6 Habits That Prevent Our Happiness

While there are a lot of habits that will help to bring happiness into our life, there are also plenty of habits that will chase happiness away.

Some of the things we do each day make it very unlikely that we’ll experience happiness.

I used to blame everyone and everything else for my unhappiness.

I’ve done ALL of these at one point in my life and you’re probably doing at least a couple of these things and never considered the negative impact that they could be having on your life.

Becoming aware of these habits has helped put me back in the driver’s seat of my own life, and I hope they will help you too.

1. Unnecessary spending. One of the greatest stressors in life is financial issues. Happiness is harder to find when you’re up to your eyeballs in debt. General financial pressure is one of the greatest causes of misery and divorce. ( I know, I’ve experienced both)

2. Clutter is another barrier to happiness. When you spend too much, you have too much stuff. It’s always in the way and serves as a constant reminder that you spent more than you should have.

   Think about the reward you gain by spending and find a less destructive way to accomplish the same thing.If you want to make happiness a real possibility in your life, keep your spending under control.

3. Postponing your life. We’re always waiting for something to happen before taking action. Whether it’s waiting for the first of the month to start a diet, or waiting for the kids to leave the home before starting an online business, we always have an excuse to wait.

   There will never be a perfect time to take that big step. Manage your circumstances as well as possible and get started today. Time is the one thing none of us can ever get back.

4. Blaming others for your challenges. When you blame others, you lose control. It’s not easy to accept responsibility for all of the unpleasant things in your life, but what other choice do you have? No one else is going to fix it for you. Even if you’ve been used and abused, you are still responsible for dealing with the aftermath. Accept the challenge and move forward.

5. Not staying grounded in the present. Most people have a bad habit of dwelling on past mistakes and tragedies and worrying about the future. The past is over, so leave it there. Good choices today eliminate most future challenges. Focus on making the most of today, and the future will take care of itself.Pay attention to your thoughts for an entire day. Notice how much time you spend thinking about the past or the future. Think about how that impacts your effectiveness and your happiness.

6. Holding a grudge. If someone has wronged you, you might be making a good decision by not trusting that person again. However, holding on to the animosity is pointless. You just make yourself unhappy and less effective. Once it’s over, learn what you can from it and forge ahead.

7. (BONUS) Focusing on challenges instead of solutions. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you focus on the unpleasant things in your life. Rather than do that, spend your time, and energy, and focus on finding a way to make things better. You’ll feel better and be much more successful.

It took me time (like over a decade) to become aware of what I am aware of and how it was impacting my life

We are all a work in progress. (Progress over perfection)

Most of us have picked up some bad habits along the way. The important thing is to become aware of the habits that are holding you back and make a conscious change to pivot into choosing a better thought, emotion, or action.

Allow yourself to be happy by letting go of your anti-happiness habits. You’ll find that happiness isn’t as challenging as you thought.

What is one thing that prevents your happiness? And how can you you flip the script?  

Soulful Hugs, Natalie 💜

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