While perusing Maui Vision Magazine, I ran across a short article regarding the book, How We Choose To Be Happy, by Mark Sheehan, a real estate broker and environmental activist living on Maui. It caught my attention and I've downloaded the book to read at a later date, but what really struck me was the study it was based on - unusually happy people! It was written by two psychologists, Rick Foster and Greg Hicks.
Here then are the choices that unusually happy people tend to make:
- Intention: Having an active desire to be happy and committing to living that way.
- Accountability: Choosing to create the life you want to live, taking full responsibility, refusing to blame others.
- Identification: Continually looking into yourself to see what makes you uniquely happy.
- Centrality: Making sure that what makes you happy is central in your life.
- Recasting: Converting problems into opportunities, transforming trauma into something meaningful.
- Options: Approaching life with multiple scenarios, being open to new possibilities, a flexible life script.
- Appreciation: The choice to stay in the present, making each experience precious, appreciating deeply.
- Giving: Sharing yourself with friends and community.
- Truthfulness: The choice to be honest with yourself and others in an accountable manner by not allowing societal, corporate or family demands to violate your internal contract.
I think these need to go on my Intention Board. I especially liked #6/Options - being flexible seems to be very important in this day and age. Realizing we can change our 'story' at any time, no matter what is going on in our lives - in fact the one thing we do have control over is our own story.
15 comments:
Thank you for sharing. I agree, this needs to be on my intention board too.
Truly, this is too fitting, for me, right now.
Much gratitude--
Harmony
Nancy, I love this post and it has inspired me to create a collage with all of these choices:):) Thank you!
Harmony - Glad it works for you right now :-)
Kala - I'm going to do the same thing!
I try not to have expectations, just be open to the experience. You can't be disappointed that way.
oh this is a great list..i try most of these but this gives me a few things to work on...
This post is very timely for me. I am in the process of re-inventing myself. Thank you for this concise list.
That's a great list. It is a blessing to be happy. It really is.
Ellen - A good way to live in the moment.
Brian - Same for me.
Here - Reinventing oneself should be something we all do at one time or another.
Star - It is a blessing, and I think it is doable.
"Changing our story at any time"...I like that.
and it's true, you know, we can - change our story ANY time - yes, we can! neat post, nancy!
thanks for the excellent pointers!
Warm Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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luksky - So do I.
Gypsy - It is something that is in our complete control.
Cloudia - :-)
What a great list, Nancy. Thanks for sharing it. Some of them are seriously challenging too! (I guess that's why most people aren't all that happy.)
I loved this. Thank you for sharing. Greetings from Malaysia. :o)
i left a comment here there other day but i see blogger swallowed it up along with several of my own posts and numerous comments! ;)
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