Believe it or not, answering the question, ‘are you happy?’ or even ‘what makes you happy?’ is very difficult for most people. When you spend time with those questions, other questions seem to crop up that get in the way. Usually, it’s questions like, ‘why aren’t I happy’ or esoteric internal psychological inquiries like ‘what IS happiness?’. Here are the five ways I find to best determine your happiness level AND I believe it is a good barometer to help you know what to do to avoid prolonging unhappiness and even depression.

#1 Do you know your ‘One Big Thing’? – Anybody familiar with the movie “City Slickers” is bound to remember the wisdom of Curly the cowboy. He said (and I will paraphrase for language):

Do you know what the secret of life is? … One thing… just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean anything – Curly

A better reference is likely the apostle Paul who said, “This ONE THING I do…” Paul knew his ‘One Thing’. Operating in your own one thing is a big key to understanding happiness and why you are or why you are not happy. If you are unsure of your own One Big Thing, and even if you just would like a book that I found to be highly motivating, check out the book by Phil Cooke, titled “One Big Thing”. I believe it will make a difference in your life. I will try to post a link to it below in the comments section.

#2 Are you helping someone else? – Being in action to help another person or a group of people is highly effective in creating happiness in yourself. I assure you, regardless of your condition or position, there is someone who could use something from you. You may feel as if you have nothing left to give. You can always give attention, time, love & encouragement. Let your heart guide you. The more you take this piece of wisdom to heart, the more happiness you will find in your own life. Guaranteed! Perhaps Jimmy Durante’s song said it best: “Make Someone Happy – and You’ll be Happy Too!”

#3 Are you taking time regularly to connect your purpose and your Maker? – As important as anything when looking toward happiness is connecting with your Maker with the intent of understanding what His purpose is for you. The more you do this, the more you will discover how much love He has for you and that alone will bring great Joy. Indescribable joy. Psalm 16:11 says:

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

In other words, the path of life is shown to us by our Creator, AND when we are in His presence we experience joy in its fullness. He alone also holds all pleasures in His hands. I’m getting happier just going through this exercise, myself! One thing… If you are not taking advantage of this joy-filled event daily, don’t beat yourself up for a minute. Just start TODAY!

#4 Are you willing to choose happiness? – Okay, sure… EVERYONE would choose to be happy if they had a choice, right? Seems logical, but let’s actually put logic to work here. First, if you are unhappy, determine what you gain from your attitude. At first it might seem there is nothing to gain from a bad feeling, but generally, there is a payoff for the feeling. Maybe it lets you off the hook for something for which you are responsible. Maybe it gets you attention. It could be that you feel bad about others, which makes you feel better somehow about yourself. Determine the payoff. Next, understand the cost of the bad feelings. It does cost you something too. When you determine the payoff and the cost, you can actually make an intelligent decision regarding your feelings and CHOOSE to be happy. After you have determined payoff and cost, you MAY choose to remain unhappy. At least then, it’s a choice and you know it.

#5 Find Reasons to Laugh – They happen all the time. If you have to do so, resort to a movie or find that guy that is just funny to hang out with. Seriously (ironic choice of words) We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure goes up and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues. Proverbs 17:22 says:

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about laughing. People laughing and shouting with joy (Psalm 126:2), God laughing (Psalm 2:4) and more. It might even be fun for you to research that a little.

In closing, none of this is to make you feel worse if you’re feeling bad. Sometimes we’re sad or upset and there is a real good reason. IF, however you decide you want to cheer up, I believe these 5 steps will help you to do so! Please click the share button here and also comment on your own experience. Some of these steps may get to someone who really needs them and you can be the catalyst in making that happen.

I am praying that all who read this find a bigger smile on their face!