It is possible to be happier.  On-going research in the area of Positive Psychology is helping to identify thinking and behavior patterns of happy people.

You may be surprised to see what daily choices happy people make.  Use the following checklist to discover what you are currently doing and what you might want to add to increase your sense of well-being.  Happy people do as many of the following things as possible:

• Set aside time for family and friends, nurturing and enjoying those relationships.
• Feel comfortable expressing gratitude for what they have.
• Freely offer to help coworkers or strangers.
• Practice optimism when they think of the future.
• Try to live in the present and savor pleasures.
• Exercise regularly.
• Are committed to lifelong goals and ambitions.
• Are resilient during challenging times.

To reap the reward of feeling happier, it is important to find a place to begin.  Think of your strengths and what is important to you.  You do not have to do everything listed on the checklist to increase your level of happiness.  It is best to chose one or two strategies that will work for you.

Action Step:  Use this checklist to establish what is working for you now.  Then which one or two strategies might you choose to add to your daily life?  It may take some effort at first.  Make sure you have people around you that support the choices you are making.  This might be your partner, a friend, or a coach.  Enjoy the benefits.

To your success,

Maurine

During the last fifty years, there have been spurts of positive income growth, purchasing power and an unbelievable increase in luxuries in the U.S.  However, Richard Layard, a British economist says that we have been living on a happiness plateau.  

The disconnection between what we have and what we feel has created much interest among social scientists, psychologists and writers.  It has also led to a significant amount of research in the area of happiness. 

For instance, important research in the area of Positive Psychology has discovered what contributes to a sense of well-being and happiness.  One of the exciting discoveries is that there are things you can do to increase happiness without making major life changes. 
 
Ongoing research and publications on happiness indicate that once your basic needs are met, money does not make you happy.  Things that have the potential to make you happy are:

• Family.
• Friends.
• Meaningful work that you enjoy.
• Community involvement.
• More giving and less getting.
• Gratefulness for what you have.
• Less watching television. 

While you may not want to put time and energy into each of these areas, there are probably a couple that would be meaningful to you.

In my next post, I will describe 2 specific ways of feeling happier.

Action Step:  From the above list, make a commitment and plan to enrich several of these areas in your life.