6 Key Principles of Happiness

You may not realize it, but... happiness is a skill. Don't let that dishearten you, though, because like any other skill you can improve it. There are strategies that you can use and tactics you can adopt, but first, you must learn about the key principles of happiness itself.

There is no reason for happiness to elude you – it's within your reach, you just have to be ready to reach out there and grab a piece of it for yourself.

1. Gratitude

There's a reason this weighs in at the top of the list, it's a major part of happiness. By learning how to be grateful for what you have and for what is in your life, you naturally become happier. Why? Well, it goes beyond your thankfulness – it's shifting your focus entirely away from what could and has gone wrong and putting life in a new perspective.

It doesn't need to be a complicated process, you can take a minute out of your day to feel grateful, or you can sit down and keep a journal. This means you can look back on it when you're having a particularly difficult time.

1. Acceptance

You can't control everything and when you can't, you have to learn to accept it. It's natural to feel anxiety and worry about it, but that isn't going to change anything that's happening, is it? Therefore, the next time something is bothering you and it's something you cannot change – simply accept it.

1. Passion

A big part of your happiness relates to living your purpose in life. Not everyone can chase their passion and make it their career, but that doesn't mean you can't still chase your dreams and make it a big part of your life. When you're passionate about something, you should aim to make it as much a part of your life as you possibly can – that's going to lead you to happiness.

1. Meditation

This doesn't mean that you need to carve time out of your day to sit down and go through the full meditation process. It's all about maintaining your awareness and being present in your life. You should be a guard over your actions, feelings, and thoughts.

1. Love

You don't need romantic love for it to fuel your happiness, although that's nice. You can find love in friendships, strangers, and in yourself and you can show it and take it everywhere you go. You can start by showing your appreciation for the people in your lives. You think over 30,000 thoughts every day and many of them are messy and just one negative thought is enough to change your mood and throw your entire day out of whack.

Therefore, whether you sit and follow a guided meditation or simply find time to sit quietly and be with yourself, you can help monitor your own thoughts and keep them positive. Don't get caught up in the whole doing absolutely nothing thing because it then becomes a struggle to do so and you find that you're not doing that at all, rather you're overthinking everything.

1. Purpose

You are the only one who can direct your life. Therefore, a bit like chasing your passion you need to aim your lens at the things that you want to do more of, enjoy more of, and brings you happiness. It's a distinct choice between pleasure and pain, which one will you choose?

With these six principles, you can find true happiness in your life – this is how you create the happiness that you have been looking for. Happiness is attainable for everyone, so make it your purpose to practice the six principles above.