Personal Goals for a Happy Life

Happiness means something different to everybody, and identifying what it means to your life will help you create goals that will lead you to a happy life. Happiness is a state of being, and quitting a miserable job, moving out of a boring town or breaking up with a toxic person won't necessarily find you there. Sometimes you have to dig deeper to identify what led you to unhappiness in the first place. Evaluate your past choices and make changes to increase your happiness by setting personal goals.

Inner Life

• Add kindness to your personal goals for a happy life.

  Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Learning about yourself and what type of person you want to become in life is important. Reflect on your daily behavior and identify what made you proud and what made you cringe. Improve upon the negative. Posting reminders of your goals on the bathroom mirror will help you create a habit. Let's say you want to refrain from judging others or become more patient; a small note reminding you of those goals as you get ready each morning will keep you on track. Seek out a trained psychologist to help you work through problems of the past and identify what makes you a happy and productive person. Take a walk outside and surround yourself with the beauty of nature. Getting out of your head and into the world can help prevent relentless negative thinking. Improving your inner self will help you become a better person, which will lead to happiness.

Outer Life

• Add relaxation as a personal goal.

  Good nutrition and regular exercise are personal goals that will add to a healthy appearance and positive mood. Creating a beauty routine that include massages, bubble baths and meditation will give you something to look forward to and add relaxation and happiness to your life. Make a list of dream jobs you would love to have, and work toward attaining one. Pick a place or home you have always wanted to live in and research its cost of living. Determine the time and amount of money it would take to buy your dream home and work toward the destination. Think of an activity you loved as a child and ask yourself if you could still love it as an adult. Embark on a project you have been putting off, such as writing a novel, joining a community drama group or learning about a subject of interest.

Connections

• Spend time with loved ones.

  Knowing who you can count on is vital to a happy life. Think of times you were at your worst and remember who was by your side. Whether your strongest connections are family, friends, significant others or animals, learn to depend on the support systems that lift you up. Avoiding toxic people is one big step toward a happy and stress-free life.

Experiences

• Try out a new experience as a personal goal for a happy life.

  Trying out new activities such as a new sport, joining a club or going on vacation will add to a happy life. According to a University of Cornell study, "Consumers spent more time thinking about the material goods they did not choose than they spend when buying an experience." Investing in leisure activities such as going to movies, enjoying a hobby or going on an adventure can improve your happiness. Saving money and planning a trip with friends and family or on your own is a personal goal worth striving for.

Creativity

• Add a new hobby to your life such as drawing or other creative outlet.

  Find a hobby or activity that allows your creativity to flow. Spend time focusing on something you love to do and that makes you happy. Figure out what activity helps you to escape into deep focus, making time fly. According to Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert, "The greatest achievement of the human brain is its ability to imagine objects and episodes that do not exist in the realm of the real, and it is this ability that allows us to think about the future."

Make a Difference

• Volunteer your time to help others.

  Write a letter to government officials about a social issue that concerns you. Let a manager know when an employee went above and beyond. Compliment someone, or open the door for another. Be patient when on the road, because an act of anger can lead to a domino effect, triggering mean behavior toward others. Volunteer your time to visit with the elderly or help at an animal shelter. Don't underestimate the power of small acts of kindness, because most of our lives are filled with small acts of kindness --- which can add up. Acts of kindness and doing things to make the world a better place are honorable goals that will give your life purpose.

Time Limit

• Create a timeline to map out your personal goals, but be realistic. Disappointment can set in if you have unreasonably high expectations and unrealistic goals. Remember that happiness is a state of being, and if you spend most of your time angry and miserable, it leaves less time for happiness. Take note of the moments you are consumed by happiness and remind yourself of those times when you hit a low. Spend more time doing what makes you happy and less time surrounded by things that bring you down. Perk up and enjoy your life.