Saturday
Jun152013

5 Daily Practices: Happiness & Joy - Now!

Shawn Achor, author of the book "The Happiness Advantage" suggests that happiness is not a mystery. You have to train your brain to be positive just like you work out your body. We not only need to work happy, we need to work at being happy. Try an experiment right now called the 21 Day Challenge. Pick one of the five researched habits and try it out for 21 days in a row to create a positive habit
90% "of our happiness" is determined by how we view the world 'internally'.-Sahwn Achor
  1. Record 3 new things that you’re grateful for (this will rewire your brain to recognize and look for the positive)
  2. Journal about one positive experience you’ve had (this will help your brain to relive that positive memory, in lieu of the negative or embarrassing ones we tend to remember instead)
  3. Exercise (this teaches your brain that you’re behavior matters – the key with this is to do manageable amounts of exercise every day (one day could – and should – be a stretching day). You don’t want to burn yourself out. You’re teaching yourself discipline, and proving to yourself that you can follow through on your promises)
  4. Meditation (this will help you to get over the cultural ADHD that exists all around us, and will allow your body and mind to focus on the task at hand).
  5. Random Acts of Kindness (when you open your e-mail, or twitter, or facebook, write one positivepost or e-mail that praises or thanks someone in your social support network….  I wonder if that’s what Linda was doing when she wrote me that lovely e-mail).