Good Thoughts About Life - The 80/20 Happiness Formula
No matter what your goals, I am willing to bet that whatever you try to do, you do it because somewhere in your mind you think it will make you happy. Many Zen practitioners can tell you that you can actually choose happiness now instead of beating around the bush, seeking some outside stimulus to create that feeling. In this short report you will feel surprised while you learn some ways to live a happier life by focusing on things that matter more than others.
Put more focus on your favorite activities.
This seems like something that everyone should do, but you'd be surprised. We spend so much time on activities that aren't fulfilling; it's no wonder many people's happiness levels get bogged down. Write a list of your top 20 favorite activities and focus on spending more time on 20% of them for the next 30 days.
I say 30 days instead of indefinitely, because it leaves us freedom to switch up what we do. If you stick with one thing for too long, it may bore you and actually cause you unhappiness, which is the exact opposite of what we try to achieve. But, if after 30 days you still love what you do; then my all means, keep at it.
Write a list of your top 20 friends and focus on improving your relationships with around the top 5 of them.
Some people will not like this one, especially professional networkers who acquire thousands of contacts. But research shows time and time again, when it comes to happiness, quality beats quantity. I'm not saying ignore all your other contacts, but try to divert your energy to nurturing your top 5 to 6 relationships. As long as you are a reasonably nice person, it's easy to make friends. But making lifelong friends that will be there for you in hard times takes a little more effort. And these consist of the types of relationships that you want to develop anyway..
Outsource mindless or repetitive tasks whenever possible.
If you can afford it, this is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Think about how much time gets wasted grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, paying bills, or making dinner after work. They can add up to hundreds of hours over the course of a year. By eliminating all or some of these tasks, you can spend time on the things that count, like hanging out with your husband, wife, or kids.
Record your favorite TV Shows and watch them on one day.
Most success gurus agree that television is the root of evil; as far as creating a successful life is concerned. Like everything, I think it's totally fine, even beneficial, in moderate amounts. Through the magic of DVR your can record your favorite shows and save them for later. Since most shows air on a weekly basis, I choose one day a week to watch all my favorite TV shows.
Since you can only watch so much TV in a day, you'll pick the only shows that you absolutely love. Studies show, that by doing this alone, your enjoyment of television actually increases, while your time spent watching TV dramatically decreases. It's the best of both worlds.
Feel free to cheat on your diet 20% of the time.
How many times have you successfully lost weight, only to put it back on within a year. Sometimes gaining even more weight that you previously put on. Eating healthy all the time can drive a normal person insane. Most low fat or low carb diets are nearly impossible to do for an entire lifetime. But that's the only way to keep your results. It must become a permanent lifestyle change.
For the next 30 days try eating healthy or "clean" 6 days out of the week. Leaving one day to binge on whatever you want. Research found that there's little to no impact on your weight loss progress. There are many findings that it actually keeps your metabolism operating at a higher rate. If you don't see any improvement then you can easily switch back.
When you diet, you start restricting calories. And when you restrict calories your body will react by slowing your metabolism. That's why many people plateau after a while. When you add a "cheat day" to your diet plan, your body will never react to the lower calories because you get a large influx of them once a week. It keeps your cravings satisfied as well as your fat burning furnace at full speed.
You now know a few ways to live a happy life. The 80/20 principal is a great way to live, it saves time and energy. There are a few books available on the subject, check out your local library to see if they have one available.
Put more focus on your favorite activities.
This seems like something that everyone should do, but you'd be surprised. We spend so much time on activities that aren't fulfilling; it's no wonder many people's happiness levels get bogged down. Write a list of your top 20 favorite activities and focus on spending more time on 20% of them for the next 30 days.
I say 30 days instead of indefinitely, because it leaves us freedom to switch up what we do. If you stick with one thing for too long, it may bore you and actually cause you unhappiness, which is the exact opposite of what we try to achieve. But, if after 30 days you still love what you do; then my all means, keep at it.
Write a list of your top 20 friends and focus on improving your relationships with around the top 5 of them.
Some people will not like this one, especially professional networkers who acquire thousands of contacts. But research shows time and time again, when it comes to happiness, quality beats quantity. I'm not saying ignore all your other contacts, but try to divert your energy to nurturing your top 5 to 6 relationships. As long as you are a reasonably nice person, it's easy to make friends. But making lifelong friends that will be there for you in hard times takes a little more effort. And these consist of the types of relationships that you want to develop anyway..
Outsource mindless or repetitive tasks whenever possible.
If you can afford it, this is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Think about how much time gets wasted grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, paying bills, or making dinner after work. They can add up to hundreds of hours over the course of a year. By eliminating all or some of these tasks, you can spend time on the things that count, like hanging out with your husband, wife, or kids.
Record your favorite TV Shows and watch them on one day.
Most success gurus agree that television is the root of evil; as far as creating a successful life is concerned. Like everything, I think it's totally fine, even beneficial, in moderate amounts. Through the magic of DVR your can record your favorite shows and save them for later. Since most shows air on a weekly basis, I choose one day a week to watch all my favorite TV shows.
Since you can only watch so much TV in a day, you'll pick the only shows that you absolutely love. Studies show, that by doing this alone, your enjoyment of television actually increases, while your time spent watching TV dramatically decreases. It's the best of both worlds.
Feel free to cheat on your diet 20% of the time.
How many times have you successfully lost weight, only to put it back on within a year. Sometimes gaining even more weight that you previously put on. Eating healthy all the time can drive a normal person insane. Most low fat or low carb diets are nearly impossible to do for an entire lifetime. But that's the only way to keep your results. It must become a permanent lifestyle change.
For the next 30 days try eating healthy or "clean" 6 days out of the week. Leaving one day to binge on whatever you want. Research found that there's little to no impact on your weight loss progress. There are many findings that it actually keeps your metabolism operating at a higher rate. If you don't see any improvement then you can easily switch back.
When you diet, you start restricting calories. And when you restrict calories your body will react by slowing your metabolism. That's why many people plateau after a while. When you add a "cheat day" to your diet plan, your body will never react to the lower calories because you get a large influx of them once a week. It keeps your cravings satisfied as well as your fat burning furnace at full speed.
You now know a few ways to live a happy life. The 80/20 principal is a great way to live, it saves time and energy. There are a few books available on the subject, check out your local library to see if they have one available.
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