Cultivating Happiness

Happiness is one of those things that everyone wants but no one really knows how to define. This isn't helped by the fact that happiness often means different things to different people (it can also mean different things to the same people at different times). For the sake of brevity, I will not try to define happiness here (sorry semanticists!). Instead, I will list things that have helped me cultivate happiness (using my personal definition of happiness).

1. Make goals as specific, actionable, and realistic as possible.

If a goal you set isn't all of these things, it's pretty likely that you'll procrastinate it out of existence. Specific, actionable, and realistic goals make you feel guiltier if you don't achieve them.

2. Be careful of your inner critic and comparing yourself to others.

Your inner critic is one of your best tools, especially if you do creative work. It can act as a very useful filter and editor for work that you're not sure if you want to submit yet. However, make sure that your inner critic doesn't kill ideas before they're even fully realized.

Similarly, comparing yourself to other people can often be a useful litmus test for your progress in life. But don't do it excessively. Everyone has different life circumstances, so it's natural for people to have wildly different rates of progress.

3. Monitor your Internet/screen use.

The Internet and technology in general are incredible tools that have made dissemination of information incredibly easy, greatly simplifying research and communication. But remember that many electronic devices and Internet sites are designed to make you use them for as long as possible. Advertising drives most online growth, so the longer that a site's algorithms are able to keep you on the website, the more advertisements they will be able to show you, and the more money they will make off of you. Set timers and alarms to make it harder for yourself to mindlessly use electronic devices or surf the Internet.

4. Go outside and exercise.

This is the one that people hear all the time, but few people actually implement over the long run. You don't have to do intensive exercise to cultivate happiness (but if you want to reap the maximum amount of happiness, you probably should). Just take a brisk walk for 30 minutes to an hour every day. Also, make sure you get a healthy amount of exposure to sunlight everyday.

5. Meditate regularly.

Coincidentally, this point ties into many things I talked about in my previous blog post. Meditating regularly allows you to view situations more objectively and see multiple perspectives.

We happen to live in the most stimulating time in the entire history of the Earth. Sensory stimuli constantly bombard us from the moment we wake up to the instant we fall asleep (and digital devices make this worse). With so much information constantly being thrown toward our senses every second, it can sometimes be very difficult to concentrate and self-reflect. Meditation helps to fight these adverse effects.

6. Have a good work-life separation.

Make sure that you don't bring your work home very often. Or, alternatively, if you're a student, don't mix study and leisure. Doing so makes it very hard to relax at a time when you're supposed to be relaxing. Conversely, don't do leisure activities at work. For obvious reasons, it'll make both your productivity and quality of work suffer.

7. Leave time for hobbies/social gatherings.

This point is meant especially for all the cynical introverts out there (I would know because I used to be one). Wherever you are on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, it's important to regularly see friends/family. You don't have to constantly go to huge parties or gatherings. Small meals with friends/family work fine as well. The important thing is to hang out with people whose company you enjoy and discuss things that you enjoy talking about (and no, social media doesn't count!).

Besides making you a more interesting person, pursuing hobbies can also significantly increase happiness. Hobbies make it easier to celebrate small successes and achievements. These small successes/achievements have great potential of adding up to huge successes/achievements if you keep pursuing a specific hobby.