Have you ever noticed that some people appear to be happy all of the time, while others seem to exist under a black cloud? Happiness is not something that happens to us, or something we are born with. Happiness is a choice we make, reported positive psychology leader Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness, no matter what life throws at you.
Happiness is one of those words that doesn’t have an exact definition. It means different things to different people. However, we all want happiness. Here are some techniques that will bring happiness to the forefront of your life.
1. Check your thoughts
Negative thoughts lead to negative feelings. Simple. All this negativity robs you of energy that you could be focusing on more positive aspects of your life, steals valuable time, and clogs up creative avenues. In addition, overthinking a negative situation can also lead to over-dramatization of it, another time suck. “Positive thinking, on the other hand, is a mental attitude that produces constructive results,” said Darshan Goswami, M.S., P.E. “Positive thinking is a skill that can be learned to create happiness.” Quell the drama by concentrating on positive thoughts, and every time you catch yourself thinking negative, turn that thought around and look for the positive.
2. Create a gratitude journal
Oprah Winfrey said “For years I’ve been advocating the power and pleasure of being grateful,” and kept a gratitude journal into which she wrote five things for which she was grateful each day. As she became more successful,…