So I’ve been in an introspective mood. Ok actually I’ve been in an introspective life although it may not seem obvious to most. But recently the introspection has been rather pronounced.

So with my 4 day medical leave (lymph node swelling and fever, if you must know), I started writing on the glass board in my study, trying to figure out how to be happy.

1. Be Healthy

There is no way to be happy if I am not healthy. Simple realisation much? Yes but how many of us are leading truly healthy lifestyles? No I don’t see any hands up so here goes…

♥ Sleep early, and have a regular sleep routine. This means no more sleeping for only 5-6 hours every weeknight, then suddenly sleeping 12-15 hour stretches on weekends to make up for it.
♥ Drink more water and eat my vegetables. Just eat them.
♥ Enjoy and appreciate my meals. How many times have I eaten just to get the meal over with? Especially true for weekday work lunches. Time to slow down and really savour the food. If it takes eating something nicer every now and then to make me look forward to the meal, so be it.

2. Love Myself

Another cliché phrase yes. Some things you know but don’t know. I’m still trying to do it better as we speak.

♥ Dress well, look good… for myself. This realisation came about during a conversation with my colleague (a well-dressed lady in her 40s). Me: “What’s the point of dressing up? I just wake up, come to sit in the office for 9 hours, and go back home.” Her: “My dear, you don’t dress up for others, you dress up for yourself.” Me: “…oh…” Somehow it was a lightbulb moment.
♥ Don’t compare myself to others.
♥ Learn not to succumb to self-doubt. Well this may not be applicable to all, but often I second-guess myself, wondering and questioning whether the decision I made was right. Wondering if I really can achieve something.
♥ Make being happy a priority.

3. Have Courage

I initially phrased this as “letting go of my fears”, then realised that a positive spin to things always triumphs the negative version. Credits to the hubs for this by the way.

♥ Trust God (or Allah, or Guanyin, or Dua Peh Gong, or whatever higher power you think is out there). Trust that things in my life are turning out exactly how they need to turn out.
♥ Accept that life doesn’t go as planned. And even when it does, it might not be for the best. Sometimes life’s best gifts are things that happen by accident. But please… erm be safe. Haha sorry couldn’t help saying that.
♥ Know that “this too, shall pass”. Everything is transient.
♥ Have the courage to face adversity, failure and the unknown. Something I have not been able to do. Know that in 70 or 80 years most of us reading this will be skeletons somewhere. Morbid but sobering.

4. Do Everything with Effort

This is something I had trouble with since I was a kid. My parents loved to enrol me in every class imaginable; I was in piano, art, chinese dance, swimming, theatre, etc etc. Like antibodies fighting a disease, I built up considerable resistance towards these things which I didn’t even sign up for.

I was overwhelmed… I was reluctant. I couldn’t see the point of putting in effort to wear a pig costume and performing (true story). Soon that became the story of my life. I couldn’t see the point in things.

It’s scary how being half-hearted towards life can become a habit, but I need to realise now that I am no longer being enrolled in classes by someone else, so I shall…

♥ Put my best effort into the things I do and make that a habit instead.
♥ Eliminate the “this is not important” attitude.
♥ Smile!

5. Give Love Freely

Finally, something altruistic! As they say “it’s better to give than to receive”. And what better to give than the best thing of them all, which also happens to be free?

♥ Show love and kindness to those who cross my path.
♥ Love others, even if I don’t feel like they deserve it. Or perhaps, especially if I don’t feel like that they deserve it. They may need it more than I know.

And with that I’m done! It’s actually a bit embarrassing to publish this, given that I have never published such things before. But oh well, it’s part of having “courage to face the unknown”, haha. Anyway what’s the worst that could happen that would matter in 80 years? That’s right… not much.

And who knows, of the people who might come across this article in its lifetime, there may be someone, out there who this has helped, if even slightly, somehow, somewhat.