20 Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently
One of the highlights of my trips to the US every year or two is visiting a bookstore–where all the books are, get this, in ENGLISH! I could literally spend days on end there and have the most awesome time. On this year’s trip to the bookstore in Baltimore, this book caught my eye “1000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently” by Mark and Angel Chernoff.
This book is really inspiring, and right on the money, I think. It’s also extremely repetitive. But I didn’t mind so much since I loved the ideas it kept on repeating over and over.
Here’s my 20 favorite Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently out of the 1000+
APPRECIATE LIFE’S PERFECT MOMENTS
Your life isn’t perfect, but it does have perfect moments. Don’t let the little things let you down. Pause to stand in awe of the fact that you have the ability to rediscover life as the miracle it has always been.
BECOME ADDICTED TO CONSTANT AND NEVER-ENDING SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Every day is a new day to learn, grow, develop your strengths, heal yourself from past regrets, and move forward. It is never too late to switch gears and change things that are not working in your life. Using today wisely will always help you to create a more positive tomorrow.
BECOME THE PERSON YOU LOVE
You are powerful when you believe in yourself. You are beautiful when your strength and determination shine as you follow your own path. You are unstoppable when you know you can fall down, pick yourself up, and move forward.
BE WHO YOU WERE BORN TO BE
Don’t get to the end of your life and find that you lived only the length of it–live the width of it as well. When you are truly comfortable in your own skin, not everyone will like you, but you won’t care about it one bit.
BE A FRIEND TO YOURSELF, TOO
If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how LONG would you allow that person to be your friend?
IN PURSUIT OF A MEANINGFUL LIFE
Continue to evolve and grow with the people and dreams that inspire you. Strive to be the “you” you want to be. Nourish your mind and body. Educate yourself every day until you die. After all, you only have one shot–like we all do–to make this life meaningful.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
If you don’t take care of yourself, then you can’t take good care of others either–which is why taking care of yourself is the best selfish thing you can do.
THE INEVITABLE FRUSTRATIONS OF AN AVERAGE DAY
99% of what’s stressing you out today won’t matter a month from now. Sooner or later you will know this for certain. So do your best to let go of the nonsense, stay positive, and move forward with your life.
THE PRESSURE TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE ALL AT ONCE
When we’re young, it seems like faster is better, but in time we witness the power of “slow and steady” to get results. We come to learn that no act of love , kindness, or generosity, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Anything worth achieving takes dedicated daily effort. Over time, you’ll look back and marvel at the results you’ve achieved.
MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE
Being the richest man or woman in the cemetery doesn’t matter; going to bed every night knowing that you’re making a positive difference in the world is what matters.
STOP BEING JEALOUS OF OTHERS
Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE, BUT WHAT YOU HAVE OVERCOME
All the hardships. All the mistakes. All the rejections. All the pain. All the times you questioned why. All of these things have given birth to the wisdom and strength that will help you shine your light on the world, even in the darkest hours.
THE POWER OF LITTLE ACTS OF LOVE
Never stop doing little things for those around you. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest parts of their hearts. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of love–all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
I AM FOCUSING ON THE NEXT POSITIVE STEP
We sometimes face situations that can stop us dead in our tracks, frozen with fear. We can either stay stuck in that place, or we can gently remove our attention from whatever is happening and focus instead on our next step–on what is possible now. [CJW: Rabbi Nivin calls this ‘taking our next step in avodat Hashem’].
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
20 years from now it won’t matter what shoes you wore, how you looked or what brand of purse you bought. What will matter is how you loved, what you learned, and how you applied this knowledge.
I AM PROUD TO WEAR MY TRUTH
How you see yourself means everything. To be beautiful means to live confidently in your own skin. Say it, and then say it again: “This is my life, my choices, my mistakes, and my lessons. Not yours.”
YOU’RE NOT PERFECT, BUT YOU’RE GREAT AT BEING YOU
You might not be the most beautiful, the strongest, or the most talented person in the world, but that’s OK. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. You’re great at being you. You might not be proud of all the things you’ve done in the past, but that’s OK too. The past is not today. Be proud of who you are, how you’ve grown, and what you’ve learned along the way.
IT’S THE SMALL, FREE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST
It’s nice to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s also important to make sure you haven’t lost track of the things that money can’t buy. Maturity is not when you start speaking and thinking about the big things, it’s when you start understanding and appreciating the small things.
WHY WE BELITTLE OURSELVES
You have a story about yourself (or perhaps a series of them) that you recite to yourself daily. This is your mental movie,and it’s a feature film that plays on repeat in your mind. You movie is about who you are: you have a chubby tummy, your skin is too dark, you aren’t smart, you aren’t lovable…you aren’t good enough. Realize that this movie isn’t real, it isn’t true, and it isn’t you. It’s just a train of thought that can be stopped–a script that can be rewritten.
Ready to rewrite the script? Good!
Choose to remind yourself of the truth…
HAPPINESS CANNOT BE TRAVELED TO, OWNED, EARNED, WORN, OR CONSUMED
Happiness is the sacred experience of living every moment with love and gratitude. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for and some reason to love. So be sure to appreciate what you’ve got. Don’t wait for tomorrow, appreciate today.
I absolutely love this. So so true, simple powerful. Thanks so much for sharing! I have a feeling I’ll be rereading this one..
me too:)