Throughout life, I questioned my inner self; ‘when will the time come for me to enjoy life?’ It comes naturally to all of us that we want to be happy, but is it even possible? I see people leading satisfied and enjoyable lives, and here I am making a mental list of things I still need to be truly happy. Where is the key to my happiness, if there really is one?

The society I live in has many external factors it wants me to chase like success, fame, wealth, power, beauty, romance, and whatnot. But for me, I keep asking, are these really vital, to begin with?

My research says NO if I were to address them for my long-term happiness goals. A coveted award, a salary raise, a fancy new car, an exciting new relationship, fitness track, can all be a source of happiness, but none of them can outlive the initial thrill for me.

I have read books that point out open secrets to genuinely increase happiness, and it doesn’t require winning a jackpot. All it takes, they say, is a change of mindset and attitude, and this is something I can do quite easily.

My survival mechanism always helped me notice and remember the bad things. The first tip I learned was to train my brain to be more positive as the biological inclination was nothing but a stress inducer for me. It doesn’t mean I always had a smiley face or I was super happy or I ignored reality or pretended things weren’t as awful as they were. Choosing joy and anticipating goodness turned out to be a powerful happiness booster.

I learned to express the gratitude which made a huge difference in my overall state of happiness. I experienced more positive emotions, lesser depression, improved relationships, and a strengthened immune system as well. A pro tip; my gratitude even made me smarter with my hard-earned money.

I had seen people in happy relationships and wondered what kept them hooked, even after decades. After attending a webinar on nurturing relationships, I realized happier people always had support groups in the form of friends and family. This is the prime reason why nurturing relationships is compared to the best emotional investment one can make. To build and connect with others, I reaped the reward in the form of positive emotions. And the happier I became, the more I attracted people with high-quality relationships, greater positivity, and enjoyment.

Similarly, being mindful helped me a lot, as I have always been the one who’d fret days before the actual D-day. This wrecked my sanity and kept me away from enjoying the opportunities I had in hand. I wouldn’t notice the good things around me, waiting for the realization of the so-called standards of happiness. Mediation works wonders, and so does mindful eating. I also adopted the habit of enjoying my daily rituals as they had to be done whether I liked them or not, so why not change my perspective and start enjoying them too.