7 Steps Towards Bliss l Simple Steps to Be Happy

For most people, happiness is becoming stranger than fiction. Americans are living in antagonistic times and a survey released by Harris Poll Survey of American Happiness found that less than half (34 percent) of Americans are happy. This was a progression from a 2016 poll which found the level of happiness sitting at 31 percent. John Gerzema, CEO of the Harris Poll, surmised in his interview with TIME, “Either people are becoming immune to the news, or there’s a promise of change for so many Americans that felt alienated.” The survey still doesn't give us a warm feeling. When a nation is hovering at 34 percent in life satisfaction, it's a red flag. People are continuously chasing happiness, but it's fleeting. It's like when you were a kid and you tried to capture butterflies in a meadow, the intention was noble, but the efforts were ineffective. Happiness is like this, it's difficult to capture. Does this sound like you? Are you chasing happiness and getting nowhere? Set a positive intention today that you will choose happiness rather than merely pursuing it. Try our 7 steps in finding the bliss you were always meant to enjoy.

Define Bliss

Let's start defining what bliss really is to you. If it's material possessions, having a kick butt marriage or owning a Tesla, you could be setting yourself up for frustration. In the book, The Same Kind of Different As Me, art dealer Ron Hall was a wealthy man with a bank account we all would like and he started to donate time at a homeless shelter and this was where he found true satisfaction. Hall wrote, “Money can't buy no blessings.” Money sure didn't help his marriage, his home life or bless him with peace, it was serving others that helped furnish a lasting joy. Like Hall, you may need to redefine what happiness is. If finding bliss only concerns the external world, a fat bank account or wearing the latest from the runway, you will never discover what you're looking for.

Choose Happiness

Today we want you to decide that you will choose happiness. Not a simple task, especially if you're going through a hard time. But when you repeatedly choose to be happy despite obvious pressures--it will become a habit that shields the heart. What if we supported this concept with science? A large body of research in positive psychology is showing that when a person changes their attitude, they can alter their lives. Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky wrote that 40 percent of our happiness "Is left for the intentional activities that we can choose to engage in." This can be choosing to be neutral when there is an argument brewing or making the resolution to not enable people to contaminate you with negativity. Choose what ventures you need to be involved in or to cease from.

Make Peace With Yourself

Making peace with yourself is another path in finding bliss. You can't escape yourself no matter how you hide behind your clothes, attitudes and perhaps--your anger. Accept yourself for the flaws, the mistakes and all the imperfectness that make you human. Tell yourself today: "I pardon myself for the mistakes I've made and let go of the constraints of perfectionism." You also can't be your best friend when comparing yourself to others. The truth is, there will always be someone who is slenderer, richer and smarter than you. Accept yourself and focus on your own value. For example, during the next charity bake sale, no one is going to give a hoot in 10 years if your cookies came from the bakery or if you created them from scratch. What matters the most is your support of the charity.

Take a Break

Put it on your calendar to take a recess during the day. When you set a reminder to take a short break you're more likely to follow through. People believe they are too busy to take breaks, and although it's true, not taking them can kill focus, energy and will make you tenser. A study by Staples found people felt guilty for taking their breaks at work. More than a quarter of workers don’t take a break other than lunch and this is even questionable. "The survey showed that 66 percent of employees spend more than 8 hours a day at work, so taking a break is more important than ever." For example, if there is a busy day ahead of you, don't take the full break--break it up in small increments. Set your calendar to leave for 10-15 minutes to enjoy a walk, a coffee or sit outside to get fresh air.

Ditch Toxic People

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There comes a time when you need to let go of the toxic things in life. If there is a nagging sentiment that gossiping friends, co-workers and family members are too troublesome, you might need to prudently consider cutting them loose. Call a meeting with yourself to reassess the company that you keep and be truthful about. Make a list of the people you hang out. Next, go down the list and reevaluate your relationships and determine if they're toxic. Thirdly, analyze your part in it as well because we're not all innocent here and there's a possibility you're producing the difficulty. We are not advocating that you chop everyone out from your life. However, there comes a time when we need to evaluate the toxicity levels of our relationships to find our bliss.

Do What You Love

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Do something that you love and if you don't have the money, find a way to do it for free. If you love animals, but can't have a pet, volunteer at a pet rescue or shelter. If you love the ocean and want to boat, find friends to go with you to break up the costs. There is always a way around the price of things. Be inventive and see what the options are before you toss out the idea. If you need a creative outlet, local community centers have classes in the arts. If nothing really sparks your imagination, find something, anything, that makes you happy. It's fine to be selfish here, within reason, so go for it. Start jotting down ideas and start to act upon them. You need to have a life outside of parenting and work.

Stop Chasing Goals

Achieving a goal feels great, but this is temporary. Life coach Tony Robbins said happiness and life are about who you become in pursuance of those goals. "I don't care what it is you've achieved, and the reason is that life is not about achieving the goals, life is about who you become in pursuit of those goals." When a goal is reached, there is always another one that needs to be ascertained, and this line of thinking creates an unending cycle where you're spinning your wheels. This leads to burnout, unhealthy expectations, stunts your personal growth and will reduce contentment. If chasing goals is your thing, take a step back to enjoy what you've already accomplished. Life is more than accumulating more stuff and accolades.