Identity hacks for a happier life

Some time ago, I wrote an article about how you can choose happiness, giving you 7 things you can deliberately work on to increase your happiness and success.

Choosing deliberately for happiness requires a certain mindset and a certain identity: the core belief that with effort, you can change. All the work you put into this becomes easier when you believe it’s possible to influence your happiness, when you believe that you can be a different person: more joyous, healthier, more successful, fitter, kinder, calmer, more authentic, stronger, or any other quality you want to cultivate in your life. For some people, optimism and happiness come more easily than for others and it might cost them less effort, but the point remains: everybody can change with effort.

If you really grasp or live this concept, it allows you to dream and think big(ger), it can boost your confidence and make you take the leaps that you, deep down inside, want to take. Realizing that a more exciting, fulfilling life outside the borders of your comfort zone and your limiting beliefs is possible, might push you through the fears and uncertainties and will make it easier for you to go for the things you really want, elevating your happiness. (See also this article on how to overcome fears.)

You can give yourself this new identity by choosing and believing you can be the type of person you want to be. It takes time and effort, but that goes for everything. (See also this article on Belief (in Dutch).)

And with any kind of change, patience, persistence and small, incremental steps are key.

The art of living

So the choices for your happiness in the end are about the art of living. Training yourself to enjoy life more. To find peace more easily. To get into the flow of life, and not constantly have to walk or fight against it. Letting go of the tensions, getting more easily in a flow state, getting slowly rid of overwhelm and stress.

I know this sounds unrealistic for many, and maybe it is for some. But for many of us, growing personally to become happier, more successful, and better performing is possible. And in my opinion, if you follow the small incremental changes idea (meaning you believe, start small, and be persistent), it’s easier than it seems.

Small incremental changes in your thoughts, actions, and habits will ultimately determine your character or identity.

So, who do you want to be and how do you want to feel? Reverse engineer this and become healthily obsessed with the thoughts, actions and habits you need day in day out to get there. (Check out this article that can get you started with this.)

It’s what I’ve been doing myself for the last couple of years and there is definitely a change for the better 🙂. And obviously, it’s with ups and downs. But I’m not perceiving the downs so negatively anymore as I used to. I’m kinder to myself. I more quickly choose to focus on what I have already achieved instead of worrying about what I have NOT yet achieved. I do more small things that make me happy. I constantly invest in myself to grow and learn new things. I started doing some sort of physical exercise almost daily. I include gratitude exercises in my meditation and practice to express it more often. I’m doing exercises to increase my self-awareness. I train myself to approach difficult moments with less negative energy. And I practice to be more present in joyful, happy or proud moments. So I try to take responsibility for the experiences and results I have in my life and the thoughts and emotions I’m generating.

And that is the core of what I try to achieve with my work.

This can also help organizations to increase happiness and performance in the workplace. By not only working on skills (communication, leadership, feedback, productivity, listening, etc) but also on the identity of people, they grow at their core and tap into more of their potential, which can create an ripple effect in the organization.

Happier, more self-aware people, better communicators, better listeners, more drive, more engagement, more focus, higher efficiency and effectiveness, and more proactive behavior, resulting in a positive company culture where respect, collaboration, ownership, good leadership, feedback and happiness thrive.

Feel free to contact me if you are looking to build happy high-performing teams in your organization, or if you want to invest in yourself as a person, or have any questions on this matter.

You can also subscribe to my newsletter if you want to receive regularly some tips and tricks on how to boost your happiness and performance and you can follow me on Instagram or Facebook for a daily dose of inspiration.

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

Jan Aquarius – Live. Grow. Matter.