29 tips to happiness

Seeing as I'll be turning 29 in about a month and a half, I wanted to give a shot at trying to sound smart about life and giving 29 tips of how to be happy. Some people might think it's a huge number, some might think it is tiny, but what's definitely for sure is that I'll be twenty nine in august, so here's my 29 tips to live a happy or happier life.

1. Exercise. yes this sounds cliché and like a crappy way to start a list of things to be happy. But facts don't lie, people who exercise are generally happier than people who don't. So find your niche and get them glutes nice and toned.
2. Drink more water. I dunno, something tells me that people might think this sounds stupid. But actually, the more water you drink (reasonably don't go OD'ing on water) the more you eliminate stuff (AKA Toxins that can actually lead to Debbie Downer moments).
3. Eat junk food from time to time. This might seem a contradiction to what I say above but damn, there needs to be some yang for all the healthy stuff you eat. sometimes you need a Twinkie, a Krispy Kreme donut or a huge slurpee. So by all means, indulge from time to time.
4. Don't rush sex. Ok this one seems out of left field, but hell, how many people don't you say that you wish they would just get laid so they'd leave you alone? Well guess what, often times this could actually be true. So please, have sex responsibly and don't rush it because the only benefit of going fast with sex is chafing, premature ejaculation, possible fractures and a disgruntled partner.
5. Be a kid from time to time. I posted about this a while back and insist that people do this. We take ourselves WAYYYYYY to seriously and really need to lighten up.
6. Live AND work, don't work to live or live to work. People's priorities are so messed up in this day and age that it's a miracle ANYTHING gets done with a smile.
7. Look at the big picture AND the small picture. If you focus on the macro aspect of reality, you'll be dwarfed by it and miss out on small moments to treasure a lifetime and if you focus on the micro, you won't see the magic of a well oiled machine.
8. Go to the movies or rent movies. With the variety of entertainment we have at our disposal, we might as well make the most of it and actually learn a few things about movies.... which gets me thinking....
9. Read more. I know you love to twitter and facebook, but rather, grab a real book and read. Read for fun, for education, for curiosity. The more you do, the better off you'll be.
10. Find at least one creative outlet. Lots of people who hate their existence just don't have anything to do with their free time. Us humans have millions of ways to do pretty much anything. Put that freedom to good use.
11. Travel. Be it Disney or Barcelona. Just make sure you travel from time to time. change your surroundings, explore and disregard the temptation of closing yourself off at home so you don't get swine flu.
12. Read news rather than watch it. Pay attention to what interests you and do yourself a favor and at best glance at murder reports. The news is completely depressing and you need to filter out the bad stuff once in a while.
13. Find a job you can at least tolerate. If you're constantly dragging yourself to work you WILL get cancer, even if it's just a benign tumor on your sense of humor.
14. Watch cartoons. Though today's cartoons rather suck, youtube and netflix are your solution. revisit your childhood and giggle at the stuff that made you giggle as a child.
15. Dare to love. Some people get hurt in their lives and then close themselves out to the rest of the world. That makes just about as much sense as taking a sip of water, choking on it and then saying you won't drink water ever again.
16. Drop grudges. They are a waste of time and energy and you won't get much for all the effort you put into hating someone. Trust me.
17. Have nice dinners for no reasons whatsoever. Dining fancy shouldn't be limited to anniversaries or to make up for some screw up.
18. Don't settle. With your job, with whoever you're going out with, with life in general. if you want something work for it but....
19. Know when to cut your losses. Perserverance is admirable but after a while it's just being stubborn. Give it your best shot, try and try again but if conditions don't change one bit, you'd better serve yourself to change focus
20. Get a hobby and meet people who share that hobby. There's nothing better than interacting with your kin :)
21. Do breathing exercises. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and think clearly rather than forcing something.
22. Learn from everything and never stop learning. The more you know, the more tools you'll have to be happy because at the very least you'll have something to talk about.
23. Multitask less. Try focusing your energies on one thing and you'll see you'll do it better. Maybe slower yes, but more often than not, MUCH better.
24. Go with the flow. Adaptability is admirable and enjoying the moment, WHATEVER moment comes your way is a one way ticket to being happy with your circumstances.
25. Write old friends, get in touch with them and occassionally stay in touch with them.
26. If you have something on your mind, share it respectfully. Otherwise you'll spend a life asking yourself whatif, and trust me, that drains you more than you know.
27. Listen to all types of music but recognize your favorite albums and learn the lyrics by heart. Singing, even if you're terrible at it is liberating. It uses energy and emotion and clicking with something like a great song is just awesome. So be a Shower Idol, grab that shampoo bottle and let her rip.
28. Laugh at yourself. Do goofy things, have a sense of humor and let yourself enjoy life. After all, it is your right.
29. Look at things from various points of view. Don't be objective... hell it's impossible, but do practice empathy. It'll help you understand where people are coming from.

And remember, if you gotta go... you know the rest.

Cheers