While growing up, I used to consider people who laugh and dance a lot, the definition of being truly happy and content. But as I grow older, I begin to realise that a person can be the life of the party, smile/laugh always but not really happy nor contented with his or her life. Contentment is simply a state of happiness and satisfaction. Contrary to what you may think about being content, it does not mean you will stop striving to be better, achieving your goals or breaking records, it simply means you are satisfied and happy with your continuous life’s journey. You cannot be truly happy without being contented and you cannot claim to be contented without happiness. Also, very few people are happy all the time. Do you blame us? Life has its ups and down. But are you happy most of the time?

So here are 5 signs you are happy and content.

1. You appreciate the little things and do not sweat the small stuffs

Appreciating small stuffs means you are in a place of gratitude. You are happy to be alive and to be where you are. You get excited when your favorite song comes on, small gestures keeps you smiling all day, you love the luxurious things of life but you are not carried away by them neither do you make decisions based on these luxuries, etc. you live in the moment and you do not let anybody contaminate your mood and train of thoughts.

2. You try to understand

Trying to understand why your friend will want to keep things away from you or betray you is not what conventional people do, neither can it be done by people who are not in a happy place. You know you are in a happy place when you make excuses for the bad behavior of others. Note that making this excuses doesn’t mean you allow yourself be used or trampled upon, you just do understand that people can make decisions (whether good or bad) based on different external and internal influences. You, therefore, are happy to understand and talk things over.

3. You want other people to succeed.

We are quick to congratulate others when something good happens to them but are we ready to be the reason they are experiencing that good thing? When you are genuinely happy for the success of your friends, colleagues and family members, the universe will make good things happen for you. So if you find yourself thinking of how to make your life better only when you hear of a friend’s great achievement then you are far from being happy. This is not to say you shouldn’t take a cue from the hard work of people around you but if those are the only times you want something better or you feel you have worked harder that the person rejoicing then you need to do some serious soul searching. Find happiness.

4. You are calm and calculated.

When something is stressing you out, you know how to calm yourself. You understand that panic cannot solve anything, therefore, you calm yourself then switch to being proactive. Be it in a relationship, social gathering, a job, etc. you understand that you have a better chance of coming out stronger in the face of seeming difficulty when you look through things carefully while calm.

5. Enough sleep

Unhappiness hinders sleep. If you are not getting enough sleep then there is a problem. Also, if you are getting too much sleep, then you are not in your happy place.

There are other signs showing you are happy or not happy, but note that your happiness is important to you and I. Whatever it is, weighing you down, should not override the happiness of being alive. Live life and be happy. Your thoughts, visions and goals become clear when you find your happy place.