10 skills you should master to
enjoy your life
Pleasant things may come from the outside, but happiness begins from within. The circumstances change day by day, yet, our character, habits and skills have a very strong influence on our overall level of satisfaction with our living.
Happy people are not happy because they were born under a lucky star. They are happy because they developed some skills that allow them to stay afloat no matter what and overcome the obstacles with ease. It’s not rocket science, it’s an attitude, a lifestyle, and if you can adopt these skills into your life, you’ll enjoy it more – that’s guaranteed:
Happy people are not happy because they were born under a lucky star. They are happy because they developed some skills that allow them to stay afloat no matter what and overcome the obstacles with ease. It’s not rocket science, it’s an attitude, a lifestyle, and if you can adopt these skills into your life, you’ll enjoy it more – that’s guaranteed:
1. Don’t care about what other people think. Coco Chanel said it all: “I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.” We interact with many people on our daily basis, and they all have a unique, particular point of view. Your life will turn into a nightmare if you try to make all of them happy. Do what you think is right. You may be wrong, but it is your own priceless life experience. It’s contradictory but true: everybody likes confident people who don’t look up to others for approval or criticism. Join their ranks.
2. Learn to look at the situation unbiased. There are no absolute victories or absolute defeats. So the best thing to do is to stay neutral. It is hard, but it is worth it. Remember that old Chinese proverb about a monkey sitting on the top of a cliff and watching dispassionately the fight of two tigers. You should learn to be that monkey. Impartiality helps us make the right decisions and not waste our energies in vain.
3. Don’t torment yourself with regrets. Missed opportunities, failed love, betrayed friendships…We all tend to regret something, but it’s quite a useless hobby. Regret should not take more than 5 minutes of your time. Indulging in self-criticism, you lose your time and your energy. You cannot get back to the opportunity you’ve missed, so your best bet is to analyze the reasons for your failure and move on.
4. Learn how to thank people. It’s not about politeness – be thankful from the bottom of your heart. Gratitude works wonders. When we thank people, we focus on what we have, instead of what we don’t. Be grateful – for what you’ve got and even for what you don’t have. And every night, before falling asleep, make sure to come up with at least 5 reasons why you should say “thank you” to your life.
5. Cherish the feeling of novelty. Oftentimes, we quickly rejoice in what we’ve got and then we get used to it. Avoid this as much as possible – stick to the moment of your triumph as long as possible. These happy moments should become the generators of your future victories. Live through those elevated emotional states again and again.We are quick to set new goals, but way to often we don’t rejoice enough in what we already have. That’s what makes us miserable.
6. Learn how to laugh at yourself. Irony is an excellent quality. If you can be ironic with yourself, you are invulnerable. Ability to laugh at oneself is inherent in those who have a strong spirit and mind, who are above the prejudices. It is directly linked to cheerfulness and optimism.
7. Live in the present. Dale Carnegie identifies this as one of the main qualities of happy people. People who live under the pressure of the past mistakes, labels, and negative experiences on one hand, and with the fear to fail in future, on the other – don’t live at all. But there’s no tomorrow or yesterday – all we’ve got is the present, today. The past has already passed, and the future has not come yet. So get your hands at what’s here and now – and you will realize you’re capable of anything.
8. Never stop learning. Books, travels, new hobbies, foreign languages, desire to explore the world, and being open to the world, - another amazing habit of happy people, because it allows them to realize themselves
9. Never envy. We are used to compare ourselves to others and weigh our successes against the successes of other people. There’s nothing wrong with a healthy competition, but oftentimes, it results in dissatisfaction with yourself and envy for other, more successful people. Meanwhile, there’s only one person in the world you can compare yourself too – yourself, but in the past. And if today you’ve become at least a tiny bit better, than yesterday, you are the winner and you have the right to envy yourself.
10. Befriend people with brains. Other people’s hardships and failures may be distractive for you. Emotional states are contagious like infections. Learn to differentiate when a person really needs help and when they try to turn their own problems to you. The most dangerous and contagious kind are the people who are never satisfied and who think of themselves as permanent victims. Run away from them. Hang out with the happy people – they will infect you with their own happiness.
2. Learn to look at the situation unbiased. There are no absolute victories or absolute defeats. So the best thing to do is to stay neutral. It is hard, but it is worth it. Remember that old Chinese proverb about a monkey sitting on the top of a cliff and watching dispassionately the fight of two tigers. You should learn to be that monkey. Impartiality helps us make the right decisions and not waste our energies in vain.
3. Don’t torment yourself with regrets. Missed opportunities, failed love, betrayed friendships…We all tend to regret something, but it’s quite a useless hobby. Regret should not take more than 5 minutes of your time. Indulging in self-criticism, you lose your time and your energy. You cannot get back to the opportunity you’ve missed, so your best bet is to analyze the reasons for your failure and move on.
4. Learn how to thank people. It’s not about politeness – be thankful from the bottom of your heart. Gratitude works wonders. When we thank people, we focus on what we have, instead of what we don’t. Be grateful – for what you’ve got and even for what you don’t have. And every night, before falling asleep, make sure to come up with at least 5 reasons why you should say “thank you” to your life.
5. Cherish the feeling of novelty. Oftentimes, we quickly rejoice in what we’ve got and then we get used to it. Avoid this as much as possible – stick to the moment of your triumph as long as possible. These happy moments should become the generators of your future victories. Live through those elevated emotional states again and again.We are quick to set new goals, but way to often we don’t rejoice enough in what we already have. That’s what makes us miserable.
6. Learn how to laugh at yourself. Irony is an excellent quality. If you can be ironic with yourself, you are invulnerable. Ability to laugh at oneself is inherent in those who have a strong spirit and mind, who are above the prejudices. It is directly linked to cheerfulness and optimism.
7. Live in the present. Dale Carnegie identifies this as one of the main qualities of happy people. People who live under the pressure of the past mistakes, labels, and negative experiences on one hand, and with the fear to fail in future, on the other – don’t live at all. But there’s no tomorrow or yesterday – all we’ve got is the present, today. The past has already passed, and the future has not come yet. So get your hands at what’s here and now – and you will realize you’re capable of anything.
8. Never stop learning. Books, travels, new hobbies, foreign languages, desire to explore the world, and being open to the world, - another amazing habit of happy people, because it allows them to realize themselves
9. Never envy. We are used to compare ourselves to others and weigh our successes against the successes of other people. There’s nothing wrong with a healthy competition, but oftentimes, it results in dissatisfaction with yourself and envy for other, more successful people. Meanwhile, there’s only one person in the world you can compare yourself too – yourself, but in the past. And if today you’ve become at least a tiny bit better, than yesterday, you are the winner and you have the right to envy yourself.
10. Befriend people with brains. Other people’s hardships and failures may be distractive for you. Emotional states are contagious like infections. Learn to differentiate when a person really needs help and when they try to turn their own problems to you. The most dangerous and contagious kind are the people who are never satisfied and who think of themselves as permanent victims. Run away from them. Hang out with the happy people – they will infect you with their own happiness.