Episode 002: What Does it Mean to Live Happier?
After last week's episode, I had a couple of emails asking about my definition of Living Happier. So, I thought I would go back a little bit and share my definitions of Living Happier as well as some of the myths around living happier.
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One of the reasons I love the phrase “Live Happier” is because it is something you can do every day. It is not a destination as in, “one day I will Live Happier.”
Nope, Living Happier is something you can do in the midst of life’s trials and tribulations or when life is cruising along with ease.
Living Happier isn’t something you achieve; it is something you are engaging in all the time.
Does that mean you have to be always striving? No, but it does mean you have to be engaged and intentional about your life.
It is something you are doing every day of your life to make your life richer, fuller, and brighter.
Living Happier is:
Being intentional about your life. Knowing what activities give you energy and what activities drain your energy. Throughout the day, making sure you are ‘budgeting your energy, so you don’t get too drained.”
Having awareness about yourself, what are your strengths, what are your values, what do you want your life to look like? And creating a life that feeds those strengths, values, and dreams.
Knowing life is full of ups and downs. Tragedies happen, losses occur, and it is even more important to be engaging in #1 and #2 above during these times.
Living Happier requires full engagement. Having the tough conversation with your partner.
Confronting the co-worker who keeps stealing your ideas.
Asking for the raise you deserve after 3 years of nothing.
Because too many of us are walking around like zombies in our lives and then wondering why we aren’t Living Happier, we have to ENGAGE.
COMPASSION: The recognition that some days we will be firing on all cylinders and some days we won’t and loving ourselves the same, regardless of the kind of day we are having.
Asking for help when we need it. Recognizing that we can’t do it alone.
We need to reach out from time to time for assistance, clear tasks off our plate, or just ask for much-needed support.
Approaching the world from an attitude of openness, kindness, and love for ourselves and for those around us.
Living Happier DOES NOT MEAN you are blissed out all the time. In fact, living happier means allowing yourself to have a bad day. To give yourself grace around pain, sadness, and grief.
Living Happier means you can give yourself the radical acceptance necessary to move through the inevitable emotions that come up as you move through the peaks and valleys of life.
Living happier means showing up to life and reminding yourself it is A practice and a process. A daily practice of showing up and living intentionally and as well as a reminder that life is a wonderfully, imperfect messy, engaging process.