There are many ways for people to be unhappy, but happy people have common characteristics. That’s why a good way to be happy is to learn the common characteristics of happy people and apply them. Here I’d like to share what I learned with you. Without further ado, here are 17 timeless secrets of happy people: 1. Forget the past One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory. Rita Mae Brown You won’t be happy if you carry the burden of the past. Did you make mistakes? Did you have terrible experiences? Whatever they are, you should let them go. There’s nothing you can do about the past, so you’d better let them go and focus your energy on the present. 2. Take responsibility for your life The secret of Happiness is Freedom, and the secret of Freedom, Courage. Thucydides To be happy you should have freedom and the most essential freedom is the freedom to choose. No matter how bad a situation is, you can always choose how you respond to it. People can annoy you, but it’s up to you whether or not you will resent. 3. Build relationships Life’s truest happiness is found in friendships we make along the way. Unknown Relationships are where we can get true happiness in life. The reason is simple: only through relationships can welove and be loved. Make relationships your top priority and you are on your way to true happiness. 4. Develop multiple passions The more passions and desires one has, the more ways one has of being happy. Charlotte-Catherine Passions lead you to happiness. So not only should you discover your multiple passions, you should also expandyourself to new passions. This way you will create new ways to happiness. The key to expanding to new passions is curiosity. If you are curious, you will have an endless stream of exciting things waiting for you. 5. Build your character Character is the basis of happiness and happiness the sanction of character. George Santayana Building your character is essential for happiness. When you are true to yourself and others, you will be in peace. 6. Be who you are The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is. Desiderius Erasmus You can only be happy if you become who you are. Don’t live other people’s life by trying to meet their expectations. People may expect you to have certain job or certain way of living but don’t be intimidated by them. Find who you are and be yourself. 7. Live your life purpose The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose. William Cowper To have a fulfilling life, you should find your life purpose and follow it faithfully. Find what matters to you and build the courage to follow it. Having a one-liner will help you internalize and communicate your mission. 8. Count your blessings Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have. Unknown Being happy is easy if we are grateful. Unfortunately, seeing what we don’t have is often easier than seeing what wehave. Sometimes we need to experience loss before appreciating what we have. So don’t take things for granted. Look at what you have and soon you will have plenty of reasons to be happy. You may start with these simple things. 9. Have positive mind It is not the place, nor the condition, but the mind alone that can make anyone happy or miserable. Roger L’Estrange Happy people know how to control their mind. They don’t let negative thoughts come in. While a situation may seem bad to others, happy people look at them in a positive way. They always believe that no matter how bad a situation seems, there is always something positive to take from it. Your mind can make or break you, so guard it well. 10. Work creatively Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. Franklin D. Roosevelt When you work creatively on something you will find happiness. There is a well-known phenomenon regarding this called flow. When you are in the state of flow, you are fully focused on the task at hand that you no longer realize the passage of time. This state of flow allows you to achieve high productivity and being happy at the same time. 11. Start with what you have The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet. James Oppenheim Happy people don’t need something they don’t have to be happy. They don’t need certain job or certain level of income. Instead, they learn to be happy with what they already have. They have learned the art of contentment. Be content with what you have and you will be happy. 12. Change They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. Confucius Being happy requires you to constantly grow. In fact, the process of learning itself is essential for happiness. Have you ever felt the excitement of being enlightened about something? Have you ever felt the excitement of achieving a new level in life? 13. Use your talents True happiness involves the full use of one’s power and talents. Douglas Pagels There are two lessons to take from this quote. First, you should find your talents and second, you should use them to the fullest. Working in your talents is a sure way to enjoy your work because it’s something you are “hardwired” to do. Using your talents fully will make you even happier because of the satisfaction of doing your best. 14. Beware of small things The happiness of most people we know is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things. Ernest Dimnet This is very true. Often it’s not big things that ruin your happiness. It’s the small things that do. Perhaps you don’t like someone or break some “small” promises. But even small leaks can sink your ship of happiness, so beware of them. 15. Distill your ambitions Where ambition ends happiness begins. Author Unknown While wanting to achieve more in your life is good, being obsessed by it is not. Do your best to improve yourself but don’t be obsessed by it. 16. Make others happy Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson This is my favorite secret of happiness. The way to being happy is to make others happy first. The more you help other people and make them happy, the more you will be happy. Happiness doesn’t come through selfishness but through selflessness. You reap what you sow. 17. Practice compassion If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. The Dalai Lama Compassion is perhaps the highest level of selflessness we could have. As this quote aptly says, practicing compassion can make both others and you happy. But of course, it requires practice. Start with thinking about the people around you. Look at their needs and find ways to meet them. Even if you don’t do it out of compassion in the beginning, your compassion will grow over time. All in all, this quote by Aristotle can summarize the lessons above: Happiness depends upon ourselves. It’s you who decide whether or not you are happy in life. I choose to be happy. What about you?

"and now, with God's help, I shall become myself" Augustine