13 Ways I Help Myself Feel Happier Than Anyone Else I Know Part-01

13 Ways I Help Myself Feel Happier Than Anyone Else I Know

No one feels perfectly positive all the time, but I'm pretty close. Here's how I do it.

Are you always so happy?" a half-asleep coworker asked me one morning as I was laughing in the break room with another colleague.

Um, how should I answer that?

Yes, I’m an optimist. I laugh a lot. My glass is half full. People ask me this question from time to time, but secretly, I find it a little insulting. Of course I'm not always happy. But I don't want to infect the world with a miserable attitude either.

It’s always bothered me that some people consider positivity naive. This couldn’t be more wrong. Choosing happiness is one of the greatest signs of wisdom. It's much harder to be light than to be heavy. Look around you. How many people are negative and cynical? It takes a lot of inner work and energy to be cheerful and positive, so most people choose not to do it.

But when did it become OK for everyone to be so negative all. the. freaking. time? It’s not fun or pleasant or sexy. Negativity repels people. And these days it seems as if finding an upbeat soul is more rare than ever. Which is why it is so awesome if you decide to stand out and be one! Here are the tricks I use that make me feel happier than almost everyone else I meet.

1. I forgive--and forget.

I took a workout class the other day and the instructor told us to imagine we were punching someone with the weights we were holding. I couldn’t think of a single person I wanted to punch! How awesome is that? Don’t get me wrong. I have an ex-husband. I have former friends who’ve let me down. I’ve worked for bosses I’ve hated. But I refuse to let them take up any headspace now!