Happiness Habits

“Happiness is created by doing some simple, easy things, and doing them every day.” from The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

The first time I read The Slight Edge, I was most impacted by chapter 7: The Secret of Happiness. Jeff Olson shares 5 Happiness Habits found in another book called The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. These habits, if done consistently, every day will, over time, make you happier. You will began to rewire your brain to see the world in a different way.

1. Each morning, write down 3 things you’re grateful for. Different things each day. This trains your brain to search for the positive and be aware of the good.
2. Journal for 2 minutes each day about 1 positive experience you’ve had over the past 24 hours. Write down every detail you can remember. This causes your brain to re-experience the experience.
3. Meditate daily. Stop everything, relax, and focus on something (usually your breath). This trains your brain to be mindful and focus where you want it to.
4. Do a random act of  kindness over the course of each day. Make it simple. Each day send a text to someone praising them or thanking them for something they did.
5. Exercise for 15 minutes daily. Even a brisk walk has a powerful antidepressant impact.

Shawn Achor recommends starting with one task and doing it until it becomes a habit then adding another until all 5 are habits. I took that to heart (kind of) and started with task 1. I started a gratitude journal. Unfortunately that was as far as I made it on the list, but that one thing was very powerful in my life. I set an alarm to remind me every morning to write down something I was grateful for (I wrote down only 1 things instead of 3). This practice forced me to think about the day and find something to be grateful for. Sometimes, in the course of a day, I would notice something and think that it would be the perfect thing to add to my gratitude journal the next morning. I also would revisit my journal during my down times to remind myself that I had a lot to be thankful for.

I like to keep my gratitudes simple. Usually just one word or a short phrase; something that only I will understand and remember. Sometimes they are longer with more details so I can refer back to it if needed.

I’ve found that gratitude helps fix a bad attitude. If one of my kids (or me) complains about something I will ask them to say something they are grateful for and it will often change the direction of the conversation and stop the bad attitude. A grateful heart means there is no room for complaining. Gratitude also helps build an abundance mindset. When we are grateful for what we have, we are more likely to have more to be grateful for. Gratitude creates happiness.

A few things from my June gratitude journal. . .

my husband

safe travels

a full fridge

crossing everything off my to do list

friends to help take care of Braedi while she travels

swimming pools

all my kids being home

good leaders

finishing good books

making future plans

peanut butter

podcasts

Are you ready for a happier life? What are you grateful for?