3 Ways Your Perspective on Happiness Can Change Your Life

Written by: Angie Gira, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

Do you care about being happy?

I know I really cared about being happy, and I still do. I mean, I made a career out of helping people live a life that brings them true happiness, so needless to say, I’m an advocate.

While the value I place on happiness hasn’t changed, my perspective certainly has.

Prioritizing happiness led to some of my lowest moments, but it’s also what got me out of them.

I’ll share with you the 3 key perspective shifts I’ve learned about prioritizing happiness. 3 shifts have changed my life by allowing me to control my happiness instead of letting it control me.

Shift 1: Process Negative Emotions

When we care about feeling happy, we can easily feel inclined to push away negative emotions and feelings of heaviness. I was guilty of this for a long time. I wouldn’t allow myself to process any negative emotions because they didn’t feel good.

Emotions we don’t process become the elephant in the room, and the longer we ignore them, the bigger that elephant gets.

Resist the urge to distract yourself from the emotions you want to avoid. Be curious with yourself and try to understand what these emotions are truly signaling to you.

Why do you feel this way?

Shift 2: Define What True Happiness Looks & Feels Like

Have you ever really defined what true happiness means to you?

One way prioritizing happiness held me back in my past was cause I had no idea what true happiness meant to me. I thought it just meant doing things that made me feel happy all the time. That’s not quite what it is, though, is it?

To achieve the life we aspire to have, we will go through moments of discomfort. That’s part of it. That’s actually the beauty of it. It’s how we build our story.

Take a moment to reflect on what true happiness means to you.

What does it look like?

What value does it bring to your life?

How does it allow you to enhance the quality of your life?

What does it feel like?

Shift 3: Distinguish between Instant Gratification & True Happiness

This was a game-changer for me.

Instant gratification has never been a more pressing topic than it is right now. My message here isn’t to tell you that instant gratification is the root of all evil. However, we must be aware of the distinction between instant gratification and true happiness.

Chasing instant gratification leads to a fixation on a fleeting feeling of happiness or maybe even perceived happiness. More often than not, this derails us from true happiness.

To help you distinguish between the two, ask yourself, is this action aligned with my definition of true happiness? Will this bring me closer to my vision or push me away from it?

Embody your vision of true happiness.

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Angie Gira, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Angie Gira is a Life & Mindset Coach. Inspired by her vision to positively impact the world, Angie's work focuses on helping millennials live a life that brings them true happiness.

Driven by her belief that we are all unique, she is dedicated to tailoring her private coaching packages to meet the needs of each client. Key elements in her coaching strategies include helping you enhance the quality of your relationship with yourself, finding your why, and cultivating a purpose-driven mindset aimed at helping you achieve your goals.