What is the best way to live a happy and successful life?

Here are my top 10 tips on how to live a happy and successful life:

1. Be authentic. Life’s too short to pretend you’re someone you’re not. Plus, it takes a lot of energy to be a good actor.
2. Forgive - You’re only hurting yourself by being angry. Learn to forgive others and move on with your life. You can refocus that energy towards something positive.
3. Be intensely curious - Have you ever noticed emhow happy kids are? It’s because they have this genuine curiosity and amazement when they experience something for the first time. Remember the first time you saw snow? Or the first time you ate a burger? Or the first time you went on a roller coaster? Don’t lose that sense of amazement and curiosity, no matter what your age is. It will drive you to grow. And growth brings happiness.
4. Seek to understand - I once got irritated at a client because he was yelling at me over something that didn’t seem like a big deal. Then I learned he was upset because his wife was in the hospital and it had nothing to do with work. Once I found that out, I wanted to help him as much as possible. Always seek to understand people first if you want to be understood.
5. We’re all just trying to figure it out - Realize that no matter how perfect someone’s life may seem, it’s not. We are all complex and unique individuals trying to figure out what a meaningful life is. When you come to this realization, it frees you from expectation.
6. Spend time with happy and successful people - It’s contagious. Don’t believe me? I just messaged a fellow co-founder and blogger to a challenge: whoever writes an awesome Quora post faster wins! Trust me on this one: awesomeness is contagious. If you still don’t believe me, spend a few days in a row with a really negative person and you’ll see how it affects your energy and mood.
7. Breathe - As humans, we’ve been wired since the prehistoric ages to have a “fight or flight” mentality. So when we face adversity today, we tend to have incredibly strong mental and physical reactions to it. Instead of letting that happen, take a deep breath. Relax. Think. Walk away. And then revisit the problem the next day. Chances are it’s not nearly as big of a deal as it was in the moment and you’ll have a much better idea of how to fix it.
8. Laugh until your stomach hurts - Watch Youtube videos. Meet some friends over happy hour. Engage in witty banter during your date. Whatever it takes to get a good laugh in. It will spark joy in you.
9. Don’t dwell on thoughts - If you dwell on the past, you’ll be worried. If you dwell on the future, you’ll be anxious. Don’t dwell on thoughts. Accept that these thoughts are real and happening, but don’t drill on them for the next 2 hours. It won’t solve anything and will only make you feel emotionally worse. Accept the thought and move on.
10. Give back - Giving back will give you a joy that nothing else can. Extend a helping hand. It will bring happiness into your life. As an example, I wrote a book and got this review from someone. It made my day.