How to be Happy in Life

"If you want to be happy, be." Leo Tolstoy answered the eternal question that haunts the mind of every mortal human being in just one line. Why does happiness has to be so difficult to achieve, when it solely depends upon us? Newborn babies are the happiest lot in the world, with no fear, no worries about future, no grudges and no preconceived notions about anything or anyone. Unfortunately, as we grow up, worldly worries start working up their way upon our minds. Eventually, we become so possessed by these worries that we forget what happiness is. Then one fine day, it dawns upon us how unhappy we are and thereon, the pursuit of happiness begins.

How to be Happy in Your Life

Make a Choice
Happiness is a matter of choice. You either choose to be happy or you choose otherwise. It's that simple. A person who knows how to be happy, will always be happy, no matter what situation you put him into. On the other hand, a person who always finds faults with everyone and everything around him, cannot be happy, no matter how hard he tries. Thus, if you want to be happy, make a choice now, at this moment and you will indeed feel better.

Laugh a Lot
When you smile or laugh, the muscles in your face stimulate the brain to secrete 'happy chemicals.' These chemicals induce a feeling of wellness within you, which in turn makes you happy. Hence, find humor in everything around you. Laugh at yourself, laugh at your problems, laugh at your little worries and then see what difference it makes to your life. Sounds silly, but it does work!

Forget and Forgive
If you really want to be happy you need to forget others' mistakes and forgive them. Holding grudge against them will earn you nothing, instead it will make you even more unhappy. You don't need to be a saintly figure and have an extra large heart. Just letting go of others' faults every once in a while helps you to be happy.

Blast the Past
Often, the dark shadows from our past loom large over our present and future. They ruin every single second of our life and turn it into a bad memory, which again comes to haunt us. Hence, let go of your past and any bad memories associated with it. Cut off any strings from the past that might be holding you and preventing you from leading a happy life in present.

Learn to Give
'Giving' is an immensely satisfying experience and the joy of giving cannot be expressed in words. Giving anything, be it wealth, art, skill, wisdom, can bring happiness to your life. One who gives all his life ends up leading a happy life than the one who concentrates only on making money or deriving large profits.

Develop a Vision
How you view things around you depends upon your own perspective. If you have a very positive outlook towards life, you will develop a vision, wherein you would start taking everything in your favor. As a result, you will find nothing wrong to complain about. This will make you happy in the long run.

One must understand that happiness is a state of mind. Nothing in the world can make you happy or unhappy, unless you allow it. Thus, the key to happiness lies with you. I would like to conclude this article with one of my favorite quotes by Alexandre Dumas,

"There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state to another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of life."