But first, you must be happy!

Guest post by Mia Vacirca from MCV Careers

Being happy is something we all need to practice and cultivate. It hinges on our choices, our attitudes and our thoughts.

Sometimes, when faced with life changing decisions, you must ensure you have made time in your daily routine to nourish yourself so that you confidently make the right one!

Research shows the following areas will contribute to your well-being and happiness:

Sleep – You must ensure you get 8 hours sleep consistently. Sleep is essential to our feelings of wellbeing and overall happiness

Start the Day Strong – By getting up and knowing what your plan is and completing that first task, you start your day strong. Research shows that by beginning our day in a meaningful way (rather than getting up late and rushing around), you will feel empowered and on top of the world

​Personal Interest – By pursuing an interest – and challenging yourself – You are satisfying a desire to learn, as well as improving your skills in a pursuit which gives you pleasure

Eat Well, Eat Healthy – From the start of your day, look after your health by eating well. Healthy eating habits contribute to our emotional wellbeing every bit as much as our physical wellbeing

Exercise – Make exercise part of your daily routine. It not only releases ‘feel-good’ endorphins, it is essential to our wellbeing and helps us feel better about ourselves

Be Grateful – A great time to count your blessings is during your exercises and while your embracing your loved ones. When we take time out to be grateful for what we have, negative emotions are washed away and we feel more content

Be Forgiving – Choose to forgive those around you. Research has shown that the ability to forgive is important to our levels of happiness. Remember that we’re all struggling with daily challenges and these can often result in poor decisions often with you in the firing line. Forgive!

Nourish Your Connections – Meet up with friends often for a coffee or lunch. We should always make time for friends. They make us happy

Be a Good Listener – Take the time to listen closely to your friend’s problems. Good listeners not only empathise better with others, they can derive real satisfaction from being connected

Be Kind and Compassionate – Buy a homeless person a sandwich or cup of coffee. Small, random acts of kindness not only help others, they help us feel good about ourselves

Find Purpose – Offer to lend a helping hand when required. Finding a purpose outside ourselves gives us a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction

Treat or Nourish Yourself – Daily.  We should always try to find time in our day to reward ourselves in some small way.

Smile – Simply by smiling when you walk by a stranger, or smiling whilst you’re listening to someone express themselves, you are helping yourself and the person feel better

Meditate – Meditating for a small time each day, helps to make us calmer, healthier and happier

Be Playful – A fun pillow fight with your kids is not only for their benefit, it’s good for you too. Be playful with your partner and see how they love the attention. Being playful keeps us young and happy

Take Time Out – Take time out to relax on the couch and read a magazine or have a bath. Have an enjoyable treat at the end of the day.

Prepare for Sleep – End your day strong by preparing for sleep rather than simply falling into bed. This will vary for all of us, but a simple routine of cleaning up any mess, brushing our teeth, and maybe even a few light stretches, can help us go to bed happy and sleep well, especially if these things become part of a set routine.

Set Yourself up for the Following Day – The very last thing you can do before you go to sleep is to make a promise to yourself to make a plan to do something when you wake up. Knowing where the next day will start and what it will bring helps us feel more secure and contented.

MCV Careers is a professional Resume and LinkedIn profile writing firm that provides job winning achievements-based resumes along with a standout design that will captivate decision-making audiences, along with ongoing complimentary job search coaching.