48 Realistic Laws Of Happiness To Manifest A Truly Content Life
Follow these to manifest a truly content life.
Kostiantyn Voitenko / Shutterstock I have a confession to make. I’ve not read The 48 Laws of Power.
However, I do know the 48 laws of happiness. I’m sharing those with you below.
They’re in no particular order.
Here are 48 realistic laws of happiness to manifest a truly content life:
1. Humans are social beings
We need true friends and family to be happy. This is the most annoyingly basic rule of happiness people ignore to this day. Build genuine relationships with good people and let that fuel your life.
2. Stop comparing yourself with others
You were born and raised differently. You have a different past and present. You want a different future. You have different strengths and weaknesses. You’re you. How on earth does it make sense to compare yourself with others? Compare yourself with only your former self.
3. Money does not equal happiness
Chasing money when you’re unhappy is like collecting diamonds when you’re stuck on a deserted island. What are you even going to do with the diamonds if you never get rescued?
4. Achievements do not lead to sustainable happiness
What achievement in life has given you sustainable happiness? What you feel after achieving something is not happiness. It’s only a high. Which, by definition is not sustainable. Sustainable happiness comes from doing what you love and loving what you do.
5. Sweating = happiness
Our moods are determined by our hormone levels. Which, in turn, is optimized by exercise. Get moving.
6. Looks don’t matter
I know several people who look like Gods and Goddesses but don’t have an ounce of happiness in their lives. In fact, their gorgeous looks are often their major source of misery.
7. Become a little bit better every day
Seeing yourself grow as a person brings tons of happiness. Don’t stay stagnant. Always keep improving yourself.
8. Be creative
You don’t necessarily have to make a career out of it. But keep creating something. Cook something original. Write a song. Paint a picture. Fold paper. Whatever.
9. Play an instrument
Every single person on the planet likes music. It’s as essential to us as food. Don’t just listen to music. Play an instrument. I particularly like to spend some time every evening playing my Uke.
10. Practice minimalism
You don’t need more stuff. In fact, you need to get rid of most of your stuff. Stop finding happiness in buying things and start receiving happiness by letting go of things.
11. Everything is temporary
We suffer when we attach feelings of desire and aversion to temporary things (which is everything). Tell yourself — this too shall pass.
12. Stop living in fear
We spend so much of our lives in fear of the future. Ask yourself — what’s the worst that could happen? Unless the answer is that you will die, you don’t need to fear it.
13. Low expectations = high happiness
Happiness is inversely proportional to expectations. Start living a life with absolutely minimum expectations.
14. Giving is happiness
I’ve never been more convinced that giving is receiving (happiness). It’s the kind of happiness you cannot find anywhere else. Give as much as you can.
15. Social Media is a lie
People only display their highs on social media. Don’t compare your reality to the meticulously filtered display of their lives.
16. The past is gone
It’s gone. Poof. It doesn’t exist. Stop being sad about what happened in the past. It’s ludicrous. Move on.
17. Pet a dog once in a while
Or a cat. Or a horse. Or a lion if you’re up for it. To be honest, animals are much better than humans.
18. Let a baby hold your finger
If a newborn has ever held your finger, you know what I’m talking about. Babies are innocent, naive, and godly. Spend time with babies whenever you get a chance.
19. Spend time in nature
It’s so odd. We’re nature. Yet, we’re the ones destroying nature and living further away from it. I fail to understand this. Nothing makes me calmer than taking a walk in a garden.
20. Live life one day at a time
The immensity of life can be quite overwhelming. Forget yesterday and tomorrow. Focus on today. Carpe Diem. Seize the day.
21. Be grateful
It’s not that happy people are grateful. It’s that grateful people are happy.
22. Stop complaining
Change what you can change. Be okay with what you can’t. But for the love of God, stop complaining.
23. Sleep well
I don't know why lack of sleep is romanticized in the name of hustle. Disrupted sleep = disrupted mood = disrupted happiness.
24. Learn to enjoy your own company
I know several people who just can’t be alone. They always need to hang out with someone. Don’t be that. Start enjoying your own company. Fall in love with yourself.
25. Learn to deal with adversities
Shit happens. Shit is supposed to happen. Learn to be okay with it. It’s not the end of the world.
26. Stay the hell away from negativity
Don’t watch the news. Ditch negative friends. Delete your own negative thoughts. Breathe positivity.
27. Say ‘I’m happy’ and mean it
I do believe happiness is a choice. And you can be happy in one second by saying with all genuineness the words — I’m happy.
28. Stop gossiping
Gossiping is just a mechanism to serve your ego. It serves no benefits and in fact, is harmful. Drag ‘Gossiping’ to the trash can and then empty the trash can into the Pacific lake.
29. Be obsessed with learning
The only truly happy people I know are obsessed with learning. Read books, watch video lessons, listen to podcasts, do courses, and learn from your own mistakes. Learn. Learn. Learn.
30. Bid farewell to your ego
The ego is the only thing that is responsible for everything wrong with the world — climate change, rapes, murders, disputes, and hunger. Every single thing.
31. Be kind
If you’re unkind to people and animals, it’s because you’re not happy. Treating people like sh*t is the norm in this world. This is why unhappiness is also the norm in the world.
32. Happiness depends on how you respond to everything
Respond to every situation, no matter how shitty with the word ‘Good’. Some good always comes out of even shitty situations.
33. Work hard
Contrary to popular belief, happiness is not easy. You have to work hard to truly be happy. You have to work hard to alter the situations in your life that you’re unhappy about.
34. Be up to something
The happiest people I know always have multiple passion projects they’re working on. They’re always up to something. Have many passion projects to improve your own life.
35. Love more than being loved
I truly believe that truly loving someone provides more happiness than being loved by someone.
36. Breathe
Spend some time every day to just be present.
37. Stop giving a crap about what people think about you
What you think about yourself is the only thing that matters. Do what you want to and love to do without worrying about people’s opinions.
38. Stop worrying about dumb stuff
A rule that helps: If the thing doesn’t affect what your life is going to be five years later, you shouldn’t worry about it.
39. Live below your means
I’m a big fan of living below my means. People spend more than they earn and the stress gnaws at their happiness.
40. Stop underestimating yourself
Believing that you can’t do something is another thing that gnaws at your happiness. Start believing that you can do anything you want in life. Because you can.
41. Dream big
I have unrealistic dreams. I want to have abs even at the age of 60. I want to write best-selling books. I want to give multiple TED talks. I want to help a billion people. These big dreams are what are the major source of happiness for me.
42. Regret nothing
“I wish I had…” Stop saying this. You did what you did. You didn’t what you didn’t. Regret solves nothing. It’s absolutely useless. Do what you can now.
43. Know how to chill
Hard work is important to manifest the life that you want to live. But so is relaxing. You don’t have to beat yourself up.
44. Forgive people even if they don’t apologize
Let go of the grudges you have against people. The grudges are harming you and not them. Hatred solves nothing.
45. Forgive yourself
In all 100 years of your life, you’re bound to make some mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up over them. Forgive yourself.
46. Don’t resist life
Unhappiness results from resisting what is. Learn to accept reality even if you don’t like it. The truth is, that the world will never be alright. Only you can be alright.
47. Find the balance between selfishness and selflessness
Being too selfish and being too selfless both lead to unhappiness. Be enough selfish to take care of your own self and selfless enough to not chew at someone else’s happiness.
48. Smiling makes you happy
Smiling sends signals to your brain which elevates your mood. Smile and laugh as much as you can.
Akshad Singi, M.D. has been published in Better Humans, Mind Cafe, and more.