Science Proves How Positive People Live Longer

Have you ever noticed that happy people tend to have higher expectations, and also getter better results?  There’s a reason why life flows more smoothly when your happy switch is turned on. Moreover, cultivating these habits of happy people will surely put your life on the right track toward becoming a habitually happier, healthier, and whole.

“Happiness is a habit – cultivate it.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

11 Habits of Happy People

 1. Unconditional love

The only way love can last a lifetime is if it’s unconditional. The truth is this: love is not determined by the one being loved, but rather by the one choosing to love. – Stephen Kendrick, The Love Dare

Loving and loving unconditionally have a few fundamental differences.  You can choose love, but to choose unconditional love means that you see past the imperfections.  You release judgment and accept others as they are and choosing to act in a loving manner always.  Choosing to love unconditionally means that you’re choosing to love in a BIG way.  Bigger than the social and emotional restrictions that hold our love in bondage.

Your unconditional love doesn’t have to be outwardly in all situations either; unconditional love can also be inward. Accepting yourself fully as you are and showing yourself this same unconditional love can provide protection, healing, and the confidence you need to take your next step toward victory.

2. Gratitude

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus

We cannot express the importance of gratitude as a habit of happy people.  When you make a habit to think of, and express, everything you’re grateful for, you’ll see that these joyous experiences continue to expand in your life.  Just like the law of gravity, the law of attraction will expand what you focus on – and if you’re focusing on what you’re thankful for, you can certainly expect to be more thankful in the future.

3. Service to others

Doing nothing for others is the undoing of one’s self.  We must be purposely kind and generous, or we miss the best part of existence. The heart that goes out of itself, gets large and full of joy. This is the great secret of the inner life. We do ourselves the most good doing something for others. – Horace Mann

Taking time to be of service shows a great deal of character, especially when you aim to serve without expectation of return.  Giving your time without the need for gain returns something much greater – it gives you the satisfaction of adding value to the world.  Working to help improve a physical, mental, environmental, or spiritual state will not only help improve the world, but will also help build positive karma in your life.

4. Self Care

You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.  You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love & affection. ~Buddha

If your own needs aren’t taken care of, how can you take care of the needs of others?  There’s nothing selfish about setting aside a certain time for yourself each day or week to make sure that your own mind, body, and soul are well and rested.  Here are just a few things we do ourselves to meet our self care needs.  Try a few and/or add your own self care habits in the comments below:

• 15 minute morning meditation- This is very grounding.  Try it each morning before you get out of bed, or each night before sleep.
• Affirmations – Affirmations are key in our lives.  Select affirmations that resonate with you and repeat them in the mirror DAILY.
• Reading a chapter of a book – Just 6 minutes of reading can reduce stress by 68%. 
• A warm soak in the tub – Try adding 2 cups of iodized sea salt with 2 cups of pure baking soda to a hot tub of water – you’ll LOVE it!
• Exercise – Staying active not only helps you look and feel better, it also clears your mind of negative, doubting thoughts.
• Eat raw, organic fruits and vegetables (you can put them in juices or smoothies, or eat them right out of the garden!)
• Buy a new outfit – Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little retail therapy every now and then!  Treat yourself, you deserve it!

5. Forgiveness

Forgiveness can bring you a renewed peaceful spirit. You’ll find yourself feeling more positive overall and less stressed. You may even experience health benefits like lower blood pressure.  When someone hurts or offends you, negative feelings of bitterness or revenge are created. Don’t let yourself pay the price over and over. Oftentimes the focus on the past and the hurt will keep you from enjoying the wonders of today and the potential of tomorrow.

Good news: Although you cannot control their actions or their decisions, you CAN control yours.

6. Compassion

Compassion is a foundation for sharing our aliveness and building a more humane world. — Martin Lowenthal, Opening the Heart of Compassion

Having compassion brings out an important human element.  Showing recognition and respect for all situations can not only solve many of the world’s problems, but can also bring people comfort, knowing that they are cared for, loved, and recognized as equal.  Show compassion for others and where they are in life.

Although their situation may not be desirable to you, it’s where they are – and if they’re going to get closer to where they want to be, they need caring support from people just like you.

7. Humor

As the old adage states, “Laughter is the best medicine.” It’s true and happy people know it. They laugh often and even at themselves sometimes. Laughter can create a lightness out of a heavy or negative situation. One good belly laugh is all it takes too; humor is contagious. One funny, happy person in a group can create a roomful of happy people.

Humor doesn’t just make you happy, but healthy too. Studies show humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boosts your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress.

“Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you can have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.” – Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D

8. Responsibility

Taking responsibility for your thoughts, words, actions, and reactions can ultimately bring you more happiness in life. If your intention is to create a more positive world for yourself and those around you, it’s up to you to have the thoughts, moods, and actions that will create that positive world.

If however, you analyze your current situation and see a negative consequence being created as a result of your moods/actions/reactions, taking responsibility for that will make you adjust your sails to strive toward a better outcome.  Release the fear of judgment and create responsibly, the Divine never loses count of your true intention.

9. Persistence

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Focus on what you want and build yourself to be that person through positive affirmations, intention, and action.  When we pursue something of great value with an undying spirit, the Divine knows this and will deliver.  It may not come all at once, or through the avenue you expect, but persistence will grant the achievements that create happiness.

10. Focus on the Solution

Happy people focus on solutions.  Unhappy people focus on problems. – Chris Butler

Releasing focus on problems is relieving yourself of the negative focus. Great problem solvers, and many millionaires exist because they don’t see a need to focus on the problem as much as the solution for it.  Life is full of possibilities and solutions when you believe and focus on them.  Life is also full of problems when you focus on them.  Where will you put your focus?

11. Honesty

You may get away with dishonesty at times, but as mentioned earlier, the Divine ALWAYS keeps count. For every thought, word, or action you express, an equal energy will be returned to you.  If honesty is what you portray, you will gain respect, trust, and honesty in return.  With dishonesty, a barren and lonely environment that is devoid of happiness is sure to ensue in time.  You may not see the effect of dishonesty right away, but it will erode you from within.  The option to repair however, is always available. You can begin practicing honesty RIGHT NOW to build a better, happier tomorrow.

(BONUS) 12. Optimism, of course! 😉

Positive thinking is key to happiness. Happy people have practiced turning negative thoughts or experiences into positive ones. Seeing the glass half full, living a life full of positive habits, and learning to turn on your own “happy switch” consistently will turn your life around in ways you’ve never imagined.

Ever wonder why you seem to attract negative people to you?

The fact is … positive and negative people are often drawn to each other even when they seem so vastly different. It’s rooted in our nature. In fact, we can prove this in science.

A battery has two ends — a positive terminal (cathode) and a negative terminal (anode). If you connect the two ends …electricity is produced!  Whether comfortable or not, when a negative person connects with a positive, energy is created.  We crave energy. Energy is a flow of electrons and energy is a flow of emotions,  If you’ve ever wondered why opposites attract – there’s part of your answer.

A positive force will magnetically draw a negative charge to it.

Know that dealing with negative people, you first must recognize that we are in fact attracted to the energy or charge that we feel. The key is to understand if the flow energy and if you need to “detach” from that negative force.

Evaluate Your Relationships

What are you getting from the relationship? What is it you want from the relationship and is it realistic? Will you ever get it? Does this relationship serve you? Is your life better with this person in it?

With most relationships, we have a choice. We can’t choose our family members but we can choose our friends. Does this person lift you up? Are they happy about your success? Do they cheer for you? Or, do they pray for you? Do they care enough to push you or ask uncomfortable questions when you’re off track?

A true friend is someone who cares so much, that they will risk offending you, having that uncomfortable conversation to let you know when you’re on a destructive path or just underselling yourself. That one true friend should feel like the President of your Fan Club! A true friend wants what’s in your best interest… Those are the people you need in your life. Those are the important relationships — and you have a choice.

Those friends who are negative, impossible please, terribly unhappy with themselves and hell-bent on confrontation are not healthy people to spend time with. There is a cost to be paid and guess who pays the price? Ask yourself how often this person repays or redeposits the withdrawals they make? We have a finite amount of love, energy, compassion and most importantly time. Be mindful of how and with whom you spend those things.

Now I am certainly not suggesting that you cut these individuals from your life. Everyone has value. Everyone has a way in which they enrich our lives. I hope you find these following suggestions helpful.

How to best manage negative people and relationships:

1. Consider carefully how much of yourself you give to those who only withdraw.

2. Give negative individuals less power over your emotions, time and happiness.

3. You are not responsible for another person’s happiness, value or good mood.

4. Don’t take the hurtful actions as a personal reflection.

5. Remember…it is impossible to win an argument with someone who is “never wrong” or blindly self-focused.

6. Difficult, needy, angry, overly sensitive people are that way —not because of something you’ve done or not done—- but often because of early childhood experiences.

7. Have empathy and compassion but not at the risk of sacrificing yourself.

8. Don’t take it personally. It’s really not about you. And sometimes there’s nothing you can fix….but we can choose our friends.

Hurt people hurt people.

When the negative person is a family remembers that you have a choice in the way you respond—- respond in love. Stop being angry, end your resentment. Put love in your heart. We can’t change people… But we can pray for them.

When dealing with unhappy family members, know your part, but set healthy boundaries.

Be supportive without taking responsibility for the self-worth of another. Create a healthier relationship. And if you want this person in your life, (or if you really don’t have a choice via marriage or bloodline ) then make a decision to do your best without sacrificing your soul.

Ask questions. Listen.

And listening doesn’t mean letting the other person talk so that they will hurry up and finish so you can say what you need to say. Listening is understanding; trying to see things from their life perspective. Having an understanding of what it is like to walk in their shoes and what experiences have led them to this way of thinking. Take the word confrontation out of your vocabulary. Decide to be more loving.

And lastly, I believe that no relationship is 50/50.

Every relationship has a humble hero. It’s okay to be that person from time to time who does more and takes pride in their role. Be the person who’s willing to make the other person feel like the center of the universe. Instead of keeping score or building resentment, just hold that pride inside of you.

Know without having to broadcast it or write your award acceptance speech that this is ***your gift*** This is what draws other people to you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself or wondering when someone else is going to do the same for you. Respond in love or make a decision to make a change.

There are exceptions to every rule – but the thing I know for sure and it sounds “total cheeseburger” but love is almost always the right answer.

As a daily positive thinker,  life’s distractions, negative people, and other external “brain drainers” can leave you faced with challenges to conquer. The good part is, you can learn to train your brain to help stay positive when times are tough.

Try these 7 tips to help train your brain to stay positive:

1. Daily Gratitude

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Place your journal, a pad and pen or your phone with the gratitude app next to your bed each night.  When you wake up each morning, make it a habit to write down at least three things you’re grateful for. It can be anything from family and work to a good night’s rest or the morning sunrise. Whatever is positive in your life deserves a little thank you note from your soul. When we focus our attention on gratitude, that thankfulness will expand.

If it’s difficult to think of something right away, realize that something JUST happened that you can be grateful for…  you woke up today.   Not everyone gets that opportunity.

2. Stay Centered

Staying centered throughout the day will help keep you from being derailed by negative energy that tries to consume your confident, positive attitude.  You can find balance in many activities, such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing, walking in nature or any other activity that puts your mind at rest.  When the mind ceases the negative thoughts, you permit your soul to speak. The calming energy produced from a good centering exercise surrounds the body. Thus, you develop an unshakable spirit that will surely help you stay positive.

“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” – Hermann Hesse

3. Stay Active

The adage “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop” couldn’t be more true.  When the mind is focused on completing the day’s schedule successfully, negative energy is powerless.  Now you may ask “but what about the external shocks from other people or experiences that go sour?”

There are always things that may come up when you are staying active and focused on positively completing your day, but that’s where the other exercises like staying centered are ultimately going to help you stay positive throughout.

4. Eat, Drink Well & Sleep Well

It has been known for hundreds of years that our intake of food, water, and sleep can greatly affect our mood and mental health.  A study has found that just vitamin deficiencies alone can cause declines in mental health that can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and other psychological disorders.

Use this article and vitamin reference to learn how to use food to stay positive

And when it comes to sleep, evidence suggests that when people are sleep deprived, they feel more irritable, angry, and hostile.  Sleep tight rather than stay up all night and you’ll be feeling happier, more friendly, and more refreshed each day.  Little tweaks and additions to your routine like these can make a big difference. Eat whole foods, drink lots of water, and sleep 8 hours or more as often as you can.

5. Help others

Sometimes, the best way to help yourself stay positive throughout the day is to help others stay positive as well.  When others are down, that’s when they need positivity the most. Instead of avoiding their negative energy in fear of it spreading to you, jump in headfirst. Use your positive mindset and help shine the light to brighten their day!  You will leave the situation knowing that you have created a ripple effect and multiplied the positive energy in your environment. In turn, this energy will return to you tenfold.

6.Subconscious re-training and inner healing work

Sometimes, to have a positive experience on the outside, we have to uncover and release the past negative experience trapped on the inside.   Exercises like tapping, affirmations, NLP and mirror work are all great places to start.  The journey of discovery from within has the ability to heal the original wound that could have been created from our childhood, a bad relationship, or a traumatic experience.

“The fact is, you can transform your life. You really do have that power.”

When the affected area is showered with love and positive energy, the emotional wound can be healed and the fear released.  This work will help you not only attain a true positive mindset without facade. However, this will make it easier to maintain positivity moving forward.

7. Follow your passion

One of the greatest things you can do to stay positive throughout each day is to make sure you’re doing what you LOVE!  If your job or hobby involves something that makes you feel guilty, or something that takes you further from where you desire to be in life, it’s time to switch it up.

Write down three things you love to do, followed by three positive changes you’d like to see in the world.  Compare this to your current lifestyle and see how they match.  Being in alignment with what your soul calls for is one of the most important aspects of staying positive throughout life. Trust us, it makes it a WHOLE lot easier!

Practice these 7 exercises to retrain your brain to stay positive through any challenge and live a life you truly desire!

If you already practice some of these exercises, share with us how they’ve improved your life – we love hearing from our community! 

We L-O-V-E quote pictures and we know you do too! They are fun and inspiring to share with family and friends. If you are a page admin on Social Media then inspiring quote pictures are important to your engagement. Finding a viral quote image that is also under creative commons license isn’t always so easy.

Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.
-Ben Carson

Creating quote pictures can be fun if you’re into that, but that’s not always an option. We realize this and want to help! So here it is. 🙂 This is the first series of our free quote memes we’ll be offering. We’ve gathered some of the most VIRAL statements and made them into eye-catching, unique pictures.

Quote Memes for your Social Media & Blog

These quote pictures are Royalty Free and Photos and Illustrations under the NonCommercial Creative Common License.* Feel free to download and save, print, copy and share any quote pictures you like. Hey, you can even add your own website to them to help spread your brand. Yep, that’s right. We encourage it. They are here to be shared and enjoyed, not sold.

Feel free to tell others about these or link back to us if you’d like on your blog or on social media (but you don’t have to). Our co-creator here at Power of Positivity, Kristen Butler, loves designing and creating quote pictures and felt the desire to share and release these as a GIFT to you for your love and support in this community. 🙂

We would LOVE to hear from you! Comment with the number of your favorite quote picture. If you have a quote you’d like to see for the next free quote pictures collection, let us know in the comments, too. We REALLY look forward to hearing your feedback. Especially, Kristen! 😉

Share & Enjoy!

#1. Positive Quote Memes:

Think like a proton. Always Positive.

#2. Life Quote Pictures:

There is nothing in a caterpillar, that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.

– Buckminster Fuller

#3. Life Quote Memes:

Find joy in the ordinary.

#4. Positive Quote Pictures:

The greatest prison people can live in is fear of what others think.

#5. Positive Quote Memes:

Just Let it  Go…

#6. Positive Quote Pictures:

Amaze yourself.

#7. Positive Quote Memes:

Out of difficulties, grow miracles.

– Jean De La Breye’re

#8. Positive Quote Pictures:

Live Life Out Loud!

#9. Positive Quote Memes:

Miracles always happen when you believe.

#10. Positive Quote Memes:

I am realistic. I expect miracles.

#11. Positive Quote Pictures:

Be the good.

#12. Positive Pictures:

Be so good, they can’t ignore you.

-Steve Martin

#13. Positive Quote Memes:

Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself.

#14. Positive Quote Pictures:

Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come.
Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, all the fears you have overcome.

#15. Positive Quote Memes:

Be. Be prepared to be who you were created to be. And trust… that you will be given the
resources, relationships, opportunities, and strength, to bring your purpose to fruition.
– Carren Smith

#16. BONUS: Positive Quote Memes:

“No” is a complete sentence and it doesn’t require justification or an explanation.

These images can be used under the Noncommercial Creative Common License which states – You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work — and derivative works based upon it — but for noncommercial purposes only.

Marguerite Johnson, who became known as Maya Angelou was brought into this world on April 4, 1928. And on May 28th, 2014, Maya returned home. Maya Angelou was a beacon of light for the people, shining brightly and inspiring them to find compassion, humanity, forgiveness, and live their best life. To honor her eternal spirit, we are sharing 25 of our favorite Maya Angelou Quotes that will continue to inspire all who reads them.

Shine ON, Maya!

25 Best Maya Angelou Quotes

1. If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. – Maya Angelou

2. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou

3. Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. – Maya Angelou

4. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. – Maya Angelou

5. You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’ – Maya Angelou

6. You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive. – Maya Angelou

7. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud – Maya Angelou

8. I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me. – Maya Angelou

9. I know that when I pray, something wonderful happens. Not just to the person or persons for whom I’m praying, but also something wonderful happens to me. I’m grateful that I’m heard. – Maya Angelou

10. I work very hard, and I play very hard. I’m grateful for life. And I live it – I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it.

11. During bad circumstances, which is the human inheritance, you must decide not to be reduced. You have your humanity, and you must not allow anything to reduce that. We are obliged to know we are global citizens. Disasters remind us we are world citizens, whether we like it or not. – Maya Angelou

12. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody. – Maya Angelou

13. Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time. – Maya Angelou

14. I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.

15. How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! – Maya Angelou

16. I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself. – Maya Angelou

17. The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.

18. Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: ‘I’m with you kid. Let’s go.’ – Maya Angelou

19. Those of us who submitted or surrendered our ideas and dreams and identities to the ‘leaders’ must take back our rights, our identities, our responsibilities. – Maya Angelou

20. The only thing is, people have to develop courage. It is most important of all the virtues. Because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtues consistently. – Maya Angelou

21. I know for sure that love saves me and that it is here to save us all. – Maya Angelou

22. Don’t let the incidents which take place in life bring you low. And certainly don’t whine. You can be brought low, that’s OK, but don’t be reduced by them. Just say, ‘That’s life.’ – Maya Angelou

23. When a person is going through hell, and she encounters someone who went through hellish hell and survived, then she can say, ‘Mine is not so bad as all that. She came through, and so can I.’ – Maya Angelou

24. All of us knows, not what is expedient, not what is going to make us popular, not what the policy is, or the company policy – but in truth each of us knows what is the right thing to do. And that’s how I am guided. – Maya Angelou

25. In all my work, I try to say – ‘You may be given a load of sour lemons, why not try to make a dozen lemon meringue pies?’ – Maya Angelou

Shine On!

Please add to this tribute with your favorite Maya Angelou quotes in a comment below. 

Shine ON Maya, you have risen for the people, and your spirit will forever be remembered by everyone here, and all over the world.