Happiness isn’t something that can be achieved for its own sake. It’s a result of other attributes and actions. It can be frustrating trying to chase happiness only find it constantly just out of reach. Here are the best ways to exuberate happiness!
What Does Exuberate Mean?
I love finding powerful, new words. I recently discovered the word exuberate and immediately became obsessed. YourDictionary.com described exuberate as a transitive verb meaning*:
- To be exuberant.
- Archaic To abound; overflow.
I believe WinEveryGame.com is a reference for crossword puzzle hints. I had to dig deep for this word! In other words, I didn’t find much but what I did find is golden! According to that, exuberate means:
to express great joy**
Synonyms of Exuberate
A few words WordHippo.com lists as synonyms are***:
- delight
- exult
- glory
- joy
- jubilate
- rejoice
- triumph
- swell
Shine On
It almost means the same as exude. However, exude is more of an ooze. Conversely, exuberate is more of a shine.
I close most of my emails with “Shine on!” Shine is a great definition! It radiates and emanates.
- Shine confidence
- Radiate joy
- Shine kindness
- Emanate strength
- Shine intelligence
- Explode optimism
- Shine love
If you want those attributes to not simply ooze, but to shine, then exuberate them.
4 Powerful Reasons to Shine!
The effort required for exuberating might seem like a lot at first, but it’s well worth the effort. Here are four powerful reasons to work on your exuberance.
Exuberating Feels good
Firstly, happy and energetic feels better than dispirited and lethargic. You won’t feel that way all that time. That would be unnatural. And annoying! You’ll have your ups and downs just like everyone else, but your ups will just be a little higher, a little shinier.
Exuberating simply feels good because…
Radiating is Energetic
Secondly, although radiating takes effort and energy, it also creates energy. At first, the effort may seem like work, but soon your own radiation will energize you more. You won’t shine perpetually. You’ll wax and wane like the moon, rise and set like the sun but you will shine.
You’ll feel more energetic and like vacationers are drawn to the beach you’ll likely find that people want to be around you more because…
Shining is Magnetic
Thirdly, it is magnetic. You want friends, right? As long as your not over-the-top and annoyingly exuberant, people will want to be around it.
Do you want to hang around boring, lethargic complainers? Unless you’re miserable and seeking miserable company, that negativity is tiring. It’s a turn-off. Repulsive.
Friends and family will want to be around you more. Everyone will benefit from your exuberance because…
The Energy is Contagious
Finally, just as a negative person can drag you down, a positive person can energize you. Do you want to be the negative, lethargic person who either repels people or brings them down? Or do you want to be a shining, exuberant person that attracts people, energizes them and lifts them up?
That energy is contagious. People want it and want to be around it because it feels good. And we’ve come full circle!
3 Delightful Qualities to Radiate and How to Do It?
- Confidence
- Forgiveness
- Gratitude
3 Surefire Ways to Exuberate Confidence
Confidence gives confidence. For example, if someone needs you a task and you act confident enough to handle the situation, they’ll feel your confidence too. Therefore, they’ll be confident you can handle it.
Show Up Consistently
You can exuberate confidence by showing up. Show up consistently. When you show up, pay attention and do the work.
Whether it’s writing every day, practicing piano or a foreign language every day, or working out every day, show up consistently.
For example, when I first started my gym membership, I didn’t go for a couple of months. Those big dudes lifting the big weights were going to think I was a wuss. I researched the least crowded time of day at the gym and went to the gym that time day. Even then, some days I’d skip exercises because I didn’t want to lift the little weights around the people lifting the big weights.
I still went every day. Eventually, I got used to it. Now it doesn’t bother me at all to lift the little weights amongst those lifting the big weights. As a result, I now exuberate confidence when I lift my little weights at the gym!
In conclusion, be relentlessly consistent and consistently relentless with your showing up. If you know you’ll show up because you always show up. Your confidence will shine!
Practice Good Posture
Too many spend too much time hunched over screens. Nobody does it on purpose. We get sucked in and don’t think about getting out. As a result, more people have bad posture than good.
However, there are ways to correct that or at least slow it down. Practice walking with your head held high, where you can see what’s up ahead. Trust me and yourself. Your shoes are tied. No need to stare at the floor.
With your head up and your shoulders back, you’ll be more aware and appreciative of your surroundings. More on appreciation below.
Talk Less Smile More
Take the advice of Aaron Burr from Hamilton: The Musical: Talk less and smile more.
I really have to work on this one. When the Deadpool movie came out everyone at work said, “Oh my gosh, Shayne. You are so Deadpool!” I always thought of myself as more of a Shawn Spencer from the show Psych, but yes I tend to talk and joke. A lot!
I also noticed in meetings that everyone looked either angry or miserable. Not wanting to be either, I made it a point to smile more. If you’re always dour and always babbling, you’re not going to look or feel as confident. We don’t have to say everything that’s on our mind. It’s okay to let others wonder what we’re thinking.
Smile like you’re aware of the truth and in control of the situation.
Exuberate Forgiveness
Let Go of Grudges
Grudges don’t shine. Grudges are black holes. They suck in joy and confidence and don’t even spit out anything. They leave a miserable vacuum. Consequently, the joy and confidence are just gone.
“Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
– Malachy McCourt
Practice Forgiveness on Yourself
Some of the best forgiveness practice is forgiving your self when you don’t show up. Confident people don’t beat themselves up because they know they’ll show up next time. There’s always a next time, so a great place to start forgiving is forgiving your own actions and imperfections.
Don’t Let Them Win
If someone does something to you that you don’t like and you hold on to the anger about it, they win. Likewise, if you get revenge, they win.
You’re not giving in to them or letting them win by forgiving them. You’re breaking free of their control over you.
When you can free yourself and move on, forgiveness will explode from you like light from the sun.
You’re don’t forgive to free them from bearing the burden of guilt. You forgive to free yourself from bearing the burden of a grudge.
3 Effective Ways to Exuberate Gratitude
Refuse to Complain
Complaining is draining. If you’re happy, complaining will only bring you down. If you’re not happy, complaining will take you down even farther.
It will also bring others down. Nobody wants to be dragged down. Misery does love company, so many will relish dragging you down with them.
Similar to holding grudges, complaining will suck all the life, happiness and confidence right out of the room and everyone in it. Don’t be the person that drags everyone down. More importantly, don’t let them drag you down.
Let the gratitude exude.
Or better, exuberantly shine gratitude!
Beware of Sarcasm
The majority of my people at my job is miserable. So it’s been tough finding the positive crowd. When I don’t hear complaining you hear sarcasm. Sarcasm is complaining in disguise because it’s usually funny. Sarcasm is complaining, though. Even though you’re laughing and laughing feels good, you’re laughing your way into a black hole of misery.
Gratitude Takes Practice
If you decide to try one of those couch-to-5K programs, the good ones will have you start with walking. That’s because trying to go from couch to running will just make you hate running. You’ll be sore miserable and think running is stupid. I tried it several times. I ached for days each time until I found a program with a walk-jog-walk approach. A few months after trying a more gradual approach to running, I got my first half-marathon finishers medal.
Similarly, if you try to go from a complaining black hole to grateful, you’re going to pull a proverbial muscle fighting the gravitational pull. So start with practice. Walk first. Write down one to five things every day you’re grateful for. If you only come up with one, or if you forget, forgive yourself. (See forgiveness above.) Furthermore, put your list in your pocket so you’ll accidentally pull it out later and remember you have plenty to be grateful for.
Start with this gratitude walking and work your way up to gratitude running.
Work gratitude into your meditation.
It won’t happen overnight, but the more you show up practicing gratitude the sooner you’ll exuberate gratitude.
References
* https://www.yourdictionary.com/exuberate
** https://www.wineverygame.com/word/meaning/exuberate.html
*** https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/exuberate.html