The Happiness Report

Words of Wisdom from Sissela Bok

2011-06-14T16:22:39-04:00

I am reading Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle to Brain Science by Sissela Bok, and early on I found these words:

"Yes, we are buffeted by forces and random events far beyond our control. But this is no reason to stop generating efforts of our own, to alter the situation in which we find ourselves...We become who we are in part by how we respond to the shifting circumstances against which our lives delineate themselves."

I'm interested these days in building fortitude, and determination, and so I latch onto quotes which reinforce my own efforts to work toward happiness. I'd be interested in knowing if you have mottos, phrases, or quotations that help you with your aims.

75 Ways to Be Happy

2011-06-13T11:42:01-04:00

Every once and a while, you just need to take a happy break and give yourself a pick-me-up. That is, you make a deliberate attempt to do something that lifts your spirits. It can be as easy as looking at the picture of a loved one. Tal Ben-Shahar, author of Happier, calls such actions "Happiness Boosters"; for Caroline Adams Miller, in Creating Your Best Life, they're "Jolts of Joy." Jim Smith, an executive coach, has published a list, 75 Ways to Be Happier, if you need some ideas or examples.

What are some of the things you do if need a "happy pill"?

Being Healthy Helps You to Be Happy, but Does Being Happy Help You to Stay Healthy?

2011-06-10T11:36:46-04:00

There seems to be no question that being healthy helps you to be happy. More controversial are the reverse claims: that a positive outlook can impact your physical health. An article in POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY NEWS, Bad Science or New Frontier? The Debate on Positive Psychology for Health, examines the issue. For me, the upshot of the story is that the healing / prophylactic powers of positive psychology haven't been proven definitively, and need a lot more study before they can be made responsibly.

What do you think?

Book Review: Creating Your Best Life by Caroline Adams Miller and Dr. Michael B. Frisch

2011-06-09T12:17:36-04:00

For those who look to identify, reprioritize, or implement lifetime goals, CREATING YOUR BEST LIFE is an amazing, helpful collection of tools. In fact, it's almost TOO comprehensive, in that it suggests so many lists to create and so many exercises to do that the first chapters become overwhelming. But better to have choices than to feel shortchanged.

I was surprised, however, that there wasn't any attention paid to creating what I'll call a daily "TO DO" list. This is the book to go to if you want to determine goals. It's a little less helpful when it comes to balancing your choices with all of the likely other demands on your time. My wish for more attention to time management might be unfair, given the bounty that Miller and Frisch offer. But at least on my first read through, I was puzzled that this step was missing; it seemed like a logical place for the authors to go. The goal list created here seems to exist in a vacuum.

Still, in the future, when I'm asked to recommend a "happiness" book, there's no question that this would be one of my top choices. You won't regret this purchase.

Oprah on Finding Your Calling

2011-06-08T15:03:08-04:00

One of the prime tenants of happiness is doing work that you love and that uses your skills, finding "flow," finding your calling. On her last show, Oprah Winfrey spoke to this subject:

"What I knew for sure from this experience with you is that we are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Every time we have seen a person on this stage who is a success in their life, they spoke of the job, and they spoke of the juice that they receive from doing what they knew they were meant to be doing. We saw it in the volunteers who rocked abandoned babies in Atlanta. We saw it with those lovely pie ladies from Cape Cod making those delicious potpies. ... We saw it every time Tina Turner, Celine, Bocelli or Lady Gaga lit up the stage with their passion. Because that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you're supposed to be, doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you and hope that you will take from this show. To live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world."

These words had power for me. I can't embed the video, but you can find it here.

I am changing...

2011-06-07T10:41:33-04:00

THE HAPPINESS REPORT is revamping its approach to include all kinds of helpful material. To move things along while the redesign occurs, here's an "inspirational" video.

Are We Born Happy?

2010-08-19T11:05:14-04:00

The video examines whether our level of happiness is genetically wired.

EAT PRAY LOVE & Attitude

2010-08-12T15:07:04-04:00

A quotation from Eat Pray Love reminds us just how much of our attitudes and actions are under our control.

The New York Times, Money, and Happiness

2010-08-10T13:13:00-04:00

THE NY TIMES - But Will It Make You Happy?

Happiness Boosters

2010-08-04T15:58:23-04:00

Little things you can do to make yourself happier.

75 Ways to Be Happier from THE EXECUTIVE HAPPINESS COACH