Today is the birthday of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. Or I guess I should say "re-birthday." May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.
"Happiness runs in a circular motion,floating like a butterfly above the sea.
Everybody is a part of everything everywhere.
You can be happy if you let yourself be.
Happiness runs, happiness runs."
--- from a 70's song by Donovan
The following is from Strategies for Happiness: 7 Steps to Becoming a Happier Person, by Tom Valeo:
A popular greeting card attributes this quote to Henry David Thoreau:
"Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you,
but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder."
With all due respect to the author of Walden, that just isn't so, according to a growing number of psychologists. You can choose to be happy, they say. You can chase down that elusive butterfly and get it to sit on your shoulder. How? In part, by simply making the effort to monitor the workings of your mind.
Research has shown that your talent for happiness is, to a large degree, determined by your genes. Psychology professor David T. Lykken, author of Happiness: Its Nature and Nurture, says that "trying to be happier is like trying to be taller." We each have a "happiness set point," he argues, and move away from it only slightly.
And yet, psychologists who study happiness -- including Lykken -- believe we can pursue happiness. We can do this by thwarting negative emotions such as pessimism, resentment, and anger. And we can foster positive emotions, such as empathy, serenity, and especially gratitude.
Happiness Strategy #1: Don't Worry, Choose Happy
The first step, however, is to make a conscious choice to boost your happiness. In his book, The Conquest of Happiness, published in 1930, the philosopher Bertrand Russell had this to say: "Happiness is not, except in very rare cases, something that drops into the mouth, like ripe fruit. ...Happiness must be, for most men and women, an achievement rather than a gift of the gods, and in this achievement, effort, both inward and outward, must play a great part."
Today, psychologists who study happiness heartily agree. The intention to be happy is the first of The 9 Choices of Happy People listed by authors Rick Foster and Greg Hicks in their book of the same name.
"Intention is the active desire and commitment to be happy," they write. "It's the decision to consciously choose attitudes and behaviors that lead to happiness over unhappiness."
Tom G. Stevens, PhD, titled his book with the bold assertion, You Can Choose to Be Happy. "Choose to make happiness a top goal," Stevens tells WebMD. "Choose to take advantage of opportunities to learn how to be happy. For example, reprogram your beliefs and values. Learn good self-management skills, good interpersonal skills, and good career-related skills. Choose to be in environments and around people that increase your probability of happiness. The persons who become the happiest and grow the most are those who also make truth and theor own personal growth primary values."
In short, we may be born with a happiness "set point," as Lykken calls it, but we are not stuck there. Happiness also depends on how we manage our emotions and our relationships with others.
Choose these strategies for achieving happiness:
Happiness Strategy #2: Cultivate Gratitude
Strategy #3: Foster Forgiveness
#4: Counteract Negative Thoughts and Feelings
#5: Remember, Money Can't Buy Happiness
#6: Foster Friendship
#7: Engage in Meaningful Activities
May you be Happy!
(Photos of Balloon Ride and Gorilla by Jerry H. Carpenter)
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