The 5 Part Happiness Formula

I am a fan of happiness. I like to read about it, write about it, teach it and live it! Happiness comes easily to me but I understand that that isn't the case for everyone. I've come up with what I think is the exact formula needed.

Excitement + Freedom + Joy + Inspiration + Love = Happiness

It might look a little complicated, but it really isn't. You can start small and look for small ways to incorporate more of those states into your life.

Excitement

By excitement, I don't necessarily mean jumping up and down, or heart-pounding situations. It could be what comes with thinking about something you are really passionate about, or planning a party, or a trip. It could be a ride at an amusement park, or just rolling down the windows in your car. Anything that adds that shiver of fun to your life will instantly lift your mood.

Freedom

The ability to make your own decisions goes a long way in happiness. When you base your decisions on what other people might think or say, or when you feel obligated to do things that independence disappears, and your happiness goes right along with it. Start small, or start to appreciate the things in your life that you do have complete control over, like what kind of socks you can wear or the route you take to get to work.

Joy

This is just another word for happiness, but it implies peace. Joy is an internal feeling, it comes from loving people and your environment. Joy does not depend on the things you have, but rather the way you feel about them. Add more joy to your life by creating a Gratitude Guide and writing 10 things in it every night.

Inspiration

Nothing like feeling inspired to act. You can't help but succeed when you follow divine inspiration! It could be trying a new recipe, or dancing to your favorite song. It could be taking a leap to change careers or move to a new city. Big or small, inspiration instantly increases your happiness when you follow it.

Love

The original happiness formula did not have love in it. I assumed that most people are surrounded by love, and this is true, but many do not recognize it. Love comes from within. You must love yourself fully, because others can only love you to the extent that you love yourself. When you fully love yourself, you also realize that everything is love. When you're angry, it's actually love misdirected. For example, when I was working a job I hated, I used to get very upset and aggravated. I started to listen to the story I was telling myself and it went something like this, "Why should I have to work at this job? I hate this job. No one appreciates me. I'm meant to do something bigger..." I dug a little deeper and realized that instead of frustration, what I was actually feeling love. So I changed my perspective, " I love the fact that I'm angry about being stuck at this job because it means I know I deserve better." Then I made the choice to act like I loved myself, left the job and started something I'm truly passionate about.

Find ways to bring more love into your life. Smile at a stranger, practice more empathy, or cuddle your cat. Anything you can do to release love, will automatically add happiness.

Now that you have my formula, and a few ideas that you can use to get started I suggest that you apply changes immediately. Start living in the moment, appreciating what you do have and loving the life that is right in front of you. Your perspective will change and so will your happiness.