Lifestyle, food and drink, and our family life and travel adventures.
There’s no single set of rules that apply to how you should live your life. Some people follow diet rules, others follow horoscope rules, many observe religious followings like Ramadan rules, and some people choose to live a no-rules life altogether. Whatever works for you is what you should do, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some valuable lessons you can’t weave into your life to enhance your happiness. Whether you want to look at them as rules or as simply nuggets of advice, here are four things you can implement to live a happier, more enjoyable life.
This is arguably the most obvious yet the most difficult-to-implement rule of happiness. It’s human nature to want to fit in and for everyone to like you, but as much as it’s a completely natural feeling, it’s an utterly unreachable goal. As the saying goes, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. There will inevitably be people who don’t like you or who – at the very least – don’t like something you say/do one day. That’s okay.
We all have this innate fear that we’re being judged, and for the most part, we are, but what can you do about it? So what if one person at the office and one in-law don’t like you? That’s their problem and not yours, so the onus shouldn’t fall on you to make it right because there is nothing to fix. Once you start accepting that people will talk, judge and berate you for literally anything, no matter how menial, the faster you can start to work on not caring. Focus on those who love and appreciate you and pay no attention to those who are negative.
Following on from the first point, if someone is so toxic that it begins to weigh you down and play heavy on your mind, cut them out of your life. Whether they’re an acquaintance or a family member, the moment anyone starts to bring nothing but bad vibes into your life, they need to go. No more messages, phone calls or small talk by the water cooler; go cold turkey. You’ll feel so much better for it.
Sure, life has its ups and its downs, but for the most part, it’s the small stuff that really pulls us down. Not finishing that project on time, spilling red wine on a very expensive carpet, over-spending a bit too much one month – these are all relatively menial issues that can easily bog you down, but they’re issues that we all face. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Think about all the great stuff you do instead, for example, you might have turned in one project late, but you’ve also probably turned in another 20 early or on time. Stain remover exists, and as long as you’re not in unmanageable debt, over-spending every now and again isn’t a big deal. You’re only human and mistakes happen – so rather than allowing the bugbears of everyday life to get you down, focus on the ‘it won’t matter in five years’ mantra. In fact, if it won’t matter in five weeks or even five days, don’t waste your energy on it.
For as long as humans have been around, they’ve been comparing themselves to one another. The problem is, with social media so prevalent now, it’s even harder to escape peer and societal pressure. The key to being happy is to realise that there is no set timeline for life. So, your friend is 35 with a mortgage, two kids and a great career, and you’re single, renting an apartment and not quite at the top of your career game yet. That doesn’t matter.
The truth is, everyone wants what everyone else has, and this extends far beyond big milestones. People with curly hair want straight hair, people with blue eyes want green eyes, and short people would love to be a few inches taller. For each of these scenarios, there’s a vice versa. You’ll get to where you need to be at the right time. For now, look at where you are and how far you’ve come. What’s the rush to reach the end goal? Where do you go from there?
Keep going and doing things at YOUR pace, and stop thinking you need to be where everyone else is. Odds are, there’s someone who looks at you and wishes they’re where you are. Take time to realise what you have and enjoy the moment.
These four rules might not make you as happy as a monk, but they’ll certainly go a long way to making you feel even just a little bit more content, and right now, we could all do with a little bit of positivity – no matter how we get it.
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
Contact: [email protected]
