3 can't-miss tips for a happier life

While you might think living a happy life should involve no shortage of bells and whistles -- fancy cars, big houses, a wide circle of relationships -- people can find joy and contentment in things that may not cost much (if anything at all).

Here are three tips for finding pockets of happiness in daily life:

1. Live simply. Sure, who doesn't like being a nice car, watch, or pair of shoes every so often? While treating ourselves to something nice is a good thing -- we do, after all, work hard for it -- we should never depend on material stuff to make us happy, much like we shouldn't turn to human beings for fulfillment.

Aim to appreciate the little things in life that bring us joy -- a beautiful sunset, a hot cup of coffee, a game of fetch with the dog.

These are things that require little to no money and leave us feeling better. Some people feel happiness eludes them, but there's happiness to be found in the simplest of things.

2. Love generously. What better feeling in the world than to know you and someone dear to you love one another mutually?

When it comes to people who enrich our lives with joy, optimism, laughs, and wisdom, we should demonstrate our love for them in as many ways as possible -- whether by cooking their favorite dish, lending them the money to help get their business off the ground, or helping their kid with their homework.

Of course, those not deserving of our love are the people who trample it, abuse it, and/or take it for granted. If you find yourself in a relationship like this, abort ship before you become any more invested.

3. Learn constantly. I fret whenever I hear people say they're bored. With so many things we can learn in this world, there's no reason to ever feel this way. From YouTube to webinars to books and museums, we have so many tools at our disposal through which we can absorb knowledge on a virtually limitless array of subjects, whether we fancy history. science, cooking, or the arts.

And it doesn't have to be limited to learning about "things." We learn some of life's most valuable lessons by observing and interacting with people.

In sum, by living simply, loving abundantly. and learning as much as we can, we can make the most of what life has to offer. Who says happiness is fleeting? If we look hard enough, we can find it everywhere.

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