There are small, conscious decisions and actions we can take every day that lead to a happier and healthier life. Whether they are big actions or small ones, they all add up. Every day we have a choice regarding how we will take on the day and it is up to you to create your own happiness.
1. Start Thinking "I Can" Rather than "I Can’t"
Starting your day with a positive mindset can be the difference between a really good or a really bad day. Going into a day setting goals for yourself can add up to a day full of positive outcomes, productivity, long term successes and overall a greater level of fulfillment.
2. Be Kind to Everyone You Meet
It takes so much more energy to be mean to somebody than it does to be kind. Simple common courtesy goes a long way, and how you treat others is merely a reflection of yourself. Maya Angelou once said "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." People might not always remember the good, but we have a knack for remembering the bad, and more specifically how a person made us feel.
3. Don’t Worry About What Others Think
What others think of you is none of your business. As long as you are striving to be the best version of yourself, and treat others with common courtesy, there is no reason to dwell on how others feel about you. You cannot control whether a person likes you or not, and that is okay. You can control how you treat others, and as long as you do it with grace that is all that matters.
4. Put Yourself in Somebody Else’s Shoes
Sometimes it is so hard to understand why people do the things that they do. Whether it be their actions or the things that they say, dealing with how a person behaves can be easier when you put yourself in their shoes. People are subjective. Everybody comes from a different place, and interprets the world a little differently than you do, therefore they may make choices a bit differently than you as well.
5. Forgive Those Who Have Wronged You
There is so much peace in forgiving the people who have wronged you, and while forgiveness is not a light switch, working toward it, accepting what has happened and moving forward from it can be liberating. Forgiveness does not mean no longer being weary of a person, or continuing to be a part of their lives after damage has been done. Forgiveness is not allowing something to bother you any more, not wasting your energy and no longer dwelling on a situation.
6. Learn From Those Around You
Whether it is good or bad, you have something to learn from everyone around you. You are the person you are because of the experiences you have had with others. We take pieces of every person we meet and apply them to our own lives, whether we recognize it or not. Learn from both the good in people and from the bad, and apply it to your own being. Learn every single day.
7. Don't Go To Bed Angry
There are certainly exceptions, but most arguments amongst people are not worth fighting over for a long period of time. If you allow your anger to linger, it can eventually turn into a grudge, which often is not worth it, and going to bed with a negative mind cannot be healthy. As awful as it is, the reality of life is that ANYTHING can happen. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, and the idea of your last memory with somebody being an angry one is both heart wrenching and unfathomable. Talk through things, accept the past and learn how to make things better moving forward.
8. Put Yourself First
At the end of the day, your wellbeing has to be your number one priority. If you put everybody around you first all of the time, eventually you will run on empty. Until you put yourself first, and fulfill your own needs, you can't healthily take care of others. It is okay to not always be able to take care of everyone else.
9. Find a Balance
Life is about balance. It is not possible to be kind to everyone all of the time, or to not ever let life get you down. There are good days and bad days. It is okay to shut down for awhile and to not know what to do. To not know what comes next or how to handle a situation. It is okay to ask for help, and it is okay to be human. Perfection is accepting imperfections, and making your way as best as you can.
10. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Do things out of character. Push yourself to try the things you have always wanted to experience but did not think you had the courage to do. Approach somebody new, ask for help when you need it, carry yourself with confidence and avoid self-doubt. Try a new hobby, get to know somebody you do not know well. Do not take yourself too seriously. Be daring, be different, be yourself, and take healthy risks. The saying, "life begins at the end of your comfort zone" probably would not exist if there was not any truth behind it.
The same way that doctors practice medicine, we practice life. We don’t have everything all figured out, but we continue every day to better our knowledge of the lives we are living. This is a journey, not a destination. Making the conscious decision to do these things every day is an ongoing practice, if you view these ways of life as a constant process, you give yourselves tools to be a happier you. That is not to neglect that some days will be better than others, and some days you won't be the you that you always want to be, but the most important part is remembering that is okay and to constantly strive for growth.
