Happiness Tips: 5 Things You Need To Know About Your Pursuit Of Joy
1. Know That Human Beings Are Extremely Bad At Forecasting Happiness
When you are bursting to buy that shiny, new car, know that the happy high youâre experiencing is a fleeting one. In fact, Dobelli says that jubilant sensation you get from a big, material purchase will only last for up to six months, so buy wisely. âBe very careful,â Dobelli warns, âgenerally, things do not make us happy, experiences, tasks, challenges and projects do.â In other words, try to rid the desire for instant gratification - some things are worth the wait.Â
2. Remove The Notion That âLife Is A Danceâ
âIf you live like thereâs no tomorrow, youâll be in jail five minutes later,â Dobelli laughs. The author says itâs important to plan â doing the hard thing now will make life easier in the long run. âForget that carpe diem thing,â he suggests, and realize that life takes effort, planning and forethought to be excellent. Donât let this tip get you down, spontaneity lovers â the chapter this ideology comes from is titled âLive Each Day as If It Were Your Last â but Only on Sundays.â Thereâs room to let your plans fall by the wayside: Doing so may seem like an oxymoron, but youâre best scheduling unplanned days for once a week.
3. Stop Following The Herd
Weâre hard-wired to copy our peers; itâs a habit we developed thousands of years ago when, if you saw your fellow caveman running from a sabertooth-tiger, it was wise to play copycat. In modern times, however, Dobelli says we benefit from straying from the pack: The action forces us to be more confident in our own decision-making. âFollowing the herd is very dangerous,â Dobelli says. âThe more we observe other people displaying a behavior, the more we think that behavior is right â and thatâs absurd.â Trusting your gut, and removing the influence of otherâs from what you decide is right, will get easier over time â you just have to keep at it.
4. Limit Your News Consumption
Dobelli is an advocate of unplugging:Â He says rather than keep an eye on a steadfast Twitter feed, itâs more productive to read books and long-form articles that will educate you on the bigger picture. The specific details that come from breaking news, like how long a storm lasted, are ânot relevant to your life,â the author says. Instead, invest your time learning about definitive concepts and events. Think youâll be accused of living under a rock? âIâve never missed a beat,â says the author. Youâll hear about the news from your peers, he assures, but will still be in control of curating the way you consume it. Removing yourself from the clutter of the details will leave room for what really matters â and whatâs worth spending your brain power on.
5. Donât Get Overly Caught Up In The 'Present Momentâ
âBe in the momentâ has become a pervasive mantra of those who subscribe to healthy and mindful living. But being present encapsulates both what you can and cannot see, Dobelli explains, and the latter is the part most people forget about. âWe tend to be overly enthralled by the things that are here, and we donât have a sensor for the stuff that is missing,â he says. Donât pigeonhole your day; instead, be cognizant that while things are happening before your eyes, things are also happening beyond them. Itâs a vague philosophy, but reminding yourself to be less egocentric can help remove the wasteful thoughts that come with being too "now"-minded.