When life gets rough, it’s tough to stay positive and happy. Life can wreck your happiness if you let it depend on your circumstances. The best way to build happiness is nurturing a positive disposition.
Although Independently Happy means you’ve worked and built a foundation of happiness that won’t depend on anything external, building happiness often depends on something internal:
Attitude
“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”
― Martha Washington
A Positive Disposition
How do you interpret what happens?
- Do you see the good in it?
- Can you learn from it?
- What is the opportunity it?
Is it Even Really Real?
You’ve heard the phrase “Life is what you make it.” In Why Reality isn’t Really Real, I wrote that even though reality exists we try to change it. We make it better or worse than it actually is by how we perceive it.
Your perception depends on your disposition.
Focus Your Focus
Usually, the experts focus on our being optimistic. Many, including myself, will persuade you to focus on the good in the situation rather than the bad. I suggested that you Focus on Life’s Enormousness, Not Life’s Enormity.
Gratitude
A great way to do that is practicing gratitude. My friend Danielle wrote a beautiful guest post called 3 Powerful Ways To Become More Grateful to help with ways to become more grateful.
Work to ensure that what your happiness depends on is internal, not external. It should depend on your gratitude and attitude, not on getting a certain car or a particular income.
[bctt tweet=”Your perception depends on your disposition.” username=”IndyHayHay”]
Don’t Depend on Anything External
Why do we want these things?
Money, stuff, fame, wealth?
We want them because we think they’ll make us happy. The truth is that we can skip those things and jump straight to happiness.
Focus on the lessons and even the stories hard times will provide.
Tony Robbins and Oprah Winfrey had rough childhoods. Most of us can’t even relate to how horrible their lives were as children.
They used that hardship as inspiration to eventually earn enormous success. Now most of us can’t even relate to the amounts of wealth they have.
It is difficult to build the level of success Oprah and Tony have, but happiness isn’t that hard to build.
Focus On Gratitude for What You Already Have
Focus on being thankful for and enjoying what you have instead of wanting more or wanting something else. I want to visit my in-laws in Spain more. They’re great people and great fun. Also, they’re in Spain! I’ve got family and friends right here too. They’re great people and great fun.
Don’t forget your family and friends. First, they might be able to help. Second, even if they can’t help, it’s more pleasant enjoying others’ company than being alone.
Remember to Act, because we know that Optimism isn’t enough. The best way to build a positive disposition is to know that you consistently act on what you want. For a great start, check out Do Happiness.