Many people think that happiness is a special gift some people are born with.
But did you know that you can acquire this gift by making it a habit?
I know…
As a time management mentor, one of the things I hear the most is “how can I create new habits?” And besides that, one of the things that hides behind the need of having more time is enjoying life and being happy.
That is why today I wanted to talk about happiness as a habit.
It was Elbert Hubbard that once said “Happiness is a habit. Cultivate it.”
And he was totally right!!
The thing is that not everyone knows how to acquire a new habit, and therefore think acquiring this one is particularly hard.
What if I tell you that you can start seeing a difference in 21 days?
Sound cliché, right?
Well luckily for you I am not telling you that.
In fact, like any other habit you want to acquire, it all depends on you. Everyone has their own rhythm.
I do not say this to dissuade you, on the contrary, it means you could see changes way before those 21 days.
So, you might be asking by now “How do I create this habit? Where’s the magic wand?”
Let me tell you that there is no magic wand here. But there is something that might seem magical.
LET’S MAKE HAPPINESS A NEW HABIT:
Like any other habit, to create it you will need:
- Discipline
You need to be constant. Without discipline, good habits will not be acquired. And I highlight “good” habits because as you might have noticed, bad habits are so easy to acquire that we do not notice them.
- A good mindset
If you think it is going to be hard to acquire a new habit, congratulations, you just made them hard to acquire. You attract what you think, so let us think that new habits are easily created.
- Motivation
Have you ever tried to do something without motivation? I am sure you have, and I am sure the results were not as good as when you really wanted to do it. Motivation is what makes us go further and achieve want we want (adding the two previous steps of course). So remind yourself why do you want to achieve something.
Now that you know the basics, what you can do to create this particular habit is:
- Allowing yourself to embrace the little things instead of waiting for the big ones to arrive.
It is great to have a wonderful life in mind, where all our dreams come true and we achieve all our goals with barely non-effort. But the thing is that by having those huge expectations and not realizing what life is giving you now, you will feel like you are not as happy as you might be.
- Practice everyday gratitude.
This point is related to the previous one because we are so used to what we have, that we take things for granted. Instead of being grateful just in those big achievements and what seems to be a huge opportunity, let us be grateful for everything we have accomplished, everything we have now.
- Dedicate time to yourself.
Helping people with their schedules and their plans made me realize that not dedicating time to ourselves is more common than we think. This is something I really want you to have in mind since happiness as a habit has to come from the inside, and you will need time to yourself to appreciate what you are doing.
- Prioritize what really matters to you.
How many times do why say “I do not have time”? Let me tell you that this is just an excuse because we all have the same hours a day, but what makes the difference is how we prioritize the things we do.
I always say that every single minute from your time can represent a huge difference in the changes you want to achieve.
Being happy is a matter of choice.
So, let us try it little by little, step by step. Focusing on the present time for us to have a better future, yes, but a better present too.
Have a beautiful day!
About The Author:
Alejandra Marqués is a time management and planning mentor that helps entrepreneurs improve their time management skills, so they can be able to do everything they want to do, achieve their goals, get rid of procrastination, and enjoy more their time and life.
You can follow her on Instagram: @YourPlan_A
