February 27, 2022

5 KEY STEPS to SATISFACTION

This article is specifically for those of my friends who ponder life a lot; sometimes by choice, and sometimes not.

REAL or NOT REAL? I have asked myself this question over and over again; wondering whether my problems in life are legitimate or made up by my devilish mind. The fortunate and somewhat unfortunate truth is however, that many times, the problems in our life aren’t really problems. Mostly, the culprit behind this is overthinking and dissatisfaction.

Now, this is absolutely not to say that you cannot have any legitimate issues in your life that deserve your time and energy; your emotions are real, they are valid. But sometimes, our mind ends up making every situation seem so much worse than it is. …But how do you change your mindset? How do you start seeing the brighter side of things that seem to be pitch black? The answer: it’s definitely possible, and most definitely not easy. Here are the MAJOR 5 KEY STEPS that have helped me feel more content and satisfied with where I am in life and what I have.

1. Being PRESENT and GRATEFUL in the Moment.

Be present, look at the people around you, talk to people fully submerged in the conversation. Sometimes it feels like people don’t reciprocate our emotions and it’s pointless to try to appreciate them. But it’s important to realize that having even one person in your life is crucial to feeling like a part of a community. Find the small things in your life that you overlook everyday, and realize how much someone else living a different life would appreciate having it.

2. Find Time to LOVE YOURSELF.

Whether you’re standing in line in Starbucks at 7am on a cold and rainy Monday morning, or watching Netflix with your significant other on Saturday night: find a moment to pause, thank yourself, and love yourself, for everything you do. What you do for others, what you do for yourself. Appreciate every effort you take to care for the people around you, and show yourself some love. Choose to embrace who you are and treat yourself to something that makes your heart happy. A happy heart is a healthy one.

3. Analyze and Re-develop Your MINDSET

It’s definitely all in the head. Humans have an incredible ability to control and use their brains to do almost anything. I mean, we’ve been to the moon and back, people jump off buildings for fun, and a man once survived 10 days buried underground! (search it up!!) Willpower can determine so many things in our life, whether you keep trying, or give up. But, what does that look like for a more satisfied person?
This means rewiring your mind to look at the positive side of things. Pessimism is NOT a personality trait – surprising, isn’t it? The brain is shaped by our environment, and it is up to us to re-mold it to serve us; to make the decision to be happier and more present!

4. You Can Only Change YOURSELF, Not Others.

Sometimes there is so much pent-up frustration inside us and we don’t even realize it’s because we’re trying to change others – when we shouldn’t and can’t! Trying to change someone never works, and almost always does more harm than good. If someone is causing problems in your life, take a break from them whenever you can. Give yourself some space and a chance to release your negative feelings instead of trying to “fix” them! Focus on becoming the best version of yourself and things might just start to fall into place.

5. Leave Things for TIME to HEAL

After all the things we talked about above? There’s sometimes nothing you can do but breathe, sit back, and maybe take a nap. Sometimes time is the only way a mess can be sorted, or a situation can be changed. What counts is that you give your everything everyday, and do your best to be the happiest version of yourself!