Our attitudes, our experiences and our emotions are choices we make. Positivity is sometimes considered naïve, which is strange because choosing happiness is one of the greatest signs of wisdom. It’s much harder to be light than to be heavy. Look around you. How many people are heavy, sullen, dour? Its takes a little inner work to be cheerful, so most people choose not to do it.
Since when did it become OK for everyone to be so negative? It seems as if finding a positive, upbeat soul is more of a rarity than ever.
Take a moment to think of the happy people you know. Those whose days seem a little brighter, their step a little lighter, their stories and interactions a little more, well … sparkly. You can be one of them. And the benefits flow when you decide that you are!
Happy people are healthier, have more fulfilling lives, and are constantly in demand.
Here are 10 things I have observed that happy people do differently that you can begin to do immediately:
1. They consciously disinvite the negatives.
Lose the complainers. Disconnect with love. These people (and you know who they are) only have the wrong type of impact on you.
2. They talk to themselves kindly.
Listen to every single word you say to yourself for 24 hours. Stop a single unkind utterance in its tracks. Decide to be your own best friend every day.
3. They don’t focus on crap from the past.
Happy people live in the moment. They don’t spend two hours sh*t talking about their ex on a Thursday evening over good wine and bored friends.
4. They manage their anxiety.
Happy people plan, rather than worry. They anticipate good results, and are therefore more likely to get them, as expectation is a very powerful force.
5. They know themselves.
Happy people know what serves them. They say no with ease. They make decisions that serve their own greater good.
6. They don’t strive for perfection.
Perfection is impossible. Excellence is possible. Happy people know the difference.