Yet, every day we get on earth is precious and a chance to shine. A chance to become a better version of who we were yesterday. And to achieve our goals.
Yet, there are problems to face and barriers to break – sometimes physical, sometimes mental, and sometimes emotional.
So how do we stay on track on days when things get tough? And what can we do to face these challenges, emerge victoriously, and get back to what we are meant to do — to live our best life?
My 3 Ps to Start Living a Happier Life (Your Best Life)
One way is to recognize those life skills or support mechanisms that have stood by you in the past and help you get back on track when things got tough — and draw on them once again.
I’m referring to those core values, affirmations or thought processes that have supported you to rise up, repeatedly.
Since this post is all about sharing, I’ll go first.
Here are my 3 Ps to Live a Happier, Healthier and Healed life
PATIENCE
Patience is one of life’s greatest virtues.
And if you have cultivated the gift of patience in your life, you have reason to celebrate. It’s because patience pays.
Often in our race to accomplish our goals, we expect instant and quick results, forgetting that there is a time for everything. So many goals and aspirations are left midway because we couldn’t see the results we wished to see, and that too on our timeline.
The next best option is to give up because we don’t have the tolerance or drive to see things through. It is here that the gift of patience comes in handy.
Remember: It takes 9 months for a baby to be born. 24 hours for a new day. And 365 days for your birthday to come again the next year.
And no amount of impatience can speed up these events.
My life experience shows that cultivating patience helps put in the work to meet your cherished goals.
In some cases, you might still fail to achieve them.
But if you have the patience to put in the work towards your short and long-term goals, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you gave it your best shot.
At least you tried.
Patience also gives you a safety net to fall back on when you start seeking unrealistic and instant results. The gift of patience is precious.
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.
— Unknown
ALSO READ: PATIENCE PAYS: HOW EMBROIDERING MADE ME A BETTER WRITER
PERSEVERANCE
According to the Oxford Dictionary, perseverance is the quality of continuing to try to achieve a particular aim despite difficulties.
It is the drive to put in the hard work without giving up.
It is about the will and drive to try again if you don’t succeed at a positive goal the first time.
Of course, we need to know when to give up or pass off something that’s not working or good for us.
Yet perseverance is the virtue that gives us the inner strength to persist in life when things get difficult.
As a freelance writer, my ability to persevere has gotten me out of many challenging work situations.
It’s a virtue that’s held me in good stead, especially when I was beginning my freelance career.
If you, too, are struggling with goals that seem unachievable right now, don’t be afraid to persevere.
Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.
— Julie Andrews
PEACE
Being at peace with our circumstances and where we are at this moment is a secret recipe to a happier life.
Agreed it’s not easy.
And it’s natural to have regrets and unanswered questions that puzzle us to wit’s end.
And make us second-guess our life’s journey.
Yet, finding peace amongst all the clutter and confusion is when we truly achieve happiness.
Peace begins with a smile.
— Mother Teresa
Here’s the thing.
Whenever you’re agitated, apprehensive, worried, and led down and feel as though a sea of emotions are raging inside you, look for ways to restore your lost peace.
This exercise can be different for different people.
The idea is to embrace what works for you – yoga, meditation, a day at the park, a couple of days’ break or just plain old music therapy.
At the same time, making peace with our life’s decisions is another important exercise towards achieving inner peace. And once we achieve it, doubts cannot bother us anymore.
The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.
— Norman Vincent Peale
ALSO READ: 5 Amazing Techniques to Retreat Within So You Can Shine Outside
WRAPPING UP
There is no denying that the complexities of life will never end. But if there’s one thing that can help you cross the hurdles that quite suddenly spring up in front of you, it is your inner strength. And the more you nurture your inner power, the better equipped you are to sail through the sea of life with dignity and grace.
Now add to it my 3 Ps to a happier life – patience to keep going, perseverance to give it your best shot and the pursuit of peace no matter how chaotic life gets – and you can get a step closer to living your best life.
Your turn. What are the three values and virtues that you swear by and fall back on when life gets tough? Tell me about it in the comments section below.
First Published: Dec 2021; Last Updated: March 1, 2023
