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Seven Habits That Will Lead To Happiness

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at KU chapter.

It has been a little over a month since most of us set our New Year’s goals. Many of us establish resolutions to resign certain habits. Maybe you pledged to give up desserts, cut out carbs or retire excess snacking, all in the hopes of achieving that dream body. While it is perfectly acceptable to want a healthier physique, many of us don’t try to set goals that can help us mentally. Say you were to conquer a drastic diet and achieve a perfect body… what then? More of us need to find fulfillment spiritually and emotionally. Being able to find and build habits for prolonged happiness is just as, if not more, important than losing a few pounds.

Here are seven resolutions that can help us become happier, balanced and more successful people.

1.     Donate your time to others. It is easy to become wrapped up in our own lives, but giving more can create a unique feeling that you can’t achieve anywhere else.  Find what you like to spend your time doing and try to incorporate that into good. For example, if you like being around animals you can volunteer at your local animal shelter. If you like children, volunteer to become a Big Brother or Big Sister. Be able to give without expecting anything in return.

2.     Put your phone down. Almost all of us are guilty of checking our phones too often. Instead of appreciating what is right in front of us we are busy looking down at a tiny screen. Next time you are walking down the street, put your phone away and appreciate your surroundings. If you are with friends, family or in class, try keeping your phone away from you and just living in the moment.

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3.     Keep it simple. Instead of complicating your life, try making it easier. For instance, if you don’t like something then make it known. If you have questions, ask.  If you want to meet up with friends then invite them out. We spend entirely too much time worrying about small things that we can easily change ourselves. Life is short. Lets keep it simple.

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4.     Don’t be a people pleaser. It is important to be able to sympathize with others, but don’t forget about your own needs and wants. Remember to be yourself. Dress how you want to dress. Act how you want to act. When you have opinions, state them. Also, being able to say “no,” will help you set much-needed boundaries in life.

5.     Say goodbye to toxic people. Having a tight support group around you will help you become successful. Fill your life with people who motivate you. Wasting time with negative people can be dangerous.

6.    Give people the benefit of the doubt. Many of us let people control our feelings, but we sometimes forget that how we react is our choice. By giving people the benefit of the doubt, we will be less angry and more sane.  There will always be foul people in the world, but we have to remember to be above it.

7.    Be kind to yourself. We need to stop beating ourselves up over things we could have done differently. Maybe we could of done something better, but it already happened; now all we can do is focus on the present. Don’t be your own worst critic.  

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