Finally: The Only Four Things You Really, Really, Really Have to Do to Have a Happy Life

In under 350 words

There are lots of articles on Medium (and everywhere) about “How to Start an Amazing Start Up” or “How to Live Life to the Fullest” or “How To Be All that You Can Be Financially and Personally.” I’ve enjoyed many of them, and in fact even printed some out (I know, how old school!) with every intention of re-reading them someday, or picking one sentence out of them that I will follow.

Unfortunately however, I’ve noticed as I read more and more of these articles that they all list 10 things, or 12 things one has to do. And frequently some of those 10 or 12 things have sub-things under them — like a freaking contract from a lawyer! So the 10 or 12 things turn into more like 15 or 20 things.

Yikes!

So I’m going to do all of us a favor. I’ve summarized all these lists and inspirational articles into four things you really, really, really have to do to have a happy life:

· Be Yourself

· Be Grateful for What and Who You Have — and Say So

· Stop Spending So Much Time with a Screen

· Do Something that Matters

I’m not going to explain what I mean by each of these items. Rather, I’m going to encourage you to think about what these four items mean for YOU.

Perhaps you can write these four items down on a post-it or a note card, and paste them on the mirror so you see them every morning and every night. Or maybe go on a walk (without your phone!) and think about one of these items once a week and decide what you will do to make that item more a part of your life in the coming week.

That’s it. Good luck! Let me know what you think and how this works out.