Want more happiness in 2017?

Want to live happier in 2017? Focus on YOUR life! It’s easy to get distracted from our own life because we focus our energy, attention, and time on other things like:

• Getting sucked into other people’s drama
• Living a virtual life instead of an actual life
• Filling our calendars with to-do’s instead of passions

Other People’s Drama

We all have friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors whose drama could inspire reality TV producers. Some people need help occasionally but others need some kind of help all of the time. We know who is who.

If you always find yourself playing rescuer or free therapist to the same people you’re not living your life. Figure out why. Does their drama spice up your life? Does it give you something to compare yourself with so you can think that at least your life isn’t as chaotic as someone else’s? Is that where you get your feel-good jollies?

Once you understand what you’re getting out of the drama, it’s easier to set some healthy boundaries.

Living Virtually

Sometimes it’s easier to have social media friends or live through our favorite reality stars than to develop relationships with people we can see on a regular basis. We may think our life is boring, but it’s not going to become exciting if we spend all of our time alone.

Too Many To-Do’s

Between work, family, friends, and the necessities of life, we can be so busy that we forget to make time for the things we want to do. Everyone’s life has different demands, but the one thing that’s important is to make time to do something you love to do every week or month. Join a book club, attend a lecture, or join a running club. Use your passions to connect with people.

Focus On Your Life To Live Happier

Here are five things you can do in 2017 to help you focus more on your life and less on the distractions:

1. Create a dream board for your 2017 goals. If an actual picture dream board isn’t your thing, handwrite down your goals. Spend a couple of minutes looking at your dream board or reading your list each day.
2. Monitor your progress on your goals each week. If your goal is to spend more time with friends, do you have any activities planned in the next thirty days? Have you enrolled in a class, found online teaching videos, or bought paint brushes, if your goal is to learn how to paint? If your goal is to read more books, have you started your next one?
3. Learn to listen to people without giving advice or offering to help—especially if you’re talking to a drama queen. It takes less time and takes you out of the rescuer role. Most people just want to vent so they can figure out their own solutions.
4. If needed, make new friends who have interests in common with the life you’re creating. You can’t expect your couch potato friends to start going to yoga with you, so make new friends in yoga class.
5. End your day by saying five things about your life you are grateful for.

If you spend more time pursuing your interests and passions, you’ll be a happier you in 2017.

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I can’t wait to hear about some of the things you plan to do to live happier in 2017.  Let me know in the comments below! And, if you know someone who could benefit from reading this article, please share it with them! Everyone deserves to live happier in 2017!

Written by Pamela Gail

Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Society of Happy People in 1998.
The Society is grounded on Pamela’s four key Practical Happiness Principles:

• Happiness Zappers Can be Managed
• Happiness is Personal
• Happiness Changes as You Change
• Happiness is Bigger Than You Think

Pamela identified 31 Types of Happiness that are on the SOHP App Happiness Counter to make it easier to recognize moments of happiness.

Pamela also plans and organizes the Society of Happy People's annual happiness celebrations:

• Happiness Happens Day - August 8
• Happiness Happens Month - August
• Hunt for Happiness Week - January

She's also a speaker, trainer, and author.

A few of her personal smile starters include her monthly book club, yoga, traveling and meeting new happy people.