Happiness is an innate capability of humankind. Despite what some people think, it’s in our nature to be happy. Even babies know this. After all, we encounter giggling babies on a regular basis.

On the same note, have you wondered why smiling is so contagious?

It’s funny how, as adults, we’ve come to believe that we are nothing but victims in a plot. We see no hope of happiness. How quickly we forget how to be happy!

Here are a few sayings that focus on positivity. Some of these you’ve heard before. We refer to them as oldies but goodies. A couple of them were mentioned in our tips on being happy. Whether you’ve heard them or not, they should be a good reminder that you have the power to be happy whenever you want.

1. Make lemonade out of life’s lemons (or: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade)

If you like lemonade, but find sucking on a lemon to be a bit overwhelming, this old sentiment makes a lot of sense. Lemons represent the negative things in life you can’t control that come your way. While you can’t control them, you can come up with creative ways to benefit from even the negatives in your life. The key is a positive attitude and some fluid reasoning.

2. Do what you love to do

Don’t settle for anything less than what you really want to do. No matter how difficult it may seem to reach for your dreams, they are your dreams. Your dreams are those things that you do because you enjoy doing them, not because of some reward that comes with them.

However, you don’t have to immediately get what you desire in order to be happy. Sometimes you have to take a long series of steps to reach your goals. Generally speaking, the things you love to do will be those things at which you are naturally gifted. So attaining your dreams is not so difficult if you stay on the path.

3. Don’t wallow in a corner

It is very tempting to go into a shell and hide from the world when life throws bad circumstances at you. The reality is that when we shut off the social functions of our brains, we go deeper into depression.

One of the best things you can do is to hang out with some happy people. These are people you can talk to who always seem to be honest and encouraging. Crying and expressing yourself is actually a good way to get past some negative things. However, there is no reason why you have to be sad simply because something bad happens.

4. Count your blessings

Instead of focusing on what is going wrong in life, focus on what you have. This may be the greatest difference between people who are sad and people who are happy. Sad people talk about what is wrong. Happy people talk about all of the things that are right. Get centered on what is important to you and it will be much easier to dismiss the smaller negatives that come along daily.

5. Express yourself

Self-expression does not necessarily have to be confined to social relationships. Many people find journaling to be an excellent mode of releasing and responding to to their inner feelings. It can certainly help you get perspective.

Happiness is Always Available to Those Who Seek It

Really, it all comes down to going on with life, day after day, in a healthy, constructive manner. Life events should not dictate your actions or behaviors. You should be the dictator in your life. If you catch yourself saying negative things, grab this list of old wisdom and run through it quickly to help you recapture your happiness.