Five Tips for Attaining a Happy Life

If you feel as though every day is a struggle for you, if you find yourself fighting to get out of bed in the morning, and/or feeling tired and uninspired, this article provides you with five tips for getting your life on track -- for helping you attain a happy, healthy life.

Typically when we are struggling, it is because one of these five key elements of a happy life are out of balance. So, let's take a look at each.

1. Know Your Mission/Purpose. Your life's mission is your reason for being. Your mission should direct all of your major life decisions, including career, job, lifestyle. Your mission is who you are at your core -- and what you want to be remembered for at the end of your life. More importantly, your mission needs to be aligned with your career/work, otherwise you will always be feeling unsatisfied, unfulfilled.

If you have not taken the time to identify your mission, follow these quick steps. First, make a list of your core values; second, write down your life goals; third, contemplate how you want to make a difference in the world; fourth, combine these elements into a short, one (or two) sentence personal mission statement.

2. Define Success Correctly. For too many people, success means making lots of money; worse, we also spend too much time comparing our success (money) to others. From my perspective, money is an outcome of success, not the definition of success. Success is more about fulfillment and achieving multiple goals (often directly from your mission/purpose). See my other article, Five Steps for Achieving What You Want in Life.

Some new ways of looking at success: doing your best in all situations; having a roof and four walls to call home; working a job that fulfills your career passion; maintaining healthy and happy relationships; overcoming your fears; clearing hurdles in your personal or professional life; achieving work-life balance; overcoming a disability; living the life you want.

3. Have Deep Relationships. Every study published on longevity points to the power of loving relationships in extending life. People need people; it is that simple. We need love, laughter, and friendship in our lives. We need to be loved, validated, supported, guided, nourished -- and do the same for others.

A happy life requires building and maintaining healthy -- positive -- relationships with family, friends, coworkers, as well as a deep and loving romantic partnership, when possible. If you find you do not have enough of these relationships in your life, find ways to meet new people and/or reach out to old friends and rekindle those relationships. Learn more about developing and maintaining relations in the Healthy Relationships section of this site.

4. Eat Well. What we eat has a major impact on our physical and mental health. If your diet is filled with the evil whites -- processed sugar, salt, flour -- you need to change your ways. If you eat more processed food than real food, you need to change your ways. If you consume sugary-syrupy drinks, you need to change your ways. Studies have proven the real health hazards of all types of sugar (and most artificial sweeteners) -- and when your body is off, so will be your happiness and well-being.

Practice good eating habits. Try to find the ideal nutritional diet/lifestyle that is best for you... which usually is a balance of protein, fresh vegetables and fruits, and some complex carbohydrates. Learn more in the Nutrition and Diet section of our sister site, EmpoweringRetreat.com.

5. Exercise Daily. Our bodies are built for movement, and sitting at a desk or standing at a console all day is not good for our bodies -- or our health and well-being. Recent studies point to sitting as a major risk factor. Too much sitting has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, premature death, and dementia. Furthermore, a great side benefit to getting healthier is that exercise releases endorphins, which trigger a feeling of happiness -- and is a natural way to fight depression.

The solution is getting more exercise, from parking farther way to increase your walking, to taking the stairs rather than the elevator, to biking to work, to using breaks to walk rather than grab another cup of coffee. Just remember to start slowly and check with your doctor before exerting yourself too much. You do not have to join a gym or buy expensive equipment. Most experts say a mix of cardio (walking, biking, dancing) and strength (resistance, weights, etc.) should be accomplished daily (ideally). Learn more in the Fitness and Exercise section of our sister site, EmpoweringRetreat.com.