How To Design A Happier, More Fulfilling Life

A few weeks ago I had a bad day. The thing that bothered me was that outside everything was fine, nothing was obviously wrong, but inside everything was chaotic. It was one of those days when you were in constant conflict with you.

At the beginning of the year I saved enough money to be able to quit my job and focus on building my online / writing career. But on this day I did not hear anything but doubt.

I couldn’t straighten my head, my art was suspended, and with all my efforts I got mentally blocked.

In desperation, I sank into my office chair and stared across the room. As I looked ahead, I looked at pictures of my trip that were attached to the wall. Each was a reminder of the good times I had and the things I look forward to in the future.

On the left, Steve Jobs ’biography kept staring at me on the shelf. Placed there wisely, so that in the days when I feel like I can't produce anything worthwhile, I get a reminder of what can happen.

Lately I’ve been trying to incorporate things into my daily life to add more inspiration. Items that provide extra motivation when the days are right and provide a weather-resistant layer for days when things are not going well.

If our ways and everyday life happen by accident, it is unlikely that they will set us up for the happiest, most meaningful, and productive days we can make. So I have started to be deliberately self-absorbed in the way I spend my days and my habits. I think you can call it the construction of happiness.

Of course, genuine and lasting happiness is needed. It is a long-term obligation to express gratitude, to be aware of our negative self-expression, and to develop the ability to see the world around us as optimistic.

So, while designing your days isn’t an immediate problem for instant gratification, it’s a way to help cultivate a fertile environment for happiness to grow.

Here are some of the things I played with:

Physical space

The easiest place to start carving a happy life is with your body space. Create your own environment to encourage. This does not mean that you have to move to the Himalayan mountains or to a villa near the sea, but instead make the place you are in now to make you happier.

The reason why Disneyland is considered one of the most exciting places on Earth is not by accident, but because it is surrounded by every corner of the Mickey Mouse, Disney Princess, or any other deliberately inspiring moment. Plan your own Disneyland every day.

This is the reason for my biography laid out by Steve Jobs' strategies. That's why I drank coffee in a hole that read "Follow Your Dreams." It is the reason for the quotes and inspirational messages on all my walls and in the background of my computer.

Have daily reminders of your sculpted goals in the house. Surround yourself with plants, paintings, colors and other visual aids that make you happy.

Anything that can help ensure that not a single day goes by without some sort of butt-up-the-butt release encourages you to be happier.

A little surprising

Do you know the feeling when you get money under the bed? Or when you find something you completely forget you have? What would you say if you built your life around having a good experience like this?

I've been trying with this too. I have tried to set calendar notes or random reminders for a few weeks, each with a nice short note or encouraging message for me. Both can add a wonderful surprise to a day when you suddenly find yourself.

Perhaps you have planned a trip for a distant future and completely forgot about it until it arrives. Or maybe leave hidden notes in completely random places throughout the house.

Make art, because anything goes.

Even better still, start building these little wonders for others. A few times a month think about someone close to you and see how you can help him or her.

Maybe that has an unexpected call or visit. Maybe that's a well-thought-out gift or just a word of commendation.

The world needs more wonderful wonders.

Company

The people you spend time with can also increase or diminish your energy and hope. If you want to have more fun, be deliberate in choosing who you will spend your time with.

I'm not a big fan of people, so spending time with them might be the difference between meeting someone who is crazy, loving, or shy, who is shy. The latter often leaves me wondering - “What's wrong with me?” “Why am I so quiet?”

Very few of us are lucky enough to be able to use the 24/7 inspirational people who enlighten us, but we can create opportunities to spend time (or at least call) someone who encourages us several times a week.

We often fail at any company available to us, to avoid being alone. We don't care how that company can affect us.

Be completely honest with yourself and ask: does spending time with these people make me feel better or worse? If the answer is too bad, then it probably isn't worth it after all.

Time

Perhaps even more importantly, we need to pay close attention to how we use our time. It is very easy to fall into a normal state and stay there no matter how productive it is or how bad it is.

I try to do something I love every day. For you, this could be an act that contributes to achieving a major goal, or perhaps knitting, playing a musical instrument, or any other activity you enjoy.

You don't have to spend a lot of time on it, but there is a lot of satisfaction in knowing that no matter how masculine and stressful life is, you are still working on something that benefits you.