Unhappiness happens. It is a guarantee in this life. But there are a select few that seem to be overly happy all the time. It is like their smiles are frozen in place and their joy is contagious.
Sometimes when we come across these people we ask ourselves the question are they living on the same planet earth that we live on? The answer might surprise you.
This group of happy people may live in the same world that us unhappy people live in but they do not respond to that world in the same way.
So the good news is that we can use their secret strategy to turn our unhappiness into happiness.
Start calculating your value the right way
We are often the unhappiest when we feel the least valued. How does this occur? It happens when we associate our value and worth in a number of circumstances listed below.
- How much money we have
- How successful we are at work
- How great our relationships are
- How good we have behaved
We become unhappy because in each of these situations the source of our value will break down.
Our money gets scarce due to a surprise expense.
A project at work goes south and we are no longer the hero of the office.
A relationship breaks down because of miscommunication.
We fall into temptation and break our streak of saying no to the enemy.
It is at these moments that we go from feeling full of pride and happiness to utter despair. Just as the glory of our riches, relationships, and righteousness go down the drain so does our happiness. So what is a person to do?
The secret is to obtain our value from a source that cannot be destroyed, altered, or stolen from us.
That source is our identity in Christ. When we realize how dearly cherished we are in the eyes of God things truly change.
We are so valuable to God that He did not spare His only Son. Just so we could be present with Him in Heaven.
So when we realize this nothing can take that away. And so our happiness can stay intact no matter what comes our way.
Say No to fast forwarding today
People are funny. We hope so much for the great things of tomorrow that we miss the grand things of today.
In order to turn your unhappiness into happiness, we have to change our perspective. We have to make a choice to recognize something good that has happened today.
If we are not careful we will believe so strongly that a better day is coming we miss the better day that today actually is. So how can you do this when it seems nothing good can come of today?
- Celebrate the little things
- Accept what you can do
- Make time for fun
The key is to celebrate the little wins of today. If we wait to celebrate until the mountaintop moments of life we will find it hard to conquer the valleys. Next, we have to accept what we can do.
Often we become unhappy because we focus on what we cannot do or control. So when we accept what can be done today happiness is possible. This happiness often requires one more step.
Happy people know that sometimes you can’t find anything to be happy about your day. We have all had those. The solution is that we have to make time for happiness.
That means that we have to make time for what makes us happy. Carve out a small amount of your day for your favorite hobby, a time with loved ones, or a delicious treat.
Changing your position can change your positivity
We often believe that our happiness is dependent on being given gifts.
But we might be surprised at how positive of an outlook we can have if we switch into the giver’s position.
That is because there is something about giving to others that lift our spirits.
The joy that it brings others, the good that gets done, and the difference that we make in the world. Why is this?
Because when we focus on ourselves we become unhappy about what is wrong with our lives. But when we focus on others we focus on how we can help right the wrongs in their lives.