The Guide to Happiness

We could all use more happiness, no? Here are 15 ways to be happy:

1. Live in the present. Don't think about how great things will be in the future or dwell on what happened in the past.

2. Connect with others. Spend time with those you love rather than being alone or with people you don't much like.

3. Do the things you love. Figure out the four or five things you love doing most and make those the foundation of your day.

4. Focus on the positive. Whether you're happy or not depends largely on which aspects you focus on.

5. Do work you love. Make it a priority to try to find work you're passionate about.

6. Help others. Is there any better feeling than helping a fellow human being?

7. Find time for peace. With the hectic pace of life, it's important to make time for solitude and quiet.

8. Notice the small things, instead of waiting for the big things to happen - marriage, kids, house, car.

9. Develop compassion.

10. Be grateful. Learning to be grateful for what's in our lives goes a long way towards happiness.

11. Simplify your life. Create time for your happiness and thereby reduce stress.

12. Slow down. Learn to eat more slowly, drive more slowly, walk more slowly.

13. Learn to accept things as they are rather than try to make everything and everyone conform to an impossible ideal.

14. Spend time in nature.

15. Exercise.

Have I mentioned that I was a Life Coach in a former life? We have a great deal of control over what happens in our lives, though we don't always realise it. I am not always happy, but I DO try.

That was Friday's Philosophy Lesson. Now I'm off to do 2, 3, 7, 12, 14 and possibly some more.