Finding the Light at the End of the Tunnel: Three Key Steps to Living a Happy Life

We all go through many dark tunnels during our life - some of them seem longer, others shorter. And even if there is always light at the end of a tunnel, we often get sucked back into darkness as soon after we have seen the light. This experience often causes frustration, depression and pessimism, and it drains our physical and mental powers. On the face of it, we naturally ask ourselved: When are we finally going to be able to enjoy life? When are we going to see the light at the end of the tunnel and keep it as a permanent experience? When are we going to be happy?

The answer to all those questions is a simple one, yet not necessarily a comforting one: We just don't know! But more importantly, we shouldn't care. In fact, we should not necessarily be so desparate to reach that light at the end of the tunnel, either.

Why? As we have already heard over and over again, it should be all about the journey, not about the destination. For our final destination is, of course, Death. Death itself can be seen as light but note that once you reach that light, there is no one there to enjoy it. So instead of looking desperately for the light at the end of the tunnel, we might as well enjoy the process of going through the tunnel itself. In other words, instead of waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel, we need to put light IN the actual tunnel.

Importantly, even though dark tunnels are always going to be part of our journey, it is absolutely in our power to illuminate them and make the journey an enlightening one. Here are some of the best practices that can help us do that:

1. Be present. Stay committed to yourself and your life the way it unfolds. Acceptance is a key transformative power. You can't be where you want to be. You can only be where you are. Face it, accept it, and embrace it.
2. Be grateful. Find joy in small things and ordinary everyday activities. Open yourself up to the beauty around you.
3. Be of service. Shift your focus away from your sorry self, your drama and problems. Help solve someone else's problems. This will elevate your thinking and illuminate your existence with meaning and purpose. Your tunnel will automatically light up.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Finding-the-Light-at-the-End-of-the-Tunnel:-Three-Key-Steps-to-Living-a-Happy-Life&id=10373936

The 5 Keys to Living a Happy Life

How to find happiness? How to live a happy life? We all want to live a happy life. But most of the time we perhaps look for happiness in the wrong place or maybe take the wrong approach to it. In truth, when it comes to happiness, there is really not a "one-size-fits-all" recipe that works for everybody. We are all different. What makes someone happy may not be the ideal for another person.

With this in mind, we could be easily tempted to think that if people are so different among them, the logical conclusion would be that there could exist as many different approaches and paths to happiness as the number of people on this planet. However, this approach is too general does not offer any help to those who are honestly seeking a clear guidance or at least a hint as to how we can find happiness in our lives. We are all looking for some proven ways to grasp and materialize happiness in our realities, because, after all, happiness is a central purpose of human life as Aristotle said in his time, and the purpose of life is to be happy, as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has pointed out.

So, if looking for a single universal solution for happiness seems restrictive, and thinking that there might be as many paths to happiness as the number of people on this planet seems vague and not helpful as a proposal, what could be the right, practical approach to finding happiness in our lives?

To start with, we could certainly be best served by embracing an approach that involves or contemplates several options or avenues, much in the same way that a physical destination in our world can be accessed by different means, just keeping in mind that happiness is not really a destination, but a journey.

Secondly, we are looking for a proposal that is ingrained in wisdom and science, with solid foundations. In this regard, we have to acknowledge that the attainment of happiness has occupied the minds of great sages, philosophers, physicians, psychologists and scientists from time immemorial. What do they all have in common in their conclusions? Is there a common pattern that we can identify and use as a blueprint for finding happiness in our lives?

More than five thousand years ago, ancient cultures had a clear cosmology that understood the basic principles that govern the universe and everything in it, including human behavior. One basic tenant of this cosmology was a system based on the interaction of five elements: Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. In fact, the holistic systems that are used for healing, like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, are based on the interaction of five elements in the human body, mind and emotions.

And the interesting point is that according to modern psychology, particularly after the findings of Wilhelm Reich (the father of Mind-Body psychology), as systematized by Alexander Lowen, most people can be fitted into five different character structures. Reich and Lowen gifted us with a very useful protocol to understand the connection between mind and body from five different perspectives.

If we put together and ensemble the valuable insights of psychology and Eastern philosophy, a very clear picture emerges: there are five elements, five character structures and, as a logical consequence, five different paths to happiness. This holistic approach means taking into account the behavioral insights provided by psychology, through the concept of character structures, together with the insights of the Five Element perspective gifted to us by the ancient Indian and Chinese systems, in order to identify five clear different roads or paths to happiness.

Understanding correctly the main characteristics of each of the five elements that rule the universe in a practical manner and knowing the main traits of each of the five character structures that psychology has identified in people, we should be able to delineate five clear main personality types with their respective different strengths, challenges and solutions when it comes to living happiness on a daily basis. This means that by knowing their personality type and what works for them according to their unique emotional structure, people could have the chance to follow their most joyous paths and live a happy life that is consonant with their uniqueness.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-5-Keys-to-Living-a-Happy-Life&id=9527970

16 Tips for Living a Happy Life Starting Right Now

It doesn’t matter your age, how much money you have in your bank account, your marital status or what you do for a living, we all want to be more successful in our lives. Of course, defining success is different for each of us, but here are 16 proven ways that can make you more productive, happy and successful in life.

1. Be committed.

No matter what goals you have set for yourself in life, you have to be committed. It’s through commitment that you’ll continue to make the improvements needed to better yourself. Whether it’s taking a chance on launching a startup, getting a gym membership to improve your physical well being, or taking a cooking class because you want to become a chef, commitment is what drives us all to become more successful.

2. People care about you, not your success.

Let’s be honest. People don’t care about the expensive clothes you wear, how big is the house you own or the car your drive. That’s not to say that they don’t respect your achievements or possessions. Instead, they care about you as an individual and they’ll support you no matter what -- because they love you. Believe it!

3. Be grateful everyday.

According to researchers Martin Seligman, Robert Emmons, and Michael McCullough, being grateful can result in feeling better about your life, more enthusiasm and more willingness to help others. Being grateful may even reduce coronary artery disease. Take the time to write down what you're grateful for each and every day.

4. Take action.

In an article in The Atlantic, authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman share studies on the confidence gap between men and women.  The researchers discovered that confidence is just as important as competence. It was concluded in the article that "[T]aking action bolsters one's belief in one's ability to succeed."

5. Money can’t buy happiness.

As The Beatles famously proclaimed, (money), "can’t buy me love." You know what else money can’t buy? Happiness. Just because you're earning six figures doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily content. Sure, money is obviously needed, and it makes some things easier. But, you should be focusing on your passion and not how much your pay check is.

6. Don’t take rejection personally.

At some point we all face rejection. Instead of taking it personally, use it as a learning experience. Why did a VC reject your proposal? Maybe there wasn’t a market for your product. Perhaps you didn’t have a convincing pitch. Maybe the VC's partner just called and said he'd spent their extra cash. Accepting and learning from rejection is one way to guide you to success.

With my online invoicing startup I get rejected daily, literally. I talked to 100+ VC's before I got one that believed in my product. Learn from rejection and use it as motivation to make things better!

7. Have a backup plan.

You never know when the unexpected is going to happen, but when it does happen, you’re surrounded by chaos. Being prepared for the worst case scenario can at least make things a whole lot less chaotic. When my last business crashed, had I not had some cash set aside (that my wife kept away from me), we would have been in financial ruin. Having a three-to-six month nest egg will make the difference. I've found that having 12-24 months of cash to pay all bills just sitting there has significantly helped my marriage be more positive as well!

8. Improve your social skill.

After analyzing data from between 1972 and 1992, University of California, Santa Barbara, economist Catherine Weinberger found that “The people who are both smart and socially adept earn more in today’s workforce than similarly endowed workers in 1980.”

9. Travel.

As Yii-Huei Phang states on The Huffington Post, traveling is a great way to “develop a person’s character” and become more open-minded. Additionally, while traveling is a great way to get away from the daily grind, it also helps you appreciate what you have back at home.

10. Don’t multi-task.

If you’re feeling constantly burnt out it’s probably because you’re doing too much at one time. Research has found that “when you switch away from a primary task to do something else, you’re increasing the time it takes to finish that task by an average of 25 percent.” You’re also burning your reservoir of energy. Both of these issues decrease your productivity and prevent you from accomplishing tasks and goal.

11. Embrace a growth mindset.

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck argues that we have two-mindsets; “fixed” and “growth.” A fixed mindset “assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static.” A “growth mindset,” however, “thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.”

12. Balance work and life.

When work interferes with life, it can result in employees getting burned out and decreases base morale in the office. While this may not be an option for employees, it proves that everyone needs time away from the office. If you’re able to spend less time in the office by working remotely or having flexible hours, you should be able to be productive in both your personal and professional life.

13. Don’t hold grudges.

There is really no need to hold onto a grudge. It can mentally wear you out and makes you miserable. And, doesn’t life seem to go a whole lot smoother when you’re not angry?

14. Stick it out.

After years of studying both children and adults, psychologist Angela Duckworth found that one of the characteristics of successful individuals is having grit. During her TED talk Duckworth stated, “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint.”

15. Live in the moment

You can’t change the past and you have no control of the future. Live in the moment and enjoy what’s in front of you right here, right now. When you’re busy making too many plans, you’re causing stress that prevents you from enjoying the present.

16. Take care of yourself, then help others.

According to Mark Snyder, a psychologist and head of the Center for the Study of the Individual and Society at the University of Minnesota, "People who volunteer tend to have higher self-esteem, psychological well-being, and happiness."

Additionally, helping others is beneficial for our health. But, how can you help others if you haven’t taken care of yourself first? Take care of your needs first and then begin to help others.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246500