7 Things Happy People Do Differently
Happiness is a state of mind that comes and goes, but some people always seem to be happy. Is it because they’ve achieved their goals or found fulfillment in life? In reality, happy people appear that way because they experience joy. Their joy attracts good things, which feeds back into their state of mind.
Happiness is a change in perception. It depends on how you view your circumstances and what you choose to focus on. Happiness is also a habit. Therefore, even through adversity, happy people act differently.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
-Wayne Dyer-
Habits of happy people
Happiness is probably one of the most sought-after things in the world. In fact, for many people it can be a lifelong search, simply because they assign the wrong meaning to happiness. This occurs especially when they link it to material things, instead of accepting that happiness comes from within.
“Money doesn’t make people happy. People make people happy.”
-Steve Wynn-
Happy people tend to follow a certain set of habits that bring peace to their lives. Here are a few of the most important ones:
1. They see with compassion, not aversion
Happy people love to help others. They know that when they give to others, they’ve make a difference in someone’s life. And this brings joy to their lives.
People with no compassion can’t see the joy in giving. They’re selfish and they lack empathy. However, happy people enjoy giving more than receiving, since their way of life is based on empathy.
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
-Dalai Lama-
2. They express love instead of apathy
Happy people love others. Love emanates from within them. Through looking at others with love, happy people are capable of seeing the best in them. This allows them to find qualities in others that tend to go unnoticed. Love makes happy people shine.
However, unhappy people display apathy towards others. Their interactions are marked by anger and intolerance. This leads them to judge people out of fear, which attracts negativity to their lives and their surroundings.
3. They accept instead of resist
Happy people accept things the way they are. Instead of resisting and trying to have a different life, happy people try to learn from all of the challenges they’ve faced to evolve and grow.
On the contrary, unhappy people resist accepting their situation and fight against it. Instead of trying to make the most of the situation, people who live in constant bitterness overlook the knowledge and growth that they can gain.
“Accept — then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. This will miraculously transform your whole life.”
-Eckhart Tolle-
4. They see challenges as opportunities for growth
Happy people have to deal with all types of problems, just like everyone else, but they find that their challenges are opportunities to grow and to do something different.
Even in the most delicate moments, happy people find a reason to look ahead with optimism. They accept changes, viewing them as a challenge, and even in the most difficult ones they see opportunities for growth.
5. They forgive instead of being stubborn
Happy people don’t cling to resentment because they know that this negatively affects the mind, body, and spirit. They leave the past behind so that they can continue to find the joy in what’s to come.
Unforgiving people attract negativity and misery to their lives because they don’t understand forgiveness. Instead of seeing it as a way of letting go, unhappy people believe that forgiving is validating the offense. But for happy people, forgiving is accepting that something painful happened and that they have to let it go.
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
-Lewis B. Smedes-
6. They turn their weaknesses into strengths
Happy people don’t focus on their weaknesses, but rather they try to take advantage of their strengths. Instead of playing the victim, happy people accept their weaknesses and try to gain strength from them, too.
They know how to recognize their weaknesses and utilize them to move forward. Through their own weaknesses, they can find strength to overcome them. This process of self-knowledge allows them to discover what they really want for themselves.
7. They admire instead of criticizing
Like you and me, happy people fight to achieve their goals, but they don’t hold onto self-judgement or criticism. For them, achieving their dreams involves maintaining a positive attitude.
Also, they treat others with dignity and respect, and they don’t judge. Instead of criticizing others, they look at them with love and admire the best of them. Unlike unhappy people, happy people don’t need to criticize others to overcome their own insecurities.
Be happier by changing your attitude
There are so many things that you can’t change, but you can control how you see things. Happiness isn’t something you can find, but you can find reward in the search.
If you’re not open and ready to be happy, happiness won’t come calling at your door. Happiness is a choice. It’s an attitude that changes everything. It’s up to you to be happy, regardless of what happens around you, because you have the most powerful kind of control in the way you let what happens affect you.
“If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.”
-Jiddu Krishnamurti-