Follow your heart, do things that make you happy.

If there is one truth that is unique to your journey through life, it is that you will have to choose your own path to happiness. No two paths are identical, so you will have to make you own way if you want to feel happy and content with your life. This will mean letting go of the conventional choices and instead focusing on what works for you. 

The simple answer is to follow your heart. But in truth you will need to chart a course that allows you to find happiness. This means letting go of keeping up with the competition or trying to prove yourself to the world. Instead, the changes you need to pursue will be those that focus on yourself, your identity, and your goals. 

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. – Buddha

Forgive Yourself

The necessary first step towards following the path to happiness is to forgive yourself. As human beings, we all make mistakes. We all have regrets. And we all have things in our past that we wish we could have done differently. 

Look back at all your regrets and declare that today is the day to start all over. If you need to atone for some of the mistakes that you have made, then do so. Take the action necessary to change what you have done to others. 

But you will need to forgive yourself. Today is a brand-new day, so treat it as if it is the first day of your journey towards happiness. 

Start Small

This may seem counterintuitive at first since most people want to feel happiness right away. But the truth is that most people do not fully know or understand what will guide them to happiness from the start. What may seem like paradise may turn out to be a trap unless you are careful. So, start your journey with small steps. 

Test out the waters, see what works for you. And understand the complications that may occur when you start down the path towards happiness. By starting small, you can judge what works for you both for today and tomorrow. 

Seize Opportunities

A popular saying is that the only regrets we have in life are the times in which we didn’t take advantage of opportunities. Life only occurs one time for everyone. This means when an opportunity comes along, you should be prepared to take it.

Of course, not every opportunity needs to be taken. There may be some that steer you away from the path towards happiness. For example, just because the opportunity arises to travel to another country does not mean you should board the first plane to that destination. 

Ask yourself why you are going? Is this the trip you really want to take? How will this help me find happiness? 

Once you have answered such questions to your satisfaction, then you can make the best-informed decision about each opportunity that arises. 

Wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure. – Paulo Coelho

What Matters to You

A big part of your journey towards happiness is discovering what really matters to you. This may be more challenging that you might think, at least at first. Things that are seemingly important will give way when you focus on the basics. Family, friends, relationships, and the like will start to take a higher priority as you let go of certain things that no longer have as much meaning. 

This does not mean that you will let go of everything. But it does mean that you will prioritize what is important over things that have lesser value. 

Give Your Heart a Vote

As much as most people would like to be driven by their heart and not their head, it can be a difficult transition to make. Start by giving your heart a vote when it comes to making important decisions. This is the same type of advice as starting you journey with small steps instead of large leaps. 

When making your considerations, listen to your heart and give it a vote towards the outcome. Once you start seeing that your heart has insight that the mind does not, you’ll start to give in more to what you heart has to say. 

Remember to keep things in perspective, but also to start letting your heart into the decisions that you make. 

Forgive Others

Letting go of hate, envy, jealousy, and the like is never easy. When we have been wronged, carrying a grudge is a natural reaction. But to proceed down the path of happiness, you will have to forgive those that have wronged you. 

This may be the toughest of all steps needed for you to find happiness in life, but it is a necessary one. Take the time to examine your feelings and forgive. By letting go of your negative feelings towards others, you will find that the burden of carrying all that guilt, hate, and shame will lift from your soul. 

Of course, you do not forget what others have done to you so that mistakes are not repeated. But you must let go of the negative feelings that are burdening your soul. 

Stop Overthinking

In most cases, the first impression is usually the best one. It is when your mind and body reach the same conclusion together so that you can make the right decision. Do not overthink the obvious, especially when you have all the information at hand. 

But if you do not have all the information, then seek out what is missing. Only then can you make the best-informed decision. But that does not mean you should overthink what you already know. Overthinking leads to putting more weight on things of lesser value. Look over all the facts, weigh them in your heart, and then make the decision without regrets. 

Remember that your journey towards happiness does not mean that life will suddenly be void of complications. You will always face challenges no matter the path you have selected. Finding happiness in life is not the avoidance of challenges, it is understanding how to deal with them and turn such issues into opportunities. 

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.- Dalai Lama