There seems to be some misconception regarding happiness being directly linked to weight. For some reason, people seem to think that the heavier you are, the less happy you are. BUT I like to believe that I was a happy person when I was heavier; I know that I made many great memories that I will forever cherish.
But there is no denying the fact that I have been much happier since I started losing weight and becoming healthier. I attribute this to the fact that I felt better in general.
I believe that happiness is something you work for, not something that happens without intent. If you want to be happy, you have to make yourself happy.
There are many small things that you can do and these are a few of the things that helped me to become happier.
- Love yourself. I’m sure a lot of us have heard this our whole lives, but it’s worth hearing again. Loving myself and accepting parts of myself that I wasn’t really happy with for a long time really made a difference. That isn’t to say that changing myself for the better is a bad thing. There are things that I don’t like about myself and that I am trying to change and that’s okay.
- Smile. Y’all, I get A LOT of comments on my smile. I remember reading somewhere that if you smile going into a situation that you aren’t happy with, it will help you be happier about it. I took that saying to heart. And I try to laugh like it will make me money one day. I don’t want people to remember me without a smile on my face. And something that really touched me was a message I received from a stranger one day. He said to me, “I saw your post in the group and you look like the happiest person ever….. you just look so happy. I told my girlfriend look at this profile, this girl has life figured out. Such an inspiration.” Happy people make people happy.
- Forgive. This one is not easy. Not at all. For a long time I struggled with this, and when I say a long time I actually mean my whole life. My struggle with forgiveness stemmed from the fact that the person who ‘wronged’ me never apologized. But the truth of the matter is that I wasn’t hurting them by not forgiving them, I was only hurting myself. The only person thinking about the way they ‘wronged’ me anymore was me. And this type of forgiveness isn’t just for people that you know, but also for strangers. The man who cut you off? Forgive them. The lady that took the parking spot you were waiting for? Forgive them.
- Don’t believe social media. Social media will steal all your happiness. Part of this is because of the fact that people put the BEST version of their lives on the internet. There is nothing wrong with that EXCEPT comparing your life to someone else’s life as seen through the eyes of social media.
- Be patient. There are very few things in life that are really life-or-death. Because of this, there is no reason to be rushing through things and knocking people aside. Life seems to be a rat race and many people are focused only on themselves, and that’s okay. But taking a moment and just sitting and looking at the world around me always helps me to remember to be patient.
- Spend time doing the things you love. I made a decision that I want to have memories and adventures. ‘When faced with two choices, always choose the one that will make a better story.’ Taking a last minute trip with a group of friends or even doing something I’ve wanted to do by myself has taken priority over other things. This is because one day I may not be able to do those things. And right now, I can.
- Accept compliments. This is another thing I’ve struggled with. And I can tell you that a part of it was because I wasn’t happy with myself. Therefore if anyone was to give me a compliment, I tended to brush it off or immediately compliment them back. But there is nothing wrong with saying ‘Thank you’ and letting that be it and remembering the moment later.
- Be sincere. There are a lot of fake people in the world. And being one of them isn’t the best way to be happy. Always be sincere in your actions and words. This sincerity will help you in the long run.
- Remember, this is the only life you have. There is no dress rehearsal. Often I would tell myself that I would do something next week, call someone later, start something in a month or two. Right now is the only time I have. And nothing about the future is certain. If there is something you want to do, do it. Because right now is life.
Happiness is an action. If you only take one thing from this blog, let it be that.
