9 Ways to Increase Your Happiness: An Action Plan for a Happier Life

By Ken Lauher

The top three reasons people come to me for a Feng Shui consultation are to increase their income and find greater wealth, find true love or improve their career. But at the heart of all these reasons is one over-riding belief: “When I have [more money, true love, a better career], I will be happy.”

Through all my studies of Feng Shui, human nature and change, I’ve discovered the opposite is true: When you find happiness, you will attract everything you want to you. You will discover your passion, find or create a career you love that will make you all the money you desire, and find true love. So how do you “get happy?”

The trick is to capture these feelings of happiness that you believe you’ll have only when you get what you desire before you have achieved those goals. Life is about being in the moment, being happy. We often spend so much time in the pursuit of happiness, that we don’t realize all it takes is a single thought to find happiness.

True happiness comes from within, not from external factors. Our career, the home we live in, the activities we’re doing at any given moment, and even how others think of us are all external factors. We may be able to change them, but it often takes work, intention and an action plan.

What would it take for you to be happy, right now? If you said, “Just make the choice to do it,” you’ve got the right idea! That really is all it takes, since happiness is an emotion and, believe it or not, we get to choose our emotions. (Click here to find out exactly how to Feng Shui your life perspective and learn how to choose how you feel about any situation.) Isn’t that a great thing? It really gives us a lot of power since we decide how we want to feel at every moment of every day.

But, as with a lot of things, it’s easy to say you’ll decide to be happy, and another to actually put it into practice when your life is less than what you visualize to be your ideal. Here are 9 ways to begin increasing your happiness from within right now.

1. Focus on strong friendships and relationships. – Consider the times when you were happiest. If you don’t have a career or hobby you are truly passionate about, where you can completely lose yourself in the moment and feel fulfillment, I’m willing to bet all of your happiest times are spent with others. When we focus our intentions on giving and caring for others, we’ll feel better immediately.

That happiness is true happiness, not created by artificial things or situations. It comes from within. Nurture your relationships with close friends, family, and your partner — people who make you feel good about yourself — and focus your intention on making them feel good. You’ll be amazed by the positive change this creates in your life.

2. Find your passion and pursue it for a living. – We spend 40 hours per week (or much more than that!) in our jobs or careers. If you don’t love what you’re doing, it’s hard to be happy. Take time each day to pursue your true passion, even if you’re not sure (right now) how you can make money at it. If you don’t know what your passion is, take time to find it through meditation, soul-searching, and trying different activities.

Until your true passion begins earning you a full-time income, make up your mind to love your job and pursue it with the same enthusiasm as you would pursue your passion. If this is such a stretch you can’t even visualize it, it’s time to polish off the resume and find a new job, even if it’s just for now.

3. Cast off labels. – We’re all many things in life: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons…. We might identify with our ethnicity, or our career, or the place we live. Some people put labels on themselves that begin in high school or earlier, and some we adopt later in life. Words like geek, nerd, hipster, yuppie, leader, “artist,” “the fat girl,” “the jock” are all labels we put on ourselves. Sometimes they serve us, but they always create a mold that we might feel forced to put ourselves in. When we adhere to labels, positive or negative, we are not embracing our true self, which is not any specific label, but just is. Make the decision today that you will not be defined — by yourself or others — with any specific words that put limits on yourself.

4. Embrace forgiveness. – One label people use often that doesn’t serve them is “victim.” When you are holding a grudge or holding on to past resentments, you cannot be your best self. To hold a grudge or hold on to past disappointments is living in the past, not the present.

Instead, practice forgiveness. Write a list of as many disappointments or hurts you can think of. Then release them completely. If it helps, burn the paper, or tear it into tiny pieces and toss it away. You can also practice affirmations and simply say out loud, “I forgive…” and mention anyone or anything that may have hurt you.

5. Enjoy life. Have you ever seen people suffering from a terminal illness or living in poverty yet they are incredibly positive, happy and (ironically) full of life? They have discovered the secret to happiness: Realize that your happiness doesn’t rely so much on your circumstances as on your attitude.

Too often, we hold back from making time for fun activities because we feel we have too many obligations or restrictions. We are waiting until we get the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect partner… and one day we wake up and find we’ve put our whole life on hold.

Instead, take time to do the things you love and, as you’re doing them, forget about everything else, treasure the now and enjoy yourself. Taking time to do this frequently is one of the keys to living with happiness.

6. Take care of your health. – It’s much more difficult to be happy and live your best life if you are feeling run-down or sick. Today’s busy lifestyles, with all the pressures we place on ourselves, often tax our immune systems, leading us to get sick more often or, even when we are not ill, feeling less than our best. Get a good night’s sleep (8 hours is optimal for many people, although some people need more and some can do with a little less), put healthy foods into your body, and exercise at least 20 minutes a day most days of the week. This doesn’t have to be a formal exercise program; walk to work, take the stairs in your building, or throw a ball outside with your kids.

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7. Take care of your mental health, too. – Sometimes, there’s nothing particularly wrong, but we need a break. The end result of not listening to these mental cries for a rest is often physical illness. If you won’t give your mind and body the rest it needs, it’s going to take it one way or another.

Schedule “me” time before it comes to that. Take at least 15 to 20 minutes to yourself everyday, soaking in a tub, meditating, reading something purely for pleasure. Whatever activity you enjoy and is just for you. Take a longer “date” once a week doing something you enjoy, too, whether it’s a low-stress girls’ night out, taking an adult ed. class, going to zumba lessons, watching a movie you love… you get the idea. There’s no reason to feel guilty about enjoying your life and thinking about yourself first.

8. Find what inspires you, supports you and gives you strength. Feng Shui is about intention and intuition. It is only in the quiet space of our minds that we can follow our intuition and stay focused on our intentions. It’s important to listen to your intuition to discover what it is that truly inspires you, to find out where you draw your inner strength. For some, this spiritual component comes in the form of organized religion. For others, it could be a sense of spirituality.

Inspiration comes from the words “in” and “spirit.” If you find inspiration lacking in your life, it could be time to consider spiritual activities such as yoga, tai chi or meditation. These activities will help you stay focused on the “now,” find your source of inspiration and strength, and stay in touch with your true self. Click here to find out more about the ways you can benefit from meditation.

9. Embrace your true self.  If you take the action steps outlined in this article, I guarantee you’ll feel happier, more often. It’s only when we forget our true life purpose that we begin to slip into the “pursuit” of happiness rather than embracing the feeling of happiness.

When we choose to embrace happiness, we are in touch with our true self. It’s time to start liking yourself now — every single trait. Focus on all you have, the things and people that you love and all you can offer to others, and you’ll find it’s impossible not to be happier.

Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope!

About Ken – One of America’s premier Feng Shui consultants, Ken Lauher helps thousands of people achieve their goals through Feng Shui. He can help you become a money magnet, attract passionate love, jump-start your career and get unstuck. Visit www.kenlauher.com to get your FREE Feng Shui guide and discover the ancient secrets that can help you unlock your true potential.