"Happiness is an inside job. Don't assign anyone else that much power over your life."
- Mandy Hale
On a scale from 1-10, how happy are you with your life right now? Hopefully, you are above a five. Hopefully, you are close to ten. This number most likely fluctuates for everyone, depending on their life circumstances. Ideally, we are thriving in all areas of our life so we can confidently claim to be at a nine or ten when determining our level of happiness. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm at a 7.5. So, while things are going very well in most areas of l my life, I know what I would need to do to get myself to a ten. Whether or not it goes up or down, my level of happiness is up to me.
There will always be outside factors that can influence our happiness. We may get mistreated through no fault of our own. We may encounter personal or professional issues that were out of our control. It happens. However, these are not constant or permanent factors. It's just part of the rollercoaster ride of life. We have control over how we respond to the ebb and flow of life, though. We get to choose how we respond. The people who are able to get over the letdowns and setbacks quicker most likely live happier lives.
Photo by Javier Allegue Barrros on Unsplash
The constant and permanent factors in our lives are what we have more control over. Our careers. Our relationships. Our physical and mental health. If we are not happy with any of these areas of our life, we can do something about it. We can complain. We can make excuses. That won't make us happy, though. That's how people become bitter and depressed. We have to be willing to admit that there are changes we can make to improve our level of happiness. Then, we have to be willing to make those changes. That's on us.
Whether it's beyond our control or within our power, we determine our level of happiness. We can choose to not let bad news bother us so much. We can choose to end toxic relationships. We can choose to create a happier life for ourselves. We first have to decide that we want to be happier (not everyone does). For those of us who choose more happiness, we must approach life with a more positive attitude. We also have to be willing to accept how life unfolds in front of us. It's not always pretty, but it can always be so much worse. We can also make it so much better. The happiest Souls get that.
More Wellness!
Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101
Happier: Struggle is optional
Science of People: Be Happy at Work: 10 Science Backed Ways You Can Be Happier
