Before I started this journey of finding back to happiness, anxieties and a bad mood would hit me every day right before I opened my eyes in the morning. I was almost dreading waking up before falling asleep, because I would feel so heavy and getting up was even harder. I felt dissatisfied with my life, with what I was doing and how I was living it. If you just endure this state of living, nothing will change. You will keep waking up and feeling like this, I promise. Noticing it is the first step, deciding against it the second. Acting on it, the most important! Here I listed what helped me the most changing my life around and starting to practice the art of being content.
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Find what it is in life that matters most to you and follow it
How well do you know yourself? Your current self. Do you know exactly, what’s important to you? What your values and aspirations are. If so, are you following them and are you working towards your goal? We evolve daily, influenced by the content we consume, the people we spend time with and the thoughts we create. Sometimes it is good to check back, if your goals and what makes you happy have changed, in order to change the course of your ship and align with your vision.
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Stop comparing, stay with you
This is big. And I cannot repeat it enough. It is scientifically proven that we compare ourselves to the people around us to evaluate our abilities, happiness and success. This is how we shape the picture of ourself, by checking back with others, and this is why it is so damn hard to stop. But like any bad habit, it can be changed with a lot of self discipline. No matter what other people are doing or having in their lives comparison to you, your path is unique, your journey to this point of your life is unique and can never be compared. Stay with you, stay within your frame and stop the negative comparing. In some cases, making comparisons can motivate us to do better (it is called upward comparison) which is fantastic. But mostly, it affects us negatively. So practice staying with yourself and your life and all you have achieved for yourself.
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Count your blessings
We are living in a social media moderated society of self-optimizers. We are taught not to be happy with what we have, but to want more. If you are only concentrating on what is missing in your life, how can you ever be happy or content? I am all for living the best version of your life, but meanwhile stay conscious of what you already have. Instead of checking what you are lacking, become aware what you are blessed with!! What are you grateful for in your life? What current situation, what people and achievements? Get back to *you*.
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Nourish a heart project
I noticed that having a side-project, that has you working with your passions and talents, is extremely rewarding and helps fostering your self-confidence. Creating something ourselves – may it be a bookshelf, a painting or a business idea – to play with our potential and definition of self is also part of what makes us content. Getting in a state of “flow” by putting our talents to action and creating something to be proud of.
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Only surround yourself with people that make you happy
This one is quite simple really. Have you ever met up with someone, that you don’t feel comfortable with. That might trigger negative feelings towards yourself and what you do? Sometimes I found myself trying again and again to get something positive out of these toxic relationships, when they’d just drain me. The first time I cut someone like that out of my life, I ended it like a relationship. Openly and honestly thanked her for the meaningful time we shared, but that we grew apart and that our relationship will find an end here. Guys, it was so relieving. You can choose the people you spend your precious time with, so choose wisely!
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Actively work on your attitude
Now this might be the 6th post about building contentedness that you are reading this week, but you are still not feeling any better? It is because you truly need to manifest what you are reading. Scanning over it and hoping your life and attitude is going to change is not going to happen – trust me, I have been there. Take every advice and adjust it to you and your life. Let it become your daily mantra and actively work on changing your attitude, in order to get back to happy.
Guys, feeling content is power. Being content builds a strong base for anything you want to do. And I feel in our modern world, being content has become the truest life goal. If I die being truly content with my life, I have achieved all I can ask for. Remember that it is a process and requires some work of your own. So let’s practice our contentedness daily and work towards a happier mindset and lighter being.
