My top 5 tips for being truly happy :)

I will never forget the day. I was driving and received a call from a colleague saying that a customer has a problem with their delivery. Nothing serious and all manageable however I couldn’t take it. I was burnt out and that call was the trigger. Tears just came out, literally non-stop. I felt fed up, frustrated, tired and utterly depressed. I called my girlfriend and told her how I wanted to crash the car… Luckily, I didn’t, and she helped me calm down.

After a few days of reflecting and taking advice from friends to relax and get away from work, I decided that I would never be in that situation ever again. That day I decided I would focus on being happy. Truly happy so that nothing could bring me down again. Even though I looked happy from the outside and to others I may have been ‘living the life’ running my own fast-growing business in my early 20’s the truth is, I wasn’t.

Here I am 5 years later, and I can say that I am honestly happy. That’s why I wanted to share my top 5 tips on being happy. After all life’s too short to not be anything but happy.

1.      Gratitude – if there’s one thing you take away from this piece then this is it. Gratitude. For every single aspect of your life. Whether it’s to God, the universe, your loved ones or whomever you want. Just be truly grateful and I mean for everything. When you wake up and your feet touch the carpet, take a second to feel the carpet and feel grateful. The warm, soft carpet. When you wash your face in the cold water, be grateful for the clean, crisp water. Same again when you breathe in the fresh air, feel how clean and wonderful it is. Being grateful is the most amazing feeling and it’s helped me become so happy! It’s all about the perspective – it could always be a lot worse.

2.      Feel good – we all have something that makes us feel good. It’s maybe dancing to our favourite song. Watching our favourite comedy show/film. Lip syncing to our favourite artist’s song that makes us feel like a world-famous artist. All this is a must and when you add affirmations to it, it’s even more powerful. Saying words like ‘I am going to have an awesome day’ or ‘I have an amazing life’ will really make you feel happy. For me I love going to the gym, putting on my headphones and listening to my favourite songs while I push myself to lift heavier and perform complex exercises.

3.      Helping those who are less fortunate – there is nothing more powerful than helping those who are less fortunate than yourself. It really puts everything into perspective. The number of times I’ve thought ‘really Kevin, are you seriously upset about XYZ’ after seeing and hearing about another person’s situation. The truth is we are extremely lucky and being human it’s normal to take things for granted hence why I believe, to be happy it’s important to give back and help those who don’t have as much to make you really appreciate all that you do have.

4.      Routine – How many times have you felt puzzled? Unsure, roaming around doing stuff but not really getting anything done. Sound familiar? Well, I have been there and what I find is that it really makes me unhappy. I feel dissatisfied with my level of productivity and get upset that I’ve lost so much valuable time. The remedy, in my opinion, is a routine. Whether it be waking up early, going to the gym, taking a shower then starting work or having a timetable where you dedicate specific days or hours for certain types of tasks, a routine is great! I suggest you either create a timetable or set your alarm this moment to get up earlier to do something and make use of your time better. Set small and realistic goals that you will complete the next day and make better use of your technology! Download a reminder app or as my brother does speak to Google Assistant or Siri and ask it to set reminders. You will find this will keep you on track, productive and ultimately happy.

5.      Finally, switch off – To be honest, I suck at this but it’s SO important. Switching off is crucial to give your brain some time to breathe. Whether it be watching an episode on Netflix or meeting up with friends, or even cooking for your other half. It doesn’t matter as long as your brain is doing something different and enjoyable. Don’t allow yourself to burn out, listen to your body. If you’ve got a headache or burning eyes don’t keep working for another 5 hours. Stop, close your eyes and if you need to, sleep! Social media sometimes portrays breaks and rests as a bad thing, but it isn’t. Binge-watching 20 episodes aren’t good but taking some time to relax and switch off is very important and needed in order to be happy.

So there you go, my top 5 tips for being happy. Simple but effective stuff that can make all the difference. And as I said, life is too short to not be anything but happy.