How Can I Find Happiness

My approach to finding happiness is fairly simple. First, make mental notes of the things you do or are involved in that don’t make you happy, or that you don’t enjoy. Then begin eliminating those things and activities from your life. And if you aren’t happy in your employment that should definitely go on your list of things to eliminate. Eliminating things from your life that don’t bring you joy makes room for things that do.

The second part of the happiness equation is to rediscover the things that once made you happy and explore new things that you believe you will enjoy. When I was a kid, I absolutely loved fishing. River fishing, lake fishing, fishing from the bank, fishing from a boat, fishing with live bait, fishing with lures; it didn’t matter. I loved every minute of it. Because I had come to the realization that I very much missed fishing, three years ago I bought a little twelve foot boat with an electric trolling motor for fishing the local small lakes. I think I actually took it out three times that year. The next year I bought my license and went bank fishing only once, the weekend after opening day. This year I didn’t even buy a license because I knew the chances of me actually getting out and fishing were slim to none. Why? The hamster wheel and too many things in my life that consumed the time I should be spending on things that I enjoy.

So, part one and part two of being happy are not only knowing what makes you happy, but not filling your life with things that don’t so that you will actually make the time to do those things that bring you joy.

Part three of how to find happiness is included in my soon to be released ebook Achieving Financial Freedom in the Recession Economy, from which this post was paraphrased.

Leave a comment to this post if you would like a free copy when it is released.