We all want to live a cheerful and happy life, but then there are always things in our lives that makes us angry all over again and it makes it seem that wanting to live as a positive person is just too difficult. However, the thing about being more cheerful is not what you encounter in your life, but rather how you deal with things when they are thrown at you. Wanting to be more cheerful is not just about how people see you as a person, but it is also good for your mental health. 

1, Be sincere to others.

一，诚恳地对待别人。

No one likes a person who is fake and insincere, in fact, they would stay as far away from people who act as a completely different person when they are with different people. And being fake doesn’t just drive people away from you, but it also makes you a more negative people from all the faces you put on. To be more cheerful you need to learn to be sincere. It is okay to be yourself and speak the truth when talking to people, but make sure you do it for a good cause.

2, Stop overthinking.

二，不要想太多。

Overthinking is a serious disorder that not many people realized. And the thing about it is that once your mind starts to overthink more thoughts will come together, and it doesn’t even do you any benefit. Of course, people who are prone to overthink are usually difficult to stop this bad habit completely, but try to find ways to distract yourself from overthinking. You can try to engage more in great conversations or go for a walk every day to unwind yourself from reality, do things that make you forget about the things you were worried about. 

3, Stop comparing yourself to others.

三，不要和别人比较。

With all the pressure given by the society, it can be difficult for us to not compare with others, and the thing is that this constant need to be “better” than others might make us feel good for only a short amount of time, but in the long run it does nothing but makes your mind more negative and it just makes you feel terrible as a person, whether out of guilt or dissatisfaction of wanting to be better. Train yourself to not want to be better than others, but rather be a better version of yourself. You’ll realize that without comparing with others, you are much happier.

4, Let go of things.

四，放开心事。

It seems easy for us to hold on to everything, especially bad memories, just because we want to remember everything to make sure we do not do the wrong thing in the future. However, people who usually grasp tight to the past are always the most negative people, being critical and harsh to just on others but also themselves. Step forward and forget about the past, especially the bad ones. Your mind will definitely feel better, and you will be happier, naturally.

5, Accept yourself and be grateful.

五，接受和感激你自己。

Trying to accept yourself is one of the greatest things you can do to oneself, but it is also not an easy task. We always want better things, and when we get it, we want even better things. This doesn’t just happen to our external possessions, but also about things within ourselves. The first step to want to accept ourselves would be to just be grateful for the things we have, tell yourself to be grateful that you are grateful to be alive and healthy. Everyone is different and you might not get what others have, so might as well just appreciate everything in your life.

6, Stay open-minded.

六，保持开朗的想法。

Don’t focus on the negativities in your life, instead, focus on the good things that happen. And not just on events, but on people as well. Don’t get mad at the people around you just because of one bad thing that they did. Always remember to balance things out, find the silver lining in every bad situation. Getting mad at things wouldn’t make things better, that just makes you more bitter. No matter what, remind yourself of the good things and look at the bad things less.

7, Stop criticizing yourself.

七，不要批评自己。

When we look into the mirror, we only see the bad features in us, being constantly compared to celebrities, models, or people who are deemed attractive by the society. And when we do something wrong, we blamed ourselves for being stupid, useless, not worthy enough. With all these negative words, how do you expect yourself to live a cheerful life? Instead, try to look at the good things in your life rather than focusing on the bad things. Praise and compliment yourself, because if you don’t, no one else would.

8, Be around cheerful people.

八，和快乐的人在一起。

It is true that we get affected by the people we are around. When we are a bunch of people who gossip, we will soon develop the habit. When we are around people who are very criticizing others, so do we in time. Similarly, if we are around people who are positive and cheerful, we will become like them as well. This is because just like when we were babies, we imitate the actions of our parents. So be around people you want to become.

9, Stop blaming others.

九，不要指责别人。

It is easy to blame others when things happen. Many people love putting the blame on others so they seem like the victim. It might make us feel safe and less concern in the short term, but if you developed such a behaviour, you are more likely to get mad faster, because the next time you are to blame, you only see yourself being faultless. Take your own responsibility and stop blaming others for things. Even if the fault is in others, don’t make it a show out of it. Forgive them and find ways to solve things instead of making things bigger. 

10, Smile more.

十，笑多一些。

Our mind is very easily fooled. If we are frowning all day, our mind would think that we are feeling depressed and making you feel low and down in mood. Similar to when we smile more, our mind would think that we are happy and we will feel more uplifting. Behave in the way you want to be, even if you are not completely happy when you’re smiling, fake it till you make it. 

People say the best investment to make is in yourself. Don’t just look at being more cheerful so you can have more friends and be more popular. Focus on yourself more. Think of how it would change you for good. Having a positive attitude will make you attract many people who deserve a place in your life.

“I’ve learned a lot this year. I learned that things don’t always turn out the way you planned, or the way you think they should. And I’ve learned that there are things that go wrong that don’t always get fixed or get put back together the way they were before. I’ve learned that some broken things stay broken, and I’ve learned that you can get through bad times and keep looking for better ones, as long as you have people who love you.”