My son Lawson is curious and intelligent beyond his years. He’s the kind of person that knows enough about history that he can imagine himself living quite comfortably in a different time period. When I was his age, I used to imagine myself having been born in a different decade, too. For Lawson, who was born in the early 00’s, the perfect decade to have been born in would’ve been the 80’s. Coming of age in the 90’s, he reckons, would’ve been like it’s now portrayed to him in movies and magazines. And that’s right where he can see himself in some alternate reality.

On the other hand, I think I would’ve fit snugly in the baby boom; born in the 60’s, coming of age in the 70’s. This conversation with my son flourished and grew into a philosophical discussion about some of the differences in all of these time periods.

The 70’s was a time of unprecedented progress in the struggle for civil rights. Togetherness, community and the first national celebrations of Black culture were the backdrop of the decade.

But is that what made the 70’s so great? And why were the 90’s so fly? It wasn’t just the style of clothes and the growing popularity of new styles of music. Eventually, we found this nostalgia was rooted in the way we saw the activities, discoveries, and the progress of the times. Things exist now that didn’t exist then, but we can still celebrate the progress and achievements of the elders and ancestors.

Luckily, the happiness we associate with each time period is just as possible today as it must have been then. Creating happiness for oneself can be difficult, but it’s always worth it. Could you be happy for 100 days in a row?

Here are 4 easy tips on how you can incorporate more happiness into your life.

1. Take Your Time

People are working more now than they used to, while often earning less and less compared to the expenses and debts of yesteryear. Some current companies are making great strides to provide a more manageable work/life balance for their employees. But work isn’t the only thing that takes up a worker’s time; even packed personal schedules can get in the way of a person truly taking time for themselves.

Regardless of your life’s obligations, you are your own, autonomous force, and to some extent, you get to make your own decisions pertaining to yourself. You owe it to yourself to set aside some of your own time, just for you. Sometimes, my days are so stacked that the only free time I get is the fifteen minutes before my alarm goes off; but that’s my fifteen minutes.

Plan, set-aside, or if necessary, carve some time out of your day, every day, to do something that makes you happy.

2. Advocate For Yourself

Ideally, communities are built on some level of reciprocity. Each member gives to the collective in order to be entitled to receive the benefits of membership. This principle can be simple and straightforward, though some arrangements can be a little more nuanced.

But when you want someone to succeed, you’ll often willingly give more than you’ll receive in return. It’s a great thing to follow this instinct under the right circumstances, but being too selfless can have its own pitfalls. Community isn’t all about giving of yourself; you should be getting something out of it, too.

3. Work Toward Your Goals

It’s a common thing to be a person with big goals and lots of determination. But those aren’t the only things necessary in the recipe for your success. To want something is easy; to set aside resources to make a path to that thing can be infinitely more complex. Often, seemingly benign goals are eventually found to require levels of investment. Sometimes, a really important milestone might even require that other goals, hobbies, or pastimes become deprioritized for a while. And that’s ok. You can’t do everything all at once, and if your plan requires that, you likely should consider taking some time to think about another way to go about things.

4. Cut Yourself Some Slack!

Happiness often is rooted in your perceived freedom to do the things that you want to do without any negative consequences. While being driven to achieve the things that are important to you is good, pushing too hard in any direction can be unhealthy. Sometimes, determination can cause you to spend less time doing the things that actually make you happy. Don’t trade too much of your current self for a future one!

Maybe you’re one of those people that loves to go to the gym, or to be outdoors for a few hours a week. If you notice that some new hobby is replacing one of these things, make sure you’re ok with that. Otherwise, it might be time to make some tough choices. Preferences do change, but to be happiest, you should try to only sacrifice things that you don’t mind losing from your routine.

So work hard when necessary, but take those breaks when you need them. And for those who have struggled, it’s worth being reminded: life’s a stroll, not a sprint! If you find that you need help setting realistic goals or coming up with a plan of action to achieve them, holistic lifestyle coaching could help. Reach out to me and let’s schedule a call to uncover how!