I have been caught up in a whirlwind of activity lately.  Getting my mom through her hip replacement and a move to assisted living took more of a toll than I would like to admit.  I am not as young as I once was apparently.

I often think about how people achieve happiness in their lives and there are such a variety of ways.  I must say I draw much happiness from my family and friends.  I don’t depend upon them for my happiness but they just naturally bring that to me.

As I was thinking about this I thought of a few things that allow me to cultivate happiness in my own life.  So today join me as I share a few of those things with you.

1. Be able to say no.  It is so easy to get caught up in good causes and things to do but it is equally important to be able to say no to things.  Happiness can be diminished when I am overly involved in too many things.  I can feel myself pulled in many different directions and quite honestly I am not able to give any of those areas the proper attention.  Long ago I learned to say no.  It was probably one of the biggest things that helped move me to more happiness.  Picking and choosing what I want to do has freed me to do those things better.
2. Attitude Attitude Attitude !  Junk happens to every single one of us every single day.  How I choose to react and respond to it is MY choice.  If I approach an unexpected thing that comes up head on with the attitude that I can handle it then my happiness indicator increases.  I have not always had the most positive attitude about things but I have finally come to the conclusion that a positive attitude helps me to approach even the most difficult situation and come out the other side of it with much more happiness.
3. Quiet Time Matters.  It is okay to crave quiet time.  I do.  I must admit that at times my introvert self kicks in and I need time to myself.  I don’t have to have any real agenda but I need quiet time just for me to do what I want to do. Certainly devotional time counts but last week I finally had an afternoon to sit on the back deck and read a book.  It was quality time that I had missed and realized how much happier I felt after I had devoted a couple of hours to just doing something for me.
4. Be Kind.  Kindness begets kindness.  Happiness is a natural outcome of experiencing and offering kindness.  It just makes sense.  I am definitely not a pioneer in saying these things but sometimes the world forgets how to be kind.  Just acknowledging  our fellow man/woman is an act of kindness. It does not have to be some grand gesture.  Even the smallest smile can make a big difference in someone else’s day. Try it.
5. Offer compliments.  Doesn’t it make YOU feel great when someone offers you a sincere compliment?  Take a lesson from that and go out of your way to offer a compliment to someone every single day.  Make sure it is a sincere compliment.  I have a friend who is very good at this.  She sees what other people do not see and makes sure that she offers sincere compliments with no expectation of receiving a compliment in return. Sharing that with someone just makes me feel happier immediately because it means I am paying attention to someone other than myself.

While none of these things on my list are revolutionary they can definitely turn the tide.  Happiness breeds happiness. Start increasing your happiness level today but practicing just a few of these things.

I would love to hear what makes you happy and how you work to increase your happiness. Remember that all comments go to support our Comments for a Cause this month —The Little Free Library.