5 Things Unhappy People Don't Know

I have a secret for you. The secret to having a good life lies outside of a fulfilling career, travel, the nicer things, and having a bursting bank account. It’s being happy.

Unfortunately, most people are constantly in search of this elusive happiness. Where can you find it? Once you find it, how can you make it last?

I can’t tell you what will make you happy, as that is a highly individual thing. But there are five things that I have found consistently that happy people do more of. Read on:

Happiness Tip #1: Be Thankful For What You Have

Happy people know that eventually, wanting more and more things – money, a more prestigious career, a sexier body, a fancier car or a nicer car – becomes exhausting. Be thankful and express gratitude for what you do have in your life right now. If necessary, write them down, and read the list out loud to yourself. If you enjoy the things you have, you’ll find that you need less in other places.

Happiness Tip #2: Have Good Friends

Rather than aiming to have 2,000 friends on Facebook, try to cultivate deep, meaningful, trusting relationships with a few good people. These people should be ones that you admire, can confide in, trust, and will do the same with you. These relationships are the ones that carry you through dark days and these people will also celebrate with you when everything is going well. It’s always better to have a few great friends than a lot of fair weather friends and acquaintances.

Happiness Tip #3: Always Have A Goal In Mind

Working towards something will make you happy, keep your brain busy, and challenge you. Have you ever had a time when you’ve had nothing to do? Time goes by much more slowly, doesn’t it? Trust me when I say that some of your best days will be ones where you hop out of bed, full of purpose. It adds meaning to your life, and gives you a reason to move forward, and on a fun note, it gives you something to talk about at cocktail parties.

Happiness Tip #4: Do What You Are Good At

Everyone has a gift. What’s yours? If you haven’t already discovered it, find something you love to do, and are good at, and become even better at it. Make it a priority to strive to be an expert in your field. Others will then look to you for advice, you’ll feel great about your life and your abilities (this is a great confidence booster) and you’ll feel like you never have to work a day in your life. This could be your claim to fame.

Happiness Tip #5: Contribute To Your Community

Whether you’re giving advice pro-bono, helping elderly ladies cross the road, volunteering at a soup kitchen or donating sewing machines to charities instead of bringing them to resale shops, contributing to your community is an important thing. Most of us are very busy, and between work, family, keeping up with friends and other commitments, we don’t have much time to volunteer. But there are lots of ways you can give back and pay it forward. You’ll feel much better about yourself when you do, and you’ll sleep better at night, too. It’s good for the soul.

Candice Galek is the founder and CEO of Bikini Luxe. More information: www.bikiniluxe.com

Did You Find This Article Helpful? Please Tweet it out with - Tip @Linkedinpulse

Be Sure to LIKE, SHARE and COMMENT Your Thoughts!