As a life skills coach and educator, I speak to a lot of people about their lives and desires. And whether it is about work life, family, love or relationships, the one thing people always want is to find happiness in everything they do. But happiness is not something that occurs suddenly. It is a state of mind, which relies on us nurturing certain key emotions that help us spread the ripple of happiness.
The field of psychology has been long associated with mental illness. But more recently, there's been a breakthrough with the new field of positive psychology, which deals with people's positive emotions. This particular branch of psychology focuses on the ways by which people can live a more fulfilled, happy and healthy life. There have been many discoveries in the field of positive psychology that have provided evidence-based solutions for people to stay motivated in hard times.
According to positive psychology, these are the ten emotions that we should cultivate on a daily basis to keep a motivated set of mind and develop our resilience.
Positive Psychology Tells Us to Cultivate These 10 Emotions Daily
Gratitude
Gratitude is a quieter positive emotion. Most of us feel joyful when something great happens to us, but to be grateful is to cherish the fact that we are fortunate enough to receive such a benefit. When we feel gratitude, we become more creative and find ways to pay things back. It inspires us to be kind. Cultivating and practicing this emotion keeps us grounded, and makes us appreciate our lives more. Happiness comes with contentment in life.
Serenity
Another quieter positive emotion is serenity. This is when we feel that we have no worries, and that the current situation seems to be going just right. It is very important to cultivate this emotion because much of the time, even if things are going okay, we tend to either fixate on the past or start worrying about the future. Serenity needs to be nurtured with a view to savoring the present moment.
Interest
People do not often think of this of a positive emotion, but it is in fact a powerful one. Our interest or curiosity is what pulls us towards new learning, and new learning is what gives us the opportunity to discover or create new circumstances for ourselves. Always remaining open to something new eventually helps us grow and evolve.
Awe
If we actually slowed down more and stopped to notice, we would realize that every moment in life is an awe moment. This very life is the biggest source of awe, because we exist within the greatness of this universe. When we feel that we are in the presence of this large-scale creation, it inspires us to explore more. We nurture a child-like sense of wonder where the magic and learning never end. So, remember to feel every moment, from the smallest things to the grandness of the world around us.
Pride
Pride is the social valuing of an achievement. We might feel proud of something good that we have done, or someone we know might have made us feel proud. Either way, this emotion brings people together. The positivity of this emotion lies in its incitement for us to dream big and push us past our limits to reach our goals. Having pride in ourselves is necessary, because everyone is unique in their own way. Pride helps us recognize our abilities and take them to the next level.
Hope
I think hope is the strongest positive emotion, because it emerges when the circumstances are the least favorable. When we are at our most lost and broken, hope is the only emotion that has kept people alive, even amidst the horror of wars or terrorist attacks. Hope is when we fear the worst, but still yearn for better. Never let this emotion die within you. Nurture it, and always believe that tomorrow will be better than today.
Love
Love is probably the most complicated emotion, and yet the most beautiful as well. Imagine the world without love. This is perhaps the most common positive emotion that people experience, not only between couples, but within all warm relationships. Positive psychology tells us that experiencing a sense of lovingness with everyone makes us stronger mentally.
Amusement
We all know how people become too serious in life to achieve their goals. Amusement is an emotion which keeps us light. Whether it's through humor, comedy shows, or laughing with friends, this is an extremely important emotion to nurture every day. Positive psychology tells us that people who feel more amused focus more on the positive things in their lives.
Inspiration
Inspiration is the force that stimulates us to do something big or extraordinary. It is a great emotion that can be cultivated in our daily lives, as everything around us is inspiring if we look for it. If we can feel that, it brings us tremendous resilience, power and hope. So, feel inspired.
Joy
We feel joy in our lives after we have got better results than expected, or have felt safer and more cherished. Joy makes us more playful, and when we become more playful, we open up and start learning. Joy is that kind of upbeat positive emotion.
