When your happiness is only tied to things that are always changing, you’re going to get easily caught up in the “highs” and “lows.” In certain times, it’s necessary to have sources of happiness that aren’t tied to anyone but yourself.
It’s incredibly important to find sources of happiness in your life that aren’t tied to people or stuff.
Because you can’t always depend on “people” or “stuff” to be there for you all of the time. So if your happiness is only tied to them, it’s going to be much easier to lose that happiness when they are gone.
People come and go. You probably don’t hang out with the same people you did 10 years ago, and you probably won’t hang out with the same people 10 years into the future either. Relationships change: people move, people change jobs, people die, or people just lose touch over time.
Material things come and go. Your new car eventually breaks down. Your new phone eventually becomes outdated. Your new computer eventually stops working. You lose things. You forget things. You get a short high when you first buy something, and then it quickly fades away.
When your happiness is only tied to things that are always changing, you’re going to get easily caught up in the inevitable “ups” and “downs” in life.
During certain times, it’s necessary to have sources of happiness that aren’t tied to anyone but yourself. Here are 3 sources of happiness that aren’t tied to people or material things.
1. Learning new things
One of my main sources of happiness is learning new things.
There is always more to learn and explore in this world. There are many days I’ve gotten pleasantly lost searching for knowledge about all sorts of topics and subjects: psychology, music, economics, politics, history, and philosophy.
Just learning for the sake of learning is something that can be very fulfilling. Even learning about something that has nothing to do with your life personally can be a great way to enter a new world and expand yourself as a human being.
It feels good to better understand the world and how it works. There is a great joy and satisfaction in just learning something new each day – about anything, but especially things that you have a strong interest in.
It doesn’t have to be anything complicated either.
Just learning a new recipe, or learning a new dance, or learning a new magic trick can lead you to feel a little more accomplished and happier. It’s good for your self-esteem and it’s good for your brain.
In fact, studies show that learning a new piece of information can activate the “reward parts” of our brain and release dopamine (in the same way our brains respond to food, sex, and drugs).
Perhaps you’ve graduated school already – but your mind still craves to continue learning more and absorbing more. Learning for the sake of learning can be a very pleasurable experience.
2. Pursuing creative and meaningful goals
Another huge source of happiness for me is pursuing meaningful goals.
These include goals outside of work and home life, which could mean anything from writing a book, to creating a song, to starting a blog, to taking up photography.
It’s healthy to have a goal that you’re pursuing just for yourself and your own joy and satisfaction.
For example, whenever I’m feeling really down and beaten by life, I’m always motivated to work on creating electronic music. I do it strictly for myself and my own well-being. It functions as a type of “backbone” in my life when things start to feel chaotic or out-of-control.
We all need that backbone in life – a meaningful goal or hobby that we can go to even when we have nothing else going well for ourselves. A creative activity that can keep us centered and balanced whenever we need it.
Do you know what that backbone is for you? That goal or hobby that is always there for you to focus on when you’re feeling down?
It’s important to have one if you don’t already.
Albert Einstein once famously said, “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” That’s great wisdom for how to live a more purposeful and meaningful life.
If you have trouble thinking of a creative goal to pursue, try to think of what you’ve always been naturally interested in (or activities that interested in you as a child).
The goal of these creative hobbies is to create. Don’t worry about not “being good” or “being professional” when you first pick up a guitar or try to write a poem – those thoughts are a trap. Just create for the sake of creating and enjoy yourself in the process.
3. Stopping to reflect and appreciate
If you can’t just stop, reflect, and appreciate life every now and then, it’s going to be difficult to find any amount of happiness.
You have to learn how to just sit and appreciate things exactly as they are, without always wanting to change them if you want to experience real happiness.
There is nothing to me like just sitting in the sun in the afternoon or staring at the stars at night – and being completely at bliss with the present moment.
Appreciating moments of everyday nature is one easily available source of happiness. There’s often a lot of beauty to be found in our daily surroundings if we only step back and pay attention to them.
It’s important to remember that happiness can be generated from within, especially if you focus on healthy mental habits such as finding things to be grateful for, reflecting on your strengths, or cultivating a healthy perspective of your life.
These are all habits that are part of my daily routine, and I can do them no matter where I am or what the current state of my life looks like. They are an instant mental health boost.
Conclusion
Of course, these aren’t the only sources of happiness. But it helps to have multiple sources of happiness, especially ones that aren’t always tied to people or stuff.
These are sources of happiness that only require you, and that’s what can make them such a powerful reservoir to draw from when you need that extra boost in your mental health and well-being.
It’s important to remind yourself just how many different sources of positivity you have to absorb from on a daily basis (including the power of simple pleasures that we often take for granted).
Create your own list of “sources of happiness” and save it somewhere, especially things that are unique to you. Then, the next time you are feeling down, you have a bunch of different choices to draw from to help lift your spirits.
Are you taking advantage of all the sources of happiness in your life? What are ways you can better use the sources of happiness mentioned in this article (learning new things, meaningful goals, and positive reflection)?
Can you think of any other sources of happiness in your life that aren’t tied to people or material things?
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