This blog was originally published in 2001 but its words are timeless and timely with our ‘Be Happier’ event scheduled for Wednesday, April 27th.  Enjoy and we hope to see you on Wednesday 🙂

“Happiness is not a destination. It is a way of life.”

A couple years ago, I bought a plaque with these words imprinted on it to remind myself and my family that happiness is a choice.  When I read this quote it reminds me to look for happiness in the present, in where I am and what I’m doing right now.  It reminds me to be cautious about thinking thoughts like, “When I lose 15 pounds, then I’ll be happy”, or “If only I could make more money, then I’ll be happier”.  You see, I believe that happiness comes from the inside out, not the other way around.  That it is a way of being.  It is not dependent on how I look, or what I have.  I believe happiness comes from knowing (and reminding myself when I forget) of my inherent self worth and practicing gratitude on a regular basis.

I have to admit that happiness comes relatively easy to me.  I’ve always been the type of person to see the glass as half full, not half empty.  One of my favorite books in elementary school was “Pollyanna”.  My parents helped by raising me to believe that life is happening for me, NOT to me, and this core thought has allowed me to always look for the life lessons – even in the face of struggle or adversity, and then to practice gratitude for the lessons learned.

I know that not everyone is like me and that some of us struggle with finding happiness.  What I’d like to suggest is that you stop looking for happiness and start creating it.  What I am proposing is a Happiness Experiment.  This experiment is being designed for everyone.  There is no specific age, gender, socioeconomic status, or minimum current level of happiness necessary to be able to participate.  My hypothesis is that by practicing 5 simple steps on a daily basis for one week, your happiness will increase by 20%.

Now I just need some volunteers…This is where you come in! 🙂  The first thing I need you to do is to rate your happiness on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 representing no happiness and 10 representing complete happiness.  Before you read any more, I need you to come up with your happiness rating, and if you are really gutsy, why don’t you post your starting point in the comments for this blog. 😉

OK, now that you have your number, here are the 5 steps, and what you’ll be committing to should you be willing to participate in my happiness experiment with me:

1. Define what happiness means to you – On day one of The Happiness Experiment you will be taking the time to write down your own personal definition of happiness. You will be completing the statement, “Happiness is…”      When you think of happiness, what words come to mind?  Think of the last time you remember being happy, what did that feel like?  Are there certain people, or certain types of people who trigger your happiness?  What about certain places?  What physical sensations do you experience when you are happy?  Who are you being when you are happy?  Maybe even look at it from the other side, when you are unhappy, what is missing from your experience that is fueling your unhappiness?  Once you’ve written your definition, you will need to write it down and put it someplace where you can read at it at least once a day for the remainder of the week.
2. Sing out loud – Pick a song, any song, channel your inner diva and use your big girl voice to belt it out!  I know for some of you this is going to feel very uncomfortable at first, and that’s OK, but as Nike says, “Just Do It”!  The details are not important.  You can sing in the shower, in the car to your favorite song, with people watching, or in total privacy.  Just sing!
3. Dance – This is about moving your body in a fun, life affirming way.  I suggest turning the music up, closing your eyes and letting the energy move you.  Spinning also seems to work for me, but again, there is no “right” way to do this, so whatever feels right to you is right.  Go with it!
   (Note #2 and #3 can be combined) As an aside, if you are ever in Mt. Airy, MD and you see a 40 year old woman in a blue Hyundai Sonata belting out Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” while waving her arms in what may look like some sort of seizure, don’t worry!  That’s me combining #2 and #3.
4. Intentionally smile at someone – Making a point to smile is such a simple thing to do, yet so many of us don’t take the time to do this on a regular basis.  Who can you share a smile with?  Maybe it’s a stranger you pass while walking down the street.  Maybe it’s a coworker you see in the elevator each morning.  Maybe it’s your child who is not used to seeing your face light up when they enter the room.  Maybe it’s your spouse or significant other as they walk through the door after a long day at work.  Maybe it’s you as you see yourself in the mirror brushing your teeth at the end  of the day.  There really is no excuse for not getting this one done.
5. Practice gratitude – When you wake up each morning, I want you to ask yourself, “What am I most grateful for?” and write it down.  As the day goes on, continue to look for things to be grateful for.  As these new gratitudes arise ask yourself if this new gratitude surpasses the one you started your day off with.  If it does, cross out your 1st one and replace it with your new one.  Stick with this all day, so that by the time you go to bed, you will have the thing you were most grateful for today at the bottom of your list.  Write this one down on a piece of paper by your bed, so that by the end of the week you’ll have a gratitude listed for each day of the experiment.

Are you in?  Will you be part of my Happiness Experiment? What have you got to lose? The idea is to complete all 5 steps for 7 days in a row.  Give yourself permission to be silly.  This is meant to be fun!

At the end of your week with the Happiness Experiment, re-assess what number you give yourself on the happiness scale and let me know how it went.  Did your number increase?  If so, by how much?  What step was the easiest for you?  What step did you struggle with?  Please share your comments, so I know whether my hypothesis proved to be true or false.  I look forward to hearing from you!  Laura

Want to join us Wednesday?  Click here for details and registration information.

Today’s author:  Laura Hall, CPC, CDWF: As a certified professional coach since 2009, Laura Hall, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator has been helping people just like you make changes in. As a mother of 2 girls, Laura has a special interest in coaching parents, so if you still have children living at home, ask Laura about her Wholehearted Parenting programs. Laura can be reached via email at [email protected] or feel free to visit her website HallCoaching.com

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