INSTRUCTIONS
This section leads into the pieces necessary to increase one's happiness. The overall Happiness Plan should be scanned by you, to see what is involved and to just use as an overview, where you can be clear about what is involved.
Yes, there is alot involved in increasing happiness, as it ties into all the emotional and mind management aspects of a human. Some things will increase happiness immediately, others take a little more time and gradually show up, with the final parts showing results more in the latter stages of your mastery - but all of these will have a huge, long lasting effect on being truly, deeply happy.
On this page, you get the overall summary overview, with similarities to the overall plan, above. Notice how everything builds to the highest level of being happy. However, notice also the number of hours that are reasonably required if you really want to be happy. Then decide what level to commit to attaining.
Note that the section on barriers links into programs (ones that are either called programs or listings of readings that you can follow in sequence, as they take you through a whole program - obviously mastery takes time, but the rewards are immense.
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As humans, we are gifted with the unique ability to gather information, evaluate it, and use it - something called 1. "learning" how things work and 2. "implementing". The latter, to get the best results, requires "completion" - simply persisting until we get the desired result.
I list these not so much for their surprising significance or uniqueness, but for the clarity that this is the only path - and so you had better heed them, rather than looking for some magical solutions or shortcuts. The only way to the other side is "through" the middle.
THE PROGRAM, IN SUMMARY OVERVIEW
#1. LEARN about happiness (if you're not knowledgeable, how can you do
#2. ELIMINATE THE BARRIERS to happiness (without doing this, you
absolutely cannot gain much from the happiness increasers!) - These are
essentially bad habits and practices we somehow falsely believe work.
A. Fear of nonphysically threatening circumstances (these are strictly "made
up" and are not necessary, although we wrongly think they are)
1. Adjust your expectations to be realistic and attainable (avoid the
2. Blow out the totally false, nonexisting "make wrongs" (worth, guilt,
shame, self-criticism)
B. Worry (harmful, though we wrongly think it will reduce what we fear).
D. Stress build up (eliminate the cause AND handle the stress early and well)
If you just do these eliminations, your happiness (and your natural ability to do the following) will increase substantially.
#3. Do the HAPPINESS ENHANCERS (once you feel freed up by eliminating the
barriers, this will be easier to do and more beneficial). This process is not
"linear", as one will go through these in an upward spiral, raising the level at
which you know and experience them. You'll be happier as you go, and the
increases come relatively quickly.
Most essential:
Place top value on happiness (prioritize, focus on this daily, learn more about it)
out of the day and to feel good)
Learn and do self-care and "self-filling" activities
Next:
Learn and do gratitude (the opposite of "what's missing" or "loss")
Develop kindness/compassion capabilities and activities
Learn how to be good at several things (they don't have to be difficult)
Especially learn how to be very good at your work
Self-control (sorry, but this is necessary, otherwise lack of it is a barrier)
Better organized and planned (in lieu of worrying/anxiety)
Finally:
Be your authentic self (without a need for approval, which is among the barriers) Meaningful work/activities you like/love
Be involved in relationships and socializing
Develop an outgoing social personality
Develop close, trusting relationships
Learn especially family and spousal relationships
HOW MUCH LEARNING AND DOING IS NEEDED?
At each level, each extra hour spent has tremendous payoffs well worth the effort!!!
Realistically, to reach these happiness levels, you must spend the necessary time (in hours):
Level One. A little happier, reading here and there, randomly 5 to ?
Level Two. More informed, scan and review the key pieces on
this site and read several books on happiness 50+
Level Three. Relatively informed, reading/studying in more depth
and implementing several of the practices 250
Level Four. Go through the whole program, lots of reading, and
good implementation. Good mastery. 500
Top Level. Doing whatever it takes until you can say you feel
ebullient and very satisfied with life and yourself 1000+
So, you can do a little and that is fine. You'll get some benefit. If you return later, you'll gain more. And if you attain Level Four you'll be much happier than most people. However, attaining the top level is really the way to produce your best possible life of deep happiness, satisfaction, contentment, and ability to experience joy regularly and ongoingly.
AND know that there is no area in life in which you can better invest, as you'll find that the benefit is massively greater than the effort!!!!!!!
