Musings | Happiness

Musings

Dec 29

“ Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance”

— Eckhard Tolle

We start off 2021 with a story of unknown origin:

A professor gave a balloon to every student, who had to inflate it, write their name on it, and throw it in the hallway. The professor then mixed up all the balloons. The students were given five minutes to find their balloons. After a hectic search, no one found their own balloon. At that point, the professor told the students to grab the first balloon they picked up and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within five minutes, everyone had their own balloon. Then the professor said to the students: “These balloons are like happiness. We will never find it if everyone is looking for their own. But if we care about other people's happiness, we will find ours too.”

This story’s lesson is supported by research completed in Great Britain, Harvard Business School and the University of British Columbia. These studies found that people feel happier when they engage in small acts of kindness and recall giving someone a gift. This research also showed that the happier people feel about giving, the more likely they were to do another kind act. So, by aiming to bring happiness to others (by being kind or by giving a gift), we can also bring ourselves happiness. It appears that kindness makes you happy, and happiness makes you kind. A win-win!

Be 25 % Happier

It is winter. The holidays are over. Daylight is in short supply, and oh yes, Covid is still kicking around. Despite all this, we can still feel happy and possibly happier than we were before. Science tells us that practicing gratitude can boost our happiness by 25%. And we can gain this boost in happiness by simply noting FIVE THINGS we are grateful for ONCE A WEEK. You may want to keep these lists in a gratitude journal. That’s a pretty easy practice, with a significant ROI!

FIVE THINGS. ONCE A WEEK. TO FEEL HAPPIER. This simple practice can enhance your happiness all on its own. While we certainly encourage you to be kind to others as a way of enhancing happy vibes too, the gratitude journal allows you to focus on the good in your life without the need for other humans! The benefits of being grateful extend far beyond happiness alone as Robert Emmons tell us in his book Gratitude Works! “Grateful people experience higher levels of positive emotions such as joy, enthusiasm, love, happiness, and optimism, and gratitude as a discipline protects us from the destructive impulses of envy, resentment, greed, and bitterness. . . Experiencing gratitude leads to increased feelings of connectedness, improved relationships, and even altruism.” (optimize.me, plus 1, #1068)

FIVE THINGS. ONCE A WEEK. FEEL HAPPIER.

So, even though it is winter, and we are still experiencing a pandemic, it is possible for us to find happiness in places we never thought to look. 1) Within ourselves by reflecting on the good in our lives and 2) Outside ourselves through small or random acts of kindness. Two simple practices that can equate to significant personal gain. It’s a new year with a clean slate. Consider using gratitude and kindness to unlock the good vibes that already exist within you to bring more happiness into your day.