4 Simple Habits to Be Happy

Welcome back from Memorial Day Weekend, friends!

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. I spent most of mine with Jared in the city which was actually pretty quiet since MDW is typically a weekend that people venture out to the mountains, beach, etc. On my day off I took a bit of a self care day because it had been a while. I’ve been sharing here and there on social media that recently I took up meditation, started exercising, and eating healthier. All those things are great for my wellness but they were certainly not easy habits to adopt. 

Part of my exploration of all things wellness has been to find things that are easily incorporated into my everyday life. I know myself and how I am 99% more likely to do an extra thing in my day if I don’t have to go too far out of the way.

Today I’m sharing 4 simple habits to be happy and bring joyfulness to your everyday life. The best part is all of these habits are truly very easy to incorporate. Right up my alley!

Write a thank you or congratulatory card.

I once read a quote about how practicing gratitude makes us more present and I love that! There is a lot of tough stuff in life so expressing gratitude by writing a note to someone is a simple way to spread some happiness to others. I often mail thank you cards to people I’ve worked with on a blog project and I think it catches them off guard because we are so accustomed to digital communication these days. Whenever I mail out a handwritten note, I also feel happier. I always have a stack of cards, stamps, and envelopes ready at my desk!

Tell yourself positive affirmations or encouraging words.

Don’t just tell them to yourself, but really believe them. Simply put, affirmations are statements that can encourage you to be positive and really shift your attitude. Growing up my mom always taught me that happiness is a choice. When you can’t always change your situation, you can always change your attitude. Although this is a constant challenge for me, I really do believe in the power of words.

I recently wrote a list of encouraging statements that I put on my fridge. It’s on my way out of the house so I see it every morning and can start my day off thinking about these words. In case you can’t read them, here is what I chose to write: Raise your words, not voice. Live less out of habit and more out of intent. Do more of what you love. Train your mind to see the good in everything. Strive for progress, not perfection.

Pay it forward.

Buying Starbucks for the person behind you in line is certainly a nice way to pay it forward however it’s not exactly economical to make that a habit. I find that as a professional, there are many opportunities for me to pay it forward in the workplace. I rarely have to go out of my way so it is really a no brainer to me. Not only does it help others, but it often helps me improve a skill and it definitely makes me happier. Most recently I have done this by helping train newer folks on my team. A few months ago when I was on the receiving end of the mentoring, it made such a difference in my confidence at work so now I am thrilled to pay that forward.

You could easily do this at school or in your work even if it’s not in an office setting. Pay it forward by taking notes for a classmate that’s sick or sharing a blogger’s post on social media. It’s such a win win situation – you help others out while also being a happier person.

Celebrate everything.

Everyone celebrates differently however whatever your preferred method is, celebrating even the little things in life is a great habit. You don’t have to do anything extravagant to celebrate the little things but recognizing accomplishments of all sizes is a foolproof way to live a happier life. Celebrating doesn’t always look like a party or a gift, but can be as simple as writing a note to someone, giving them a shoutout in your workplace Slack channel, or giving yourself a pat on the back. Not literally, but of course, if that makes you feel better. How I’m doing that last one in my personal life is giving myself recognition as I accomplish steps to achieve a bigger goal. Instead of only celebrating the end goal, I recognize myself along the way because it is encouraging and makes me more joyful.

You might have noticed all the cute customized stationery in these photos – they were all designed by myself on Basic Invite. The website has almost unlimited colors for even each element on a card and over 40 different envelope colors as well. You can also order samples of your custom designs before ordering an entire set to ensure they’re just like you wanted.

I designed some personal stationery for my personal use, as well as some greeting cards that I can’t wait to mail out. Currently Basic Invite is featuring college graduation party invitations so if you’re finishing school or need graduation cards 2018 grads, you can get 15% off your order with coupon code: 15FF51. It’s so much fun customizing all the options so I highly recommend Basic Invite for thank you and graduation cards.

Hopefully this post encourages you to adopt some simple habits to be happy whether it’s writing more thank you notes or paying it forward to others! Thanks as always for reading.

Thank you Basic Invite for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.