Being Happy To Give Happy

There's a saying that says that you can't give what you don't have which is also true in the case of happiness. In the words of Les Giblin, from his book "How to have confidence and power in dealing with people";

"For many years, we have assumed that if we attempted to satisfy our own desires for success and happiness, we would of necessity deprive some other person of satisfying his own wants. But the evidence all points in the other direction.
A happy human being is more likely to spread happiness than an unhappy human being. A prosperous human being is more likely to benefit those with whom he deals than is a chronic failure. A person who has reasonably satisfied his own desires is much more generous and considerate in taking into account the desires of others than is a person whose every desire has been frustrated.
Psychologists, criminologists, ministers, and now even doctors tell us that most of the trouble and misery in this world is caused by unhappy people. They tell us that by making yourself miserable and frustrated, you are doing other people the greatest disservice you could possibly devise.”

The following are things that we can do in order to help with our happiness:

• Sleep - This is likely the most important thing you can do. Lack of sleep, over a period of time, can be detrimental to our overall health including our happiness.
• Exercise -  Working out is a good way to get rid of the stress we've accumulated.
• Diet - Eating properly helps with our overall well-being.
• Volunteer -  Feeling useful can help with our happiness.
• Meditation/Reading - Getting into the right mindset can help with our happiness.
• Removing Negativity - Are you watching too much negative news? Are you hanging out with people that are always negative? Limiting your exposure to these can help with morale.
• Hangout with Friends - Being around good people can help alleviate the burdens of life.
• Financial Stability - Being excessively in debt adds stress to life hence why it's important, for our happiness, to be financially responsible.
• Buy Less Things - Happiness isn't found in things and usually the less things we have, and the more we realize that we don't actually need all those things, the happier we get.
• Go Outside - Don't underestimate the power of a good hike in nature on a sunny day.
• Have Goals - Having a goal, or a purpose, can add some excitement to your life and help with happiness.

Pleasure doesn't bring happiness...

It's important not to confuse pleasure with happiness. Orrin Woodward said "Pleasure does not bring happiness; it only brings an increasing hunger for more pleasure." Whether it be alcohol/drugs, endless entertainment (or other)... these things are nothing but traps that we fall into as a way to escape the problems of life.

Be happy to give happy.