Despite a poor economy, a contentious mid-term election, and continued unemployment, Gallup says Americans were happier in 2010 than they were in 2009.
Granted there weren’t huge leaps in the happiness of Americans, but even a small uptick is a good thing.
Americans Happier, Less Stressed in 2010
To your happiness!
Tags: Happiness
TIPs — Tim’s Interesting Picks
Each Sunday, I list some interesting things I found on the Web during the previous week:
** Happiness Is…** – Life Resolutions
“Gift a Stranger” Promotes Anonymous Gift Giving
To your happiness!
Tags: Happiness
As couples grow older, their happiness tends to stay in sync with each other over the years:
Couples Grow Old, Happy and Sad Together
Tags: Happiness
Being healthier can certainly make us happier. And as we’ve seen before being happy can make us healthier.
So, I find it encouraging that according to the video below, the world as a whole is getting healthier and wealthier:
Hans Rosling’s 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes – The Joy of Stats – BBC Four
To your happiness!
As the United Kingdom prepares to measure the happiness of its people, the Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali thinks the new happiness survey should consider the spiritual as well as the economic:
The less we pursue our own happiness, the more we find it
Tags: Happiness
The Archbishop of Wales is concerned about the UK’s plan to measure people’s happiness:
Archbishop of Wales’ concern over happiness index
To your happiness!
Tags: Happiness
Here we are at the end of another year.
How did those New Year’s resolutions you made last January 1st work out?
Oh, yeah . . . THOSE resolutions! Were those the ones you forgot on January 7th, or maybe even on January 2nd?
In the past, I’ve tried making New Year’s resolutions, but they never seem to last. That’s because it’s something we just think about at the beginning of a new year, and then we forget about them — usually until we get to the end of the year. Then we make a new set of resolutions that are quickly forgotten.
For me, what works much better than New Year’s resolutions is goal setting and planning.
You’ll hear lots of different ways to set goals. Some ways are more complicated and time-consuming than others. Try a few different methods and use what works best for you. There really is no right way or wrong way.
Set Your Goals
I opt for less complicated methods. What works best for me, is first to think about the categories in which I want to accomplish something — health, fitness, business, financial, family, and so on. Then, within those categories, I think about a specific goal.
Let’s take the Fitness category as an example.
I can’t just say, “I want to be more fit by the end of the year.” I need to define exactly what being “more fit” means to me. For instance my goal could be, “To lose 20 pounds.”
The next step is to put a deadline on that goal: “To lose 20 pounds by June 30th.”
Now I have a specific goal with a deadline.
But we’re not done yet.
It’s important after you set your goal to make a plan for how you’re going to accomplish it. In the example above, the plan might include getting 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week.
Once you have the list of things you need to do to reach your goal, be sure to put them into your daily, weekly and monthly plans.
If you’re not planning your days, this is the time to start doing that. A good way to do that is to spend a couple of minutes at the end of each day planning what you’ll do tomorrow. Take a look at your list of goals and include in your daily plan the things you need to be doing to move yourself forward.
At the end of each week, review what you’ve accomplished that week and plan the coming week. Do the same thing at the end of each month. You’ll find that as the year progresses you’re getting more done than you ever expected and you’re making progress and accomplishing your goals.
To your happiness!
Tags: Achievement, Goals, Happiness, Motivation, Personal Development, Productivity, Success, Time Management
That title above may be taken a number of ways, any of which may make some people happy.
The way I’m thinking of “swinger” today is in the way we remember it from when we were kids. Climbing into the seat of a swing, pushing your legs out in front of you as you lean back to get the swing moving. Then tucking your legs under the seat as you move your body forward getting the swing going in the other direction. Do that a few times and pretty soon the swing is moving back and forth with ease.
Do you remember that feeling of freedom as you rode the swing when you were a kid? Maybe you imagined you were a pilot taking off in a jumbo jet. Maybe you were an astronaut headed for the moon. Maybe you were just kicking high enough that you thought you could jump over the trees or the school.
You Need To Swing Regularly
When is the last time you were on a swing? If it’s any longer than a year, that’s too long. I’m being serious here. Riding a swing is one of the most fun things you can do whether you’re a kid or an adult. It’s something that even when you’re grown up you should do at least once a year.
Now, you may feel funny the first time you get on a swing as an adult, but don’t let that stop you. Other grown-ups may look at you funny, but you know what they’re thinking? They’re thinking, “Boy I sure wish I felt free enough to get on a swing; I used to love doing that when I was a kid.”
If you really feel self-conscious about getting on a swing, take one of your kids with you or a grandchild, niece or nephew.
You’ll find that after a minute or two, you’ll be having so much fun you won’t care what anyone else thinks. In fact, my guess is that you’ll be swinging away thinking, “Look at those people over there, they don’t know what fun is.”
By the time you get off the swing, your happiness power will be at maximum strength and you’ll have a smile from ear-to-ear.
To your happiness!
Tags: Happiness
I learned another lesson myself last Friday.
The day before I started feeling very frustrated that my business wasn’t growing as quickly as I wanted it to. I knew I had been working hard to improve things, but it wasn’t moving quickly enough. I found myself getting frustrated, depressed even.
Then Friday morning, I looked at what I had actually accomplished over the last 35 days, and realized that things had been growing. Just not as quickly as I originally hoped, but they had been progressing. I realized that I had actually gotten a lot accomplished. I had moved things forward from where I started.
Once I took stock of where things really were, I started feeling better about what I had been doing. I felt better about my situation; less frustrated, and certainly not depressed.
So if you find yourself in a similar situation, take a look at what has actually been happening. Have some patience with yourself. As I’ve said before, refocus in the way you look at things. You’ll most likely realize that things aren’t so bad after all. That new perspective can give you a fresh start.
To your happiness!
