Here are 3 things to ask yourself, and don’t think too long about the responses. Whatever first comes to mind is the right answer.
1. What are you looking forward to?
2. What do you wish you had done less of in your life?
3. What can you do today to make yourself 10% happier?
Keep these answers in mind. Why?
1. Because it is vitally important to always have something to look forward to. Whether it’s something small, like getting coffee with a friend, or something big like an upcoming trip. Having something to look forward to creates hope and optimistic anticipation in our lives, and sometimes the “looking forward to” part is just as exciting and fun as the event itself. I encourage you to always have something to look forward to, both in the near and far futures.
2. So often people talk about the regrets of what they wish they had done more of when they were younger. But I like this question even better – what do we wish we had done less of? Usually, the answer is immediately very clear. Maybe it was listening to other people’s opinions instead of our gut instinct. Maybe it was staying too long in a job or in a relationship that we knew wasn’t right for us. Maybe it was silencing our own voice and living “small” when we wanted to speak up for ourselves and shine more brightly. Whatever the answer is, let’s recognize it and use that knowledge to make sure we don’t do more of it in the days ahead.
3. Ten percent of anything doesn’t seem like much but it can make a big difference. Think about a 10% bump in salary – that makes a significant difference, doesn’t it? Rather than asking ourselves, “What would make me happier overall?” which can be overwhelming, just ponder what small change we might be able to make today that would bump up our happiness by ten percent. Is it turning off our phone for a bit every day to escape the bombardment of news and social media? Is it getting together more with friends and loved ones to have more meaningful connections? Is it spending more time alone to recharge our batteries and create some peace for ourselves? Thinking about increasing our happiness by just ten percent, and then doing whatever it is that we come up with today, and then again tomorrow, and then again the next day, can add up to a substantial transformation in our happiness both in the short term and the long term.
I encourage you to ask yourself these 3 questions whenever you’re feeling stuck in a rut or need a boost to your happiness. Your answers are the right ones for you, and can help guide you to more hope, more fulfillment, and more joy on your life’s journey.
Comments