Happiness may mean different things to different people, but we all know it when we see it. However, as easy as it is to notice things that make us happy, it can be hard to see the things that are keeping us from happiness. They may not be things that necessarily make us unhappy, but they’re certainly things that keep us from getting the most happiness we can achieve. Take a look at these 5 examples of how we may be standing in the way of our own happiness!
Comparing Yourself To Others
Some say that comparing yourself to others will help you see what you’re missing in life and encourage you to do better, but this is exactly why it fails. With everybody being so unique and needing different things in life, comparing does little more than make you feel inadequate. You risk starting to chase false dreams and achieving achievements meant for other people. If you didn’t care about getting a three-car garage before, why would you now just because somebody else wants it? Stick to your own goals.
Being In A Bad Relationship
Relationships can take up a large part of our lives. If they’re healthy, then they’ll improve you mentally and emotionally. But if they’re unhealthy, they can bring you down drastically. This is the case not only with lovers, but with friends. Some friends you may keep around simply out of habit, but it’s important to notice and take action if a friend has been consistently inappropriate toward you. Talk to your friend or lover about the behaviors you’ve noticed and try to make your relationship with them a happy one again.
Making Excuses
There may be some legitimate reasons why you haven’t finished your novel yet, but there may also just be excuses as to why it’s better for you to watch television all night instead. If you want to achieve what you want to achieve in life, take ownership for all that you do, even the bad stuff. If you keep making excuses, all you’re going to do is keep dodging responsibility in life, which will not only make you look bad socially, but make you feel inadequate.
You Don’t Know What You Want
It’s okay to have some uncertainty about where the future will take you, but you also should have some sort of plan in place for what you want in life. It could be your career, an outside hobby, a relationship, house ownership, or anything else that requires thought past what you’re going to eat for lunch today. Knowing what you want will help you feel more purposeful, and you can start working toward goals instead of feeling like you’re floating around waiting for something good to happen.
Not Treating Everyone As An Equal
Thinking you’re better than someone else doesn’t actually make you better than that person. If anything, it actually means the opposite. Much like our first point about not trying to compare yourself to others in case you feel you’re behind them, comparing yourself and concluding that you’re ahead of them still doesn’t do you any favors. Superiority complexes will make you more afraid to actually fail, which in turn will make you afraid of trying. Stop trying to be better than others and start recognizing that they’re equal to you regardless of how they live or what they do. We’re all people, after all.
What have you done in life to improve your own happiness? How difficult was it to stick to? Share with us in the comments!
