What is your topic?
Becoming Happier: How I Learned to Find Happiness Through a Positive Mindset, Personal Growth, and Work-Life Balance.
What was your life like BEFORE you addressed this issue in your life?
Before, I was extremely goal-oriented and always concentrated on my personal development, goal achievement, career building, and taking up new challenges. Just like any other goal-oriented individual, at times, I used to measure my success in terms of work-related accomplishments.
It dawned on me slowly that always striving for the next milestone would make one miss the happiness in their lives. There have been moments where my professional commitments left me with no room left for me and made me oblivious to the happiness in my life.
I came to realize that success and happiness ought to be linked together. It is important to build a career, but at the same time, it is equally important to enjoy the process.
What emotions were you feeling BEFORE you dealt with the issue?
Sometimes, I felt extremely overwhelmed and frustrated when everything went against my expectations. Moreover, there was a tendency to overthink certain situations and pay too much attention to things which were out of my control.
I think this happens to many people, especially entrepreneurs and professionals who have lots of responsibility. You can be successful in your profession and still feel like something is wrong in your personal life.
What I wanted was to become a more peaceful person and stop being affected by my daily routine.
How was this issue affecting your life?
It was also reflected in my outlook on life. Sometimes I used to give more significance to my professional issues than my personal ones.
I found that by always looking ahead in your life, you might tend to miss out on the present moment. It is because even after achieving your goal, you always have another target to look forward to.
I realized that such an attitude would cause unnecessary pressure for me. My desire was to be a person who was both ambitious and content with their day-to-day life.
What primary strategy or practice did you implement to address the issue?
I began to make little changes in my daily mindset and life.
Firstly, I began to value my inner peace over unnecessary stress. I understood that not every challenge requires an immediate reaction and not every situation requires my attention.
Secondly, I started to appreciate little victories instead of always waiting for big milestones to satisfy me.
Thirdly, I started to focus on maintaining a healthy balance between work and life. I understood that resting, spending time with people that I care about, and sometimes leaving work is a part of success.
Also, I focused on gratitude, positive thinking, learning, and surrounding myself with people that support me in becoming a better person and professional.
But most importantly, I stopped comparing myself with others.
Where did you hear about this strategy or practice?
These lessons have been acquired by me through a number of means such as personal experience, interaction with people, difficulties at work and the way people who are successful in their lives manage their lives.
Having a background in business and digital marketing, I have been associated with various professionals and entrepreneurs and have come to know that success does not just mean wealth, fame or professional accomplishments.
Sometimes, certain experiences can teach us more about happiness and patience than all books and motivational lectures put together.
Please provide our readers with the individual strategic steps you took.
The following actions should be taken first:
Step 1: Stop comparing yourself with other people.
Not everyone has the same conditions, chances, duties, and timing. Concentrate on your progress rather than evaluating your life through the success of another person.
Step 2: Try being thankful.
Try to list at least three things every day that you are thankful for. It may be something ordinary; good health, people around you, quiet mornings, accomplishing a task – anything that you could appreciate.
Step 3: Separate your personal life from working one.
Do not stay available all the time; give yourself time for yourself. Being available all the time is not going to guarantee your success.
Step 4: Master controlling your reactions.
Although you cannot control the situation, you have a chance to control your reaction. Think about the situation before reacting to it.
Step 5: Acknowledge your little successes.
There is no need to wait until you reach a certain goal to celebrate yourself; it is important to acknowledge the progress you have made daily.
Step 6: Surround yourself with positive-minded individuals.
You should spend more time with people who motivate you and value your goals. It is possible for your environment to affect your outlook.
Step 7: Create some time for yourself.
You can spend some time engaging in activities that you like such as walking, trying something new, learning something new, or just taking some time away from work.
Step 8: Acknowledge that not all things will go accordingly.
Sometimes unexpected situations will arise in your life, but instead of letting them break you down, you should embrace them as learning experiences.
The thing is that it is important to be consistent; it is not necessary to change your whole lifestyle in one day.
How long did it take before you saw or felt changes occurring?
I believe that being happier is an ongoing process and not an event that occurs overnight.
Initially, things began changing when I was more aware of my thinking process, reaction, and priorities. Improvement in my way of thinking could be noticed in a couple of weeks while the overall approach to my life took a little longer time.
It was mostly about my reactions towards any situation in my life; things which used to create frustration in me now become easier.
Finally, I started enjoying things around me rather than being concerned about something big always.
What challenges did you face along the way of your personal transformation?
One of the hardest aspects was overcoming my mentality. If you’ve dedicated a lot of your life to being responsible and setting professional goals, it’s not always easy to start focusing on your own happiness.
Learning not to over-analyze every situation was another obstacle. Being an ambitious person, you always strive to solve the issues and move forward. But sometimes you should realize that some things will require patience.
Consistency was also difficult to achieve. There are some hectic moments when it’s difficult to concentrate on your professional goals and return to previous habits.
How did you address those challenges?
I dealt with these issues by telling myself that personal happiness was not something to be delayed until everything else got done.
I began living one day at a time instead of putting unreasonable pressure on myself to fix everything all at once.
In addition, I also became much more careful about where I directed my efforts and resources. I learned how to concentrate on what I could manage and accept what I could not.
Every time I caught myself sliding back into my old ways, I attempted to realign my priorities rather than get upset with myself.
I feel personal development demands patience. One needs to be kind to oneself as they would be to any other individual.
What is life like for you now?
Now, I look at life from a more balanced and optimistic perspective. I do have goals in my career; however, I no longer think that career success comes at the cost of my happiness.
I value relationships, personal growth, learning new stuff, and the ability to choose for myself and my happiness.
I also realize that there will always be hard days, and happiness does not mean that everything will be perfect. This is about developing an outlook which will help you to enjoy the good moments and face the hard times without compromising your inner peace.
I want to achieve my career success while enjoying the process.
From a broader perspective, what you have learned about yourself through this experience?
I have come to realise that I am stronger than I often think that I am. There will always be times when life tests you mentally, physically, and emotionally.
I have also realised that happiness cannot be completely dependent on external factors.
One of the key lessons that I have learnt is that ambition and happiness are not contradictory terms. You can aspire to great heights and create something valuable in your life without forgetting to appreciate what you already have.
I have also become more aware of the need to be empathic, patient, and understanding. Everyone is battling his or her own problems and should be kind to themselves and others.
What advice would you give others facing this challenge?
What I would recommend is for them to cease putting off their happiness.
They keep telling themselves that they would be happy when they get promoted, start their own businesses, earn more money, buy houses, or reach certain objectives. As soon as they reach their objective, they set a new one.
This is not wrong in any way. However, they should not let their ambitions rob them of their capacity to experience life.
Cater to their mental health, cherish their loved ones, and know how to take joy in small things.
Above all else, they should realize that happiness does not require them to lead a perfect life. They just need to have better relationships with themselves and the surroundings.
What would you tell your younger self if you could go back?
I would caution my younger self to ease up on putting too much pressure into everything and getting everything done fast.
Life is not a race and everyone’s experience is unique, focus on acquiring knowledge, making real connections, forming healthy habits, and improving yourself.
Failure and what other people say will not define you; have patience with yourself and understand that sometimes the greatest lessons are learned from those things that appear like failure at first.
I would also tell myself to embrace the moment instead of being concerned about the future all the time. It goes by fast, and there are certain things that can never be experienced again.
If others reading this would like to connect with you to ask questions, are you open to that?
Of course. I always like meeting people, having discussions and sharing my experiences that could help someone to develop their professional or personal life.
I think it really makes a difference. Everyone is invited to contact me via my professional and social networking sites.