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The Positivity Blog | Increase Your Happiness and Awesomeness

10 Practical Ways to Live a Happier Life

Today

by Henrik Edberg. Print

Image by notsogoodphotography (license).

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”Abraham Lincoln

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that wedo not see the one that has been opened for us.”Helen Keller

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our soulsblossom.”Marcel Proust

Living a happier life often seems to be about living your big dreams and putting in a lot of work over along time.

I agree that it is one part. But another part of happiness is here in small ways today.

So in this article I’ll share ten small tweaks I like making to find more happiness in my daily life. I hope

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So in this article I’ll share ten small tweaks I like making to find more happiness in my daily life. I hopeyou’ll find something here that you can use today to make your life better too.

1. Be kind in small ways. Let someone in into your lane while driving your car. Hold up the door orhold the elevator for a stranger. Not just because that you tend to get back what you give in someform. But for yourself too, these little things add up and make you feel better about yourself.

2. Be appreciative of other people. Replace the habit of spotting the things that annoy you aboutpeople with one where you make small or big positive observations about them. It could be theirgreat sense of style when it comes to shoes, how they always make you laugh when you need it orsimply that they are always on time. Be sure to tell them that.

3. Cut back on the time you spend with most negative person in your life. And spend more

time with the most positive person(s).

4. Cut out or cut down on the most negative media influence in your life. It could be the newson TV, the newspaper, some magazine or type of music, type of books or blogs or websites. Replacethat time and find new energy and inspiration from one or more positive sources like inspiring moviesand books. Or uplifting music and people.

5. Be 5 or 10 minutes early. This will make travel time a time of relaxation and renewal rather thana time of stress and negativity added to your day. Plus, you’ll be on time.

6. Do what is not “you”. Try a new dish for lunch. Read a book or watch a movie that is not in yourusual genre. Learn a little about a topic that is not something you are usually into. This is a greatand fun way to find new perspectives in life, to grow and to expand your comfort zone just a little on

a daily or weekly basis. Cultivating this habit also makes it easier to get out of your comfort zonewhen larger and “scarier” opportunities present themselves.

7. Let go of one thing from your past. Clinging on to an old conflict, argument or that you werewronged by someone can consume a lot of time, energy and space in your life. It can also be oddlycomforting since you are so used to it. But life happens right now, day by day. And as Jan Glidewell

once said:“You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full toembrace the present.”So to stop hurting yourself you have to accept that what is in your mind is in the past now. Byaccepting that it is in the past but also in there inside of you as a memory you can start to decrease

the hold this memory has over you. By accepting that is there and that you need to let go to liveyour life fully now that memory will lose much of its power. And you can let go.

8. Take the smarter and higher road. Don’t be someone the people can walk all over, setboundaries and say no when needed. But recognize that unnecessary conflicts just waste your timeand energy. And that some people are so addicted to the drama and conflicts that you will never win

or reach an understanding between the two of you. There are more fun and good things to spendtime on in your life. So try to reach an understanding. But if it doesn’t work then remove yourselffrom getting drawn into their conflicts and make the day better for both you and possibly them.

9. Be kind to yourself. The next time you make a mistake or fail don’t treat yourself like a jerk of aboss would. Instead, be kind, see what you can learn from what happened, gently nudge yourself in

the right direction again and keep going.

10. Appreciate yourself. It’s OK and something that a lot of people don’t do enough. Spend 5 minutestonight with thinking about or writing down in journal the things you can appreciate about yourselfand how far you have come. Do this enough times – try 30 days – to change how you view yourselfon a more permanent level.

If you thought this article was useful, please share it with someone on Stumbleupon, Facebook andTwitter. Thank you very much! =)

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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Agatha Tefora May 31, 2011 at 9:33 pm

You might also want to volunteer in a community project or something that will help others. In doing

this, you will also feel a different happiness.

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You might also want to volunteer in a community project or something that will help others. In doingthis, you will also feel a different happiness.

Reply

2 David June 1, 2011 at 12:38 am

And what would be number 11? How about taking action today: taking a small step forward on aproject or goal you are working towards. Rather than worry about other tasks which tend to get inthe way, step back + ask yourself what action is most important today.

Reply

3 Justin | Mazzastick June 1, 2011 at 5:20 am

Hi Henrik,# 6. really resonates with me. So many of us get “caught-up” in our daily lives that we don’t eventhink of trying something outside of the box.

Self-appreciation is another area that many of us don’t even consider doing. Look into a mirror andsay,”I am awesome” or whatever. It’s up to us to keep ourselves positive.

Reply

4 Ken Wert June 1, 2011 at 8:48 am

Excellent post! I especially appreciate your thoughts on letting go of one thing from the past. It’scritical and simple — just one!

It is so fundamentally important to personal happiness to forgive those who have wronged us. Ourresentment won’t likely affect them at all. But we can suffer tremendously for it.

It is the slap that keeps on giving. If we were legitimately, even if only figuratively, slapped bysomeone in the past, the anger and knotted up insides over the grudge we hold will continue to slap

us over and over in the form of twisted insides, ulcers, dark, hateful feelings and the like.

Good stuff!

Keep up the great work you do here at the Positivity Blog!

Reply

5 Kate June 1, 2011 at 9:19 am

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5 Kate June 1, 2011 at 9:19 am

It was a very inspirational post . We all need to learn how to be happy because it is truly a state of

mind. Some people are happy without having any solid reason , they have simply allowed themselvesto be happy ! I am trying to do the same however I know its not as easy as it sounds.Are You Able to Control Your Emotions? -The test finds out how well you control your emotionshttp://www.3smartcubes.com/pages/tests/selfreg/selfreg_instructions.asp

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6 Geraldine June 1, 2011 at 5:48 pm

Excellent list and I agree with Justin above, number 6 stood out for me, I am guilty of too muchroutine too. Thanks for this and for your wonderful blog.

http://www.myreallifereviews.comhttp://www.takeahappybreak.com

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7 Sarah June 2, 2011 at 12:58 am

I love Helen Keller quotes. She was so brilliant….and let her remind us: hardships in life make youstronger, not having one thing makes what you have so much more valuable, and no challenge candefeat you unless you let it!

#7 I like a lot That’s going to my my main focus today.

Reply

8 Taz @ Climb the Rainbow June 2, 2011 at 5:44 am

Note to self – implement #5 immediately, if not sooner.

Thank you!

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9 Paul Rock June 2, 2011 at 7:06 pm

I liked All the Quotes, specially Helen Keller.

Also if whatever we have even if its very less we should try to be happy in that.

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I liked All the Quotes, specially Helen Keller.Also if whatever we have even if its very less we should try to be happy in that.

Reply

10 Mike @ F.i.T. June 2, 2011 at 8:47 pm

Good stuff – all of these things are important to living happier and living a better, more meaningfullife!

Reply

11 Lauren @ MRS June 3, 2011 at 3:28 am

Great tips! I like to incorporate doing more kind things in my everday activities. I’m cynical and high

strung by nature, and I honestly would like to break through from that.

Reply

12 TheHappyOne June 3, 2011 at 9:03 am

Hi Everyone,

#7 and #8 are my fav as I have been following these for a few years now. I was never those kindsto assert myself and so initially it was quite difficut and agonizing to follow these rules but destiny

put me through such circumstances that I started following this path and gradually when thelightened emotional baggage energised me and I joined a new course other than my routine life, Iwas completely assured that I WAS RIGHT. (Though it was possible with God’s Grace andBlessings….)But Henrik your last one is the BIG ONE. We tend to appreciate others easily except OURself. There

is an unease in the whole exercise as we tend to fear the element of overconfidence if we do so, a lasuperiority complex…any answers for this.

Reply

13 John Sherry June 3, 2011 at 10:35 am

Super simple, super doable, and super powerful Henrik. I zeroed in instantly on #4 and the

sensationlaistly negative media which has become a hailstorm of 24 hr channels pumping out tripeand fear. The only news worth watching is how many people out there are in love, following adream,working hard to provide, sharing and caring, and loving life. WE are the best news therecould ever be and the headline is: ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy, Life Rocks!’

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14 Jaky Astik June 3, 2011 at 4:53 pm

The simplest way to happiness is do something good for someone. When you do that..you feel good,

you feel like appreciating yourself and before you know, you are happy.

Reply

15 Steven June 3, 2011 at 10:16 pm

I like Point 4 a lot – I try to be really mindful of how culture and the media affects my personaldevelopment. And sometimes the really positive stuff can be just as detrimental as the really

negative stuff, because those really sappy, romantic soap operas can sometimes give us unrealisticexpectations about how we are supposed to live our lives.

It’s really important to at least PAY ATTENTION to how movies, TV, and music change the way weview the world.

Reply

16 Aisha Quinece June 5, 2011 at 6:12 am

I love #1. Being kind in small and big ways is so important. Thanks for sharing.

Reply

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About This Website

Hi! I’m Henrik Edberg and I am the author of the Simplicity course, The Art of Relaxed Productivity andThe Power of Positivity. I write & talk about improving your social life, health, happiness, productivity andgeneral awesomeness. Feel free to befriend me on Twitter and to become a fan on Facebook.

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