How to Be Happy and Content: 4 Keys to Creating Lasting Prosperity, Happiness, and Joy in Your Everyday Life
Jul 06, 2022What is happiness and how do we find it? This is probably one of the greatest existential questions of humankind—along with what we are meant to do with our lives. It’s certainly a question I get asked a lot and I am thrilled to share the 4 key factors that allow me to be happy and content in my everyday life.
Forewarning: happiness doesn’t happen overnight and depending on the state of your current habits, will take some genuine effort. Needless to say it is worth it, sweet Sister!
How to Be Happy and Content | Decrease Social Media Consumption
The first lesson on how to be happy and content is to decrease your social media consumption. There is only one person in this world that I know who has never opened any sort of social media account. How did they stay so strong after all these years—I don’t know—but the fact is the vast majority of the population use social media. And of that majority, the majority of people over-use it.
Social media has its benefits, don’t get me wrong. It can bring people together, both personally and professionally, and provides a great business marketing avenue. So, the answer isn’t as simple as deleting your account. Rather, be aware of the amount of control it has over you.
Monitor Yourself
How often do you check your Facebook? If you have the app on your phone, chances are you are checking in multiple times a day. It’s probably one of the first things you do when you wake up and last thing you do when you go to bed. I’m willing to bet you check it when you make a trip to the bathroom or are sitting in a waiting room. Am I right?
It might seem like you are just passing the time but this addictive behavior isn't healthy. It can take a toll on your mood, sleep, and perception of yourself.
Some simple things to help you reduce your exposure:
- Keep your phone out of sight
- Set boundaries and expectations for yourself—allow time to truly unplug
- Block negative people
- Delete the apps off your phone so you aren’t tempted by every “down” moment you have
Find More Happiness | Let Your Creativity Blossom
Now that you have some new found freedom from the mindless scrolling on social media, what will you do?
Allow yourself to be creative. It is one of the best things you can do for yourself. We are all creative beings, so don’t think you can bypass this step because you’ve never thought of yourself that way before.
You may need to try out a few artforms before you find the one. However, you absolutely have something to contribute to the world creatively.
My Creative Journey
To be honest, I never used to consider myself a creative person. Before I wrote my book, I had only written for my business and I didn’t enjoy it! It was hard and I put an immense amount of pressure on myself to say something profound every time I put pen to paper.
It wasn’t until I went through my own journey of healing that I began to see myself as a creative being. In 2017, I was approached to contribute a couple of chapters to a self-help book for mothers. That was an eye-opening experience—it caused me to look at myself in a different light.
That opportunity really shaped my beginning as a writer and eventually turned me into an author.
When Lions Roar
When I was going through the process of writing my own book, I promised myself I would be open to what came and trust that whatever my experience was, it was meant to be. I did a lot of journaling and asked a lot of questions.
When I finished it, I had this deep feeling that I had to publish it. It was the voice of my soul and I knew it needed to be heard. Being open and recognizing that fact was very scary. When I started, I was fully prepared to keep my book just for me, and call it a learning experience. So, to share with others was a giant leap of faith.
Writing When Lions Roar was a tremendous healing process for me, and I knew it would help heal other women as well.
Find More Happiness | Travel & Try New Things
Another way to find inner happiness is to experience something new! Expand your horizons, travel and immerse yourself in all its glory. Open the floodgates to ideas and innovation.
Get out of your regular consumption of what you eat, see, hear, and experience. These types of fresh and exciting adventures help you grow as an individual and certainly contribute to making you happier!
Exposing yourself to new experiences is an investment in yourself.
How to Be Happy and Content | Replace Worry with Wonder
Worrying is a waste of time and mental energy. It solves nothing, messes with your mind and steals your happiness. But simply stopping isn’t as easy as it sounds, is it? You actually need to rewire your brain to respond in a different way.
So, pay attention to your thoughts and when you recognize yourself entering the worry zone (big or small), try one of the following instead:
- Learn a new skill
- Exercise
- Meditate
- Read
- Wonder—when you pose your worry in the form of a question, your subconscious will come up with a creative solution. Try it!
Worry Journal
You can also choose to write your worry down in a journal. This might sound counterintuitive because by writing it down, you are giving more power to it; however, I find that it’s quite the opposite.
When I write something down, I no longer feel like I need to keep it stored in my memory. It is safely written down for a later time. The key to this exercise is not to reread your past entries and when you have filled a notebook, get rid of it! You won’t believe the relief you get from that!
When Lions Roar
I wrote this book with the thought that every woman has an inner lioness—a magnificent force full of strength, passion and beauty, waiting to be called upon.
It is a fictional story of empowerment, based on real life emotions.
It covers deep universal issues that women continue to navigate—including the ability to trust one's voice, deep friendships, finding empowerment in your struggle, and connection to your internal power.
It also portrays the unconditional love between a mother and a daughter. It speaks to women who seek to live stronger, more beautifully aligned love-filled lives. I would love for you to read it!
It is available on Amazon. Click here to purchase your copy!