According to WebMD, a few of the 12 Habits of Super-Healthy People include having breakfast, planning meals, not smoking, sleeping well, and going offline. I’d agree, all true, but what if your end goal is to increase your happiness? Are there habits you can embrace for that? In my humble opinion, YES… 100% there are habits you can build into your life that will lead to sustained happiness.
Before I share a few examples of Happiness Habits I recommend, I think it is imperative to understand that happiness is NOT one-size fits all. Because true happiness is personal, the path to getting there is understanding not what makes someone happy, and rather, what makes YOU happy.
Happiness Habits – Five of My Favorites:
1) Embrace Your Quirks: Do you remember this quote from Dr. Seuss: “You have to be odd to be number one.” In a world where everyone is fighting to stand out from the crowd, your differences are what make you stand out from everyone else. It’s time to lean into them. Be yourself, not a follower of the latest TikTok or Instagram trend, because your quirks are what give you flavor and sizzle. Who wants a bland dish?!?
2) Seize the Suck: Yes, you read that right. I actually recommend you become grateful for closed doors, bad vibes, and stuff that falls apart. My belief is its divine protection from people, places, and things no longer in alignment with your soul. Remember, life is a cycle – sometimes everything is great and sometimes everything falls apart in a matter of seconds. But the cool part is we can choose to see each experience as something that’ll help us grow.
3) Think Thankfully: Practice gratitude on a regular basis. Research shows that gratitude can raise your happiness level by 25%. People who practice gratitude are more optimistic about the future, feel better about their lives and spend more hours exercising than those who don’t practice gratitude.
4) Be a Magnet: Since confidence is ONE ingredient of happiness which tends to attract positive people and opportunities, you should cultivate positive relationships. Consider spending time with supportive friends and family who uplift and encourage you and weeding out those who don’t.
5) Catch Compliments: This can be a very hard one for some people, but you need to learn how to take a compliment. Most likely you compliment others all the time but think about what happens when someone compliments YOU. Do you smile and say, “thanks!” or do you instantly try to undermine yourself? Most likely the latter. My recommendation is practice saying “thank you” no matter how much every ounce of you wants to do something else.
Curious to learn more about happiness here, and around the globe? Check out the World Happiness Report 2024 and see the results when examining the happiness of people at different stages of life.
This is a contributed blog post by Jill Monson. Jill is the owner of POP!more – confidence coaching, training and speaking done differently – no fluff, no deep-breathing, & no BS. Connect with her on Instagram @jillmonson_popmore or email her at [email protected]. She’s also the Associate Director of Marketing at Chikmedia – IG: @chikmedia_.
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