The 6 Life Changes You Can Make Now to Elevate Your Personal Happiness

Are you happy with where you are in life? Do you feel you’re leading a well-balanced, fulfilling life? Do you feel like something is missing in your life, but you’re not sure what? In the next few moments, we’re going to take a journey towards clarity and come out with the 6 actionable steps you can take to improve your quality of life and elevate your happiness.

Let’s set the premise that the following are the key areas of life. These are in no particular order and shift in weight of importance throughout different seasons of life.

• Personal Growth & Contribution
• Recreation & Fun
• Career
• Finance
• Spirituality
• Health & Fitness
• Confidence/ Self-image
• Social Life: Friends, community, family
• Romance
• Living Environment

I’d like you to rate each area of your life between 0–10, 0 being non-existent and 10 being the best it can be. There are a few questions for each area of life meant to guide you below. They’re listed by category in case you get stuck. (Feel free to skip the question guide and move on to the next part)

Personal Growth: How often do you read? Do you feel that you were learning and growing every day? What do you contribute to others in your community? Are you progressing towards goals? Are you becoming a better person? Are you a different person today than you were last year? Are you curious about the world? Are you trying new things? Are you living with intention or by distraction (Netflix, Social Media Vortexes)?

Recreation & Fun: Do you have fun on a regular basis? Do you have activities scheduled that you look forward to? Do you actively engage in your hobbies? Do you do activities that require your creativity?

Career: Are you working? Do you see yourself in the same place or position a year from now? Do you see potential for upward mobility or growth within your career right now? Do you enjoy what you do? Do you feel what you do has a positive impact on the company and customers? Do you feel challenged and appreciated in your workplace? Do your teammates support you? Do you have a strong mentor?

Finance: Do you know how much money you’re making after taxes? Do you know exactly how much you spend every month? Are you able to categorize your spending? Do you have a budget? Do you adhere to your budget? Are you verse with financial planning? Do you have financial goals that you’re working on? How are you tracking these goals? Do you have a 401(k) or investment plan?

Spirituality: Do you make most of your decisions out of faith or out of fear? Do you feel closely connected with the universe/God(s)/ the source? If you’re religious, do you feel connected and in tune with that religion? Do you think positively of the universal order?

Health & Fitness: How was your physical health? How is your mental & emotional health? Do you have any substance addictions or dependencies, (alcohol, drugs, sugar)? Do you get plenty of sleep at night? How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? How well do you manage anxiety and stress? Do you exercise regularly? Do you maintain a healthy diet? Do you have a healthy body fat percentage? Do you know how much you should be eating every day? Do you know what your resting heart rate is? Do you have a healthy blood pressure? How many push-ups are you able to do?

Confidence & Self-Image: Do you love yourself and practice self-care? Do you respect yourself? Are you kind to yourself, with your words and your actions? Do you think highly of yourself? Do you feel confident in your abilities? Do you think positively of yourself when looking in the mirror? Do you pamper yourself frequently? Do you actively practice gratitude?

Social Life: Do you have a strong group of friends and a sense of community? Do your friends inspire you to be better every day? Do you feel uplifted and energized when you spend time with your friends? Do your friends hold you accountable for your goals and support you when you’re not at your best? Do you have strong relationships with your family? Do you have unresolved issues with people you were ones close with?

Romance: Are you enjoying being single and focusing on yourself? Are you thoroughly enjoying dating? Are you in love with someone you see future potential with? Is your relationship healthy? Does your relationship have jealousy, aggression, blocks in communication, or a lack of respect? Do you experience interdependence rather than codependence? Do you communicate well during uncomfortable conversations? Is there a high level of trust, respect and communication between partners?

Living Environment: Do you love the city you live in? Do you enjoy taking walks in your neighborhood or your commute time? How do you feel about your space when you get home after a long day? Is your home everything you want to be? Do you feel like peace when you’re in your bedroom? Are your possessions organized? Do you feel proud of your home when a guest comes over? Do you have good communication with the people you live with?

Next, note which 3 areas you ranked yourself the lowest on. For each of these areas, write 2 things you need to let go of in order to increase the score and 2 things you need to add to your life to increase that score. These can be small goals or massive goals, depending on your circumstances. This exercise shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes and by the end, you should have a personalized list of the exact 6 changes you can make to achieve a more balanced, happier life. This is the best starting point for looking at your life in aerial view, writing goals, and setting deadlines for yourself. If you ever feel lost or conflicted about your next steps in the future, remember to use this exercise to fall back on and reference today’s takeaways.

Thank you for taking the time to read this today. I’m new to the platform and I genuinely look forward to reading your ideas and experiences in the comments section. I hope this has been insightful for you and if it has, please share it with a friend or loved one.