The Art Of A Good Life: 11 Simple Habits Of Naturally Happy People
The happiest people aren't special, they just live differently.
Haley Hydorn | Unsplash There's something magnetic about people who seem genuinely content with life. While we might assume they've unlocked some secret formula or been blessed with exceptional circumstances, the truth is both simpler and more empowering. They've cultivated habits that naturally foster happiness.
The people who embody these practices didn't stumble upon happiness by accident. These are the quiet practices that set them apart. Simple approaches to daily life that anyone can adopt, regardless of where they're starting from or what challenges they face.
Here are 11 simple habits of naturally happy people:
1. Read five pages of any book
Get your mind off your worries and into a fiction story. Five pages give you enough to redirect your attention and to decide whether you might want to keep reading.
2. Reach out to someone new
Reach out to someone you otherwise would not. Heck, make it a party and reel off ten messages to ten different people. A lot of feeling glum has to do with disconnection.
Connecting with real humans is energizing. Your network is nourished like a plant. Speaking of plants …
3. Care for a plant (or buy one)
SeventyFour / Shutterstock
Buy flowers. Get a plant. Start a little garden on your balcony. Bring nature IN.
The act of plant care also provides what experts call mastery experiences, which are small, achievable wins that build confidence and satisfaction. Unlike many aspects of life that feel overwhelming, plant care offers clear cause and effect.
4. Learn something random
Watch a 10-minute YouTube video about how cheese is made, or why octopuses have three hearts, or how ancient Romans built roads. Curiosity is often the antidote to rumination. Your brain can’t obsess over your life when it’s busy absorbing random, fascinating facts.
5. Do the good habit you've been avoiding
Often, giving in to a bad habit can put us in a bad mood. We said we wouldn’t, but we fell for it. Now we feel bad. So balance that stuff out with a good habit.
Go to the gym for 15 minutes. Clean the kitchen. Tidy your bed. Something good.
A 2015 study on autonomy suggested that these individuals have learned that self-trust is built through small acts of integrity with themselves. Each time you choose the good habit after the slip-up, you're reinforcing the belief that setbacks don't define your character.
6. Do something that scares you (just a little)
Call that person you’ve been meaning to call. Sign up for that class. Send that email you’ve been drafting for weeks.
Fear and excitement are the same physiological response. Your body can’t tell the difference. Channel that nervous energy into forward momentum instead of letting it eat you alive.
7. Step outside for a walk
Many bad moods are the result of stewing at home, in the dark, in your underpants. Walks give you something to do, your mind stills, and you’re on an adventure.
“Short walks solve 47% of your problems. Long walks solve 89% of your problems.”
8. Make something, no matter how small
It’s great to chill, but a lot of chill comprises consumption, rather than creation. And over-consumption is the reason so many humans are miserable. They aren’t putting their human-driven creativity to good use. Paint, draw, write, build.
Creativity isn't about creating masterpieces. It's about maintaining an active relationship with your own imaginative capacities. The beauty of small acts of creation is that they're accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level, budget, or time constraints.
9. Write a big list
Srdjan Randjelovic / Shutterstock
There’s nothing quite like writing an exhaustive list of ideas that demonstrate how creative and audacious you can be. Prompt your mind with a juicy question (like: What are 20 audacious goals for this year that excite me?) and write down everything that comes to mind without censorship.
10. Dance it out
Good moods erupt when we loosen our hips. I’m not joking. Most of our fears, insecurities, and trapped sadnesses dwell in our joints.
When we dance and allow ourselves to be goofy (ideally to twisted German techno), it’s like signaling to our nervous systems that we’re better. We’re no longer succumbing to our own fabricated woes. We’re beyond that now. We’re ready to take on the world again.
11. Channel your anger into action
Wait, Alex, how can you say that? Isn’t that aggressive and a little rude? No, I’m telling you: get aggressive.
You’ve had enough, and you know it. Now is the time to take a look at the bad patterns that have shown up in your life.
Now is the time to ride the wave of your frustration rather than to be smothered by it. Draw a line in the sand, and make a fresh commitment to a new phase. A healthier, more dedicated phase …
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.
