Doing What You Want for You and Your Happiness

Whether you're a working mother, a busy professional, or just someone trying to navigate the wild west of the modern world, it's easy to lose sight of what makes you happy. Sometimes, there are even people who consider you selfish for wanting to put your happiness first and shame you for thinking of yourself.

These people don't matter, though. Even though you do have other responsibilities, these shouldn't come at the expense of your own happiness. So stop caring what others think. Start considering how to do what you want for you and your happiness. 

Doing That Thing

Think about everything you've said you're going to start doing during your life. There's a lot, surely. Now think of how many of those things you actually followed through to the end. Chances are it's less than half, maybe even less than a quarter. 

But this shouldn't be the case any longer. There's a possibility you're missing out on a variety of cool, exciting, and enjoyable activities, hobbies, experiences, or even jobs that will help ignite the spark of your happiness. Even if people seem like they don't think you can do it or want you to focus your energy elsewhere, going ahead and just doing it will help you realize what's really important. 

Treating Yourself

Fans of Parks and Recreation will no doubt remember the Treat Yo' self episodes, and while they may be an example of financial irresponsibility at its most flagrant, the underlying message rings true. 

If you spend all your time working for others and doing things for them, you forget that you, too, need treating every once in a while, and you can't always rely on others to treat you. This is when it comes to you, and you can enjoy vacations, shopping trips, nights both in and out, or even give yourself the cosmetic Advanced Skin therapy you've had your eye on for a while. 

Treating yourself can refresh and rejuvenate you, meaning you can get back to focusing on helping others. 

Removing Negative Influences

Sometimes, people struggle to separate themselves from negative influences and environments in their lives because of loyalty, family commitments, or a fear of the unknown. However, these negative influences can harm your happiness, and by staying close to them, you're only hurting yourself. 

This is why it's essential to separate yourself from these influences either for a short time or more permanently to give yourself time to think. In the quest for happiness, you must recognize areas of your life that are not good for you, and removing these areas as effectively as you can is the first step towards doing better for yourself. 

Your Happiness Is What Matters

There will be times where you need to focus on others' happiness before your own, but it's when you only focus on others that this becomes a problem. You cannot help others without first helping yourself, so understanding what makes you happy will help you be better, help you help others to become better, too.