Jared Akers

Be Happy with Yourself, Maybe it’s Time to Change

by Jared Akers

If you’re not happy with life, then you’re probably not happy with yourself. Maybe it’s time to change.

Do you know someone who is constantly complaining about something or the entire universe just seems to be conspiring against them? Or, maybe that’s you?

“Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.” -Henry Ford

There was certainly a time in my life where I thought the world was out to get me. I thought that if everyone could just understand me (mainly how great I was) that I would finally get ahead. I’d get the promotion I deserved, the million dollar bonus, fame, fortune, etc. They (the world) just didn’t get how amazing I was.

I was a little off in that I believed fame and fortune would finally mean acceptance and happiness. The truth was I wasn’t happy with myself at all.

I can say with certainty that, for many years, I was confused on what being happy with yourself actually meant. Looking and acting happy seemed to be what I was doing most of the time—or at least striving for. You may be familiar with the phrase, “act as if.” Also known as “Fake it till you make it.” This suggests that if you act a certain way, whether you feel like it or not, you’ll eventually become that. That if you act happy, going through the motions of someone that feels happy, that eventually the happiness will become real. I think this concept has some merit, to a point.

From my experience, acting “as if” for years didn’t really solve my problems. Or in my case, I might have felt happy at times, but there still existed the underlying feeling of dread or general dissatisfaction with life.

[Read more…]

5 Ways to Be Happy Whether You Want to or Not

by Jared Akers

how to be happy in life — Me on Kauai 2008

If you want to be happy in life, you have to be happy with who you are; whether you want to or not. You have to live with YOU everyday, so you might as well learn how to get along.

People often ask me, how are you so happy all the time? The answer is pretty simple, I’m happy with who I am as a person. But that wasn’t always the case.

When I started on this journey—on how to be happy in life—happiness was not really what I was looking for. What I wanted was peace of mind and a reason to live. My journey began out of desperation.

The concept of happiness wasn’t even on the radar; I just wanted a reason to get up each morning. I know that sounds depressing because it was. Being happy in life seemed impossible because of all the things I had either done, or failed to do in my past.

As most great mothers do, my mother had always instilled in me the idea that I was great. That I could achieve anything I set my mind to. She would say, “Shoot for the moon son, the worst that can happen is you miss and land amongst the stars.”

[Read more…]

How to Start Running When You’re Out of Shape

by Jared Akers

If you’re out of shape, or looking for how to start running from scratch, read on. I was really out of shape for years and hated running. But with a little time and small steps, anything is possible. Here’s how I started slow and within a few months was running in my first 5K.

Having run Cross Country in High School, I knew I hated running; really, I’m serious. I remember standing at the starting line with 100 other guys thinking “I’m about to run 3 miles as fast as I can, this sucks!” Although I was pretty good at cross country, I quit before my senior year and vowed to never run again.

I recall the coach pleaded with me not to quit, but I remember something my dad asked me when I went to him for advice, “If you hate it, why keep doing it?” It seemed simple enough.

So skip ahead to my late 30’s. I’m 41 as of writing this article and in the last 3 years I’ve finished 2 5K’s, a half marathon, and 2 short course triathlons. But all that’s another story, and the only thing I really “enjoy” while doing it, is the triathlons. The half marathon sucked, but I’m glad I did it. The 5K’s are alright, but short and all you’re doing is running which is kind of boring.

[Read more…]

5 Can’t Miss Tips on Travel and Life

by Jared Akers

EmilyAndJared_WaimeaCanyon — Emily and I, Waimea Canyon, Kauai 2008

As someone who loves traveling, I’ve discovered a few secrets on how to be happy in travel and why it’s an important aspect of happiness—at least for me and my wife. And in true How to Be Happy fashion, I relate travel tips to finding happiness in life.

Travel can teach you a lot about yourself and your potential partner or significant other. Experiencing other cultures is a great way of becoming more “a part of” the world.

Travel for me began in my late teens. Just after graduating High School I spent 3 weeks in the Soviet Union (1989 which I believe it was considered the USSR then). It was quite an experience and I realized just how lucky I was growing up middle class in the USA. A lot of things we took for granted were considered luxuries in many places we visited. [Read more…]

How to Be Happy and Live Fearless by Overcoming Fear, Stress, and Anxiety

by Jared Akers

This is no fluff, straight to the point, action based information that can change your life.

To be happy and start living fearless, you only need to know this: You’re not here to win, you’re here to learn.

The more you accept this, the less fear, stress, and anxiety you’ll have in your life and the happier you will be.

All fear is imagined; thus the side effects of stress and anxiety are self-inflicted.

The secret to living a fearless life is truth. Truth about yourself and the purpose you have in this world.

How to Be Happy

If you put in the dedication of knowing yourself completely and un-dividing your mind, you’ll discover it’s the same with stress and anxiety; it’s all imagined or created in your mind. Yet, even though many accept this logic (of our mind being our biggest problem), then why is everyone still running around full of fear, stress, anxiety, and ultimately unhappiness?

One reason is we’re chasing an illusion; the illusion of success and winning defined by society, parents, friends, etc. I too lived the illusion for many years.

Since my early twenties I had this image in my mind of what success looked like. It consisted of a loft apartment overlooking the city and driving a Porsche. My idea of success had nothing to do with personal character or the individual I would become; it was based on status and materialism. I would set all these goals for myself, reach them, and then trudge on to the next one. I was never satisfied and still full of fear, anxiety, and stress.

Are you stuck? Maybe you’re like I used to be. Trudging through life, not really sure what is wrong while disliking and fearing two things; the way things are and change.

I was lucky. I become desperate enough to seek a better way. Not the easier way—at first—but I’ve certainly discovered how to be happy. So can you.

Are you ready to start loving yourself?

Click Here for my FREE eBook, “How to Be Happy Now: Finding Happiness in Everyday Living”

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