8 Habits of Extremely Happy People

#4. They celebrate small victories.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to know a lot of genuinely happy people.

I’m talking about the kinds of people who light up a room with their presence, make complete strangers feel like royalty, and leave you feeling that the world isn’t such a dark place after all.

You know, those people. They’re amazing.

But they don’t grow on trees.

For every extraordinary person like the one I’ve just described, there are a hundred others who are quick to wipe the optimistic smile off your face and make you see problems instead of possibilities.

I’m sure you know the kind of people I mean.

So, of course, I’ve been curious to find out what happy people are doing right.

After all, if teddy bears in human form and equivalents to the Grinch exist in the same world, there must be something we can learn from them.

As it turns out, there is. Here are some things I’ve personally witnessed in my happy friends that we can all benefit from.

1. They look on the bright side, no matter how hidden it seems

Optimism and happiness go hand-and-hand. Of course, that doesn’t mean these happy people I know never have problems — not at all. In fact, they often have a lot of problems, just like the rest of us.

So what makes them different?

They don’t dwell on their problems. They don’t go on and on about how terrible their job is or about how their partner leaves dirty laundry on the floor all the time.

No.

Happy people put their problems in perspective. They see opportunities for growth where grumpy, unhappy people see opportunities to complain. That’s one of the key differences I’ve noticed.

2. They live in the moment

Happy people aren’t constantly worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow or regretting the past.

They realize that life can’t be lived in the past or in the future, so they enjoy what’s right in front of them. Today.

For example, one of the happiest women I know is always ready to welcome people to her home if they’re in town.

She’ll put other things aside and bring out refreshments and spend an hour talking to her friends and giving them her full attention, no matter what. I love her for it.

3. They treasure and prioritize people over things or careers

“Sorry, I’m busy.”

“I can’t go out tonight — something came up at work.”

“I’ll have to reschedule that.”

How many times have we heard these excuses? How many times have we said them ourselves? A bunch of times.

But here’s what I’ve noticed about happy people: they don’t generally make those kinds of excuses.

They know what matters most to them, and they prioritize it over everything else.

4. They celebrate small victories

One thing I’ve noticed about happy people is that they go out of their way to celebrate.

It doesn’t matter if they’re celebrating a graduation or an acceptance letter or finding a silver dollar on the sidewalk — to them, everything is worth celebrating.

And because they’re so busy looking on the bright side and seeing rainbows everywhere, they don’t allow problems to get in the way.

5. They smile at everyone

This is probably the simplest thing on this list. And yet, it makes a big difference.

I’ve noticed the happiest people I know have one big thing in common: they’re constantly smiling. I mean, constantly.

In fact, when I think of them, one of the first things I think of is their smiling faces.

When I meet someone and they’re smiling from ear to ear, I know we’re going to be friends. I know they’re special. I know I want to be around them and learn from them and absorb their positivity.

A simple smile can do that.

6. They don’t hold grudges

As I’ve said, happy people live in the present. They don’t spend time telling themselves they’ll never forgive so-and-so for breaking their heart when they were in middle school. They forgive, and they move on.

Here’s one way to think of it: if we’re loaded down with baggage, it’s hard to go after what we want.

We’re not mobile. We stumble around, heaving and straining and sweating under the weight of our past.

But if we travel with just a small bag, we can go wherever we want. We can travel far without getting tired because we are bringing just the bare essentials with us.

That’s one way to think about letting go of grudges.

7. They treat everyone with respect

Whether they’re CEOs or baristas, happy people don’t take others for granted. They don’t belittle or mock others behind their backs, and they don’t take advantage of anyone.

Instead, they appreciate everything others do for them, no matter how small it may seem. They encourage people instead of tearing them down.

From what I’ve seen, this is one of their secrets to happiness.

8. They have standards and they don’t allow others to disrespect them

Happy people aren’t doormats. They know their time is valuable, so they spend it where it matters most.

If others have ridiculous expectations that would prevent them from spending time doing what they love or cause a lot of extra stress, they don’t participate.

They’re not afraid to say, “No, thank you.”

By drawing a line on certain things, like answering emails at 2 a.m., they can save their energy and sanity for what fulfills them.

Bottom line

As I’ve seen first-hand, money has nothing to do with happiness. My happy friends come from all walks of life, and they’ve all been through hard things — all of them.

Of course, no one is happy all the time, and sometimes appearances can be deceiving, but I really think the people who inspired this article are genuinely happy.

It’s clear that no one is completely immune to pain or grief or the occasional bump in the road. But that doesn’t mean that, like my happy friends, we can’t pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and see the bright side through it all.

© Luba Sigaud 2020