What do you want most in life? Maybe you want a great job, a loving spouse or a closet full of designer shoes. Whatever tangible things you desire, what it all really comes down to is the desire to be happy. A vast majority of people, when asked what they want most in life, report that they want happiness.
While this may seem simplistic, most of us continue to struggle to find and sustain it. Whether we realize it or not, most of us buy into a number of myths about happiness that actually prevent us from attaining it.
In this post, we are going to explore some of the most common myths related to happiness. Understanding these myths can help us debunk them and reevaluate where we gain our joy. Then, we will share ten simple ways you can boost your happiness quotient each and every day.
3 Common Myths About Happiness
Have you ever made statements like the ones below?
- I will be happy when I lose 10 pounds.
- I will be happy when I get my dream job.
- I will be so happy when I find a partner.
- I can’t be happy because I’m struggling financially.
- I’m never going to be happy being on my own.
These statements, and the millions of variations that we tell ourselves each day, program our minds to believe that happiness can is only attainable under certain circumstances. They tell us that happiness is contingent upon outside forces when, in reality, we have complete control over our ability to experience happiness.
If you think about it, the things that we believe will make us happy don’t actually deliver. And if they do, it is often short-lived. To gain a better understanding of why so many of us buy into these happiness myths, let’s explore 3 of the most common misconceptions.
Material things will make you happy.
Social media bombards us with images of people that seem to have it all. The best makeup, the trendiest clothes, handbags, shoes, cars and every other material thing you can imagine. But the images we see are rarely the reality.
Amassing material things may make you feel happy temporarily, and it may make others envious of you, but it is not pure and profound happiness. Having more things has no real correlation to success or happiness. Some of the wealthiest people have the highest levels of stress and discontent.
Why? Because of the ample time, energy and resources it takes for them to keep up and maintain their lifestyles.
Happiness is a future destination.
Too many of us think that happiness is something we will attain in the future. We think of it as something we’re looking forward to, like a birthday, holiday or vacation. Too few of us recognize that happiness is not a final stop.
Instead, we can find ways to be happy every day and in ways big and small. If you think you need to own certain things or achieve specific goals to be happy, then happiness will surely be a destination in the future. Because every time you reach one goal, another will appear, further postponing your happiness until it’s too late.
Don’t let this happen to you. Take charge of your happiness journey now by recognizing that you can find happiness in your every day.
You need a partner in order to be happy.
Many people have the false belief that they will be unhappy if they do not find a partner. They envision a life full of loneliness and tables-for-one. This is just not true.
Single people around the world lead full lives without long-term romantic partners. They have fulfilling relationships with friends and family. They explore all of their interests and have a wide variety of hobbies and passions. Some research even suggests that married or partnered people are not happier than single people.
The key to debunking this myth is recognizing that true happiness does not come from external sources and other people. The real happiness we need to cultivate comes from within ourselves.
10 Ways to Boost Your Happiness Today
Breaking the habit of believing in the myths mentioned above can take time. Difficult things don’t happen overnight. To help give you a little happiness boost, here are ten strategies you can use that will put a positive light on your happiness journey. Try to implement one or two into your day. Hopefully, they will help you appreciate all the great things in your life that you can be happy about!
- Start a gratitude practice
- Get outdoors
- Say no to something you do not enjoy
- Trust your intuition
- Journal about something that brings you joy
- Start a vision board
- Do something you’ve always wanted to do
- Work on a creative project just for fun
- Learn something new
- Give back to others
How will you make your happiness your number one priority this month?