I just took the” true happiness test “ and my grade was A . The test exposes weak areas requiring improving as well as the strong areas that make a person satisfied.

About My Grade:

“You scored high in both remembered and experienced happiness. You feel competent, independent, and have good relations with mates — all main elements to your happiness. Your positive disposition reflects your want and capability to thrive on a day-to-day basis. Continue to support your healthy self-image by making enhancements to your home and spending time on activities that really interest you.” From bluezones

It left out the real reason , however , which is God’s presence in my life. I knew I was a pretty content guy, but failed to know I would score that high. After I took the test, I started to attempt to guage why I am cheerful. I have some things in my life, as well as others, that might pull me down, but I have a tendency to focus on the great things, and I believe the 7 tactics to boost your happiness now, listed below, are all necessary to be content.

7 methods to boost your happiness beginning now These are based on my own experience; I hope you find them helpful:

1. Improve your finances

2. Enhance your health

3. Improve relations

4. Do more things that you enjoy

5. Go to new places and make some new friends

6. Get a pet

7. Develop your spiritual life

Improve your finances:

It is extremely important to your happiness to have your finances in order. Some buy stuff thinking they will make them cheerful, and basically occasionally it takes away from their happiness. When you have to struggle to pay for everything you have acquired, and are continually living on the financial edge, it is tough to have much happiness.

If you are young especially, it is so vital to learn finances and make some wise financial decisions. Here are some things that I suggest you start to do now: Pay off your debts starting with the tiniest. As fast as you pay off a bill, take the amount you are paying on it and pay off the next one till you are paid off. In the meanwhile, avoid the enticement to buy anything more.

The difference in how folk with money spend their cash contrasted with people who don’t is that people with money buy assets, while folk who don’t have money buy un-needed junk that commonly winds up in a garage sale.

Be sensible in how you spend your money; live below your means so as to save. Remember, it’s not how much you earn but how well you manage what you earn. It isn’t a matter of reducing the quality of your life either, but a case of better managing your expenditure and saving.

There are plenty of highly-paid folk who live from payslip to paycheck. They have not learned how to manage money either. I read recently that a famous movie star’s home in Florida is in foreclosure; he was the top ticket office draw for years and made millions. He isn’t the sole celebrity who is in difficulty financially; there are several others. So once again, it is not how much you earn as it is how you manage what you earn.

A famous entrepreneur online was talking recently about his surprise when his mummy told him she was retiring with over 1 million greenbacks from her job as the church secretary. Church secretary doesn’t pay that much but allegedly she knew how to manage cash.

Take time to evaluate your money affairs, and make some plans on how to get them in hand and be sure to start to save for retirement unless you intend to work till you drop over dead.

Improve your health:

It is difficult to be satisfied if you are affected by poor health. People with poor health typically suffer with a large amount of agony or limitations. I was sitting on a park bench today at the beach on a beautiful warm day in Florida, when a man and his wife came along. They paused to make an inquiry about my dog. We talked for a period of time and I noticed he had a breathing problem. Before long he took out a cigarette pack and lit up. He didn’t smoke the entire gasper; he carefully put it out and then replaced the remainder back into the package for later on. It never ceases to amaze me how some knowingly destroy their well-being. I had two mates who had lung cancer and continued to smoke right up until they died. I have not smoked,. So I don’t know what it is like, but I frequently wonder what it is about a cigarette that’s more important than health or maybe life for a matter of fact.

Habits that include health risks are not worth it. Your wellbeing is an important ingredient to happiness. Here’s the thing: It is just as simple to maintain good health as it is to tear your fitness down with nasty habits, poor eating and lack of exercise. You may have good health by changing a few things about your way of life and by doing a little every day to maintain it. It’s true that we do not have total control over our health, but we do have lots of control of it.

Improve relationships:

The 1st sentence above of the evaluation of my happiness test says: “You scored high in both remembered and experienced happiness. You're feeling competent, independent, and have good relationships with friends “all key considerations to your happiness.”

If there is one thing in life that is more critical than all of the rest as far as happiness, it might be relationships. It is inconsequential what you have, if you’ve no one to enjoy life with, it is trivial. Some individuals mess off all their friends and wind up alone, disgruntle and unhappy. Relations like most anything else need maintenance and care to grow and to survive. The best rule of thumb when it comes to improving relations is the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Do more things that you enjoy:

I could add to the above,” and less of the things you don’t enjoy .” For years I was in a situation that needed regular meetings. If those meeting had been needed and had purpose, it would’ve been different but for the main part they weren’t; so I developed a hatred concerning conferences and until this day I avoid them; I hate them. I’m at the point today where I can select the things I do and so I do only a few things that I just don’t enjoy.

One of the great things about having a robust financial state is the facility to do more of the things you like in life. I enjoy travel, so I’ve traveled in 49 states and several nations. You can not do this if you don’t get on top of your finances when you are young.

Go to new places and meet new people:

One of the things I hope to do in late 2012 is to take a trip to China for a year and teach English in a school. I would be teaching about 400 Chinese students. While this is not yet for certain, I’m hoping it works out. That to me is something wholly different from anything I’ve done before, and the concept of meeting that many new, youngsters and in another country, is so much fun.

But it does not have to be something as extreme as that; it can be going to new places in your own community and meeting new folk and making new pals.

Get a pet:

Pardon me for using so many personal examples in this article however it relies on my experiences of things that have added happiness to my life, so I suppose if that is the case it’s alright.

Having a pet is so necessary to me. I’ve owned pets through my life, both dogs and cats, though I like dogs. All my pets have been outside pets till the present one. I presently have a West Highland Terrier, referred to as “Westy”, who is an inside dog.

How I came about him is a depressing tale. My wife always hankered after a Westy, but since I never liked to have an inside dog, we never got one, that is till she got sick with cancer and then I agreed to get one. She acquired him when he was two months old and he was so small that she frequently carried him in a big purse with just his head sticking out.

The sad part is that she died 11 months after getting the dog. He was totally her dog until she died and then he turned to me and has been at my side for over 6 years now. He has been such a help to me during the grieving period, and to this day health and happiness cheerful just being where I Am. I might hate worst than anything to be without him; he adds so much happiness to my life. I travel in a motor home, and together he and I have been in 37 states. It’s a fact that folks with dogs are happier and also live for longer.

Develop your spiritual life:

More than the rest in my life, the spiritual connection I’ve had with God has given me happiness, happiness and purpose. Even thru the tricky times of my life, and perhaps particularly during those times, God’s presence has brought me thru. I can’t imagine going thru life alone without God.

I remember years ago reading a poem which has stuck with me. I found it online. The original writer is not known. This copy is offered by Margaret Fishback Powers.

I Had a Dream

One night I had a dream
I was taking a walk along the beach with my Lord.
. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I spotted 2 sets
of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me
and the other to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There had been just one set of footprints.
I spotted that this was at the lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This always worried me
and I was critical of the Lord
about my quandary.
“Lord, you told me when I determined to follow You,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I am aware that during the most wearisome
times of my life there is just one set of footprints.
I don’t see why, when I required You most,
you leave me.”
He whispered, “My dear, valuable kid,
I adore you and will never leave you
never, ever during your times of trial and testings.
When you saw only 1 set of footprints
It was then that I carried you.”

Conclusion:

It is a good thing to go thru life with a measure of happiness, but happiness isn’t the most important thing. My aim in life is not focused wholly on maintaining a state of happiness but instead on fulfilling purpose. I know what my gifts are and I know what my purpose is, so I am involved in that. Happiness looks to be kind of an after effect. One thing I am sure of, and that is my happiness is more dependent on my spiritual relationship with God than any other thing. When your relationship with God comes first, it is far easier to experience a continuing state of happiness.

Jimmie Burroughs is an inspiring speaker and author who has been concerned in teaching Christian Private Development for more than 30 years. He’s a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ and considers helping others his calling in life. His site contains over 600 articles on preparing yourself for success through personal development and the things which accompany personal development.