Everyone wants to be healthy and happy, but what are the differences between happy and unhappy people? What is the secret to a happy life? Is it love? Is it money? Is it a fulfilling career? Simply put, your thoughts have a more powerful effect on your life than you might think.
Here are my top tips for you, for living a happier and healthier life.

#1 Stop negative thinking

A negative mind will never give you a positive life. Stop thoughts that are limiting and self-defeating like 'I can't do that' or 'I'm not good enough'. Don't believe everything you think. Negative and pessimistic thinking is unhelpful and will hold you back from achieving your goals and greater self-confidence. Replace negative thoughts with words that are positive and motivating. At the beginning it may be difficult, but the more you repeatedly send positive messages to yourself, the better you will feel.

#2 Stop comparing yourself to other people

It is an extremely unhealthy habit, but even the most confident people do it: Comparing. We all do it. It's human, but constant comparison with others make you feel bad about yourself and lowers your self-esteem. You begin to question your own worth. And this can lead to frustration, depression, eating disorders, over-spending, and simply to the feeling of not being good enough. Life is not a competition. If you make it one, nobody will win. It's always a losing battle, because the only person you're really hurting in the end is yourself. Stop comparing and start living!

#4 Don't be a people-pleaser

Respect yourself and others will respect you, as easy as that. Don't spend your whole life on trying to make everyone happy. Practice building self-awareness, discover what you are willing to do and what you don't want to do. Start putting this into practice by saying no when something doesn't resonate or align with who you really are. People might get mad at first, but eventually most will come to respect you.

#5 Start loving yourself

Self-esteem is all about how much you feel you are worth - and how much you feel other people value you. Your level of self-esteem affects your happiness and everything you do.

#6 Be yourself!

Don't try to be somebody else. Take control of your life and live it by your own rules. Find a personal style that feels great to you and be proud of it. There is no one like you and that is your power!

#7 Care for yourself

Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water and sleep at least 7 to 8 hours per night. If you don't get enough sleep, everything else will suffer. Sleep deprivation (which most of us suffer from) puts you in a pre-diabetic state, messes with your metabolism, makes you more likely to be overweight, increases your appetite, decreases your productivity, hampers your immune system, and makes you tired, moody, anxious and likely to be depressed.