Staying Happy as You Age

Growing older… it’s something we all do. But who says it has to be full of frowns and worry?

Believe it or not, waving goodbye to certain habits can make our later years a whole lot happier.

So, settle into your favorite chair and let’s chat about 12 behaviors to ditch if you want to smile more as you age.

You may just find a new lease on life!

1) Hanging onto grudges
We’ve all been hurt or wronged at some point in our lives. But clinging to these past hurts? That’s a one-way ticket to Unhappyville.

Holding a grudge is like carrying around a backpack full of rocks – it’s heavy, it’s uncomfortable, and it makes the journey so much harder than it needs to be.

As we get older, it’s time to put that backpack down. Forgive those who’ve hurt us. Not for them, but for us. For our peace of mind and for our happiness. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting or saying what happened was okay. It simply means we’re choosing our happiness over our hurt.     READ MORE...

Rethinking our Behaviors

Sebastian Vettel talks to the media in the paddock during previews 

ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

(CNN)  Sebastian Vettel has never been afraid to speak his mind.

But his mindset and approach to issues away from the track have developed with age and experience.

Vettel -- who announced he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season following a stellar career -- spoke to CNN Sport's Amanda Davies ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix about how he's planning to adjust to life at home with his family.

But the 35-year-old expressed how, as he's grown older and been more receptive of issues away from the track, he is more willing to take steps to tackle them.


"It sounds a bit stereotype, but you turn 30 and I mean, I have kids, so things change," he explained. "And as much as I'm the same as I used to be 10 years ago, I'm not the same and a lot of things have changed.

"So also, when it comes to interests or how you see the world and how you understand the world and I think I've always been trying to see things, but maybe I didn't see as many things when I was young compared to today. 

Some things, I'm thinking: 'What? How could you miss them?'"  READ MORE...

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Breaking Bad Habits

Best- selling author James Clear notes most of your actions are influenced by your surroundings. He says you can manipulate those surroundings to make your desired habits obvious, attractive, easy to do, and satisfying.

James Clear first experienced the power of habits when he was seriously injured during a high school baseball game. Struck in the face with a baseball bat, he fell into a coma. He was determined to play baseball again one day and went through painstaking physical therapy. When he was able to walk again, he made a habit of hitting the gym and going to sleep early. In college, he continued working out and going to sleep early—and eventually, these habits paid off. Clear joined the college baseball team, and he was named to the ESPN Academic All-America Team at the end of his college career.

Having taken painstaking notes, Clear saw the true power of minute habits. And in his bestseller, Atomic Habits, Clear synthesizes everything he’s learned about habits—from keeping good ones to losing bad ones—and illuminates the transformative power of tiny, everyday behaviors.

1. Habits are compound-interest gains
On its own, an action like flossing your teeth or buying a cup of coffee seems pretty insignificant. After all, one missed night of flossing won’t immediately give you a cavity. And one cup of coffee, even a fancy $5 latte, won’t break your budget.

But what if you got a $5 coffee every day for a month? What if you got one every day for a year? That adds up to more than $1,800 a year to feed your coffee addiction! When actions become habits, they gain exponential power.  READ MORE...