Most people are looking for happiness in all the wrong places. They think they’ll behappy when they’ve done this or got that, but real happiness is a state of being, not one of doing or having.
True happiness is feeling good about who you are and the life you live; regardless of what you do or don’t have and are or are not doing. Domonique Bertolucci, author of The Kindness Pact, shares 8 tools to make you feel good about who you are and the life you live.
1. Accept your imperfections
There is no such thing as perfection and yet so many people exhaust themselves and erode their self-confidence in pursuit of it. When you accept your imperfections you recognise that you have strengths and weaknesses… and that’s okay.
2. Always do your best
When you set impossible goals that you have no real chance of achieving, you are setting yourself up for failure before you begin. When you focus on always doing your best, you are able to have much more realistic expectations of yourself and what you can achieve.
3. Stop comparing yourself to others
Whether it’s your neighbours, celebrities or the people you see on reality TV, comparing yourself to others will usually leave you feeling inadequate. When you stop comparing yourself to others, the only person you will need to impress is yourself.
4. Believe in your potential
Not only is worrying a big waste of energy, it also sends a clear message to your subconscious about your expectations in life. Instead of worrying about things that might never happen, focus your attention and efforts on making the things you do want your reality.
5. Silence your inner critic
The way you speak to yourself has a big bearing on how you feel about yourself; if you speak to yourself in a harsh, critical or belittling way, your confidence will whither. You are the guardian of your self-esteem and you should never speak to yourself more harshly than you would to a small child.
6. Challenge yourself
Confidence and self-belief are like muscles; you need to exercise them if you want to grow stronger. When you challenge yourself, you are telling your subconscious that you believe in yourself and that you are willing to back yourself in new circumstances and situations.
7. Stop making excuses
If you are not living your best life, you need to examine not only the things that are getting in your way, but also the reasons why you are letting them. When you stop making excuses and start taking responsibility, you are able to enjoy the things that are great about your life while harbouring no illusions about what you need to change if you are to enjoy everything else.
8. Love yourself
When you love yourself, you treat yourself with as much love and respect as you would your closest friend, be understanding and forgiving of your failings and, above all, be as kind to yourself as you are to the other important people in your life.
Domonique Bertolucci best-selling author, life strategist, happiness expert and the closely guarded secret behind some of the country’s most successful people, shares her secrets to feeling good about yourself.
Since writing her first book, Your Best Life, in 2006, Domonique has become Australia’s most popular life coach. More than ten million people have seen, read or heard her advice. Bertolucci has an impressive client list comprised of the who’s who of CEOs, business identities, award-winning entrepreneurs and celebrities. Her latest book, The Kindness Pact: 8 Promises to make you feel good about who you are and the life you live is out now.
What do you do to feel good about yourself? Tell us in the comments below…
This story was originally published on The Carousel.
