Forget losing weight and saving money. Those are resolutions for amateurs. The times are such and the information thrown around is so overwhelming that you are going to need alternatives all the time. Be it a shortcut or a spark to give you a boost in life. The final prize being, to be infinitely happy. There can’t be a sure fire way but may be a mixture of many. So here are the 7 Quirky Ways That may Lead you to Happiness.
1. Travel to understand lives of other people
A recent study at Cornell University found that spending money on experiences is more likely to bring you lasting happiness than spending money on material objects. The reason being that people “adapt” to physical objects – meaning the things you’ve bought will bring decreasing amounts of happiness as time goes on and you get used to having them around – whereas those one-off experiences will be looked back upon with joy that only increase. The definition of happiness in different cultures is different. See if you can steal their secret.
2. Strive to succeed young
What is success and what is young will entirely depend on the individual. But have a general understanding that if you earn enough or achieve enough at a young age (say by 40), then you have ample time to mend your spirituality. You also have enough time and resources to give to others. Or think this way. “I will spend the next five years to gain material advantage on this world and then I will clean my thoughts and soul.”. It’s a bit like the social causes rich people are involving themeselves into in their later lives. How ambitious you want to be is up to you?
3. Stay in the background. Let others be successful
When we criticize others, it bends our minds towards criticism, but when we choose to be encouragers, we find ourselves being encouraged in the process. When we consistently criticize, everybody loses. When we consistently encourage, everybody wins. The world is full of criticism so be an encourager and let others win for a change and reap the overwhelming warmth.
4. No secondhand stress please
Observing someone who is stressed — especially a coworker or family member — can have an immediate effect upon our own nervous systems. A separate group of researchers found that 26% of people showed elevated levels of cortisol just by observing someone who was stressed. Secondhand stress is much more contagious from a romantic partner (40%) than a stranger, but when observers watched a stressful event on video with strangers, 24% still showed a stress response. Just Walk away.
5. Give up your Excuses for good
A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we fall into the trap of thinking that we don’t have enough time to do the things we want to do; that we’re not ready to take the steps that will contribute to our growth and happiness; that nobody will help and support us; that we don’t have the necessary resources, knowledge, time and so on. And because of our attachment to all of these excuses, we sell ourselves short, settling for way less than we are worth and living a life that is not ours to live. Replace your many excuses with positive affirmations and then choose to act upon them.
6. Try the Danish art of ‘hygge’
A phenomenon first documented in 18th-century Denmark that’s been crucial to Danes ever since. Pronounced “heurgha” meaning, the absence of anything annoying or emotionally overwhelming; taking pleasure from the presence of gentle, soothing things. Candlelight is hygge. Bakeries are hygge. Dinner with friends is hygge. Google it out. Try it out.
7. Start thinking about Death
The secret is not simply a resolution to stop wasting time, however. It is to find a systematic way to raise the scarcity of time to our consciousness. Even if contemplating a corpse is a bit too much, you can still practice some of the Buddha’s wisdom resolving to live as if 2016 were your last year. Then remorselessly root out activities, small and large, that don’t pass the “last-year test.” Simple.