system that maybe you weren't even aware existed.
You'd be surprised at how much easier life feels and becomes.
5. Taking a chance
Here’s the good news: There’s no reason not to give the following joy a try.
It just takes conscious awareness of how you’re approaching life and the commitment to shift that more towards joyful experiences. You’re in the driver’s seat here. You can determine what you’ll allow into your life and what you create.
When you create from joy, you’re in total alignment with your destiny. It might not always make sense. Many times, it doesn't. But follow it anyway. You’ll always be led to the exact situation, opportunity, or person you’re meant to interact with — the one that is the best fit for you.
Learn to trust that pull, through joy, and you’ll never regret it. Your life will be an amazing journey and an inspiration for others.
Sumi Jones is a life and empowerment coach who helps her clients to align with their true selves, gifts, and purpose by locating and releasing or re-framing limiting beliefs.