Want to know the best ways to create happiness in life? These are my tested and approved tips to help you start living a more fulfilling and happier life immediately.

Living a happy life is an incredible feeling, and if you’re anything like me, it is something you have chased for a long time. As someone who knows the struggle of desperately searching for happiness, and coming up short, I am going to share my highly effective tips to get you off the sideline and in the driver seat to create the life of your dreams.

You are going to learn everything I wish I knew about cultivating happiness, including the importance of forgiveness, the power of “no”, and how to show up as your best self all the time.

After learning about all of these tips, you will be a pro at knowing how to navigate any situation, or relationship, that stands between you and your best life ever.

This post is all about things you need to try to find happiness in life.

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO TRY TO FIND HAPPINESS IN LIFE

1. DO YOUR BEST TO FORGIVE QUICKLY

Learning how to forgive quickly is not about letting other people off the hook or invalidating the hurt you feel from any given situation. Actually, when you forgive, you are making a conscious decision to free someone of the responsibility of your feelings, and resentment or vengeance, not their actions.

The benefit in forgiveness is that you get the opportunity to regain control over your feelings and how you respond to hurtful situations. Prolonged unforgiveness, on the other hand, puts you in victim mode and can prevent you from reaching your version of happiness faster, if at all.

Learn to find the lesson even in bad or hurtful situations. Try writing a letter thanking someone for the lesson their actions/behavior/or words taught you. Do not give it to them, this is for your personal use and internal work only.
Before responding out of hurt or anger, set your timer to meditate quietly on your emotions. Allow time to realize any hurt you thought was forgiven but may not be.
Open the voice memo app on your phone and talk out your feelings. Play back your recording until you’re tired of hearing yourself complain about the same thing. Move on afterwards.
Apologize if you contributed to something regardless of if you receive one in return.

2. FIGURE OUT YOUR WEAKNESS FAST

Not going to lie, I struggled with this one quite a bit. Although examining your weaknesses can be very challenging, it can also be incredibly rewarding and necessary to help you prevent sabotaging your own happiness.

If you have an idea of the life you want but your attitude, or behavior, prevents you from holding a job, or your comfort relationship with food keeps you from hitting your weight loss goals, then perhaps the issue is not other people.

Make room for the possibility that YOU are in your own way and make a choice:

What are you willing to risk, do, or change to have a happy life?

If you don’t know where to start, try some of these helpful things that helped me kick it into high gear fast.

Proactively seek out feedback. Talk to someone your trust and get their advice on how you can advance towards your goals, or relationships, and what they think your biggest weakness is. (You don’t have to agree, but do the research.)
Hear it from a professional. There are many affordable options for online-based therapy, and you can do it from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
Find a mentor or someone that has mastered your weakness/es, even if it’s a celebrity. How do they handle similar situations? What does their language or behavior look like? Start applying these to your own life until they become second nature.

3. MAKE A LIST AND BE SPECIFIC

One of the best ways to find happiness is to get clear on what makes you happy. If you’re not getting what you want out of life, relationships, work, or school, creating detailed lists can help you identify what’s missing and what you can do to fix it.

The best thing about taking this step is that you’re putting yourself in the driver seat and not waiting for life, or someone else, to give it to you or determine your worthiness.

Post your list somewhere visible enough that you’ll see it every day.
If you prefer a digital list, try the mobile versions of apps like Clear, Notes, Pinterest, and Google Calendar.

Check out my FREE GUIDE (pictured below) to help you define what makes you happy and what’s stopping you from living life the way you imagine.

4. PURGE DAILY

No, not that kind 🙂

Purge in a way that allows you to keep what happened during the day, in the day. Don’t carry negative emotions, like doubt and insecurity, over to tomorrow, next week, or three Thursdays from now. If something happened on Monday, do your best to wipe the slate clean so that it doesn’t impact your ability to start new on Tuesday.

If you have the tendency to get sidetracked from goals because you’re obsessing over what you, or someone else, did or said, then it’s important to nip this in the bud asap.

We all make mistakes, have shortcomings, and can think of at least one situation we wish we handled differently. But remaining in those thoughts doesn’t change what happened or how you can choose to show up the next day.

Set aside time for your daily purge and when the clock is up, let it go.

Your purge event can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as an hour.
Give yourself permission to embrace any feelings and cry, shout, scream, or journal, if it helps
Exercise is a great way to blow off steam while improving your health. If you’re not into rigorous activity, try going for a nature walk or doing yoga stretches instead.
Use helpful phrases like “I’m not thinking about that right now” (thanks Mel Robbins!) or “I’m not going to let this bother me” to help your brain stay focused after your purge event has ended.

5. IMPROVE YOUR IMAGE

The way you show up in life says a lot about how you see yourself and your worth. Your image can either help you advance toward your goals or disqualify you from the very thing that would make you happy.

Give yourself a once over and, without being overly critical, think about some improvements that would make you feel more confident, beautiful, or polished. We all have room to grow and when we are unhappy with ourselves, it can be difficult to find happiness anywhere else.

Fix or get rid of any clothing with unintentional holes. Be honest with yourself and toss anything that’s unflattering
Tweeze unruly eyebrows
Remove chipped nail polish or book the appointment for a fill. Save money by doing your nails at home.
Shop bargain stores or trendy online retailers for clothing basics.
Tame flyaways and unruly edges.
Invest in a high-end cologne or shop for affordable dupes.
Join a workout group or follow free exercise programs on YouTube.
Get your skin as clear as possible. Seek professional help if needed.
Conduct thorough research before getting any cosmetic advancements.
Wear sunscreen.
Improve makeup skills by following along to tutorials on YouTube or Instagram reels.
Learn how to care for and style your hair.

6. ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries!

If you want your life to become happier, trust me when I tell you that boundaries are going to be essential. Regardless of the type of relationship you have in mind, boundaries help you establish everything from what to/not to do, acceptable treatment, and more.

Establishing rules for engagement does not always feel comfortable, or come easy to everyone, especially when it involves elders, long-term relationships, and situations where healthy or effective boundaries did not exist previously.

Understand that the more you shift your thoughts, routines, and self-audit, your expectations, and those of the people you engage with, might change too. And that is okay.

Just because things have always been one way, it doesn’t mean you can’t want something different now.

Practice saying “no” or “I’m not able to…” without feeling guilty. You get to choose where your time/finances/efforts are spent.
If a situation or relationship is keeping you from happiness, find the strength to cut the cord or redefine it where possible.
Just because someone changed your diaper that one time they babysat you 25 years ago, it does not mean that you owe them anything.
Be clear about what others can expect if your boundaries are violated and follow through. (This counts for family too).
If it hurts that bad, then perhaps it’s not love. Know your worth and be confident in falling back or walking away.
Learn to call a thing, a thing. (Thanks Iyanla Vanzant!)
If you’re always the one giving/ listening/ helping/ answering, then it might be time for a new circle or more use of the “ignore” button.
What others think about you is not your business. Stay far away from gossipers and haters. Focus on what’s in front of you.

7. DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD

Whether you’re sad or just trying to find more happiness in life, make it a point to find and do good regardless of how you’re feeling. Life is not always smooth sailing, and your character is defined by what you do when things are good but also when they’re less favorable.

It can be something that boosts your mood or reminds you of your dreams or even an act of kindness that directly benefits others despite there being a clear benefit for you.

Find a way to see the light at the end of tunnel and you’ll be surprised by how happy and incredibly fulfilling your life becomes each day.

Create a happy day playlist that you can use when you feel unhappy or have negative interactions. The next time these situations strike, you’ll be prepared to sing along to happy music while silencing your inner saboteur.
Give yourself a mental health day. Break away for retail therapy, a day trip, or something that’s been on your bucket list.
Don’t wait for someone else to give you your flowers. Buy them for yourself.
Grab your robe and have a spa day at home or head over to the spa for total pampering.
Mark a day on your calendar to start that DIY project you’ve been dying to try.
Donate your time or services to a local shelter, to organizations like the boys & girls club, or within your community.
Write a letter and mail it to someone who made a positive impact in your life.
Whip up your favorite dinner or dessert for either you, your spouse, or a friend who would appreciate the nice gesture.
Pick up the phone and reconnect with an old friend you lost touch with.
Turn off your phone and spend quality time with your family.

CONCLUSION

I hope you enjoyed reading about the 7 tips that helped me begin finding happiness in life.

The journey never ends but I promise that if you do your best to forgive, work on your weaknesses, get specific about your dreams, purge daily, improve your image, establish healthy boundaries, and do something that makes you feel good, your life will change dramatically, and you won’t have to find happiness because you know how to create it.

I’d love to know which of these you’re already doing and your best advice for others who are struggling to find happiness in life. Comment below and share your best tips!