If you want to create anything in your life, the best way to do it is to model the characteristics and traits of happy people who’ve succeeded before you.
I have talked about IBHW or IO approach to life won’t lead to true happiness in my previous blog post here.
Remember that true happiness isn’t about satisfying your ego and it's also not something that you seek.
Instead, true happiness is the byproduct of many habits and practices that you cultivate, and is a direct expression of the very essence of who you are.
Cultivating true happiness takes time and practice. Yet a proven way to quicken your progress is to learn from the example of truly happy people. Here are 12 of the most common but powerful traits of happy people for you to practice integrating into your own life – starting now!
1. Happy people stay away from negative people.
Birds of a feather flock together, and so do happy people. You will not find happy people spending much time with people who are unhappy, grumpy or complaining.
Follow the example of truly happy people, and spend your time with happy people.
You’ll feel a boost in your energy, your perspective will change and you’ll feel more positive too. If you must spend time with negative people, keep it to a minimum and don’t engage in the drama of their negativity.
2. Happy people are positive people.
You can spot a happy person a mile away based on their attitude. A happy person smiles, feels confident and always has something positive to say.
They seem calm and at peace, they don’t worry about much, and simply accept life as it comes.
Continue to nurture your own positivity using the tips, tools and exercises outlined in previous chapters. Make positivity a habit and an integral part of your life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
3. Truly happy person have a plan.
Happy people live their life with passion and purpose. They are focused and committed to their goals and know where they’re going in life.
They are fulfilling their ultimate mission to live in tune with their destiny and everything they do is in harmony with achieving this mission.
Your goals and dreams will help keep you moving forward in life.
And while it’s not important to know exactly how you’re going to achieve them focusing on your goals and your life’s mission will help guide some of the steps you need to take to get there.
Allow the universe to take care of the rest
4. A truly happy person don’t sweat the small stuff.
Happy people understand that there are simply things in life that they cannot change. Instead of trying to change what they cannot, they focus their attention on the things that they can change.
When you look at any situation in your own life, are you focused on the small stuff? Or do you focus on the stuff that matters and the things you can change?
There is a powerful and positive force of energy that moves when you focus on making a change, even a small one.
It’s a creative force that makes a very clear statement about your readiness and intention for something new and different in your life.
Your thoughts, your feelings, your habits, your attitude these are all things that you can change to help attract more good, positivity and happiness into your life.
Don’t sweat the stuff that you can’t change. Chances are that you’re not going to need that “stuff” where you’re going anyways.
5. Happy people adapt.
The happiest people in life are able to adapt and be flexible when life doesn’t go according to plan.
They understand that life is unpredictable and that a situation can change or challenge arise at any point in time.
Unlike other people, happy people have a high positive vibration and they don’t stress about a change in plan.
Instead, they simply go with the flow knowing that whatever situation has occurred will always work out for their greater good.
Learn to be flexible and open to what life may present. A good way to adapt to any situation is to welcome it and say, “Okay, now what?”
This will shift your focus from looking at the situation as an inconvenience and open yourself to the opportunities and possibilities that the situation may present.
6. A happy person sees the good in everyone.
Each and every one of us has positive traits about ourselves as well as less-than positive traits.
Obviously, people will generally prefer your positive traits to your negative ones.
Happy people however have learned to focus on finding the good in others which leaves them feeling good and more positive about those and the world around them.
So often we get frustrated or angry at others and we may say things like, “he’s lazy” or “people are stupid” or “she’s a lousy boss”.
Take the time to look at them and the situation with more compassion and objectivity.
What might life be like in their shoes? Why might they be behaving that way? And what are some positive traits that you enjoy about that person?
Read my amazing guide here on: 7-Day Self Love Challenge to Transform Your Life
7. Happy people laugh easily and often.
Truly happy people have learned the art of not taking life too seriously. In fact, they’ve often learned to find the humour in the everyday challenges or mishaps of life.
Happy people understand not only the restorative value of laughter and humour but the fact that it also brings them closer in to their true self and is one of the best ways to add more joy to your life.
To add more laughter to your life, find the humour in every situation.
Challenge yourself to look at life through humour’s eye. Spend time with people who make you laugh. Children and pets will certainly help you laugh easily.
Read a humorous book or watch a funny movie. Do something playful!
8. Happy people are happy with themselves.
Happy individuals love everything about themselves and know that they can’t be truly happy until they are happy with themselves.
They’ve worked hard to build the self-esteem and confidence to feel comfortable in their own skin.
They’ve spent the time and energy getting more in tune with themselves and living life on their terms. They also accept themselves for who they are, never judging or being harshly critical of themselves.
Happy people strive to be their best but accept both their strengths and their weaknesses. They know that everything that is a part of them is a part of their wholeness.
9. Happy people have deep conversations.
Happy people know that happiness and substance go hand-in-hand. They avoid gossip, small talk, and judging others. Instead they focus on meaningful interactions.
They engage with other people on a deeper level, because they know that doing so feels good, builds an emotional connection, and is an interesting way to learn.
10. Truly happy people have a growth mindset.
People’s core attitudes fall into one of two categories: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. With a fixed mindset, you believe you are who you are and you cannot change.
This creates problems when you’re challenged, because anything that appears to be more than you can handle is bound to make you feel hopeless and overwhelmed.
People with a growth mindset believe that they can improve with effort. This makes them happier because they are better at handling difficulties.
They also outperform those with a fixed mindset because they embrace challenges, treating them as opportunities to learn something new.
To be genuinely happy, start by being happy with who you are:
Meditation, gratitude journaling, affirmations and positive mindset are a few methods you can use to build your self-love.
The wonderful thing is, however, that as you continue to journey towards being more in tune with who you are, a heightened state of happiness will be a natural by-product of your efforts.
11. Take time out.
The happiest people live a balanced life because they understand their priorities and what matters most.
They work hard and with purpose but they also make sure that they take time out to spend quality time friends and family and in recreational activities that bring them pleasure. How is your life balance?
If you’ve been working hard and feeling out of balance, take some time out to spend with the people who matter in your life. Or go do something you enjoy.
More importantly, find ways to balance your schedule on a regular basis. All work and not enough play might be necessary in the short term, but it’s not a formula for fun nor does it feel good in the long term.
To feel truly happy, it’s important to have a healthy balance between work, rest and play.
12. Happy people have a connection to a Higher Power.
People who are the happiest have some sort of connection to or acknowledgement of a higher power.
They believe in Karma and the law of attraction. They accept and recognize a universal power or spiritual energy and work to foster a relationship with this power, whether they call this power God, Buddha, Life, the Universe or whatever term they choose.
Happy people live their lives in harmony with this power, using its wisdom and energy to help guide their path and give them a sense of ease about their life.
Meditation, prayer, joining a community and reading are a few ways in which you can explore your own spiritual connection and boost your happiness. Success always leaves clues.
Fortunately, the success of people who are happy have left some invaluable pieces of information which can help you become happier too.
Maybe you’ve already mastered some of these traits and maybe there are some that you can work on.
Whatever the case may be, this list is a valuable tool which offers you information about what you can do to bring more happiness into your life.
It can also serve as a barometer about your own level of happiness and how closely you’re living in tune with what makes you truly happy.
Most of all, let it serve as a reminder that happiness is a journey, not a destination. It’s an ongoing process and practice of new habits and ways of being. The wonderful news is that practice will make you perfectly happy.
I will stop here. I believe you truly enjoyed this powerful blog post on the concept of true happiness. If you really loved it please do not forget to share and comment your thoughts.
