Here’s a sick truth about humans: many of us intentionally avoid happiness. Why? Because most of us, on some level, feel bad about feeling good. As if it’s selfish to experience happiness and express joy when the world around us appears bleak. Or when we did that one terrible thing five years ago. Or when other priorities feel more important, like our parents’ or boss’ approval.
Others know they deserve happiness—just not yet. They compartmentalize it as some abstract future reward, as if they’re only allowed to relax and have fun in life when they retire from that job or move into that bigger house or settle down with that life partner. Everything will be better then, right? (Spoiler alert: it won’t)
Here’s the thing—by not prioritizing your own happiness today, you’re actually committing a very selfish act. If you don’t work on yourself first and get better at feeling good, you deprive others of your own positivity and joy that could have been shared if you were only in a better state of mind. With an epidemic of sadness and loneliness plaguing much of the world today, you have a responsibility to yourself, to your community and to your loved ones to be happier—because in so doing, you help the world become that much more of a happier place for us all.
Still not convinced? Here are three more reasons why you should prioritize your own happiness right now:
Happiness Energizes
Have you ever noticed how happier people tend to be more energetic and attentive, and just overall more engaged with life? That’s because happiness acts almost like an electric generator. The happier we feel, the more energy we have to spend it on those around us. Rather than discharge that energy inward and feel drained like we do when we’re hurting inside or resisting life, we’re able to channel that energy outwards. We’re able to be more attentive with our loved ones, to be more playful with our kids and to be more spirited and compassionate with our neighbors, colleagues and community. Stored in the form of excitement and creativity, this energy also allows us to tackle more complex and meaningful work and embark on more ambitious journeys. Because the happier we feel, the more we expand into life. And the more we expand into life, the more energy we have to make confident and sound life decisions that set us and those around us on a happier, brighter path.
Happiness Attracts
There’s something magnetic about genuinely happy people. We want to be around those that make us feel good, protected and accepted. By allowing your inner ball of light to shine bright, you’re casting a signal to anyone within range that’s willing to receive it. And more often than not, that signal will be picked up by other like-minded, positive people who in turn will reciprocate your positivity and reinforce your happier way of being. You’ll also attract people who just want to be happier, but either don’t realize it yet or simply don’t know how. This will give you the opportunity to demonstrate a happier way of being through the life you lead, the things you care about and the way you deal with setbacks and criticisms. Finally, happiness attracts opportunities. Good employers seek positive, empathetic people to influence their company’s culture and lead their workforce. Romantic partners and friends seek happy, open-minded sidekicks to share adventures and experiences with. Just by being a little bit happier and more accepting of the world around you, the world accepts you back. Happiness is power.
Happiness Influences
Happiness is contagious. Think of the last time a stranger smiled at you out of the blue. How did that make you feel? It probably lifted you up into a more upbeat mood, right? Maybe it even inspired you to “pay it forward” with similar gestures of goodwill to others, provoking you to hold the door for someone that day or add some extra levity to your interaction with the grocery store clerk. And then like a domino effect, those that you touched may in turn have felt compelled to share the same warmth with others that you just showed them. What I want you to focus on here is the power of influence. Just by being a little extra nice and attentive to one person, you have the power to touch thousands. By being first to engage, first to smile, first to ask someone how their day is going, you serve as the spark that lights people up inside. You show people that it’s OK to lower their barriers and inhibitions for a moment—to live their lives and express themselves on their terms. Like a torch in the Olympics, you serve as the fire bearer igniting other people’s torches, who in turn go on to spread that fire to others, and so on until the world becomes that much brighter and warmer.
Happiness Must Be Practiced
But it takes effort over time. We must consistently choose to think thoughts and take actions that fuel our little ball of light and help us cast it out into the world. And the more we practice happiness, the better we become at it. So I invite you now to live differently. To embrace the good that’s already there, to see only the beauty in others, and to forgive and forget past grievances, real and imagined. I invite you to live in blissful ignorance and grow your light and share it with others. Because life is short. Why not spend it being happier?
