12 Things To Let Go If You Really Want to Live A Happy Life
By Taseer Ahmad
September 27, 2016 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
What is that one thing in life that you think will make you happy?
For some people, it’s getting a high-paying job. For others, it’s being able to buy their dream houses and finding the love of their lives. Depending on who you ask, the list can really get long. The truth, however, is that none of these things can really make you experience true happiness.
If you want to live a genuinely happy life, you need to learn to let go and be happy. Here are some of the things you need to relinquish.
1. Expectation from Others
Expecting more from others and less from yourself can ruin your life. If you want something, then you should work hard to achieve that. You can’t expect people to give you something that they also need.
You have to be responsible for yourself. No one can make you happy but yourself. People who are successful are not dependent on others.
2. The Thoughts of Becoming Rich
Dreaming of becoming the next CEO of a corporate company is good, but limiting yourself to such thoughts is bad. If you want to be rich, you need to work on your dreams.
Read a lot and find people who have achieved their goals so that you can get motivated. A happy life is not just about dreaming; it’s about working really hard to achieve your goals.
3. Trying to be Perfect
I know a lot of people who think that someone with lots of money is perfect. They claim that if you have the money, you can buy everything you want to be happy and perfect.
Unfortunately, however, perfection doesn’t exist. If you want to be happy, perfection shouldn’t exist in your mind.
See Also: 12 Techniques to Help You Live a Happy and Fulfilled Life
4. Holding Grudges
People who hold grudges with their relatives, friends, and neighbors are usually unable to find happiness- unless they let go of those grudges.
To get a life full of colors, you should step forward to restore the relationships that once mattered to you. Make yourself free from the resentment and work your way towards a better life.
5. Trying to Control Everything
Most of the things that happen to us are not always in our control. There is no magic wand to turn life the way we want.
Instead, you should let your life happen as it should. If you frown all the time at the things that are against you, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with more negative things and events.
To find true happiness, you should forget the desire to control.
6. Bemoaning the Past
If you want to be truly happy, you need to focus on what’s happening now. This may seem difficult, but once you learn how to forget the past, your life will be full of joy and happiness.
7. Being Judgmental
There are many people who just love the idea of looking into other people’s lives. This way of thinking drives their minds to compare themselves with other people to the point that they start feeling miserable about their lives.
Instead of wasting your time looking at others and what they do, try to focus on your life and how you can make it better. The time you spend on thinking about others can be put to better use, such as enhancing your skills or finding a new hobby.
8. Being Jealous of Others
People who bear malice to others cannot live a successful and happy life. Jealousy will make you feel desperate and it can steal all your happiness.
If someone has something you desire, don’t be jealous of him. He may have worked hard to achieve that. Instead of feeling jealous, try and do your best to achieve the same. Start working hard and set your goals, instead of getting angry and offensive.
Your life will be better if you can overcome the jealousy.
9. Feeling Insecure All the Time
If you’re passionate in your desire to live a happy life, then it’s time to let go of the feelings of insecurity. You’re different from other people and you should always bear that in mind.
If you worry all the time about your low status in society, no one will suffer the consequences but you. Your life will be full of sorrow and you’ll feel constantly low. The strength to culminate a happy life is only possible to achieve if you can stop feeling insecure.
See Also: 8 Inspiring Habits of Happy People
10. The Fear of Everything
Your worst enemy is fear; the fear of facing others, stepping up and failing. Most of the time, it is these things that steal your happiness. One moment you’ll feel great and awesome, but once you feel these fears, everything comes crumbling down again.
Fear is normal. Everyone experiences fear. However, if you want to be truly happy, you need to break the chain that’s holding you back and just let go and be happy.
11. Negativity in Life
People who are always sarcastic are less happy in life. It’s because their lives are dominated by negativity. They constantly make life complicated- which shouldn’t always be the case.
As the famous saying goes, “Life is only 10 % of what happens to you and 90 % of how you react to it.”
To be happy, you need to turn a deaf ear to the things that irk you. Live a life with positive thoughts and you’ll start to see things on the brighter side.
12. A Narcissistic Attitude
Most of the people who show narcissistic behaviors cannot make a life that is praiseworthy. Instead, they live a life full of dull and negative thoughts. This makes them very uncomfortable to the point that they start living an unhappy life.
Instead of drowning yourself in such thoughts, you need to really let go and be happy. Do no be obsessed about yourself and the things that are happening to you. Instead, you need to learn to understand and think of other people, too.
Conclusion
If you want happiness, your main aim in life should not be about becoming the richest person in the world or the most popular one. Instead, you should live your life to the fullest and grasp all of the positive things that come along. Stop chasing the material things and just enjoy what you have today.
Taseer Ahmad
Taseer Ahmad is a freelance writer who writes about Personal Development, and Health & Wellness. Got something to say? Just drop him a line or say hi.