hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about 12 rules to live
a happy life now let's begin number 1 pursue the immaterial now I won't try to convince you
that material possessions are a waste of time or that they're worthless and insignificant
sometimes material goods are the most valuable things that we know they can embody emotions
memories and even people they can remind you of a time in your life that you'd nearly forgotten
there's nothing wrong with physical reminders of how you grew into the person that you are
but you can't expect titles and objects to transform you into the person you aspire to
be people who dream of success often fantasize about their material life the house they live in
the car they drive these luxuries can bring you many things pleasure thrill self-importance but
they're all temporary as soon as they're over and the dust is settled you'll feel empty again
it won't be long until you're dreaming of a new toy to fill that same hole in your life instead
pursue the kind of happiness that lasts invest in immaterial treasures like knowledge passion
and companionship real happiness stems from the breath of your life not how much it costs number
two welcome wonder as the world becomes more and more interconnected wonder is a feeling that you
rarely experience why drive to the Grand Canyon when you can look at pictures online for a lot
of people especially teenagers and young adults overexposure has sucked that childlike sense of
excitement out of so many amazing things think back to the last time you flew on a plane did
you ever look out the window did you admire the clouds or smile at how small that your city looks
from thousands of feet in the air yeah most people don't they're too wrapped up in their own lives
and habits to notice the little things to live your happiest life let yourself feel awestruck
create opportunities to be speechless and maybe even a little scared no matter where you are
you're constantly surrounded by the extraordinary so take a few minutes each day to slow down and
enjoy the view number three dispel grudges in life conflict is inevitable one way or another
you'll run into people who frustrate you who hurt you and deprive you of things that you feel you
deserve if you let them those conflicts can haunt you for years looming over everything that you
do the longer you hang on to them the more they infect the healthier happier parts of your life
one malicious person for example can damage the trust you have in other friends and family members
but there's a big difference between learning from conflict and holding a grudge instead of
growing and progressing grudges keep you from ever moving forward no matter what conflicts
you've experienced you should practice forgiveness retain each lesson but let go of that lingering
negativity you'll live a much happier life without it number four expose weakness you are
your biggest critic most of us could list a dozen things we wish we could change about ourselves but
we don't want anybody else to know it in fact many of us surround ourselves with people who
only really know our strengths not only is this difficult to maintain it's also extremely lonely
you can find happiness by exposing your flaws unearthing the weaknesses that every person on
the planet has in spades when you find someone you can trust don't hesitate to open up and encourage
them to do the same some people think vole 'nor ability means telling a sob story to get attention
but it's really about connecting with someone on a deeper level feeling like there's someone in the
world who accepts who you are without your social masks as you make more and more connections you'll
grow to accept yourself to flaws and all number five manage limits the vast majority of people
don't set aside enough time for self-care to live a happier life you have to know your limits you
can't pursue your goals and make memories all day every day the truth is you only have so much
energy to give so when you find yourself running on empty make time to relax and rejuvenate try
not to overexert yourself if you don't have to when it comes to physical and mental health you
need to prioritize yourself make time to diminish stress check your habits and enjoy your personal
passions without self-care you'll find yourself feeling drained and uninterested even if you're
doing all kinds of exciting things you won't have the energy to invest like you normally do it's
like sabotaging your own experiences a lack of self-care also damages your relationships to keep
your friendships strong you need space both you and your friend should take time apart otherwise
you'll start to get sick of each other and the relationship will suffer in the long run so if
you're feeling exhausted don't pressure yourself to power through pay attention to your limits
and set aside plenty of time to recharge your batteries number six restful empathy loneliness
can feel like an endless maze the moment you start making progress you run into a wall and
have to start all over again but a recent study found that bad sleeping habits make you even
lonelier why because your brain closes itself off when it's tired it rejects it puts up emotional
walls and it struggles with empathy so if you want to feel happier make sure you're getting
enough sleep it's not a foolproof cure but it will keep your loneliness at bay number seven
surrender control some of the best things in life happen out of the blue a complete stranger might
become one of your closest friends you might accidentally stumble upon an ad for your dream
job the element of surprise will always play an important role in your life the most random
experiences can bring more excitement novelty and happiness than anything you could ever plan
so stop trying to control every teeny tiny thing that happens to you some certainty and stability
is nice but too much can trap you inside a bubble it'll keep you from stepping outside your comfort
zone instead you should expand your horizons by leaving room for the unexpected number eight
embrace mistakes being rights it's overrated it sounds good and it can make you feel good but
embracing your mistakes is much more important than being right instead of trying to one-up
everyone get used to being wrong yeah you should willingly admit when you don't know something
uncertainty isn't anything to be scared of this change will make you a more enjoyable person to
talk to while leaving you feeling open and self assured number 9 practice patience when you're
excited about achieving a goal or revamping your self-image the last thing you want to do is wait
it's frustrating to find out that your dreams are months or even years away but the best ones
usually are so how do you avoid feeling restless and unsatisfied it's crucial that you practice
patience on a daily basis that means learning how to bide your time without letting your motivation
slip the truth is that a long wait is often necessary to solidify your ideals you need to
give yourself time to think you should use that time to consider different perspectives and how
each decision could impact your lifestyle patient reflection also weeds out the good from the bad it
distinguishes an impulsive short lived feeling from your long-term ambitions so before you
make any big changes in your life slow yourself down don't rush to the end just because you're
excited you'll make it there eventually however you need to lay down the proper foundation first
you need to learn and prepare that way when you do find happiness you'll be ready for it number
10 environmental happiness surround yourself with friends that introduce positivity into your life
too many people cling to toxic relationships and then they wonder why they're constantly feeling
down I can't overstate how big of an impact your loved ones have on your mood and mental state if
you're spending time with the wrong people you have to make a change it's critical that your
friends support and inspire you and you should do the same for them happiness is something you
have to find internally but a poor support system can and will hold you back number eleven habitual
addition if you want to rid yourself of a bad habit how should you get started let's say you
spend too much time on social media you notice that it's making you feel sad and unmotivated
to change your behavior you might hone in on the exact amount of time that you waste each
day holding that number in your head your goal might be to subtract as much social media from
your life as you can but when you cut something out you don't have anything to fill the hole it
leaves behind it's much easier to fall back into old habits when you aren't sure how else to spend
your time to live a happier life you should add good habits instead of subtracting bad ones for
example if you create more time for reading you won't have as much time to spend browsing social
media that way you focus on doing things that make you happy instead of avoiding things that
don't number 12 lose expectations while anyone can give back very few people can give without
expecting some sort of reward this expectation is ingrained within your biology throughout
the evolution of humanity we've grown through trade and exchange we'll dedicate time money
and services but only if we receive something of equal value in other words you've been conditioned
to always expect something in return but this expectation ignores the most significant part
of giving back it's not about what you get it's about making someone else's life a tiny
bit better easier or happier those altruistic feelings will stick with you for the rest of
your days so to live a happier life make a habit of giving without those expectations hey thank you
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