You want to be happy. Whether or not you know it or believe it, you desire complete and utter contentment in your life.
It is the reason you get up in the morning. It is why work so hard to provide for you and your family. It is the reason you undertake hobbies that enrich your life. It is the reason you pursue things you are passionate about.
Happiness isn’t necessarily your main purpose in life but you aspire to live joyfully whenever possible because those are the moments that you really relish.
Why not institute these joyful moments all the time? How do you go about doing that?
I present you the A to Z ways to cultivate genuine happiness into your life everyday.
A is for Acceptance
Acceptance- Accept yourself first and foremost for who you are. Until you accept yourself you will never cultivate genuine happiness. Change when necessary but accept the wonderful being that you are.
Accept others because you can’t change them. The more you accept and the less you try to transform others, the happier you will be.
B is for Believe
Believe- Believe in yourself. You are capable of accomplishing amazing feats. When you have a goal or a dream believe you can achieve it. Believe in others as well. Believe in your family and your friends. Believe in society as a whole.
Imagine how happy the world would be if everyone believed in one another?
C is for Compassion
Compassion- Be compassionate for yourself and other people. Altruism is the greatest gift you can give yourself and other people. Don’t pity other people, rather have compassion for them.
More compassion leads to more understanding. More understanding leads to less judgment.
D is for Dedication
Dedication- Dedicate yourself to something noble and worthy. No matter what you do in life, dedicate yourself to it. If you are dedicated in life you will always be fulfilled.
E is for Elation
Elation- Be elated when great things happen in life. Celebrate birthdays and other meaningful holidays.
Don’t hold back in the joy you feel when you are surrounded by people you love. Demonstrate elated happiness as much as possible!
F is for Forgiveness
Forgiveness- You are going to make mistakes. Other people are going to hurt you. That is a part of life. How will you respond to yourself in these situations?
Holding a grudge against yourself or others is not the answer. Forgive and do your best to forget. Move on because life is too short to be unhappy!
G is for Gratitude
Gratitude- Be grateful for every moment you are fortunate enough to have in this life. Don’t hesitate to express gratitude to your loved ones.
Show gratitude to strangers or to anyone you feel is deserving of it. Most importantly, be grateful for you.
H is for Hope
Hope- Remember even in the darkest of times there is always that ray of light called hope. Don’t ever lose hope. Hope keeps you going when you think you can’t go on. Hope saves lives.
Share a message of hope with those people in your life who are especially going through rough times.
I is for Involvement
Involvement- Be involved. Don’t isolate yourself. The happiest people in the world are able to find a balance between solitude and social situations.
Become involved in your community. Immerse yourself in hobbies and extracurricular activities that are challenging and fun. Reach out to your coworkers. Simple involvement with other people can be a solid foundation for genuine contentment.
J is for Joy
Joy- In order to live a happier life you have exude joy and jubilation on a consistent basis. It doesn’t just happen.
You have to make the effort every day to live joyfully not because someone or something makes you express joy. Live with joy because you are alive. What a gift!
K is for Kindness
Kindness- Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Do random acts of kindness for your fellow man.
Being kind to others is much more beneficial to you overall happiness than being unkind.
L is for Love
Love- There is no greater emotion than love. If you display love frequently and experience love with open arms you are going to live a happy life. It is as simple as that.
You can either be in a loving state or a non-loving state. Think about how each one feels. Which one would you prefer to experience?
M is for Mindfulness
Mindfulness-Be conscious and aware of who you are and what you are doing. Be conscious and aware of the people around you and the world you are living in. Introducing more awareness into your life will help you bring about positive change you seek and desire.
Meditate, spend time in nature, observe your mind and the thoughts that are running through it, and continue to learn.
Mindfulness takes practice. The more you train yourself to be aware of your mind, the better understanding you will have your emotions.
Instead of living a reactive life, one in which you continually react to situations with common negative emotions, live an active life.
An active life is one in which you are aware of your emotions and you experience them as you choose.
N is for Nurture
Nurture- Breed the things you desire in life. If you wish to handle negative situations in your life with more balance and dignity, than cultivate genuine happiness.
When you are genuinely happy you aren’t going to experience such drastic highs and lows. You will notice more equanimity because you have nurtured awareness. Anything you want in life can be nurtured for your benefit. Things will not always go the way you want them to but your ability to deal with adversity will be more profound.
O is for Optimism
Optimism- If you want to live a positive and happy life than you have to live optimistically. There is more to it than simply saying you are going to be optimistic.
It takes a lot of training and discipline, but shifting your perspective can have an enormous impact on your life. If you generally view life from an optimistic point of view you are more likely to attract positive outcomes.
P is for Passion
Passion- Be passionate in your life. Engage in work that you love. Cultivate relationships that you are passionate about. Undertake hobbies and activities with enthusiasm.
If you go through life without passion and desire you are like a snail or a slug slowly dragging its way along the concrete. Don’t wait for someone else or something else to ignite the flame of passion into your life. Go find it for yourself!
Q is for Quietness
Quietness- Spend time in quiet. Just like your physical body needs breaks from time to time, the mind needs breaks as well. Quiet the mind and just be.
Step away from your busy schedule, sit in a quiet place, and just observe yourself in the moment. A couple minutes a day will have a tremendous significance on your life.
R is for Resilience
Resilience- How resilient are you? When the going gets tough do you falter or persevere? Life is wonderful but there are going to be plenty of instances where you experience adversity.
You might lose your job or even worse a loved one. People will be cruel to you. Will you let these situations define you or will you continue to live life on your terms? Don’t let negative situations transform you for the worse.
You have the right to experience grief and other negative emotions when necessary but be resilient. Don’t allow them to derail them from your happy life.
S is for Selflessness
Selflessness- Many people are so focused on themselves that they forget what life is about. Instead of being selfish, be selfless.
It is scientifically proven that people who serve others on a daily basis and look out for their fellow man are more content with life. There are going to be times when you need to look out for your best interests.
As you go through life ask yourself how you can help others. Whether you realize it or not everyone else’s needs are just as important as yours.
T is for Tolerance
Tolerance- Much of the fear that is portrayed through the news and other media is due to intolerance. People are unable or unwilling to accept others for who they are.
You don’t have to agree with others in order to be tolerant. The more you tolerate others, the less likely you are to hate others. Spreading hatred is the anti-thesis of what you should do if you crave to be genuinely happy.
Intolerance only leads to more intolerance. It doesn’t solve anything.
U is for Unconditional
Unconditional- When you love, love unconditionally. When you serve others, serve unconditionally. Unconditionally means without any strings attached. Do good deeds for others because you genuinely want to spread joy.
Don’t expect anything in return. Don’t merely show love to your spouse, partner, or whomever because you desire them to act a certain way or give you something you want. This is not a representation of the true and authentic you.
V is for Value
Value- Live a purposeful life. Seek meaning in what you are doing. Look for the good in people, even those people who you believe lack value.
Don’t only value your life but value the life of everyone around- family members and non-family members alike- loved ones and strangers.
W is for Well-being
Well-being- You desire to live a life full of well-being. Well-being is a constant state of happiness and contentment. The ebbs and flows of life don’t alter this state.
Negative can be expressed freely without fear of losing your ability to be happy. Positive emotions are shown without fear of losing the happy feeling.
X is for Xenial
Xenial- Xenial means to be hospitable and giving especially to strangers and people whom you don’t know. Hold the door for strangers. Let other drivers in front of you during high traffic times. Give someone hand carrying their groceries. Assist a elderly person walking across the street.
These are all examples of being xenial. Carrying out acts of kindness to people you don’t know will strengthen your positive outlook on life. Is there a greater feeling than helping someone who is need?
Y is for Yes
Yes- I am not suggesting you be like Jim Carrey in the movie Yes Man and say yes to everyone and everything no matter what. I am proposing to explore the possibilities of this word.
How often do you say no in comparison to how often you say no? Think about this because it might give you an understanding of what kind of perspective you have in life.
Do you consistently say decline invitations even when you are free and have no prior engagements? Step out of your comfort zone and try new things. If possible, say yes the next time you are invited out with friends or coworkers. It might change your life.
Z is for Zealous
Zealous- When you leave this Earth will you be able to honestly say that you lived a life filled with verve, devotion, and passion?
I think overzealous is a word that has been given a negative connotation of sorts. Maybe in certain situations being over excited or over enthusiastic is frowned upon.
This couldn’t be further from the truth when describing your life. Live your life full of zeal. Be excited and energetic. Be genuinely happy!
Being happy can be as easy as learning the alphabet if you practice, practice, practice.
Implement these simple but powerful words into your life, and empower yourself with the ability to manifest authentic joy.
Featured photo credit: Pikdit via pikdit.com
