Finding Happiness in 10 Steps

Eleanor Roosevelt described happiness as "Happiness isnt a goal...its a by product of life lived well." 

So many of us pursue happiness as a goal that can be achieved, with the focus on "once I get my dream job I will be happy" or "once I earn £100k a year I will be happy" etc. And yet very few of us, when we achieve the ultimate goal, are continuously happy for the rest of our lives; instead we come up with a new idea to chase with the aim of achieving happiness.

This is why self awareness is crucial in the pursuit for happiness, we need to understand our individual values, desires and what we need to feel fulfilled. If we dont fully understand what we need in life, we will find ourselves bouncing from one idea to the next, of what we can introduce into our lives to feel happy.

Establishing your values, desires and needs is a fundamental step toward personal growth and filfillment. Heres a structured approach to help you identify and clarify these aspects of your life:

1. Journal - Spend time writing about your thoughts, experiences, and feelings. Reflect on moments when you felt truly happy, fulfilled or proud. What was happening then?
2. Life experiences - Think about significant events in your life. What lessons did you learn? What values were highlighted during those times?
3. Write down 10 values that resonate with you e.g. compassion, honesty, creativity. Then narrow down to your top 5 non negotiables.
4. Reflect on times when you felt conflicted, which values were at play and how did they influence your decisions?
5. Visualise your ideal life - Imagine what your life looks like 5 or 10 years from now. What does it look like? What are you doing? Who are you with?
6. Identify your passions - List activities or inteterests that excite you. What hobbies or pursuits do you wish you had more time for?
7. Set goals - Based on your desires, set short and long term goals. What specific actions can you take to move to your ideal life?
8. Physical needs - Consider your basic needs such as health, safety and comfort. Are you meeting these needs?
9. Emotional needs - Reflect on your emotional well being. Do you need more support, connection or validation from others?
10. Social needs - Are you surrounded by supportive people? Do you feel a sense of belonging?

Once you have actioned all 10 steps above you can now create a personal Manifesto, summarizing your values, desires, and needs to help you make decisions and stay aligned to your true self.

Finding happiness is a personal journey that requires self discovery, effort and openness to change. While the path may be different for everyone, the principles discussed can serve as a guide.