It is President’s Week, and Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are no doubt on the mind of citizens across the nation. And the Winter Olympics too. Who doesn’t crack a smile of wonder at those speedy skiers flipping around, or the ice skater and his triple toe loop things (and continuing along the happiness theme, a recent study shows that girls who play sports reap the benefits later in life). Whistler Mountain in Canada is so beautiful too, looking at those mountains certainly inspires a happy moment.
The question is always, of course, ‘what makes us happy?’ The literature of happiness is huge, including three recent books that are interesting and fun to read: The Geography of Bliss, The How of Happiness, and 59 Seconds.
So, happily getting right to the point, I have come up with this list of seven ways to get happier:
- Nature – Spend time in nature; connect with nature. Water a plant, grow a garden or climb Mount Kilimanjaro. E. O. Wilson talked about Biophilia, the deep connection between man and nature. Nature nurtures us.
- Gratitude – Count your blessings. Write them down if you want to.
- Self Reflection — Be mindful of your thoughts, feelings, actions. Keep a journal or meditate.
- Relationships — Nurture your relationships with your loved ones and with your community. Build trust. Touch somebody, literally.
- Share — Do something for someone else. Share your time, your knowledge, your resources. Find people in your own community that need your help, or explore further afield.
- Choose experiences, not things — Time and again it is shown that owning lots of things and having a materialistic viewpoint, does not actually make us happier. Instead, redirect your resources to make things happen instead of towards acquiring things. And more often than not we regret what we didn’t do, not what we did. So do it — go to that wedding, attend the birthday party, take that trip, play with a child.
- Slow Down — Take it easy, take a moment to breathe. Don’t rush through the good times in search of the next best thing. Savor what is happening now.
If you have any to add to the list, please comment or send and email!
I heard or read on a coffee cup – follow your bliss…. and I also woke in the morning and the first thing on my lips – this was for a few months, maybe even more than a year, was “God” – it put things right for me right away.. so I would add, find and follow God – the divine purpose, the root and all encompassing meaning… get connected to the “Flow” the “Now” ecstatic moment…. even first thing in a bleary morning. I will especially never forget one of my most magical mornings, nothing outward was special.. I was just about 12 and I just woke up full of wonder and walked over to the window and looked out.. I then wandered about my room and got ready and I was just soo happy, for no real reason, just happy to be.
What a great list! The best things in life are indeed free and sometimes we forget how much these things can make us happy! My top 3 favorites — nature, gratitude and relationships.
I really like spending time in nature and appreciating its beauty. You’re right, nature does nurture us. And counting your blessings — best done during times when you feel down, unappreciated or frustrated. It always helps me snap back into reality and makes me appreciate everything I have. And of course, we should always nurture our relationships with our loved ones and reach out to strangers — sometimes new friends can teach us a lot about happiness!
One of the goals of our own blog, aside from helping others live greener is to help others live more happily. Thanks for reminding us that there’s so much to be thankful for — sometimes all we need is a more positive outlook.