Are you happy?

This emotion is one of the most sought after in the world.

We keep searching for it, but it seems to be a difficult thing to grasp.

Occasionally we think we’ve found it, only to realize the things around us might not have

made us happy after all.

In fact, living a truly happy life is easier when you let things go rather than hope to obtain

something.

If you want to find happiness, these six things should be thrown towards the exit sign.

“Learn to accept life as it is –

you’ll often find happiness when

you stop searching for it.”

1.The need to ‘fix’ yourself

“If only I lost 5lbs, I’d be a much happier person.”

You can probably imagine something similar you’ve said, if not the exact statement.

Self-criticism is not necessarily a bad thing and we all need to look in the mirror occasionally

to understand our limitations.

But expecting happiness to come from changing yourself by losing weight or running everyday

is the wrong way to go about it.

Living a healthier lifestyle is a great goal.

LiveLighter has plenty of tips to guarantee it won’t even feel as hard as you might think.

But you aren’t going to find happiness simply by focusing on changing your looks or personality.

2.Finding someone to blame

People are not perfect and everyone has made a mistake – more than once.

If things go wrong, it’s a human reaction to start looking around blaming someone else.

The boss was a jerk or the husband is a lazy bum; these are all too easy emotions to feel.

But the truth is blaming others won’t change things, even if the circumstances were down to

their actions.

You are only hurting yourself and keeping yourself stuck in the moment by blaming and seething.

When things go wrong, take a moment to vent that anger or disappointment; but not on the

person’s face.

Go for a walk, buy a new book from Booktopia or shout in a forest.

Then let go of the need to blame and move on.

Your success and happiness are a much sweeter revenge.

3.Waiting for the big financial gain

Are you thinking about winning the lottery?

Considering how over $1.7 billion is spent on lottery tickets in Australia, you wouldn’t be the only

one thinking happiness comes with a pot of gold.

But you won’t become happy overnight by having more money and you shouldn’t risk living in debt

just in case the lighting might one day strike.

If you are stifled down by debt or poor finances, learn to live within your means.

Start using some money saving opportunities to curb your expenditure.

One of the simple ways is to find coupons and it’s no more a tiresome task; OZCodes.com.au

provides exclusive deals and latest offers on your favorite retailers.

Use the guide from Money Smart to pay off your debt.

Successful savings by practicing some of the guidelines will definitely leave triumphant and

happy feeling.

4.Thinking you can’t do it

Are you holding back on a dream just because you think you can’t?

We all have dreams about our lives that we don’t pursue because we are afraid of what might

happen, not because of money or circumstances.

Too often we claim our finances or life events to prevent us, but they don’t.

It’s our fear of going after something; after all, we might fail.

If you want to sing your heart out, then visit Creativity Australia.

If you want to start a business, then check out the Government’s business website.

Don’t be afraid to discover your passion and your talents.

If you find it wasn’t what you wanted or that you really can’t draw, then you will discover

another dream and goal to pursue.

5.Yearning to control things around you

Unfortunately, we don’t have much control in the large scheme of things.

While you can control your attitude and reactions, you can’t control the weather, the economy

or the emotions of other people.

The list of things you can’t fully control is a long one and you need to accept that.

6.Leaving things to the future

Someone has once said that we are either living in the past or looking forward to the future.

Yet, life is happening right now.

If you are constantly telling yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow”, you might be leaving it too late.

Life is fragile and opportunities come and go.

If you want to be happy and achieve your dreams, you need to stop looking to the future and

make things happen right now.

“Living a truly happy life is

easier when you let things

go rather than hope to

obtain something.”

You should learn to let the above six things go in order to live a truly happy life.

It’s not easy and each step will require a lot of practice and repetition.

You can boost your confidence and resolve by reading books like 10% Happier by Dan Harris

and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

Above all, learn to accept life as it is – you’ll often find happiness when you stop searching for it.

What do you think you need to let go live a truly happy life?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.

“Shared at Thank Goodness It’s Monday at Nourishing Joy”