I just took the” true happiness test “ and my grade was A . The test reveals weak areas requiring improving as well as the powerful areas that make someone satisfied.

About My Grade:

“You scored high in both recollected and experienced happiness. You’re feeling competent, independent, and have good relations with buddies — all main factors to your happiness. Your positive disposition reflects your desire and capability to thrive on an everyday basis. Continue to support your healthy self-image by making improvements to your home and spending time on activities that really interest you.” From bluezones

It left out the main reason , however , which is God’s presence in my life. I knew I was a pretty ecstatic guy, but failed to know I might score that high. After I took the test, I began to try and appraise why I’m happy. I have some things in my life, as well as others, that could pull me down, but I tend to focus on the nice things, and I believe the 7 ways to improve your happiness now, mentioned below, are all necessary so as to be content.

7 tactics to boost your happiness beginning now These are based on my own experience; I hope you find them helpful:

1. Enhance your finances

2. Improve your health

3. Improve relationships

4. Do more things that you like

5. Go to new places and meet new friends

6. Get a pet

7. Develop your spiritual life

Improve your finances:

It is crucial to your happiness to have your financials in order. Some buy things thinking they are going to make them content, and basically infrequently it takes away from their happiness. When you have to struggle to pay for all the things you have purchased, and are continually living on the monetary edge, it is tough to have much happiness.

If you’re young particularly, it is so crucial to learn finances and make some sensible financial decisions. These are some things that I suggest that you begin to do now: Pay off your debts beginning with the tiniest. As fast as you pay off a bill, take the amount you are paying on it and pay off the next one until you are paid off. In the meanwhile, avoid the enticement to buy anything else.

The difference in how people with money spend their money contrasted with folk who don’t is that folk with cash buy assets, while folk who do not have cash buy un-needed junk that frequently winds up in a garage sale.

Be wise in how you spend your money; live below your means to save. Remember, it is not how much you earn but how well you manage what you earn. It’s not a case of reducing the quality of your life either, but a matter of better managing your spending and saving.

There are a lot of highly paid folk who live from salary check to salary check. They have not learned the way to manage cash either. I read lately that a famous movie star’s home in Florida is in foreclosure; he was the top box office draw for years and made millions. He isn’t the sole celebrity who is in trouble financially; there are many others. So once more, it is not how much you earn as it is how you manage what you earn.

A widely known businessman on the Internet was chatting recently about his surprise when his mummy told him she was retiring with over one million bucks from her job as the church secretary. Church secretary does not pay that much but apparently she knew ways to manage cash.

Take a little time to evaluate your finances, and make some plans concerning how to get them under control and be sure to start to save for retirement unless you intend to work until you drop over dead.

Enhance your health:

It is tough to be content if you are suffering from poor health. Folk with poor health typically suffer with lots of discomfort or restrictions. I was sitting on a park bench today at the beach on a beautiful warm day in Florida, when a man and his wife came along. They paused to ask about my dog. We chatted for some time and I spotted he had a respiring problem. Before long he took out a gasper pack and lit up. He didn’t smoke the whole ciggie; he punctiliously put it out and then replaced the remainder back into the package for later on. It never fails to amaze me how some knowingly destroy their vitality. I had 2 mates who had lung cancer and continued to smoke right up until they died. I have not smoked,. So I do not know what it is like, but I frequently wonder what it is about a gasper that is more crucial than health or maybe life for a matter of fact.

Habits that include health hazards are not worth it. Your health is an important ingredient to happiness. Here’s the thing: It is just as straightforward to maintain good health as it is to tear your wellbeing down with nasty habits, bad eating and lack of exercise. You may have good health by changing a few things about your lifestyle and by doing just a bit each day to maintain it. It’s correct that we do not have complete control over our health, but we do have lots of control over it.

Improve relationships:

The first sentence above of the evaluation of my happiness test says: “You scored high in both remembered and experienced happiness. You feel competent, independent, and have good relationships with friends “all main factors to your happiness.”

If there's one thing in life that's more crucial than all the rest as far as happiness, it would be relationships. It doesn’t matter what you have, if you have got no one to enjoy life with, it is trivial. Some individuals mess off all their mates and wind up alone, disgruntle and sad. Relationships like pretty much anything else need maintenance and care to grow and to survive. The best rule of thumb when it comes to improving relations is the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Do more things that you enjoy:

I could add to the above,” and less of the things you do not enjoy .” For years I was in a situation that needed regular meetings. If those meeting had been needed and had purpose, it would be different but for the main part they weren’t; so I developed a dislike concerning conferences and till this day I avoid them; I hate them. I am at the point today where I’ll select the things I do and so I do only a few things that I simply do not enjoy.

One of the great things about having a powerful finance state is the power to do more of the things you like in life. I enjoy travel, so I’ve traveled in 49 states and a number of other nations. You can’t do this if you do not get on top of your money affairs when you are young.

Go to new places and meet new people:

One of the things I’m hoping to do in late 2012 is to make a journey to China for a year and teach English in a university. I would be teaching about 400 Chinese students. While this is not yet for certain, I’m hoping it works out. That to me is something entirely different from anything I have done before, and the thought of meeting that many new, youngsters and in another country, is so much fun.

But it doesn’t need to be something as extreme as that; it can be going to new places in your own community and meeting new folks and making new buddies.

Get a pet:

Excuse me for using so many private examples in this piece nonetheless it is based on my very own experiences of things that have added happiness to my life, so I imagine in this case it’s alright.

Having a pet is so important to me. I’ve owned pets all though my life, both cats and dogs, though I prefer dogs. All my pets have been outside pets till the present one. I presently have a West Highland Terrier, referred to as “Westy”, who is an insider dog.

How I came about him is a sad story. My spouse always wanted a Westy, but since I never liked to have an inside dog, we never got one, that is until she got sick with cancer and then I agreed to get one. She purchased him when he was two months old and he was so small that she regularly carried him in a large purse with just his head sticking out.

The doleful part is that she died 11 months after getting the dog. He was completely her dog till she died and then he turned to me and has been at my side for over six years now. He has been such a help to me during the mourning period, and to this day he is happy just being where I am. I might hate worst than anything to be without him; he adds so much happiness to my life. I travel in a motor home, and together he and I’ve been in 37 states. It is a undisputed fact that folk with dogs are more happy and also live for longer.

Develop your spiritual life:

More than the rest in my life, the spiritual connection I’ve had with God has given me happiness, happiness and purpose. Even through the tricky times of my life, and perhaps especially during those times, God’s presence has brought me thru. I can’t imagine going through life alone without God.

I can recollect years ago reading a poem that has stuck with me. I found it online. The original writer is unknown. This copy is provided by Margaret Fishback Powers.

I Had a Dream

One night I had a dream
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets
of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me
and the other to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only 1 set of footprints.
I spotted that this was at the lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This always bothered me
and I was critical of the Lord
about my dilemma.
“Lord, you told me when I determined to follow You,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I am aware that in the most wearisome
times of my life there’s just one set of footprints.
I do not see why, when I required You most,
you leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious, valuable kid,
I like you and will never leave you
never, ever during your times of trial and testings.
When you saw only 1 set of footprints
It was then that I carried you.”

Conclusion:

It’s a good thing to go thru life with a measure of happiness, but happiness is not the most crucial thing. My life goal isn’t focused entirely on maintaining a state of happiness but rather on satisfying purpose. I know what my gifts are and I know what my purpose is, so I am involved in that. Happiness seems to be kind of an after effect. One thing I’m sure of, and that is my happiness is more dependent upon my spiritual relationship with God than any other thing. When your relationship with God comes first, it is much easier to experience a continued state of happiness.

Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and writer who has been involved in teaching Christian Private Development for at least 30 years. He’s a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ and considers helping people his calling in life. His site contains over 600 articles on preparing yourself for success through personal development and the things which accompany private development.

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