What is a happiness habit? It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s when you are in the habit of being happy. You wake up happy, you work happy, you play happy, you eat happy, you go to bed happy.
You get into a pattern where happy is the only way you know how to be.
How do you develop the happiness habit? How do you develop any habit – or practice if you prefer? Some people have a habit of biting their fingernails. Some a habit of saying grace before each meal. Others have a habit of brushing their teeth before going to bed.
No one was born knowing to brush their teeth every day. We developed the habit. We got used to doing it, and we even get feel bad if we skip.
I would never consider going to bed without brushing my teeth. That is a powerful habit. I might be tired or angry. I might be preoccupied with work or something, but I will still spend a few minutes to brush and floss my teeth.
What would it take to have that level of discipline to be happy?
I started the habit of brushing my teeth because I saw the benefit. I know brushing them every day is good for me. The same is true of happiness. I know being happy every day is good for me.
How can you start a happiness habit?
You can start by being happy more often. Choose a time of the day you want to remind yourself to be happy. I try to start out the morning happy. I set an alert for shortly after I normally wake up to remind me to be present and happy.
Now I start out the day happy because I’ve created the habit.
In the afternoons, I do the same thing. I set a reminder when I first get home from the office.
That’s it. I try to remember to be happy two more times a day. As I’ve developed this habit, It’s become easier to add happiness throughout the day.
It is easy to build a happiness habit. It just takes a willingness to try and a schedule to help make it automatic.
