I got this title from watching Joy of Life, a Chinese drama. At the ending episode, one of the characters who is aged advises another young character to live his life well.
It gave me a reflection back into my life. It is something I always keep in my mind. Find a way to live a happy life. Until now it is not yet settled.
I wrote this as a way to talk to myself. You can leave and no need to read further if it is something not related to what you are looking for. I am a bit selfish here. I treat myself with a glass of red wine and just let my idea flow.
What could make us live a happy life?
1. Ambition is good but make it feasible
It is good to have ambition and have a strong will to improve or make it easier or better. That’s the core value of human beings. However, it is not possible for everyone to become a millionaire or the prime minister. Your ambition has to be realistic and feasible. You need to archive something in order to move forward. Targeting a very big goal is nothing different than shooting yourself in the foot. There are different steps to reach the big goal. We should start from the 1st ground first.
I have no ambition in power. I just keep working and make sure we have enough money for the family.
2. Good health is important
It is good when you feel hungry and you can have something to eat. Enjoy your meal and maintain a healthy body. When you are young, exercise might not be crucial but when you are getting old, you need to do exercise to keep yourself healthy. There’s no other better solution. Don’t eat junk food and get yourself overweight or fat. It is not healthy and most often you will have some issues.
If you are lazy like me, you don’t go to the gym. Walking or running between 30-60 minutes per day would be sufficient to keep yourself in good shape.
If it happens that you have another method that is easier than this, do not forget to share.
3. Family time is essential
I am not sure if you are the one who picks up the phone every 2 minutes, but most of us do. Shame on you and shame on me. When is the last time you speak with your kids? When is the last time you smile at your wife?
If you can recall it, it is fine. It means you spent time with your family. If you can’t recall, maybe it is time to review your activities and make sure you have a dedicated moment with them. As now the kids join online classes, we need to help them to complete the homework. Not only school related activities, we need to talk with our kids about all things in life. Do not assume they know and understand everything. It is our duty as parents to help them understand about life and how they can prepare themselves for the future.
It is one of the areas that I feel guilty about not spending much time with my kids. From now on, I plan to have weekly meetings with them on weekends. We can discuss anything.
4. Having faith and keep going
It is very easy to get distracted nowadays. The Internet can change your mind or even personality in just a minute. If we keep scrolling and comparing ourselves to those on social media, the satisfaction never ends. We keep looking for something that we don’t even need.
We need to believe in our nature and have faith in ourselves. Our success will come when you keep doing our own things.
There’s no overnight success. We need to test our ideas out. Make small steps, one at a time. Good things will come when we want them enough.
5. Giving yourself a treat
No matter what you are working on, you should reward yourself and enjoy the process. Give yourself a good treat of sleep, eating and doing activities that you like the most. Do not wait until you have all the success or reach the goal. It is nice to treat ourselves a good care. It will help us to have energy and harmony in life. Do not let a day pass with regret. Find something fun for yourself.
When you enjoy your life, you will have the energy to continue your work. When you are happy to be yourself, you will find ways to improve it and make it better. Don’t burn yourself out for nothing. Take care of yourself first, so that you can take care of others. This is the greatest love of all.
Love yourself and live a happy life.
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