Mar 282014
 

There’s no doubt that you know a person or two who seems to have a smile on their face no matter what.

Maybe at first you was a bit bitter of them, wondering to yourself what right do they have to be happy all the time. Now however you are wondering to yourself, how do they do it?

Well, the answer certainly isn’t because of materialistic things because if it were then you wouldn’t find homeless people who are much happier than those who have everything. Instead being happy is all down to what you do. So, if you identify what happy people do and do them, then you too can be happy.

What do happy people do then? They do the following 21 things:

1. They Make Sure It’s Either a Hell Yes! Or It’s a Hell No!

Many people try to please everyone and because of that you end up saying yes to things even when you don’t want to do them. Doing things you don’t really want to do will obviously make you unhappy because it takes away your precious time that can be sent doing what you really love. Also by saying yes to things you’re not all that enthusiastic about you can end up generating negative feelings towards the person who asked you to do the thing. What you want to do then is if it’s not a “Hell Yes!” from you, if you’re not super pumped about the thing then say no to it.

2. They Don’t Compare Themselves To Others

A lot of people spend a lot of their time comparing themselves to others. The thing is though comparing yourself to others is going to do nothing but make you feel worthless. Happy people know this and that’s why they don’t waste their time comparing themselves to others. Instead they just focus on themselves and how far they’ve gotten and if they are better than they were yesterday because all that really matters is that you’re growing and your better than you used to be.

3. They Practise Gratitude

Gratitude is all about being thankful for what you have. Many people are too focused on what they don’t have. Instead what you need to do is shift your focus on what you do have. When you shift your focus on what you do have, it’s hard not to be happy. Start thinking of at least five things each day that you are grateful for and you’ll instantly notice that you’re much happier.

4. They Exercise

When it comes to happiness exercise works in two ways. The first way is because when you exercise your body releases endorphins and these endorphins make you feel great. The other reason is because exercising and eating right makes you look good, you build muscle and get ripped and an improvement in how you look, makes you feel much better about yourself.

5. They Surround Themselves With Positive People

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. That saying is mostly used in the context of success but it also applies to any goal you’re looking to achieve really, including happiness. If the people around you are very happy and have a positive outlook on life then it’s hard to not be happy. Likewise if the people around you have a negative attitude and are always hating, complaining and just being negative nancy’s then it’s hard to be happy at all.

What you need to do then is get rid of anyone in your life who is negative. This might be hard for some as these people might be your best friends or might even be family members but you just have to drop them and turn your back on them because they are going to do nothing but bring you down.

6. They Forgive

Happy people forgive those who have hurt them. It’s important to understand that they don’t forgive for the benefit for the other person but for their own benefit. They know that holding onto the past is pointless and hurts nobody but themselves. If you’re holding onto the past then make sure to let go of it and forgive those who have harmed you as it’s the only way to achieve true happiness.

9. They Take Responsibility

Many people don’t take responsibility for their own life. They make excuses for their lack of action or blame other people for why their life is so bad. Happy people though realize that they are the creators of their own destiny and that the only person responsible for how good their life is, is them.

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7. They Meditate

One of the best things you can do for your own happiness is meditate. Meditation is a great way to clear your mind, relax yourself and just help remove yourself of any stress. Now you don’t want to take meditation too far and be meditating most of your day, that’s just silly. Instead take the time to meditate for at least 30 minutes each day.

If you are new to meditation then you might find it hard to sit still and keep your mind clear for that amount of time. If that’s the case then start small. Maybe start of with say doing 5 minutes each day and when you can handle that, go to ten minutes each day, until you’re at thirty minutes a day.

8. They Treat Others Like They Would Like To Be Treated

Karma – what goes around comes around. People who are happy understand the concept of Karma and because of this they treat people just like they would like to be treated and because of that they too are treated well.

10. They Are Honest

Happy people always tell the truth. Lying to someone stresses you out and also if you get caught in a lie it can end up with very negative consequences. Make sure then that you always tell the truth.

12. They Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

A lot of people get worked up about things that don’t even matter. Happy people constantly ask themselves “Will this matter a year from now?” and if the answer is “No.” then they forget about it. Life is really too short to worry about silly little things, so just forget them.

11. They See Challenges As Opportunities

Most people in life see their challenges as problems. Happy people however see their challenges as opportunities. When they have a challenge in their life, they see it as an opportunity to learn, to grow and be better than they used to be.

13. They Live In The Present

The present moment is all there is. Happy people realize that and they make sure that they are always in the now. They don’t spend their time thinking about the past or worrying about the future, instead they just focus on enjoying what is going on right now.

14. They Wake Up Early

You will notice that most people who are happy get up early. Studies have actually been done that show that those who are earlier risers are generally more happier than those who sleep in late. As for why people who wake up earlier are happier, no doubt it’s because they are able achieve more. (Learn how to become an early riser by clicking here.)

16. They Are Optimistic

The person who truly is able to be happy no matter what is one who is optimistic. Sometimes bad things do happen but you can’t let that get you down. Instead you need to be optimistic, you need to believe that this bad time will pass and things will get better and that you will come out on top.


15. They Spend Time With Friends

Humans are designed to be social beings. Having a good group of friends is important for your overall health and wellbeing. You should make the time then to work on developing a social circle. Remember, a lonely person is a miserable person.

17. They Practise Acts of Kindness

Helping someone without any ulterior motive behind it is a great way to make yourself happy.

This is actually backed by Science. Studies have been done that show that performing acts of kindness releases serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is a substance that has a whole host of health benefits and actually the whole point of anti-depressants is to increase the amount of serotonin being released into your brain. Help others out then and be happy.

18. They Have Goals

Happy people make sure to set goals. It’s important to have goals because you need to know where you’re going in life. Your goals give you purpose and having purpose is very important for happiness. Make sure then to set goals and do whatever it takes to achieve them because when you do, great things happen.

19. They Go After What They Want

Many people don’t go after what they want. Normally it’s because they are scared that they might fall flat on their face. The thing is though if you don’t go after what you want you’re not going to be happy as you’ll always be wondering what if. Make sure then that you go after what you want. So, if you have the dreams to be a writer then go and chase your dream of being a writer. If you see a girl that you like, go and approach her. Go after what you want, don’t live with regret.

20. They Live Minimally

You’ll notice that the majority of happy people live minimally. This is because happy people understand that a cluttered house means a cluttered mind. Make sure then that you keep your house nice and clean and free of any excess junk.

21. They Know That Material Wealth Doesn’t Equal Happiness

Many people think that if they had more things then they would be more happy. This isn’t true through. If it were true then the richest people would be some of the most happiest people in the world, instead there are people with tons of money who are super un-happy and turn to things like drugs to numb the pain. Know then that material wealth isn’t the key to happiness, sure it’s important to have enough money so you can live and eat but remember that more isn’t always better.

What do you think of the above list? Is there anything you can think of that hasn’t been mentioned? Let us know in the comments below!

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