Is it just Me, or do you, too wonder why some people always seems so happy and others
are just so – well, not?
I think some of us are just wired
to see the ‘head’ side of the coin in situations while others see the ‘tails’.
I’ve decided that, to some
extent, happiness is a choice: we can
choose to see the more positive side of every situation or we can chose to see
the negative side.
OK, put your thinking cap on…who
do you know that – no matter what – keeps smiling, thinking positively and
moving forward?
Are you blessed to know someone
like this?
Now, who do you know who – no
matter how blessed they seem to be, no matter how great their talents, their
friends and family, just seem to always be miserable?
Now, I’m not trying to
superficially judge anyone or declare why I think they should be happy, or not;
but it is cause to pause and wonder why, or why not.
I guess that’s why both optimist
and pessimist are listed in the dictionary!
Based on the studies and
observations of positivity psychologist, Sonja Lyubomirsky, and adapted from Jacob
Sokol, here are the 12 things happy people do regularly:
1.
Happy people express gratitude. -- Basically, being grateful for the goodness
that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of
happiness. And that's without having to go out and buy anything. It makes
sense. You’ll have a hard time ever
being happy if we aren't thankful for what we already have.
2.
Happy people cultivate optimism. -- Winners have the ability to
manufacture their own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful
diva is the one who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. She
sees what others may see as ‘failure’ as
opportunity to grow and learn new
lessons from life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place
packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
3.
Happy people avoid over-thinking and social comparison. -- Comparing
yourself to someone else can be poisonous. If we're somehow ‘better’ than the
person that we're comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of
superiority. If we're ‘worse’ than the person that we're comparing ourselves
to, we usually discredit the hard work that we've done and dismiss all the
progress that we've made. What I've found is that the majority of the time this
type of social comparison doesn't stem from a healthy place. If you feel called
to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of
yourself.
4.
Happy people practice acts of kindness. -- Performing an act of
kindness releases serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has
TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly
helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside. Evenbetter, I that the party who is the
beneficiary of the kindness benefits, too.
5.
Happy people nurture social relationships. -- The happiest
people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful
relationships. Did you know studies show
lonely people die younger? There's a wonderful
feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can
share your experiences with. We feel connected and a part of something more
meaningful than just ourselves..
6.
Happy people develop strategies for coping. -- How you
respond to the difficult moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes
circumstances are beyond our control; it's inevitable. It helps to have healthy
strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your
disposal.
7.
Happy people learn to forgive. -- Harboring feelings of
hatred is horrible for your well-being. You see, your mind doesn't know the difference between past and
present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you're continuously thinking
about it, those negative emotions are toxic for your well-being. You put
yourself in a state of emotional negativity and it stays with you throughout
your day.
8.
Happy people increase flow experiences. -- Flow is a
state in which it feels like time stands still. It's when you're so focused on
what you're doing that you become one with the task. Action and awareness are
merged. You're not hungry, sleepy, or emotional. You're just completely engaged
in the activity that you're doing. Nothing is distracting you or competing for
your focus.
9.
Happy people savor life's joys. -- Deep happiness cannot exist
without slowing down to enjoy the joy. It's easy in a world of wild stimuli and
omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life's enjoyable experiences. When we
neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It's the simple things
in life that can be the most rewarding - if we
remember to fully experience them.
10.
Happy people commit to goals. -- Being wholeheartedly dedicated
to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things
start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to
accomplish a task or fulfill a goal.. When you're fully committed to doing
something, you have no choice but to do it.. Counter-intuitively, having no
option -- where you can't change your mind -- subconsciously makes humans
happier because they know part of their purpose.
11.
Happy people practice spirituality. -- When we
practice spirituality, or perhaps, religion, we recognize that life is bigger
than we are. We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever.
It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a
connectedness with everything that exists. Some of the most accomplished people
I know feel that they're here doing work they're "called to do."
12.
Happy people take care of their body. -- Taking care
of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be. If you don't
have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus),
your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose)
will all be negatively affected Not only that, but here's the bonus... six
months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to
relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.
So, Is it just me, or are you, too, starting to better understand why some people “are just
the way they are”; the way they chose to be?
Are you also seeing a bit of yourself – or lack thereof, in some of
these points? GREAT! Then you know where
to begin to become a happier person.
On you mark, get set, GET HAPPY
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