HAPPY New Year! 5 Habits to a Happier Life!

January 2016

It’s that time of year when we wish each other a Happy New Year! I love learning about what helps us succeed at being happy and the effects is has on our life. This month is dedicated to learning 5 habits to help us live a happier life!

The first habit is to practice staying present in the moment. Yesterday is over and gone and tomorrow is just a prediction of the future. Stop dwelling on the past. Our past does not define our future. Instead we can learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others and move on. Stop worrying about the future. Instead have a plan than let it go and get back to the present moment. Be mindful and savor the present moment.

The second habit is to practice focusing on the positive instead of the negative in life. Look for three potential positives in any situation or any person. When you find yourself sliding to the negative ask yourself the following questions:

• What are three potential positives?
• What lessons can I learn from this?
• What changes can I make to make it more positive?

The third habit is to practice showing gratitude daily. When we focus on what we already have in life and give thanks and praise we feel grateful. The more grateful we feel the happier we feel and the happier we feel the more we have to give thanks and praise. It is a very fulfilling cycle of positive circulation.

The fourth habit is to practice using our signature strengths. A signature strength is a moral trait that is innate to us that we know we kick butt at! Some examples of signature strengths are: curiosity, love of learning, perseverance, ingenuity, kindness, hope, forgiveness, social intelligence, team player, loving, humor, appreciation or gratitude. When we use our signature strength we are filled with a sense of joy and well-being. We are in the flow of life. Have you ever felt like pumping your fist and shouting to the world…YES…this is what I am meant to do! Chances are you were utilizing one or several of your signature strengths for the greater good.

The fifth habit is to practice recrafting. Recrafting is taking something and remaking it into something better. We can Recraft a job we do just for a paycheck into a Calling that engages our signature strengths and serves the greater good! We have a choice about what work we do, and about how we go about doing our work. A dentist who views the work as a job and is simply interested in making a good income does not have a Calling. A garbage collector who sees his work as making the world a cleaner and healthier place could have a Calling. The key is not finding the right job, it is finding a job we can make right through recrafting and engaging our signature strengths.

We can achieve a happier life when we practice being present, focus on the positive, show gratitude and live our signature strengths every day in our work and our play for the greater good of all!  The choice is always ours!