psychology
4 simple rules that will make you more successful and happier
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Is your life not developing the way you want or imagine it? Or maybe you feel like you’re making the wrong decisions all the time. These four simple rules can help you live a successful and happy life.
What do we really need for a good life? A responsible job, a picture-perfect family and a lot of money? In truth, it’s a lot easier because we have a lot of control over how well things go for us. Once our basic needs are met – a safe environment, enough to eat and a roof over our heads – the success of our lives lies more in ourselves than we often think. And not just because of how hard we fight for supposed success. These simple rules that guide our lives and values can make a huge difference to our happiness.
These 4 rules of life make us happier and more successful
1. Let go of the expectations of others
We are told from an early age what our life has to look like in order for it to be considered successful. The older we get, the more we usually notice: the expectations of society and our environment do not necessarily have to be the things that actually make us happy. We are free to design how our life should look like. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, have 1.5 children and buy a house, the best thing to do is to feel good about your life. But if you prefer to travel, do volunteer work or want to use your time and energy for something completely different, you will be no less successful. The sooner we manage to separate the expectations of others from our own desires, the happier we will be.
2. Celebrate small wins
In life, there is usually only a lot of recognition for great successes – such as a new job, a wedding or the purchase of a condominium. In order to be satisfied in the long term, we should definitely pay attention to the small things. Maybe we jumped over our shadow and finally spoke to our crush. Or we manage to get up earlier on a regular basis. These achievements also deserve to be celebrated!
3. Hesitation usually means no
Do you know that too? Are you faced with a decision and just don’t know whether to say yes or no? Perhaps you are unsure whether to accept a project at work or take the next step in your relationship. There is a simple rule that can be of great help to us in almost all decisions in life: if we struggle with saying yes and cannot really commit to it, it is usually because we actually mean no. Because if we really want something and are passionate about it, then we usually feel it. Our life becomes a lot easier if we observe this principle: If it’s not a clear yes, it’s usually a no.
4. Be thankful
In our society, we constantly strive for growth. We should always want more and just not be satisfied with what we have. But this attitude is often the root of all unhappiness. Because if we only ever think about what we supposedly lack so that we are finally satisfied, we will never feel successful. Instead, we should regularly remind ourselves of what we already have. This can include little things like a good coffee, but also bigger things like our health, a nice apartment, our partner. Those who regularly practice gratitude are demonstrably happier and healthier.