15 Habits 🍏 of Happy People 😁

How are happy people so happy all the time? What do they do differently? Hi, I'm Natalie Moore, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and today I'm going to talk to you about habits of happy people. Let's get started. The first habit is that they practice gratitude, not just when things are going well and things are great, but also when life is difficult and when things get challenging. One gratitude tip that I have for people to practice on a daily basis is the first thing when you wake up in the morning, say thank you, whether out loud or whether in your own mind internally. Practice gratitude simply for having woken up that morning. I know that sometimes when life is really hard, it's it's difficult to think of things to be grateful for. But if we could just be grateful that we're still on this planet, that we still have a purpose, and that we're still breathing, it really simplifies things down to the basics. Tip number 2: They seek support. Happy people know that they are not an island in and of themselves. They know that their happiness depends on support from other people, and they also don't feel guilty about asking for support because they know that it's completely normal to need support from others, and they also support other people when they can. Tip number 3: They put themselves first. Selfishness gets such a bad rap, but actually, when we put ourselves first, our cup becomes full, our cup can overflow, and we can then be more available to other people. Tip number 4. Sorry, I don't know where that came from. They help others out. They help others often. Helping people feels good. It builds community. It creates trust and reciprocity in our relationships. It just feels awesome to help people. Number 5. They avoid gossip and negativity. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone where they started gossiping and you kind of felt like you got sucked in and next thing you know you're just complaining about other people, talking smack about other people, and you just— I don't know, for me I get like kind of this icky sticky like weird feeling inside like I'm doing something wrong because I am. And so happy people avoid gossip. They avoid gossip in person, online, they avoid tabloids. They don't want to be stuck in that negativity. They're also— they don't get embroiled in other people's issues. I actually recently heard this quote that said, "How empty of me to be so full of you." And I thought that was so great. If you feel fulfilled, if you feel happy, you don't need to ruminate on other people's issues and kind of go in that downward spiral like I talked about. Happy people are also available to others, and they don't get stuck in pettiness. Number 6: Happy people take impeccable care of themselves. They don't make excuses about not having time to exercise. They know that, that meaningful movement can be incorporated throughout the day. They don't make excuses about nutrition. They prepare. They know that they need to— if they need to bring their lunch, they do it. They need to batch cook and prep their meals ahead of time, they do it. They don't make excuses about that. They're prepared for for life happening. Number 7: Happy people strive for progress, not perfection. Perfection is a paralyzing characteristic. It makes it so that you can never put anything out there because it's not to your perfection, your standard of perfection. Um, perfection also can put people into a shame spiral because what's the definition of being human? Is being imperfect, right? And so if you're a perfectionist, then every time you make a mistake, you're gonna end up in this shame spiral which ends in inaction and just perpetuates more shame. If you can actually be like happy people and strive for progress instead of perfection, you will free yourself. You will free up so much energy, so much resistance in your life, and you'll actually be so much more productive and happier. Yes, happy people expect progress from themselves, not perfection. Number 8: They see opportunities lessons and potential solutions for every problem that comes up. Instead of seeing a problem as a huge wall that they need to avoid or resent, they see the wall as, ooh, this is a challenge. How am I going to get around it? Am I going to dig a hole under it? Am I going to throw a rope over it? Am I going to expand myself and jump over the wall? They get really creative and resourceful, and they trust themselves to be able to get through any challenge that life presents them. One way of kind of gauging this in people is there's some people who start sentences with, "Oh, well, the problem is..." "The problem is this, the problem is that..." And they also get what I call the "yeah, buts." This is something my therapist actually taught me about, is, you know, if people are presented with a potential solution and they keep saying, "Well, yeah, but..." "Well, yeah, but..." "Well, yeah, but..." That is an indicator that they're not solution-oriented, they're problem-oriented people. So happy people are solution-oriented. Even if they don't know what the solution is right now, they know that something will come to them. Number 9: They go after their wildest dreams. I know it sounds cheesy, but happy people go after their dreams no matter what people think, say, or do. Number 10, they believe that happiness and success are inevitable. So instead of seeing happiness and success as these unattainable, unachievable outcomes, they actually see that no matter what, they're going to be happy and successful because they trust in themselves. They trust in their ability to take action. They trust their higher power, and they just have this deep sense of trust and confidence themselves that things are going to work out, and this drives their everything— their thoughts, their beliefs, their feelings, their behaviors. Number 11: they feed their curiosity with books, podcasts, YouTube channels, experiences, travel, new people, workshops— anything they can get their hands on, they feed their curiosity. They're naturally interested interested in broadening their intellect, their understanding of the world, and their understanding of themselves. Number 12: they forgive themselves and others. Forgiveness is an amazing tool to give yourself personal freedom. You forgive for yourself, not for other people. You relieve this burden. It's like if holding on to resentments is like putting more and more heavy objects into a backpack, and that straps— those straps are just starting to dig into you. Forgiveness is the equivalent of throwing stuff out of the backpack and letting yourself feel so much lighter. And I'm talking about unconditional forgiveness. This is not, I'll forgive you if you apologize, or I forgive you if you make amends or rectify the situation. It's just forgiving people for yourself. Number 13, they work through old issues, childhood issues, traumas, grief, hurts, things that have happened to them in their life. They know that if they don't work through these things, that those issues will hold them back. So they work through them. They do the difficult thing. Number 14, they seek mentors and role models. We all need role models. Unfortunately, not all of us were born with parents who are great role models for us. Maybe they've helped us in certain areas, but they're not gonna be able to guide us in every aspect of our lives. Happy people seek mentorship and role models in various areas of their life. You might have a spiritual mentor, you might have a, a professional mentor, you might have a, a mentor for a particular hobby, an artistic mentor, different people who you look up to and can let you be inspired by their success. Number 15, last but not least, they do the scary thing. They don't avoid uncomfortable feelings. They know that by doing this scary thing, they're propelling themselves forward in their life, and by doing the scary thing, they're gonna have everything that they want and everything that they need. So they do the scary thing. I hope these, these characteristics and tips were helpful for you. I hope they inspire you to incorporate some of these habits and mindsets into your daily life. I know that these things have helped me immensely become the person that I am today, have what I have today. We're all on a journey. I'm on a journey, and I can honestly— these videos are reminders for myself of what to practice more in my daily life so that I can be a happy person too. So happiness is a choice. Happiness requires daily action. Happiness requires commitment. Although joy is our birthright and joy should be easy, uh, with the society that we live in right now, unfortunately it's not conducive to happiness. We need to choose happiness for ourselves. We need to take action towards happiness. So if you have any questions for me or comments, I would love for you to write them below. Also, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to anyone who wants it if you're interested in counseling services in Los Angeles. So if that's something you want, please reach out. I will also leave my number below. Okay, take good care and I'll see you guys next time. Bye!