It is only during these strange times of holiday cheer that we begin to feel comfortable enough to actively spread love and happiness. Let us maintain this positive momentum for the following 364 days of the year as well. For any time of the year, here are some ideas that I find most important to consider whenever we are giving gifts or doing someone else a favor.

By not forgiving others we are simultaneously denying ourselves forgiveness for our own mistakes. This hypocrisy can eat away at our spirit, cripple our ability to do good, and leave us feeling down and empty. Therefore it is important to address these feelings and find reconciliation.

Exhibiting loving-kindness and compassion is one of the most underrated methods of improving our mental well-being. It gets us to step out of our own ego-driven tendencies, to empathize with others, and to share both their pain and joy. Their happiness becomes our happiness.

This list is a collection of intentions one can have when conversing with others and choosing the right words to say. Following this advice can lead to more purposeful and effective speech.

“It’s hard to always show compassion — even to the people we love, but Robert Thurman asks that we develop compassion for our enemies. He prescribes a seven-step meditation exercise to extend compassion beyond our inner circle.”

Happiness is something we like to believe we know and know well, but in practice it can become quite a difficult and elusive thing to obtain. Recently, positive psychologists and other researchers have begun to ask the question, “What is it that makes an individual truly happy?”

How does the attitude of abundance attract more abundance?