30 Happiness Boosters Part 1

​10 Ways To Boost Your Happiness

In this blog series I share some of the ways I boost my happiness no matter the situation or circumstance. Try these out over the next ten days and see what happens. 

1. Intend to be happy – Happiness is easier to come by and more reliable when you mean to be happy rather than hoping something happens that will move you into a happy state.  Choose to be happy.  Make this your conscious intention.  The more you exercise this, the more happiness you’ll experience. “A person is usually about as happy as they make up their mind to be.” – often attributed to Abraham Lincoln

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2. Get outdoors more, especially when it’s sunny out – Science has identified Vitamin D as something the body produces when it comes in direct contact with sunshine.  They’ve also linked depression to lack of Vita D.  Science has managed to identify Vitamin D and give it its name, but you can be sure there are many other benefits of the sun that science has yet to identify – the person who does will be a Nobel Prize winner! “The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.” – Henry Ward Beecher

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3. Smile wide – Try it out for yourself.  Sit quietly somewhere with your eyes closed.  Notice how you feel.  Then smile and see what happens to your feeling and energy.  Direct experience is the best proof there is.  Even babies understand the language of smile. Ever wonder why?  It’s certainly a clue to The Truth.  “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” – Mother Theresa. “A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose.” –Tom Wilson

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4. Witness happiness in others – If you observe happiness with a loving heart, you will experience happiness vicariously. “Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.” – Marcus Aurelius

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5. Balance routine with unpredictability – Shake up your life a little.  Keep your mind fresh and alert by traveling a new route to work or making green smoothies you’ve never thought to try making before.  The mind loves variety, as this is the spice of life.  Apply routine when progress toward a goal is the mission. “Routine, in an intelligent person, is a sign of ambition.” – W.H. Auden. “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” – Robin Sharma

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6. Dream big, then go after your dreams with all your heart – You are not meant to live a little, you are meant to live to the hilt.  If you spend your life living small, you will eventually find you are disappointed in yourself.  Self-disappoint is not a desired outcome. Chunk your BIG DREAM down into smaller goals, and celebrate checking them off along the way as you progress toward the BIG ONE. “Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.” – Les Brown

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7. Have lots of fun – Laughing creates a biochemical change in the body that positively charges you.  Singing increases red blood cell count.  My wife once told me that it’s impossible to be upset and skip at the same time, so I had to put it to the test.  One day I was a little frustrated and down, and she pulled me outside into the street and practically made me skip with her.  I did and I’ll be darned if my frustration didn’t go away.  How incredible! “In all of living, have much fun and laughter.  Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” – Gordon B. Hinckley. “Laughter is the only medicine without side effects.” – Shannon L. Alder

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8. Exercise – Exercising the body also favorably impacts the brain, which makes sense.  When you vigorously exercise the body, your blood requires more oxygen for the muscles of your body.  Blood goes everywhere, so the brain profits too.

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” – Plato.

​“True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are united.” – Alexander von Humboldt

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9. Take naps and get a full night’s sleep – Proper rest is something else the brain appreciates.  During these periods, the brain has an opportunity to recharge, which is why you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, energized, and clear. “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” – Benjamin Franklin

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10. Tell the truth – The last thing you want is guilt lingering and festering inside.  Sure, it may not seem like dishonesty has much to do with your health and happiness, but it does.  Your conscience is always at play and you should never do anything that goes against it.  Besides, once you tell a lie and it is exposed, your integrity is forever in question. 

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche.

​And remember that to tell the truth versus to tell The TRUTH is worth careful consideration. “Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind that I am of what is true.” – Robert Brault

Okay! Which of these are you already doing and which can you start to implement TODAY?