...And The Pursuit of Happiness

 

 

 

 

Normally I try to write a blog entry for my birthday summing what I learned that year.  This year, I thought about it...but clearly it didn't materialize into a blog entry. 

But I did set a few goals, and I think that this year, I will use my blog to record the outcomes of these goals.



So, my dear blog followers, all three of you, my first goal was what I have called 'A Thousand Little Kindnesses'.  What I am going to do is write about these, all thousand of them.  I hope you find them entertaining and/or inspiring. 

With that said, I LOVE comments, as every blogger does.  So I would encourage you to join me in this.  Perhaps your goal will be five little kindnesses, but perhaps if you have a blog, put a link to it in my comments section, or write me a little story in the comments.  Or, just comment and I will appreciate it.

Tonight I watched this video:



and I learned a few things.

Most importantly, it is not your external enviromnment, but the lense through which you process the world that determines the overwhelming majority of your happiness.

• When you are happy, every learning section of your brain is activated.
• When you are happy, you are 31% more productive.
• The following are also benefits of happiness:  Better secure jobs, better keeping jobs, superior productivity, more resilient, less burn out, less turn over, and greater sales.

But interestingly the following things are the things one can do to help themselves generate happiness.

1.       Random acts of kindness – conscious acts of kindness.

2.       Gratitude because it forces your brain to scan for positive things

3.       Journaling – about one positive experience allows you to relive it. 

4.       Meditation – stops the constant ADD of the world, allows our brain to focus.

5.       Exercise – teaches your brain that your behavior matters.

So, my dear readers, I will write about my random acts of kindness and write about one positive experience when I write and things that I am thankful for. 

Let the experiment begin.