It’s ironical that though the ultimate goal that everyone seeks to achieve is happiness, not everyone has aligned themselves to being happy. Here are four attitudes that play a pivotal role in ensuring that you lead a happier and more fulfilling life.
Attitude 1: Having a positive approach to situations, and life in general
People often argue that having a positive approach may lead to denial of reality and therefore impede growth. However, a positive approach does not necessarily mean not accepting one’s flaws. On the other hand, a positive approach ensures that we are confident to work on ourselves, and achieve the goals that are important for us. Although you’ll have difficult times, there’s usually a positive outcome or lesson to be learned.
Make an effort to focus on the positive aspects of a situation. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to change what happened, but you can definitely decide how to respond.
Positive thinking gives you confidence to go after your goals. Consider the times when you’ve doubted your ability to do something, as against those when you decide to give it your best shot. When do you succeed? When you focus on positivity, you attract more positivity into your life!
Attitude 2: Having the attitude of gratitude
It’s sometimes easy to overlook the blessings in your life. Negative circumstances can cloud your vision. But when you possess an “attitude of gratitude,” you’ll find that happiness helps you sail through the sad days.
Even when a situation has a less than favorable outcome, it is within our control to avoid sulking about it. Instead, we can be grateful for the lesson that the situation has taught us.
Make time during your day to focus on the things that you are thankful for. When that session ends, you will have a greater sense of relief, because you realize and accept that you are truly blessed. A grateful attitude helps you be satisfied with what you have, rather than wanting to live the life of someone else, who, in your eyes, is more fortunate.
Attitude 3: Having the attitude of kindness and politeness
Read on to know why two seemingly different attitudes have been clubbed into one.
Many of us misunderstand kindness. True kindness is often experienced when you share something you have with someone, who may even not be known to you. How many times have you been truly kind today? You’ll recognize true kindness from the warmth you feel inside after sharing something material, or even a kind word.
Being polite is often considered as a sign of weakness. The reality is that it is an indicator of the respect you show to another person. There may be times, such as at work, where you may not be able to be kind to a subordinate, because that is the nature of your work. However, you can still be polite. Being firm yet polite is the sign of assertiveness.
When you interact with others with the attitude of kindness and politeness, you allow yourself to live life devoid of anger. And happiness thrives in the absence of anger.
Attitude 4: Having the attitude of forgiveness
I often hear my clients say, “I can never forgive others for what they have done to me. I may be polite superficially, but deep down inside, they have lost my respect for them”. It’s easy to let feelings of hurt and anger affect your desire to forgive others. But, who is the one suffering? It is none other than you, yourself! It may not even make a difference to the opposite person. For you, it is your peace of mind at stake. When you forgive, you trade pain for peace. That peace leads to happiness.
These key attitudes to living a happy life seem simple enough. Try practicing them one at a time until you are comfortably happy with your progress. Eventually, you’ll be able to experience the kind of happiness you thought only existed in ideal situations, and not in real life!
If you have trouble practicing the above tips, or have been encountering situations that are too overwhelming for you to handle, we can work together to help you clear the clutter, define your life goals and work towards them. I will be delighted to offer you a complimentary first coaching session of 45 minutes. All you need to do is email me directly on refindyou@gmail.com.
Hope you enjoyed reading the post. Wish you all the best for a happy life ahead!