If the sound of your alarm going off in the morning elicits a greater amount of dread and disdain in your soul than the sound of tornado sirens and crying babies, then your life may need a little remodeling. The good news is, you are not alone in your desire to experience more happiness, joy, and fulfillment on a daily basis.
For decades, people have been trying to crack the code on how to make life more amazing so that you can spend more time enjoying yourself and less time using ‘unlikely animal friendship’ videos to make the day go by faster.
And in doing so, researchers have come up with some pretty nifty ways to quickly improve the human condition. So read on, and find out the 3 scientifically proven tricks to level up your life so that you can start experiencing more awesomeness each and every day.
NUMBER 1: EXPRESS GRATITUDE AND SELF-LOVE
The verdict is out.
One of the easiest ways to increase happiness is to express gratitude for the things you already have. Study after study has concluded that the simple act of writing down 3–5 things you are thankful for is a sure-fire way to be happier and healthier.
And if you think about it, the logic totally checks out. It’s pretty much impossible to be grateful and sad in the same moment. It’s like trying to frown while petting a puppy or eating a slice of pizza.
It simply can’t be done.
Also, take it from a guy who has tangled with deep dark depression. Gratitude is a total game-changer
At one of the lowest times in my life, the simple exercise of being thankful gave me the strength I needed to soldier onward toward greater things. When I lost my mom to breast-cancer and was working at a job I didn’t care about, life was pretty tough.
BUT every single day I found 3 things, big or small, to be thankful for. Whether it was the fact I had a comfy bed to sleep in or the fact I had friends that I could talk to, or the fact that the lady at Chipotle forgot to charge me for extra chicken (CHA-CHINGGGG), there was always something I could genuinely appreciate.
Life is ALOT more fun when you remind yourself of the good things you got going for you because it allows you to live in a state of joy and appreciation (plus it only takes like, five minutes).
Number 2: Own Your Fitness Journey
The second way to start making your life exponentially more awesome is to start owning your fitness journey. Start relentlessly pursuing the path of creating YOUR best physical self.
Make fitness goals that are completely unique to you and stick to them. Don’t worry about what anyone else in the gym or on Instagram is doing. Commit to building the healthiest version of your body and don’t take your eyes off of the prize.
Studies show that not only does working out provide you with all of the obvious physical benefits (less fat, higher metabolism, tighter butt-cheeks, etc) but it also gives you an incredible mental boost. Regular exercise has been shown to improve your memory, creativity, and productivity while simultaneously reducing stress.
So pick a fitness routine that suits your schedule and skill level, and commit to it with passion and consistency so you can give yourself a serious mind-body upgrade in the process.
Number 3: Be More Selfless (And Reap All The Selfish Benefits)
I’m sure you’re reading the above statement and thinking to yourself “that doesn’t make sense, maybe this guy was drunk when he wrote this” (I wasn’t…..was I?).
How can putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own illicit a plethora (my word of the day) of personal gains? Well, it turns out serving a purpose greater than your own can make you happier, healthier and wealthier.
A combined study by researchers at UCLA and UNC found that eudaemonic (someone driven by a purpose greater than their own) individuals were not only happier, but were less prone to anxiety, inflammation, cardiovascular disease and had stronger immune systems when compared to their hedonic (someone driven by personal gain and pleasure) counterparts.
In addition to the health benefits, it turns out that helping others can also make you more successful.
A nine-year study by The Journal of Research In Personality found that purpose-driven individuals had accumulated more wealth overtime and earned higher yearly incomes than their self-centered counterparts.
So if you are looking to increase your happiness, healthiness AND your collection of sweet dolla bills, you should start taking action with the well-being of others in mind.
Go Out And Crush It
Embracing and implementing these tips will have an incredible impact on your health and happiness. They are insanely simple to put into action, and the best part is, you don’t need a single thing to get started.
Expressing gratitude, exercising your body, and helping others are all thing you can do right in this very moment (unless you’re operating heavy machinery…then wait up), so take action on your own behalf and start reaping all the awesome benefits.