The idea of happiness is relative, and completely different from person to person. You may have hear that money doesn't bring happiness. But I'm pretty sure poverty doesn't help either.
The truth is, the first step to a more fulfilled life is the ability to teach your mind to focus on the right things.

It's on every inspirational post on facebook and you pretty much hear it everyday: Negative thinking is killing you.

Yes, negative thinking has a massive impact on our everyday lives, because how can we be happy and enjoy anything when we can't stop thinking about bad thinks. We chose to completely ignore the good thinks and focus our energy on seeing and complaining about the not so good. Think about it. How often did you feel thankful for being healthy? And how much did you moan and complain that time you had a slight headache? You sure get the point.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with complaining, but we just have to balance that with something positive so we can program our minds to enjoy things.

So how do we become happier?

1. Be thankful

This is another thing you've heard every day and yes, it's a cliche - but take a little time to be thankful for the good things around you, the simple things. You don't need to be thankful to a 'God' or another 'Being'. Simply take the time to notice and appreciate them. Your house, your health, the nice meal you had, your dog, the warm weather - think about them, that's all.

2. Stop comparing

Just because everyone has an Iphone 6 doesn't mean you need one (Yes I paid £600 for an Iphone that I only use to make and receive calls). The fact that your neighbor can afford a better car doesn't mean they're happier than you. You probably wouldn't have thought about it if he didn't buy it, so you don't need it. So stop worrying about what other have because it doesn't affect you. When you want something thing about the reasons you want it. If it involves being more like others, or impressing others, forget about it.

3. Be 'there'

You're spending the evening playing with your dog in the park, while your mind is still in the office, or thinking about that holiday you can't afford. Guess what? You're not enjoying yourself. Clear your head and simply play with your dog, think about playing, focus all your attention on it. Notice what's going on around you: grass, birds, kids - whatever. Stop being everywhere else and be there!

4. Be helpful and kind

Even though we all know that great feelings we get when we do something good, we don't do it so often. We often don't know how to help another person and we rarely have time. But there's so much we can do for others if we put our mind in the right place.
Why would I wanna do the dishes tonight, it hurts my ego! Why would I serve my partner breakfast in bed, they don't do it for me! But doing those little things for others, without focusing on what we get in return or on 'how fair it is' can make us feel great. It's all about how we chose to look at things really.

5. Cut the gossip!

Gossiping about other is though to make us feel better about ourselves, because we focus on other people problems instead of our own. But guess what? We're still focused on problems! Talking about other peoples happiness can make us feel envious so we chose to judge them or chat about their misfortunes instead. We're filling ourselves up with negativity and we often start feeling pretty bad for what we said anyway.

6. Be nice to others, and yourself

People make mistakes, lot and lots. So stop judging yourself or others for them. Did someone bump into you and spilled your drink? Make a joke about it! Instead of being angry you will be amused and feel even better than before. Did you make a mistake at work? Think about what you learned from it and don't be harsh. It's all about your mindset.

7. Become your good friend

You know that best friend that tells you you're fat everyday? Don't be that. Even though you know your friend doesn't mean what he says, just hearing it can affect you. Be that good friend instead, who compliments you everyday and tells you nicely when something's wrong. Spend time talking with yourself and get to know everything you can about you. It sounds crazy but just try it.

You heard these things again and again. You might have believed them, but never though about trying, or you might consider them useless or stupid. But they can help you enjoy life just a little bit more everyday.