Y
ou know those people who are
always joyful, no matter what life
throws at them? In the face of
adversity, they shine, a challenge
becomes an opportunity, a potential
heartbreak becomes spiritual growth.
So, what is it that makes them feel
so happy? And what is happiness, really?
Living your best life? Feeling inner peace
and contentment? A sense of playfulness?
Enjoyment in the moment?
Happiness can be fleeting — or
a state of being. Thucydides, the
Athenian historian and general, said:
“The secret to happiness is freedom ...
And the secret to freedom is courage.”
Freedom to choose. Freedom to be who
you want to be. You can choose to be happy.
Some say your inner propensity to
embrace happiness is linked to your
genes. According to research by Dr Sonja
Lyubomirsky of the University of California,
50 per cent of individual differences in
happiness are determined by genes, 10 per
cent by life circumstances and 40 per cent
by intentional activities.
A common mindset is that some people
find happiness elusive because they treat
it as a goal and not a way to live life. Neil
Pasricha, author of The Happiness Equation,
tells the reader the traditional model of
happiness is to work hard and happiness
will follow. But instead, one success gets
us striving for another, then another, with
happiness shoved completely out of reach.
“We study for the next job, the next
degree, the next promotion. Why stop at
a degree when you can get a master?” he
says, going on to pose another question:“What happens when we snap ‘be happy’
off the end of this scribble and stick it on
the beginning?”
Well, as it turns out, a lot. Happy people
embrace life. They achieve more. They see
an obstacle and they figure a way around it.
They don’t quit.
So, what are the secrets of those who
choose to feel happy and fulfilled? Let’s
find out.Don’t worry, be happy
When something doesn’t go according
to plan, ask yourself, is this really going
to matter a month or a year from now?
A long-running study on happiness by
Harvard Medical School that followed
724 men from their teens in 1938 (60
are still alive and in their 90s) showed
overwhelmingly that their happiness was
linked to not worrying about the little
things in life.Hug it out
A heartfelt hug reduces stress, blood
pressure and feelings of anxiety as well as
boost feelings of self-worth. When people
hug, oxytocin, a hormone produced by
the pituitary gland that makes people feel
secure and trusting toward each other, is
released into the bloodstream.
Kathleen Keating, author of The Hug
Therapy Book, writes, “With touch, we
meet the world outside of ourselves in
a vibrant, alive, nourishing way. With
touch we meet, connect, bond, belong.”
Hugs benefit the giver and the receiver,
making you feel valued and loved. Hugs
make you happier.Make happ iness
a habit
Want to hack your happiness? Find out the habits of happy
people, how to nurture your strengths, let go of grudges and
nourish your inner wisdom.Wo rds CARROL BAKERPhotography^ GettyImages64 | wellbeing.com.au
mind
HAPPINESS