What is the secret of happiness? Of course, the answer to this question depends on who you are asking it to. But, ultimately, people who are really happy and successful have different habits from those who only complain and see the negative side of life.

If you are trying to be one of these happy people, you just need to incorporate simple habits into your routine. Happy people have habits that keep them happy every day. That’s right, being happy depends on you.

Being happy and successful is not a matter of luck, miracle or chance. You choose whether you want to be happy or not. Happiness is very subjective. Each one has its own interpretation of what it is to be happy and the most interesting is that everyone can be happy and successful in what they do. Do you choose to be happy?

Here are 12 habits you can apply to your life in order to be happier!

1 – Enjoy every moment

Enjoy the here and now. It’s that simple. Try not to think too much about the past, about what happened. If something back there really hurt you, give it a new meaning. Do not waste too much time thinking about the future, forgetting to live in the present. Do your best today to get what you want for your future.

2 – Do not hold grudges

Forgive and forget is absolutely necessary when it comes to happiness. The reason? Holding a grudge means that you are hanging on to anger, resentment, pain and other negative emotions that are barriers to happiness. By releasing these emotions, you get rid of negativity, so there is more space for positive emotions to enter.

3 – Do many things, but do not live in a hurry

Research shows that “rushed” feeling can lead to stress and unhappiness. At the same time, people strive to find this happy medium of just being busy enough. 

You cannot accumulate activities and tasks that do not motivate you. That is to say: the key to progress and to find the long dreamed happiness is to have a productive life. In other words, you must always work to expand your comfort zone, but not so much to the point of leaving your routine overloaded.

4 – Surround yourself with the right people

Happiness is contagious. This means that when you surround yourself with other people who are happy and supportive, you can build self-confidence, increase your creativity, and simply have more fun in general. Stay away from negative, critical and malicious people. You need people who really like you, who will be on your side for whatever it takes. Nothing worse than being around people who only gossip, speak ill of others and do not help others.

5 – Celebrate the success of other people

It is no secret that having a social life and healthy relationships is an important component to happiness. The people we care about always tell us about a victory, a triumph, and significant things that happen to them. Our way of responding to these stories can build our relationships or undermine them.

6 – Be optimistic

Let’s be honest: Bad Things Happen to all of us – even to the happiest and best-humored people on the planet. The difference is that they do not complain all the time and do not let pessimism take over.  It’s no use complaining all the time that you’re unlucky or that bad things happen in your life. Learn from mistakes, from defeats. Learn to get up and move on.

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7 – Face the problems

Happy people view problems as challenges to overcome and to improve their lives. In fact, you should just move on and delete the word “problem” from your mind completely. This means “solving” problems and not pretending they do not exist.

8 – Express gratitude

Research shows that cultivating the attitude of gratitude improves mood and energy and generates less anxiety. This is probably due to lower levels of cortisol. So say thank you every day, mentally or writing in a notebook for everything that happens in your life. Thank people too!

9 – Dream big

The happiest individuals dream big and work hard to turn those dreams into achievable goals. They are committed and disciplined, and they know their ideas: they allow themselves to say “no”, take care of their health, get out of their comfort zones and accept the fact that they may have to start over.

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10 – Do not make excuses

It’s incredibly easy to blame someone for their failures. Happy people take responsibility for their mistakes and use this failure as an opportunity to change their lives for the better.

11 – Have a growth mindset

When it comes to personality, individuals fall into one of two fields: those with a fixed Mindset or those with a growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe that you are who you are, and there is nothing you can do about it. People with a growth mindset, however, believe that with a little effort they can improve, which in turn leaves them happy because they are better suited to coping and overcoming the challenges.

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12 – Take care of yourself

As the body and mind are connected, it makes sense that you are not physically caring, you will suffer mentally and emotionally. Begin by sleeping well, following a balanced diet, exercising regularly and finding healthy ways to relieve stress.

Seek to be happy… Every day!