Home » Happy New Year without Happy New You? Don't Count On It

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People who choose to be happy will have a happier year than those who don't. The happy ones act on the knowledge that happiness or misery never comes from the outside in. They know we are happy or miserable from the inside out. A happy new year has more to do with what's going on within us than what's going on around us.

Serious about becoming a Happy New You? Here are twelve sources or resources to help. These twelve areas are like having one Happiness Key for each of the 12 months of the year.

1. Become a wiser person. Doing the same dumb things makes us more miserable, but wisdom (applied knowledge) brings happiness. Wisdom delivers the joy of figuring out answers to important questions, sorting out difficult situations, gaining insight into puzzling issues, solving challenging problems.

2. Accept correction. Another person correcting us may be our escape from a pitfall or costly mistake. This year, when we slip and someone calls us on it, let's practice saying , "I needed that. You probably spare me some trouble."

3. Prioritize your spiritual development. Let's take steps to develop our spiritual side. Like a vehicle, our engine is on the inside (spirit, soul, mind, heart). Our inner condition determines our level of happiness.

4. Live for something bigger than yourself. We're happy when we believe in a supreme cause and contribute toward advancing that cause that will outlast our lives. If you are unhappy, you life may be too small. Live a bigger life. For me that cause is a person, Jesus Christ, whose person, example, and teachings are worth my total effort, energy and resources. What's your larger-than-life cause? Is it saving the planet? Rescuing sex slaves? Finding a cure for cancer or AIDS?

5. Expect good things to come your way. If we believe in God, let's expect God to be good to us. Be a "dog" (depend on God), or a "frog" (fully rely on God). As a dog and a frog, I receive my happiness from a personal relationship with the greatest Being in the universe. And because God is a good God, 'something good is going to happen to me'.

6. Show compassion for someone in need. This is mercy that goes beyond sympathy or empathy, beyond feeling sorry or shedding tears for someone in trouble. The heart of compassion finds its beat in relieving the needy. Jesus' compassion list includes food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, clothing for the poor, care for the sick, and outreach to the prisoner (Matthew 25:35-36).

7. Raise your standard of behavior. There is a direct link between what we do and how we feel. As a general rule of happiness, when we do right, we will feel right.

8. Humble yourself to serve. Service to others is a fountain of happiness, while expecting others to serve us is an often dry well. In serving others, we're saying, "My happiness is a byproduct of my service to family, friends, church, society, and others."

9. Get rid of guilt so you can have a soft conscience. It's fruitless to rationalize, explain or excuse feelings of guilt. Sometimes we feel guilty because we should. May be we've done something wrong. Why not make amends for the wrong we have done? Why not repent or change our ways? From a clean character we harvest a clear conscience.

10. Only start what you will finish. We do well to limit our to-do list to the few important items that we have the time, desire, knowledge, skill and resources to finish. A filled-up calendar can be the tell-tale sign of an empty life. Being swamped generates unhealthy levels of stress, a sure thief of our happiness.

11. Be willing to suffer for doing right. One path to misery is to leave no room for misunderstanding. There is a certain level of happiness that only comes when we know we've done right, and yet someone misunderstands us, says mean things about us, or even mistreats us. Jesus the happiest man was also the most misunderstood man, the most mistreated man. Let's learn to find joy in being wrongly accused sometimes.

12. Be more generous. Can we be happy piling up stuff? May be, but not likely. Happy Jesus said life does not consist in the abundance of things. We are happier giving away than raking in. Let's put ourselves in position to give more. May be we need to increase our income, spend less, or become debt-free, so we can afford to be more generous. Why? Because generosity breeds joy, the wellspring of true happiness.

You can make this your happiest year yet if you choose to be happy, when you take action to become a happy new you. It will take a Happy New You to make a Happy New Year.