The day before a vacation can be one of the happiest moments of the year. It’s the anticipation of fun, leaving the worries of work at home, and simply enjoying life. Sometimes the moments before a vacation can be just as exhilarating as the vacation itself. Why is this? Perhaps it has to do with being able to plan how we spend those brief two weeks of the year. It’s exciting to know we can actually plan on being happy! Here are a few tips to increase your happiness:
•Happiness Is In Your Hands. There is no single person or circumstance that can keep you perpetually happy. We can’t blame our income levels, our parents, or our abilities. When we play the blame game, we play the victim, and are unable to take control of our future. Instead, use the single most powerful gift that has been granted to each of us- freedom of choice. When we exercise our freedom to choose how we live, we are empowered to take responsibility for our actions and our happiness.
•Manage Your Expectations. We are usually happy when our expectations are met. Unfortunately, people may not always meet our expectations. Even those we deem close and loyal will let us down. When this happens, we can choose to be angry, or we can learn to manage our expectations. Managing our expectations means having an appropriate perspective on an outcome. For example, if we know that someone is not good at cooking, and yet we continually expect them to make gourmet dishes every evening, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. Managing expectations begins with two things:
1.Understand Strengths & Weaknesses- Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of people we associate with is one way to set healthy expectations in personal and business relationships. Take people for who they are and not who you’d like them to be.
2.Be Reasonable- It’s good to dream, but don’t let it go to your head. Our dreams and goals will involve the participation of others around us. Instead of merely thinking about what we want, we have to think about the wants of others. Be reasonable with your expectations by accounting for limitations and setting achievable goals. Everyone will be happier when our expectations are reasonable.
