What Makes You Happy?

What comes to mind when you think about what makes you happy in your life right now? How do you know that it makes you happy? Many of us want to feel happier, but aren't mindful of what currently makes us happy. Take a moment and think about the last thing that made you happy. There are probably a few things that quickly come to mind. Now think about what made you happy today. Maybe something big happened today, a promotion at work or a birthday celebration. Or maybe you can only think of things that made you unhappy today, spilling coffee down your shirt or getting stuck in rush hour traffic. Maybe you aren't entirely sure what makes you happy on a daily basis. The best way to start doing more of what makes you happy is to be mindful and spend some time figuring out what that is. Even if you're sure of at least a few things that make you feel happy, spending some extra time reflecting on how you feel can help you find some unexpected ways to boost your happiness.

Spend some time at the end of your day to evaluate how you felt throughout the day. Take a moment to reflect on the things you experienced throughout your day and consider how you are feeling now. Make it a routine to rate your happiness for the day on a scale of one to ten. Then evaluate what made you score your day that way. What moments made you feel good? What moments made you feel unhappy? Take detailed notes of the times you feel happiest. When something occurs that fills you with good feelings make a note of what was going on. How did you end up in that space? What was on your mind? What environment were you in? The more consistently you track your feelings of happiness the more information you are providing to yourself. Over time you will begin to identify what baseline happiness is for you, maybe most days are a six or a seven out of ten. Then you will be able to consider what it takes to increase your mood by one point, what could take your day from a seven to an eight? By being mindful and tracking your feelings in a measurable way you will gain valuable insight into your own happiness.

Spend some extra time reflecting on the moments that make you the happiest. Why does a certain activity or experience fill you with joy? Are there ways you could bring that joy into other areas of your life? Are there certain patterns emerging among the times you feel happiest, maybe it's when you're in the company of good friends? The more you question and answer questions about your own happiness the more you will understand what really makes you happy. You may also spend some time looking at the things that decrease your happiness in any way. The more you are aware the more you can make meaningful and intentional changes in your life. Maybe pushing yourself to get up an extra hour early everyday and losing sleep because of it is constantly leaving you exhausted and irritable by the afternoon. You can make better lifestyle changes when you are aware of what you're feeling and what's causing you to feel that way.

I encourage you to create a list of things that make you happy and always keep adding to it. Include big things and small things. It will offer you a resource of inspiration when you're feeling down or when looking for ways to celebrate. You can only benefit from investing a little extra time into getting to know yourself. But if writing things down or journalling isn't your style, there are lots of apps that can be helpful in tracking your mood on a daily basis. Or maybe it's simply a matter of being more present and noticing your emotions throughout the day. Whatever feels right for you, simply try focusing a little more on the things that make you feel happy in your life.