Nine Secrets of Happy People by Shawn Doyle
Happy people do certain things that unhappy people don’t. Want to be even happier? Check through this list to see which ones you are already doing and which ones you need to do more.
Have you ever noticed that there are some people who just seem to be happy all the time? I know you have met them—they are people who love life, who have energy, and who seem to enjoy everything they do. They are so darn pleasant to be around. Some people even wonder if they are really that happy, but guess what? They are! So what is their secret? It’s actually pretty simple: Happy people do certain things that unhappy people don’t. Want to be even happier? Check through this list to see which ones you are already doing and which ones you need to do more:
They count their blessings. Happy people, no matter what, sit down on a regular basis and consider what they are grateful for. They are grateful that they’re employed, they are grateful that they have their health, they are grateful that they have their loved ones, family, and friends, etc. So in order to be happy, it is important not to take what you have for granted and to understand the things that you should be grateful for.
They surround themselves with positive people. One habit of happy people is that they do not spend very much time with people who are negative or pessimistic. Nope. They instead spend their time with people who are upbeat, optimistic, encouraging, and fun to be around. There is no question that the quality of your life is in direct correlation with the quality of the people you spend time with. If you spend your time around unhappy people who growl a lot, you’ll be less happy. If you spend your time around happy people, their happiness is downright contagious.
They enjoy the small things in life. Happy people do not have to wait for the “big events”—they make sure to enjoy the smaller things in life around them, whether it is a beautiful flower that bloomed in the yard, the belly laugh of a baby, a lovely sunset, or sharing a chuckle with a colleague at work. None of these things in themselves are earth-shattering, but happy people take the time to notice them and other small moments that make life so very sweet.
They say “Oh well” when things go wrong. When things go wrong, happy people don’t spend their time dwelling on it; they say “oh well” and acknowledge that it could’ve been worse. If a flight is delayed, they say, “Well, at least it didn’t get canceled.” Happy people do not dwell on negative events—they just say, “Next.”
They help other people for absolutely no reason. Happy people help other people for no reason other than the fact that helping other people makes them happy. Opening the door for someone, doing someone a favor without being asked, showing kindness to another human being, not only makes the other person feel better but it also makes a happy person feel happier because they are doing something good.
They expose themselves to positive materials. Happy people do not spend a lot of time watching violent movies or focusing on bad news on TV. They instead spend their time taking in inspirational and motivational content. They watch movies that uplift them and bring them hope. They read books that inspire and motivate them.
They do things that bring them joy. Happy people have made a list of the things that bring them joy, and they try as much as possible to do these things on a regular basis. They engage in hobbies and activities that they have a passion for and that make them feel happier. It may be baking a cake, assembling a model airplane, or working out—they’ve identified the life activities that bring them joy, and they do them.
They say “please” and “thank you.” When someone does something for them, they say “Thank you very much,” and when they need something they’re polite about it: “Can you please send me the information that I requested?” They also go out of their way to give other people compliments that are authentic and that make the other person feel good about themselves.
They choose to be happy. There are many people in life who have faced a great deal of adversity. However, when you meet those people, you don’t know it because they’ve simply chosen to be happy. Yes, it may sound strange that you can actually make the decision to decide to think happy thoughts instead of negative ones. When people choose to be happy, they are deciding to be the architects of their own lives. They are deciding what attitude they are going to adopt, and guess what? That changes how they perceive the world at large.
Try to put these ideas into practice, and you will wake up every day as a happier person.
This article originally appeared here on HuffPost and has been edited for inclusion on the Sound Wisdom Blog.
For more business and personal development insight from Shawn Doyle, check out his titles from Sound Wisdom, including his Jumpstart Series. The latest book in this series is Jumpstart Your Happiness: Your Jolts to Prosperity, Motivation, & Living with Intention, which you can preorder now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Porchlight Books, and other retailers.