What a great topic this is to comment on. Everyone has her or his way of creating happiness. Right now, among about 3 other books, I'm reading Tim Ferriss's 4 Hour Work Week.
He makes a good point about "happiness". He defines it by posing the question, (and I'm paraphrasing here) "what would we consider the opposite of happiness to be... sadness? You'd think so, but no. The emotions of sadness and happiness are not all that different, really. Sometimes we can be both happy and sad about the same situation. The opposite of happiness is more like apathy or boredom. Therefore, true happiness, on the other end of the spectrum, should be closer to EXCITEMENT and enthusiasm." This idea really rings true for me.
So now I don't think so much about how I can make myself happy, which is kind-of an elusive thought. Instead I focus on how I can create positive excitement and genuine enthusiasm in my life by spending time with people and engaging in activities that inspire these feelings. How I can prioritize my life so that I'm putting my best talents and resources on my greatest opportunities (Robin Sharma, the author of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, often speaks to this.), those that are near and dear to me that I feel passionate about progressing. For me, it's anything having to do with designing my life through yoga and helping others to do the same. And any education or activity that helps me to do that better, to reach more people and create stronger relationships.
In reading this book I've learned a lot about outsourcing, leveraging, and creating time for what counts most... the things that bring us excitement. Whether that be travel, art, family, philanthropy, yoga, business, nature, our pets, whatever!
So in a nutshell, my philosophy (which was influenced by both of the aforementioned authors) on the easiest way to become happy is:
* Do what you love to do, and do it SO well that people HAVE to talk about you. Give 10 times what your students or customers expect and you'll create a buzz around town (and the Internet if you design it that way).
* Every so often, go on a rampage of gratitude, just for how good it makes you feel and what goodness it allows you to attract.
* Study and enhance your skill set on this one passion of yours for 2-4 hours a day and in 3-5 years, people will call you a genius... and your work will be influencing hundreds of lives.
* In return for adding value to the lives of others, for offering this talent or service you have meticulously developed, allow yourself to make enough money to pay others for the things you DON'T enjoy doing or don't have a talent in. Dan Sullivan, the Strategic Coach calls this "creating enough resources--money--to make YOUR problems someone else's problems." This is outsourcing; you pay others who DO enjoy those things (laundry, taxes, bookkeeping, cleaning, etc.) and you get them done while doing the things you DO enjoy. It's a win-win.
* Schedule mini-vacations and micro-adventures regularly. These don't have to cost an arm and a leg but they'll allow you to create priceless memories and experiences. Ideas: Go on weekend trips for fun once a month. Every week, do one thing that scares you. Twice a month take someone to lunch who you consider a mentor or expert in your field and absorb their knowledge. Once a year, design "the perfect day" for yourself and LIVE IT. Then do the same for each and every member in your family according to THEIR design.
* Eat living foods and use the full potential of your body and mind.
* Plan your week. What gets measured... progresses. Be accountable to yourself.
* Be accountable to others as well by creating a Mastermind team for regular meetings or discussion about your highest priority goals.
* And HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP YET... Do no spend a second of your time focusing on what you DON'T WANT. Instead, be grateful for the perfect contrast that creates the perfect storm in your life to bring about new and brighter conclusions, solutions, and perspectives. Life is about inhaling and exhaling, shifting and changing. Contrast is the spice of life that gives birth to new desires that we can then bring into being. That's the power of intentional creation. That's life by design rather than by default.
And that... well, that's all folks. Except for this quote about outsourcing to sum it all up.
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist
http://www.abundantyogi.com
Kris Ward is the Co-Founder of Trikaya Yoga LLC,
the first alternative leadership program to utilize yoga as the platform for creating a Personal Revolution.
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