Want to be happy? Here’s the secret. The pursuit of happiness is a universal desire. We are all striving to have more of it in our lives.

The challenge that many people face is that they try to find happiness, in the form of external circumstances or rewards. This form of happiness is only temporary.

This idea is supported by research that suggests that only 10 percent of our happiness comes from external factors. The rest of the happiness equation is made up of our genetics, the thoughts, and behaviors that we do deliberately, and our attitude.

People fail to realize that happiness comes from within, and the degree to which you experience it is entirely in your control. In the words of Many Hale, “Happiness is an inside job. Don’t assign anyone else that much power over your life.”

Want to be happy? Here’s the secret. It’s easier than you think.

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Happiness flows more easily into our lives when we focus on the positive. Here’s where the problem lies. As human beings, we are hard wired to look for the negative.

This is supported by research that shows that the brain reacts more strongly to negative stimuli. Thus, our attitudes are more heavily influenced by bad news, rather than good news.

It’s easy to blame others for our downfalls, but ultimately we are the ones who are responsible for our lives. We can either rise up, take accountability and change what doesn’t feel good, or we can dwell in self-loathing and despair. Which sounds better to you?

Don’t dwell on the negative. Rather, wake up every day and ask yourself, “What is the good in this situation?” Doing so will allow you to train your brain to continually look for the positive and celebrate life to the fullest.

We all need to get out of our heads and into our hearts more. The head is great for processing information and breaking down thoughts, but our hearts are our compass, our seat of truth, and the place that we go to when we are seeking alignment.

A great way to strengthen the heart muscle is through adopting an attitude of gratitude. No matter what our circumstances are in life, we can all be grateful for something. What are you grateful for?

The feeling of happiness is a state that is achieved by way of being present with yourself and being grateful for what you have. If you actively look for the good, you will find it.

Gratitude has been shown to have countless benefits; some of which include health, happiness, satisfaction with life, and the way we relate to others.

Every single day, as part of my morning routine, I take part in a gratitude exercise in my 5-Minute Journal, which inspires me to start my day with a grateful heart. Take 5 minutes every day and write down what it is that you are grateful for. This is a simple, yet powerful exercise.

Do you want to be more happy? Here’s the secret. Let happiness find you by finding your flow and engaging in valued activities that bring you joy and fulfillment. These are the experiences that contribute to the feeling of happiness.

Happiness is a choice that we have to make every day. Create a morning ritual and engage in something every day that makes you happy. When you make this commitment to yourself, these healthy habits will shift your mindset, allowing you to see the good in everything.

Want to be happy? Here’s the secret. Make the decision to be happy NOW! Focus on it, feel it, and live it.

Take it from David Cuschieri, “Every morning I make the biggest decision of my life: To be happy today. All I know is the here and now. What happened yesterday and what may happen tomorrow is either gone or hasn’t happened yet.”

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I would like to share 3 benefits of minimalism that extend to all areas of life. Through life's ups and downs, it is important that we remember to take the time to enjoy the simple things in life. We need to be grateful for what we have, and focus on finding meaning in our lives.

Life is meant to be enjoyed, not filled with stress and frustration. Minimalism is a state of being, a simple approach to life, that can help us do more with less.  In the words of Vernon Howard, “You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.”

That is why I wanted to invite Will Chou, the founder of Will You Laugh, a self-development blog that focuses on the secrets to success, to write a guest post to talk about 3 benefits of minimalism that extend to all areas of life.

Take it away, Will!

When I first discovered minimalism, I was a mess of a person and I thought it was stupid. But everything has changed now.  To explain my change of opinion, we have to go back to the beginning. When I first discovered minimalism, I really wanted to travel the world for a living.

At the time, I was disillusioned with my career paths and confused about my future. I was struggling to find work I could enjoy and the job opportunities that I was offered, sucked. To put it simply, like many Millennials, I had chosen a tough college major that I loved (pre-med Biology) but realized too late that it wasn’t my passion (after graduation).

My days of despair led me to seek escapism on the Internet. I discovered a large group of online bloggers that had a huge following and who called themselves, “travel hackers.”

Essentially, they would travel to exotic places for a living and make their living by “hacking life.” They were able to achieve a level of financial freedom that most people would envy. At first, I wasn't sold on this whole idea of minimalism, but that soon changed. Today, I want to share with you the three benefits of minimalism that extend to all areas of life:

1. You Will Stay Organized and Clean

I had always been a messy person. Despite my best efforts to stay clean, my room would quickly morph into a mess of junk. To put it simply, the more items you have, the more opportunity it is for it to make you feel and appear messy.

When you only have a couple of items on your desk, it’s never going to look that messy no matter how long you delay cleaning it up. It’s shocking how few people understand or use this habit. Nowadays, I have applied this minimalist philosophy to every area of my life.

2. You Will Achieve More By Working Less

A lot of people make the mistake of approaching their daily to-do list with a reactive state of mind. They take on too many tasks on a daily basis, many of which are unimportant. When they look back at what they have accomplished, they are surprised by their lack of progress.

A solution is a form of minimalism called essentialism. The concept is simple. Focus on one to three tasks per day. Make sure they are the most important tasks that will make the biggest impact on the accomplishment of your goals. If you do this right, you will realize that you’re doing less work but getting more results by prioritizing and cutting out the unnecessary.

3. You Feel Happier and Less Stressed

Not so long ago, I was frustrated with my progress, both professionally and personally. I didn’t have quality friends, I wasn't earning much, and I was lost and without direction in my dating life.

It was confusing because I had always worked super hard in school and “done the right things.” After doing a lot of research on success, happy people, and the science of happiness, I came up with a simple mantra that has helped me a lot. It goes something like, “As long as I have air, water, food, a healthy mind, and a healthy body, I am happy.”

This mantra reminds me to lead a simple, happy life. By living this philosophy, I have become a much happier, more relaxed, and lighter person.

I Am Not A Minimalist And I Don’t Want You To Be. 

Wait, what? After all, I have said, I’m now revealing that I’m not a minimalist, I don’t intend to be one. Why? I can't say that I would be happy with living a lifestyle of extreme minimalism, and that’s OK. What I love about some minimalist influencers out there is that they’re not telling you to become a minimalist.

Rather, they are encouraging that you adopt the minimalist practices that work for you. That’s where I stand. I will be rich one day and I will buy expensive experiences, but the items and services I do buy will be fewer than the average person, and they will be focused on memorable experiences, rather than a desire to hold onto possession.

It’s important not to swing from one extreme perspective (“Everything you buy has value so you should hoard it.”) to the other (“Nothing has value so get rid of it all.”). The truth lies closer to the middle.

Will has spent thousands of hours studying the world's most successful people and shares his findings on his self-development blog, Will You Laugh. Get his free gift made especially for Project Life Mastery readers by CLICKING HERE!