Happiness is a state of mind.

Sadly, all of us attempt to define triumphs/accomplishments or material things that will make us happy.

We are trained by the TV adverts to think that happiness is just beyond our reach, or they would sell nothing at all!

We perhaps tell ourselves that we will be happy when we get our job and promotion. 

We maybe persuade ourselves to think that life will be better when we get married and complete our 

family. Once this is achieved, we try to convince that happiness will be ours only after the children are

 professionally settled and so on. We thus spend our lives waiting to be happy sometime in the future. 

Little do we realize that there is no better time to be happy than Right Now! 

Think of it this way: Anything you can do while you’re unhappy you can do when you ARE happy! 

So YOU chose which one it is going to be. Here is a little help.

Remember, life will continue to be full of challenges-we cannot let our triumph over these challenges 

determine our happiness; it is another way of abdicating Personal Responsibility. 

Here are 21 simple and straightforward practices that will put you on the road to happiness:

 1.  Smile Frequently:

We usually smile when we are happy. Studies prove that the converse is also true: smiling can 

actually make us feel better and help us to see the lighter side of things.    

Certainly, a smile makes us approachable.  

2.  Be Content:

Happiness is nothing but the ability to be content. It has little to do with what we possess materially. 

It has even less to do with achieving your self-determined goals in life.  

Contentment comes from enjoying life as we live it-hurdles and all-from day to day. 

See what you have, not what you lack. Secondly, limit your wants and needs. 

Our desires are insatiable, be it clothes, furniture, jewellery. 

As soon as one desire is fulfilled, another desire awakens. 

Limiting our desires will help us focus on things that we already have.   

3.  Live In The Present:

At any time during the day, pull yourself up. Try to recall what you were thinking for the past 10

 minutes. It is very likely that you were either dwelling on past problems (how the other person 

was nasty to you or outsmarted you, etc) or worrying about future concerns in your life (we may

 not have our job, our children 

may not get admission in good schools and so on). Such thoughts leave us anxious and frustrated,

 and depressed. 

They take our minds off whatever we are doing and do not let us enjoy the present. 

Remember, "Now" is the only time we have and the only time that we have control over, and 

practice keeping your attention on the "here and now". 

4.  Plan Things You Can Look Forward To:

Living life the same way everyday is boring. We need to sustain interest in our lives by doing 

new things. So, surprise your hubby with a tasty candlelight dinner one evening.    

Go out with your friends for a picnic lunch. Book tickets for a movie you have been wanting to 

see for a long time. If you sleep late every Sunday, try going for an early morning walk with your

 hubby, and have tea at a corner cafe. In short do anything that takes you away from routine and

 gives you something to look 

forward to-in the evening, the next day, over the weekend, or any time in the future.   

5.  Don't Try To Compete With Your Neighbours:

Most of us share a common tendency. It is that we compare ourselves with other people and their 

status or compare our accomplishments with those of others. When we feel short of successes, we

 work harder and push ourselves beyond the limit. Life thus begins and ends as a struggle to "prove

 ourselves". 

Jealousy takes a heavy toll on us. 

It hurts, confuses, angers, depresses, humiliates, builds up stress, and leaves us feeling inadequate 

and inferior.   

6.  We Are What We Are:

The Truth is: We are what we are. We cannot be someone else. There is no point coveting another's 

perfect figure, looks, lovely hair, beautiful bungalow, magnificent jewellery, etc.  

Learn to accept yourself. Everyone has unique strengths and challenges.  Identify yours, set your goals

 for fulfilling your dreams, and get going.  

7.  It Is As It Is:

However else you may wish it, it is as it is. A mistake has been made, the plan has been delayed, 

something has been broken and you cannot change it. All you can do is: accept it and go on with 

life considering the unforeseen twist of events. Optimism means turning something that seems all 

bad into something good. 

Research shows that optimism lowers stress, which in turn, decreases the risk of heart disease. 

Optimism can make us smile and be content and happy.

8.  Unclutter Your Home:

Clutter is the other name for chaos, confusion, muddle, jumble and what not, and contributes 

greatly to our irritability and annoyance. So avoid cluttering your cupboards, rooms, home with

 extra unwanted things. It prevents us from accessing useful things when we need them, thereby 

generating stress and frustration. 

So keep your home organised and clean.

9.  Don't Procrastinate:

When we keep jobs pending, especially the ones we don't like for some reason, we live under

 stress. Whatever else we maybe engaged in, these jobs constantly niggled at us at the back of 

our minds. So, get going.  Resolve to complete all pending jobs today.  

Moreover, first complete jobs that you particularly don't like to do. 

The anticipation of finishing jobs that you enjoy doing later will keep you going even through the

 earlier, not-so-enjoyable ones.

10.  Keep Things In Perspective.

We usually live our life as if it were one big emergency. Whether it is being late for a meeting, 

a messy room, garbage thrown by the neighbours, a barking dog, a traffic jam, irritable kids, 

we usually tend to overreact. We shout, we rave and may irrevocably damage our relationship

 with our domestic help, our colleague, 

our neighbour, or anyone else involved. 

At the end, we are in a bigger mess. So, accept life's quirks as they come, put things in perspective

and become happier.

11.  Get In Touch With Old Friends:

Carrying on with life, we occasionally remember cherished friends, dear colleagues, and old 

neighbours from our yesteryear. We keep them in thought. So, take the initiative and dig up old 

diaries, look up their numbers and do invite them over. Meeting dear old ones de-stresses us

 and makes up for all irritants and setbacks in our life.  

12.  Take Out Time For Yourself:

Every minute we are busy doing something or the other. How many of us take time out to be 

absolutely alone with our own self? Being alone give each one of us breathing space that we need. 

Yes, even from our spouses. Being alone gives us a chance to think quietly. 

It helps us ponder over things that we would like to do and dreams that we would like to realise. 

It enables us to be at peace with ourselves and makes us happier.  

13.  Create a peaceful environment:

When we live and work in a properly arranged environment, it is much easier to develop and 

maintain a positive attitude.   Make the surroundings restful. Ensure optimal lighting and temperature. 

Keep the rooms clutter-free; put in comfortable furniture. Bring in plants, music, and whatever 

else that keeps you relaxed. 

When we are calm and at peace our pulse rate and blood pressure decrease, our muscles relax. 

This helps us to concentrate better on the job at hand. A job well done-be it cooking, cleaning, 

or office work-brings with it a sense of achievement and elation.  

14.  Be Less Reactive:

Your kid did not clear up her plate after dinner. The driver in the car on your left swerved too 

close to you, the bank clerk was being too slow. Do not get bothered and react in the expected 

manner. Let it pass. At all costs do not shout whatever the provocation. 

Anger makes it impossible for you to think rationally. 

Moreover, a reactive person who shouts is a real turn-off for others. Note that being non-over

 reactive does not let any stress build up in you. 

You remain more focussed on the job at hand.  

15.  Bring Humour Into Your Life:

By choice, have occasions that make you laugh happily into your day. Share jokes with your family, 

watch a humorous film, and tell your colleagues funny incidents. In short, anything that will amuse

 you and others around you.  

16.  Accept People As They Are-Even Your Spouse:

If only my husband would help with some chores in the morning. If only my mother-in-law would 

take more responsibility of the children, if only my father-in-law would remember to lower the TV

 volume, things can be different. We expect everyone to change according to our point of view. 

Obviously when this 

does not happen, we are disillusioned and we keep complaining. This brings negativity into our 

relationship with these people. 

Do accept people as they are. Once others see your unconditional love for them, they will try their

 best to do things that will please you.   

17.  Be Grateful:

Begin by noticing in what way you are dependent on others-your family, your friends, relatives, 

neighbours, and even people who serve you such as servants, shopkeepers and so on. Let them 

know that you genuinely appreciate all that they do for you. 

While there may certainly be differences with them, gratitude will enable you to appreciate, rather 

than struggle against those differences. Remember, gratitude, inner peace, and happiness go hand 

in hand.

18.  Stop Blaming Others:

We always believe that if anything has gone wrong with things, it must be someone else's fault. 

In life, others are responsible for our frustration, stress, and unhappiness. This means that we do

 not control our life: our frame of mind is dependent on the actions and behaviour of others. For

 a change hold yourself 

responsible for your happiness, for your circumstances, for your life. This will put you in charge

 of your happiness.   

*19.  Make Someone Else's Day Happier:*

Everyday, resolve to so at least one thing that will make someone other than you happy.   

It may be as small a thing as buying milk for your neighbour or giving away a frock for your 

maid's daughter or giving up your seat in the bus for a woman with a child. 

These little, often unnoticed acts of kindness, will fill you with warmth that will glow inside you

 all day long and before long, become your way of life. More importantly, don't talk about the

 good deed to anyone at home, workplace or elsewhere.

20.  Tell Your Family And Friends That You Love Them:

We know that we love our family and friends, and they love us in return. Yet, we are at times 

too shy or too stiff to utter them to the people we love. Don't hesitate, Say what you feel to your

 loved ones and you will be filled with an inner peace and confidence on hearing them say the

 same words to you. 

21.  Keep A Diary:

Always keep a diary and pen with you. Make a habit of writing down all the good things that 

happen to you during the day. By writing down about the precious moments of your life, they 

become a part of our lives. The positive feeling comes back whenever we revisit happy moments 

through our diary.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But soon or late the man who wins

Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!