The Happiness Advantage

I feel like sometimes in life we take for granted the things that make us happy. Not just the things that make us the most happy, like our families, but the little things as well. I am definitely guilty of being sad about things that just don't matter and taking for granted the things that make my life enjoyable. For instance, the fact that we have a bakery right down the street from our house that makes the most delicious cinnamon buns and I have a husband that loves to spoil me even though I can no longer blame my pregnancy cravings anymore. Or the beautiful walk I went on the other day or the time I had to talk on the phone with my mom for over an hour.


A couple weeks ago, Garth and I were watching T.V. and came across a program called the Happiness Advantage. It was based on a book that Shawn Achor wrote called, you guessed it, The Happiness Advantage. We had heard about this book before and so we decide to watch the program. He talked about how we are all waiting to be happy. How we think that once we get our dream job or we lose all that weight we want to lose, then we will be happy. He shares different studies that prove that not only are happier people more successful in the world, but that they tend to live longer, and have significantly better health throughout their lives. He gives us seven principles that will help us think more positively, better our success in business and ultimately better our success in life.

After watching this program, I was so impressed with everything he said and I wanted to start doing everything he suggested right away so I could train myself to be happier, because who doesn't want to be happier?! Garth and I decided that we would pick one of his suggestions and work on that for a couple of months and see the changes it makes in our lives. And then continue on, adding more of his suggestions, so we can form those habits.

The first goal that we have set for ourselves is that every night before we go to bed, we grab our journal and we each share 3 things that we were grateful for that day and why. They have to be specific things that happened that day, not just cliche answers you give at the thanksgiving day table like "I am grateful for my family" but if you are grateful for your family, why? What happened that day that made you grateful for them? We have been doing this now for over a month and it has already made such an impact in my life. It had forced me to look for the positive things in my everyday life as little or as insignificant as they may seem. I know that as we continue to do this, we will both see improvements in our moods, our productivity and our lives will ultimately be happier!

Here is a link to the preview of his book/program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBRy3QrRGFI

C'mon let's all get happy!