Contrary to popular belief, you often have to sacrifice some things for happiness.
Even though we don’t really want to believe the old adage ‘you can’t have it all’, in some cases it is an absolute truth. Although we all struggle with stress and depression at some points in our lives, we are basically all on the same quest for happiness. We often like to think of happiness as a destination, or some state of being we will eventually achieve if we just make more money, or get a new job, or finally find a way to get our newborn to sleep through the night. Happiness is much more elusive than that however, and it isn’t actually a destination or state of being. I recently watched the Trolls movie (a symptom of having young kids), and at the risk of sounding corny, they said something in the movie that rang true: Happiness comes from inside.
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So, if we are going to achieve actual happiness, it stands to reason that there are some things we may have to cut out of our lives, and some sacrifices we have to make. The following is a short list of things you should give up in order to reach your full potential, and find true happiness.
Short-term mindsets. Its important to have both short-term and long-term goals, so if you are living only in the moment, from paycheck to paycheck you will get caught in a cycle of happiness (when you get paid), and depression (when that money runs out). Planning for the future will help remove that stress and lead to greater happiness.
Ditch the unhealthy lifestyle. Our happiness relies a lot on both our fitness and health. So if you have to sacrifice a few potato chips for a better life overall, I would say you are still coming out on top.
Give up any and all excuses. Take responsibility for what has happened in your life thus far. If you are in a rough situation, own the fact that you are most likely the reason you ended up there in the first place. Start with being honest with yourself, then ask yourself what excuses you have made to justify your circumstances, then ditch those too. The sooner you realize you have all the power to change, the closer you will be to actual happiness.
Sacrifice your need to be perfect. I know this is a hard one for most people, but perfectionism is a surefire way to slow down any kind of productivity, and make it way more difficult to pull you out of a slump.
Stop trying to multi-task. It is pretty much impossible to do an amazing job at a bunch of things at the same time. So focus intently on one thing at a time while keeping a greater understanding of all the things on your to-do list if you really want to excel.
Sacrifice the toxic people around you. I know that may sound way harsher than it actually is, but what I mean is that to be really happy, you have to surround yourself with people who build you up and inspire you to do greater things. If you are serious about being happy, then be mindful of the people in your life, and stop socializing with other people who don’t want to be happy.
Unfortunately there is no magic recipe to being happy, but if you make these small adjustments to your life overall, you will stand a much better chance of more ‘happy time’ which will ultimately lead to a more satisfying life.
