How to Design a Life that Makes You Happy

Your life is yours to live. But is your chosen way of living making you happy? If you feel like you are constantly working and always stressed, maybe your life is designed not with your priorities in mind, but with society’s expectations from you. 

It’s time to make some changes. Here’s how to design a life you will be happy with: 

List short-term priorities

You will not feel happy if you’re only working towards big life goals that will take years to show results. Allow yourself to enjoy things that are more immediate and that you can cross off your checklist with ease. This may mean adding traveling to your goals, or saving up a specific amount for the rainy days. This could also mean finding a new job, one where you can spark that passion you lost some time ago. 

List long-term priorities

The you-only-live-once mindset was freeing when it was first introduced, but simply living day to day with no clear goals for your future will only harm you in the long run. With this mindset, you may be overspending and not taking care of your health–priorities that should be higher up your list. Take some time to sit down and list down goals you want to reach over the years. 

Set a deadline for yourself. You could be dreaming of retiring in your forties. You might be planning to travel across three countries before your thirtieth birthday. You might be thinking of settling down and buying a house within five years. These take effort to achieve, but when you do, you will experience an immense feeling of satisfaction. 

Add meaningful and mindful habits in between

 

 

You will not achieve your long-term and short-term goals overnight, but everything you do each day should be getting you closer to their completion. The biggest commitment to your goals is by allocating money to their realization. Every time you get paid at work, set aside an amount that will go to your goals, and make sure not to touch this money unless absolutely necessary. 

All the purchases you make should also contribute to your goal completion. If you want to be a happier and more confident version of yourself, go ahead and buy that eyebrow makeup for sale. If you want to be a better cook, splurge on that cookbook. On the contrary, if you want to save for a house, you may want to find a cheaper rent for now so that you can save more money for that down payment. 

Add in social support

When you’re building a life that will make you happy, it’s important to remember that no man is an island. Even with all your goals set in place, one thing you should not forget about is social interaction. The friends and family you keep close to your heart will be the ones to motivate you when you are feeling down, and they will help you see how much progress you’ve already made in life. They show you the things you may not see for yourself, and they will add that happiness that no amount of saving or spending can give. 

Your life should be designed with your long-term and short-term happiness in mind. If that’s not the case, perhaps it’s time to change some habits.