Happiness and contentment are the results of thinking and doing the right things each day. So, happiness and contentment are the byproducts of having a certain set of habits.
With the right set of habits, you’re a lot more likely to feel good each day. Just as the wrong set of habits can leave you feeling miserable about life.
Most people think and approach life in a way that makes happiness unlikely to occur on a regular basis. However, you can stack the deck in your favor!
Habits are an important part of feeling happy and content. See how:
1. Happy and content people practice gratitude each day. Gratitude is a popular topic these days. There’s a good reason for that. Gratitude keeps your mind in a positive place and enhances your perspective.
◦ When you realize how lucky you are, you’re bound to feel more happiness and contentment.
2. Their minds are on the present moment. Our mind only does a few things that are productive:
◦ It can make a plan for the future.
◦ It can learn from the past.
◦ It can deal with what’s happening right now.
◦ Nearly anything else your mind does creates unhappiness, such as worrying about the future, regretting the past, or wasting time by amusing itself in non-productive ways.
◦ Keep your mind on what you’re doing as much as possible, and you’ll experience more feelings of happiness in your life.
3. Exercise. Spending all day sitting is a recipe for misery. After a good workout, notice how much better you feel. It takes a little practice to figure out how much is too much, and how much isn’t enough.
4. Get enough sleep. Try getting three hours of sleep each night for a week and notice your mood! Most experts agree that adults require 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you’re getting less, you’ll probably feel better if you sleep longer each night.
5. Work on their goals. People that are making progress toward their goals tend to be happy. If you don’t have any goals, odds are that you’re not making progress in life. That’s no way to be happy.
◦ Look at the area of your life that you feel needs the most work. What are a couple of goals you can set that are related to this part of your life?
6. They spend time with those that support their happiness. Everyone in your life is either making you happier or more miserable. Spend time with those that support your happiness and stay away from the others as much as possible.
7. They are optimistic. Optimistic people are happier than those that have negative expectations. However, being overly optimistic when faced with great risk can lead to disaster. Be realistic but give the future the benefit of the doubt.
8. They control what they can control. Unhappy people worry about what they can’t control. They also fail to control the things they can control. If you fail to control what can be controlled, your life spins out of control. When you lack control over your life, you’re going to be unhappy.
Take a look at your habits and decide if someone with that particular set of habits is more likely to be happy or unhappy. What are a few habits you need to add to be happier? Which of your current habits do you want to eliminate?
The right habits can greatly enhance your happiness and contentment. The wrong habits make those emotions less likely to occur. Adopt positive habits and enjoy life as your happiness grows.