Our lives are overwhelmingly busy and it's difficult to stop to realize when and if we are experiencing a happy moment. But what is true happiness and how can you obtain it?
The definition for happiness by the positive psychology community suggests (greatergood.com): “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”
Furthermore, according to the Psychology Today website, “Experiencing positive feelings can improve our health and quality of life.” Happiness is different for everyone and almost half of our happiness seems to be a function of genetic factors (Psychology Today).
“The key to uncovering happiness is to be on the lookout for the sweet moments in life, big and small, and to really take them in (mindful.com).” This website suggests three simple steps to achieving happiness:
- Get real about happiness - appreciate even the smallest bit of joy, embrace the good times and know when hard times come they will pass.
- Find your purpose - what do I care about more than myself and how can I take action to be involved?
- Be generous - giving to others is very uplifting and underpinning generosity is compassion which impacts well-being.
One remaining question is how do we get our mind to accept and appreciate happiness? Project happiness has many suggestions for ways to change your mindset - one recommendation is to make a “Bliss Book” that contains pictures that make you smile and/or make a playlist of music that you feel good when listening.
Smile as you walk into work and arrive home - it's contagious.
Don’t Worry, You Can Be Happy!