Hello and happy Tuesday!
I hope you’re doing well this morning! My morning began with an early workout at the gym with Ryan. I warmed up with 20 minutes of intervals on the elliptical before I did three sets of 12 reps of leg extensions and hamstring curls. Then it was time to get really sweaty!
I used the Nike Training Club app on my phone to go through an advanced 15 minute Get Focused lean legs workout. It seems like I’m breathing heavy and dripping sweat after only five minutes of any NTC workout. They’re legit!
Breakfast
Breakfast was similar to yesterday’s morning meal.
More overnight oats!
I topped today’s oats with banana slices. That did the trick!
Habits of Happy People
As I was drinking my coffee this morning, I stumbled upon an article on the Huffington Post’s website about the Habits of Supremely Happy People. I thought the article was really interesting!
According to the article “joyful folk have certain inclinations,” including the following habits:
- They surround themselves with other happy people
- They smile when they mean it
- They cultivate resilience
- They try to be happy
- They are mindful of the good
- They appreciate simple pleasures
- They devote some of their time to giving
- They let themselves lose track of time (and sometimes they can’t help it)
- They nix small talk for deeper conversation
- They spend money on other people
- They make a point to listen
- They uphold in-person conversation
- They look on the bright side
- They value music
- They unplug
- They get spiritual
- They make exercise a priority
- They get outside
- They sleep
- They laugh
- They walk the walk
As I read this list, I found myself agreeing with nearly every single point. It also made me think about a few additions I would add to the list that contribute to my overall happiness on a regular basis:
- Owning a pet: You guys knew this was coming. Before I owned a dog, I didn’t really understand how people could be so crazy over their dogs. Now I totally get it. Sadie makes me laugh every single day and she truly is part of our family. I’m also fairly certain that even if we saw Sadie as “just a dog,” she wouldn’t tolerate this and would wiggle her way onto our laps every single night until we viewed her as a family member.
- Reading: Reading is something that calms me down and transports me to another world. If I’m stressed out, curling up with a book at the end of the day is a great way for me to relax and get lost in a story.
- Appreciate time with my husband: Since I’ve started working in the evenings at work a few days a week, I’m beginning to value my nights at home with Ryan even more. I’m so grateful that I have a husband who makes me feel supported and adored every single day. Of course we both have our “off days” on occasion but we make it a point to get outside and spend uninterrupted time together nearly every day. It’s always a highlight!
- Schedule time with faraway friends: I feel lucky that the plethora of weddings we had on our calendar this year have allowed me to stay connected to my long-term friends who live far away, but now that wedding season is over, we’re still trying to make it a point to plan events (Friendsgiving!) or special visits (SantaCon!) so we can all stay connected and spend time together in person. I value my friendships with my college and high school friends so much and will gladly save money in other areas so we can travel and be together when all of our schedules align.
- Connect with family: Ryan and I recognize how lucky we are to live within two hours of our families and we try to spend time with them regularly and keep communication constant. Regular phone calls, text messages (I really need to do a blog post dedicated to Ryan’s dad’s texts because they are the best) and visits are a priority for both of us. I’m already counting down the days until Thanksgiving with my in-laws!
Question of the Morning
- What habits in your life regularly contribute to your happiness?
In addition to the bullets listed above, being outside, surrounding myself with positive people, attending church, leading my LiveSTRONG group, jamming to upbeat music on Pandora, exercising and truly believing that everything will always work out for the best are key factors that contribute to my overall happiness.
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I think making time for myself and those that care about me is incredibly important. Happy people surround themselves with other happy people, and spending more time with those who are positive and supportive has made a huge difference in my life.
I read that article of HP and loved it! Some things that make me happy: yoga, spending time with my hubby, visiting my family who lives 10 hours away, being outside, cooking and walking my dog!
I’m really not a small talk kind of person, I see little value to it. So seeing that on the list was nice, and reasures that I’m not just weird but rather happy! haha
What a wonderful post! Thinking about happiness is important to being happy… it makes you want to strive for it! I love the Huff Post list and I love your additions. One thing that’s coming to mind right now is to appreciate and find joy in the simple things in life. No matter how stressful my day has been, seeing a beautiful sunset on my way home always makes me feel happy!
Btw, did you notice from the URL that the original title of that article was “Happiness Habits of Exuberant Human Beings”? I love that!
Owning a dog definitely! I just got back from vacation, and I’m pretty sure I drove my non-dog-owning friend nuts talking about how much I missed my dog over the week!
I think my happiness relates to appreciating the simple pleasures & quality time with the hubby: like time for an uninterrupted cup of coffee together. We have been trying to carve out time in our mornings to just enjoy a cup of coffee together. It definitely pumps me up for the day!
I very much agree with the point that happy people “try to be happy”. I know that there are obviously some situations that a positive attitude doesn’t solve, but, by and large, I’ve discovered that simply making the decision every day to be happy and look on the bright side makes a huge difference in my overall happiness and well-being.
I LOVE everything about this post and I totally agree with this list. I make a conscious effort to do those things and it has totally changed my life. Deepening my relationships with positive people, appreciating the small things, focusing on a positive attitude and making sure I have “me” time to rejuvenate help keep me happy.
I like to say that I exercise a lot of HEALTHY AND HAPPY HABITS! Exercise, eating right, sleeping a TON, socializing, doing things for ME and no one else… YES 😀
I definitely think that needing to unplug/ in person relationships and conversations help contribute a lot to my happiness. Also being active.
I am in the same boat as you when it comes to the dog thing. I couldn’t understand why people were so obsessed with their dogs until I got one! My lab brings so much joy in my life, he makes me laugh and smile every single day.
I completely agree with the resilience aspect – everyone has ups and downs, but its how you deals with the not-so-awesome times that really sets ‘happy’ people apart from the rest. This, in turn, incorporates things such as family, friends, pets, reading and spirituality. Love your additions to the list 🙂
What a great list — and I agree with your additions! I can’t imagine that I’d be as happy without time with my husband, my dog, and spending time doing things just for me (like reading & blogging). Happiness is simple & complex all at the same time!
I think another one would be taking a breath. I find myself tensing up and not breathing properly when I’m stressed or busy, and I find focusing on my breath really important.
It sounds silly but I think saying hello to strangers makes me happy. I feel like that kindness could make someone’s day and have a ripple effect. They might say hello to someone new, or hold the door for the next person they see!!
You don’t know how simply reading this makes me happy 🙂 I agree that surrounding yourself with happy people is cruicial! basically I was nodding in agreement to each one – get outside, deplug from technology (difficult but crucial!), spend money on others, look on bright side, and exercise. I try to avoid all types of negativity and even if people are having a bad day, encourage them to see the positive. I also love the random acts of kindness. Even if you don’t “Have” to do something, reaching out makes a world of difference and you never know how that one moment can affect someone’s day, week, or life!
This is all so so true. I agree with getting exercise & being outside–those things make me supremely happy! And of course, being with my husband & new baby girl!
I’m going to bookmark that HuffPo article. Thanks for sharing. Couldn’t agree more about owning a pet and spending time with your husband, family, and friends. Weekend getaways connecting with friends are the best, and I love spending quality time with my husband. We just got a dog 3 months ago and she has completely changed our lives and brought us so much happiness and joy.
I loved this list! I love seeing the positives in everything and appreciating what you have. I would add to the list spending time with my husband and family, and also having and spending time with your kids! 🙂 Kids have a way of making your worst day turn into your very best! 🙂
Can we all just take a minute and appreciate how stinkin’ cute Sadie is in this picture?!! How could you not love that face!
The habits in my life that keep me happy are: spending time with my family, shopping, pinning on Pinterest, entering contests/giveaways via Facebook, reading books/newspapers/magazines, volunteering for worthy causes, cooking/baking, and spending time with my dog, Oliver!
Taking time to enjoy the little things, like coffee dates with long time friends, uncontrollable laughter, trying new things outside of your comfort zone, sharing time with those in need, seeing the glass half full, taking time to learn to cook a meal, making a space your own! Owning a pet is a necessity and I could never have grown up not having that companionship!
While I don’t own a dog, my husband and I “adopt” peoples dogs to love on, talk about constantly, and dog sit. Its amazing how uplifting animals can be! The thing that always makes me happy though is phone calls to loved ones. I call my parents everyday 🙂
Hi- Love your blog. Very helpful and informative! I was wondering- Could you give me a little insight on where to purchase Chia seeds? I live in an area that is a little (or a lot?) behind in the health food department. Do you order yours online? Thank you! -Shelby
Great points I try my hardest to keep in touch with family and friends and let me tell you its tough with the time change and constant traveling but when I do I always am so happy! Thank you for sharing I could defintely implement some of these into my everyday life lots of love C
I love this!!! I consider myself a pretty happy gal and honestly see many of these habits in myself 🙂 Thanks for sharing and happy Wednesday!
This is great! Thank you for sharing! It’s a little silly, but Starbucks Dates bring me happiness. My great friend and I live 6 hours away from one another. We go to Starbucks at the same time, order our drinks and chat for nearly an hour as we sip our coffee. It’s helps us both to feel connected as we carve this time out just for us!
I like going out of my way to help friends when I can. I watch one of my gfs sons once a week while she is at grad school. Her hubby is deployed and I feel great getting to help them out! Plus her son is awesome and we have a blast for a few hours. It definitely screws up my schedule a bit but I can take a late night if it means giving her a little breathing room! Having a 5mo old baby while your hubster is deployed seems impossible to me!
I whole-heartedly agree with you about owning a pet. I will have the worst day at work and come home to my pups and all of a sudden, my mood has done a complete 180. I get outside on a walk with them to unwind after work or right when I get up in the morning, and it completely changes me. I love it! 🙂
I LOVE those habits of happy people!! I’m definitely not perfect but I make it a point to try to be grateful as much as possible and serve others. I’m pretty darn happy so it works =) I just LOVE your blog, Julie–thank you for sharing!
getting into the Bible everyday and reflecting on it with my boyfriend- so precious!
Love it, thank you for posting that. And I agree with you on the pet owning. I had no idea I would love my dog so much (stinky breath, frito paws and all!)
One thing I would add is admire and appreciate Nature everyday.
From hearing birds chip at dawn, to the wonderful fall colors, to the quiet sound of hiking in the hills, to the beauiful sky, I always am sure to appreciate every day nature.
I’m going to have to start listening to music!
i was considering doing a post inspired by this article too! i definitely am happy as long as i have my me-time. i love my family and friends but i recharge alone – an introvert!
I’m late to the party, but thank you for sharing this! This post makes me want a pet! And an enormous hat to wear to fancy events. 😉