Hive Mind, Share Your Secret(s) to Long-Term Happiness
February 22, 2010 8:36 AM Subscribe
Hive Mind, Share Your Practical Secret(s) to Long-Term Happiness
There are plenty of "How-to-be-Happy" books out there. Let's harness the power, collective wisdom, and sheer numbers of the Hive Mind and come up with our own How-To list.
Share your secrets for long-term happiness (Happiness, aka Contentment)
Be specific. What's *worked* for you?
There are plenty of "How-to-be-Happy" books out there. Let's harness the power, collective wisdom, and sheer numbers of the Hive Mind and come up with our own How-To list.
Share your secrets for long-term happiness (Happiness, aka Contentment)
Be specific. What's *worked* for you?
This post was deleted for the following reason: while I really like the idea of "let's make a list of happymaking things" AskMe really isn't for this sort of question - it's chatfilter/poll the audience filter if there's not a problem to be solved. -- jessamyn
Process your mistakes and missed opportunities, understand what you did wrong and learn so that you won't make that same mistake again...and from that point on, spend as little time thinking about them as possible.
What "could have been" is irrelevant. Regret is a waste of time.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 8:46 AM on February 22, 2010
What "could have been" is irrelevant. Regret is a waste of time.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 8:46 AM on February 22, 2010
Continually watch for and remove toxic people, habits, and situations from your life.
posted by spatula at 8:48 AM on February 22, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by spatula at 8:48 AM on February 22, 2010 [6 favorites]
don't buy things you can't afford
keep your distance from people who are drama magnets
go skiing
find a hobby that has a large friendly community and organises plenty of events
look after yourself and treat yourself well
posted by emilyw at 8:48 AM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
keep your distance from people who are drama magnets
go skiing
find a hobby that has a large friendly community and organises plenty of events
look after yourself and treat yourself well
posted by emilyw at 8:48 AM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
Physical and mental exercise.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:52 AM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:52 AM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
Rules for Living:
Do not worry, eat three square meals a day, say your prayers, be courteous to your creditors, keep your digestion good, steer clear of biliousness, exercise, go slow and go easy. Maybe there are other things that your special case requires to make you happy, but, my friend, these, I reckon, will give you a good life.
Abraham Lincoln
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
Lao-Tzu
I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.
Albert Schweitzer
and
Happiness is a warm gun
John Lennon
posted by noirnoir at 8:52 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Do not worry, eat three square meals a day, say your prayers, be courteous to your creditors, keep your digestion good, steer clear of biliousness, exercise, go slow and go easy. Maybe there are other things that your special case requires to make you happy, but, my friend, these, I reckon, will give you a good life.
Abraham Lincoln
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
Lao-Tzu
I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.
Albert Schweitzer
and
Happiness is a warm gun
John Lennon
posted by noirnoir at 8:52 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Mindfulness is the key and always remember there is no way to happiness, happiness is the way!!!
posted by 3dd at 8:52 AM on February 22, 2010
posted by 3dd at 8:52 AM on February 22, 2010
Realize you do not have a soul mate. There are lots of people you could happily spend your life with. Find someone to love who loves you back and who produces an emotional response of happiness or joy more often then producing other emotions in you.
posted by hworth at 8:54 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by hworth at 8:54 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Find things that make you laugh. Do them a lot.
posted by sallybrown at 8:56 AM on February 22, 2010
posted by sallybrown at 8:56 AM on February 22, 2010
1) End toxic relationships.
2) No excuses. Life is what you make it.
3) Don't be an ass to people and don't let anyone be an ass to you. See #1.
4) Don't argue on the internet. It's stupid.
5) Avoid TV news.
6) Make up your own mind about everything and everybody. People only tell you part of the story. Find out the rest for yourself.
posted by bondcliff at 8:57 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
2) No excuses. Life is what you make it.
3) Don't be an ass to people and don't let anyone be an ass to you. See #1.
4) Don't argue on the internet. It's stupid.
5) Avoid TV news.
6) Make up your own mind about everything and everybody. People only tell you part of the story. Find out the rest for yourself.
posted by bondcliff at 8:57 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Invest in an interior life.
posted by jquinby at 8:59 AM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by jquinby at 8:59 AM on February 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
From Theodore Roosevelt, an Autobiography:
posted by ocherdraco at 9:08 AM on February 22, 2010
There is a bit of homely philosophy, quoted by Squire Bill Widener, of Widener’s Valley, Virginia, which sums up one’s duty in life: “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”In other words, live in the present moment, and don't get upset about things you can't change.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:08 AM on February 22, 2010
Get enough rest, get enough sunshine. Forgive yourself, forgive others. Take nothing for granted.
posted by emeiji at 9:11 AM on February 22, 2010
posted by emeiji at 9:11 AM on February 22, 2010
I had a miserable early-twenties until I learned how to be alone. I realized that if I kept relying on other people to make me happy, clean up my messes, and put bandaids on old wounds, I'd never learn how to do those things myself.
posted by zoomorphic at 9:17 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by zoomorphic at 9:17 AM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by WeekendJen at 8:40 AM on February 22, 2010 [3 favorites]