How to Live a Happier Life Through Simple Daily Habits

When we think about living a longer, happier life, most of us imagine big changes—major goals, big transformations, or huge lifestyle shifts. But the truth is, happiness often starts with the simple things. Small thoughts, little habits, tiny choices we make every single day.

Before we dive in, let’s look at why this matters:
When you choose positive thoughts over negative ones, you’re more likely to develop an optimistic outlook on life. Happiness researchers even say that people who think positively tend to have higher life satisfaction—and they often live longer too.

Now that we’ve grounded ourselves in the “why,” let’s talk about a few simple ways to begin living a happier life.

Smile More.

When you're doing a simple task like sitting in traffic, be more conscious of your face. Are you frowning? Are you furrowing your brow? Take 2 deep breaths, recenter your thoughts, and put that beautiful smile on your face. Like the classic song says, ‘You’re never fully dressed without a smile.’

Light a lavender-scented candle.

The smell of lavender has been proven to make you feel more relaxed, so having it in a relaxing place—like your bedroom—will help you feel more at ease.

Work on changing a negative habit for 30 days.

Take 15 minutes to do a quick “self checkup” to determine one of the more negative faults you have developed and start a mission to correct it. Do you like to gossip? Do you automatically complain when someone asks you, “How was your day?” Try to make a little mental note on something you can correct and make that correction continuously every day for 30 days.

Let go.

Are you harboring a grudge toward someone that feels like it’s eating you up inside? Take a moment to close your eyes, take a deep breath, envision that person standing before you in your mind, then blast them with positivity. Then imagine yourself taking that thing that you just can’t get over, wrapping it up in a box, closing the box, and throwing it off a cliff. This will help you start the process of forgiveness and move on with your life, because holding a grudge doesn’t punish that person—it only punishes you.

Pause and remind yourself of something simple.

When life feels overwhelming, try this exercise of reminding yourself of something simple. Example: Every year, without us doing anything, an apple tree just… grows apples. We don’t stand over it, stressing about whether it will get it right. We don’t doubt the process. We trust it, because it’s simple and steady and built into the way things work.

So when you catch yourself spiraling over something that feels “too hard,” try to pull yourself back into that mindset. If something as beautiful and complex as nature can unfold effortlessly, then maybe what you’re stressing about isn’t actually as complicated as you’re making it. More often than not, the moment you step back, things start to feel lighter, clearer, and a whole lot more doable.

Praise yourself.

Give yourself credit for the things you accomplished that day. Did you wake up on time? Did you make a delicious breakfast for your loved ones? Did you do the laundry? Did you make it to work on time? Did you make your bed before you left the house? So often we are so hard on ourselves and “punish” ourselves for not living up to a standard that we created in our mind that we forget that the little things we accomplish every day matter too.

Self-Love & Admiration

We all go through negative self-image days, but when those days seem to be more frequent, pull out that photo that you love of yourself and leave it where you can see it. Instead of being harsh on yourself in the mirror, look at the photos and remind yourself of why you love it. You will start to feel better about your appearance.

Quiet your mind BEFORE you start your day.

So often we grab our phones and start scrolling social media to “see what we missed” from the night before, but that can cause more harm than it does good. Instead, put on a quiet audio and quiet your mind, reflecting on the day to come. You will feel more centered and ready to tackle your day no matter what comes your way.

Living a more happy and fulfilled life is all about living in the moment. Here at LYVLI, we encourage you to live your life better TODAY! Start now with these simple ideas and watch how, when done consistently, your life can change for the better.