Happiness – How to Find More “Happy”

Where Does Happiness Come From?

Fifty percent of our overall happiness is determined by our genes, according to author and blogger Jeremy Dean. Of the remaining fifty percent, only about ten percent comes down to circumstances: this includes things like income, education, age, being married (or not) residence and background. 

Jeremy Dean goes on to say while improved circumstances may increase our satisfaction with life (however we evaluate it) the influence in how we feel is relatively small. This could explain why a doubling in income in the last fifty years in the USA hasn’t led to an increase in happiness.

How Habits Influence Happiness

Human beings adapt to new situations, for better or worse very quickly. According to a study in Jeremy Dean’s book Breaking Habits - Making Habits, we rationalize changes in events to help decrease their emotional impact. 

Often when things don’t go along as planned I find myself saying, “things happen for a reason”. This is a way of decreasing the emotional impact of a change in life we didn’t anticipate. This is a positive thing.  Human beings have a surprising ability to recover from negative circumstances. Our ability to bounce back is a blessing and a curse.  The same is true when we deal with positive events in our life. 

The Impact of Positive Events in Our Lives

Think about the last time you made a big purchase like a car, a new computer or smart phone. Do you remember how it made you feel initially and how quickly you forgot? We work really hard to better our circumstances. We quickly adjust and take our new circumstances for granted.

Being Happy is Both Complex and Simple

Remember the song titled, Don’t Worry - Be Happy, if only it was that easy.  Consistent practice of certain things can improve our feeling of happiness. "Happy habits" (according to Jeremy Dean) include things like boosting positive thinking and social connections, dealing with stress, being present in the moment, committing to goals and practicing gratitude.  Author Sonja Lyubomirsky describes these in detail in her book The How of Happiness.

Attitude of Gratitude

Attitude of gratitude has become something we hear about more often these days and according to studies it works. Sonja Lyubomirsky says It encourages us to think about our social connectedness, helps us savour the moment and helps make positive thinking a habit. These are referred to a "happy habits",  or in other words, habits that contribute to our feeling of happiness However, when we practice anything over and over, even "happy habits"  become habit and can soon become unconscious and go unnoticed. 

Keeping "Happy Habits" Alive

Think of the habits we do everyday like brushing our teeth or brushing our hair.  We are happy to think of other things when we are doing these daily habits. Sometimes our minds will wander to stressful situations in our lives.  But, there are some habits like practicing an attitude of gratitude that we want to keep alive.

To keep these “happy habits”active, create variety.  We need to consciously move past repetition and continually adjust and tweak it. This helps us to stay in the present moment.  Our minds stop wandering to other worrisome situations in our life. Our day-to day routine can become boring if we let it, so switch things up and keep life interesting. 

Shake Things Up and Be Happy

It’s amazing how variations in our routine keeps us engaged.  We chose to tweak and shake up our routine and our eyes have been opened to new possibilities. Becoming involved with Six Figure Mentors and learning to become affiliate marketers required us to see the world differently.  The digital world used to be a scary place. We thought we were too old to venture into the unknown.  We surrounded our self with a community of like-minded individuals all at different stages of the journey to achieve time and financial freedom.  Everyone was willing to help us along the way.  

It was education that contributed to us shifting our habits.  We redirected where we dedicated our time. We were energized.  Because we made the choice to learn about what it took to be successful in the digital economy we began to see the world differently. Good-bye comfort zone and hello new possibilities. 

Habits Work For Us or Against Us

Habits are interesting, they are both our friend and our enemy. They can lull us into a sense of security. At first staying in the known may seem like a safe place to stay, ultimately though, excitement can be lost and boredom sets in.  We put fun back in our lives when we decided to get out of our comfort zone and we encourage you to do the same.  It took some courage to shake things up.  This opportunity is not for everyone. Some people might prefer to stand still and that's okay, it's a personal choice. The time must be right. If you have a yearning for more, take a look at the 7 videos that gave us renewed energy and passion. It might do the same for you.

Think about your habits.  What ones do you want to keep in autopilot and what habits do you want to switch up, grow and keep alive.  “Happy habits” can move us closer to the life you have always imagined  Where will your “happy habits” lead?

We look forward to joining you on your online journey.