The Best Happiness Boosters

The primary goal for this happiness booster is to make a daily commitment to choose to be happy. You can invent your own unique happiness commitment ritual. And bear in mind that you will find it easier to follow through if you keep it short and simple.

Let me share my happiness commitment ritual. I would ring my singing bowl three times, breathe slowly and deeply, place my hands on my chest and say aloud, “Today I commit to be happy, joyful and thankful in all circumstances.” Then again, I would ring the bowl three times.

That’s how simple it can be. I have discovered that making this daily commitment reminds me that I may not be able to choose my circumstances at all times, but I have within me the power to choose how I will respond to events in my life. Just remember to be consistent and make it a daily habit.

Learn to observe your thoughts. You see, your thoughts determine your feelings. Notice what thoughts are running in your head when you are feeling depressed or sad. Notice what thoughts you have when you are feeling good. Your thoughts are powerful but the good news is that you can direct your thoughts as you are not at the mercy of your thinking.

So when you notice your thoughts are running amok amidst negativity, snap your fingers to help you literally snap out of it! Say in a commanding voice, “Snap, snap, snap!” if you wish! Then pivot! Shift! Turn around and allow yourself to focus on one positive thought.

A friend shared to me about a rejection she got from several book publishers. She shared that she had to snap out of her thoughts because she was already beating herself up for feeling that she was not good enough. “I know I am feeling sorry for myself because I felt rejected. But I am reminding myself that I am a lovable and good person. That I am worthy and good enough.” She cried when she said this to herself.

Many adults have forgotten what it is like to have fun. You’d be surprised how most of us actually reject the idea of fun by saying, “Maybe someday when I win the lotto or create my masterpiece and be rich and famous.” Fun is considered to be trivial and inconsequential. Hey, I believe it’s time for us to be dead serious about fun! Iyanla Vanzant describes it beautifully, “Fun is the pursuit of joy.”

Look around you! Notice that the truly successful people are those who have fun in the activities they are engaged in – including their work, family & community life. We sometimes have this notion that fun is just diversion from a busy day. We should change our thoughts to embrace fun joyfully and see this as part of the road that we travel every day.

Find your funprint that is uniquely yours. Discover what you like to do that gives you happiness and something that you would want to do over and over again. Does it involve a hobby? Is it communing with nature? Do you enjoy kids or people? Do you find joy in solitude? And so on

A forty five year woman confessed to me. “I was out with friends and they were all laughing and conversing and I was there just looking at them quietly. It was then I realized what a serious soul I was! I couldn’t even begin to have fun with the company I had. My mind was preoccupied with problems that needed solutions. I made a huge turn around when I decided to embrace fun in my life! Last week, I made a bucket list and I realized that I have always wanted to travel and explore and write too. So today here I am on my way to a remote beach island where the sea and the sky are gloriously blue and where I can just read, relax and write.”

When you are feeling blue, you can step out of the self-pitying mode by spreading kindness randomly. Helping someone can boost your mood and has been known to create ripples of kindness too. Often times, we don’t know the effect of what we have done for others but being a recipient of kindness many times in my life, I know it had a profound effect on me.

When we started out in our business, it was slow and non-profitable. Our bookkeeper told us kindly that she will give her services for free until we could afford it. It was such a kind gesture that touched us deeply. Later, this encouraged us to help some of our staff who wanted to study but didn’t have the means to do so.

After a particular turbulent boat ride, I was feeling nauseous when I stepped out of the boat. Since it was a ferry boat, we had to take our luggage by ourselves. My bag was getting heavy and I had to place it on the floor to rest. A young man stepped in front of me and said, “Can I help?” Without further word, he picked my bag and walked beside me until we reach the gate. “Thank you so much!” I told him. He simply nodded, smiled and walked away. This act of kindness moved me as I was inspired to become a ripplemaker, sharing kindness to strangers that I meet on everyday life.

I recently read an interesting study that was conducted in a Spanish Village. The scientist decided to study the village’s annual fire-walking ritual. They strapped heart-rate monitors to those who were going to rush across the fire/coals to their family and friends and relatives and even the visiting spectators.

They were very quite surprised to note that the heart rates of the fire walkers and their friends and relatives started to synchronize, rising and falling at almost the same time. They concluded that there is indeed power in our connection and that our relationships matter in more ways than we could ever think possible. Know the magnificent connection and impact that you and your loved ones have on each other.

Why don’t you call an old friend today? Or perhaps reach out to someone you haven’t connected in awhile and rebuild that bond. This will surely be a great happiness booster.

One of the ways to reduce depression, lower blood pressure and heart rate is to forgive someone. You may think you are not ‘angry’ or ‘resentful’ at anyone at this point in your life; but if you are feeling low, chances are there may be people or situations in your past that you need to deal with and forgive. So take time to meditate and take that walk back in time and revisit childhood hurts that may affect you today...and forgive!

“Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed.” – Oprah

So it is time to accept what had happened by letting go past hurts and disappointments. This will increase your happiness and joy that’s for certain. And then you can move on to a better future.

Connect with your divinity by nurturing your spirituality. Psychologists say that people who are committed to a spiritual path are twice as likely to be very happy. They know what inspires them, supports them and gives them inner strength.

A daily spiritual practice (e.g. meditation, prayer, tai chi etc) allows you to remove the blocks that prevent you from being happy. One such block is the belief that happiness is outside of you and that everything seems to look and feel good outside. Spirituality allows you to reconnect with your divinity so you remember that your happiness is here in the now and is inside you. And you so get to focus on “being” and not get lost in the “doing and having.”

Dr. Robert Holden says, “It helps you to identify with the idea that the soul is joy, and to realize that you are what you seek.”

Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials.

This piece includes his short film on Gratitude and Happiness. Brother David Steindl-Rast's spoken words, Gary Malkin's musical compositions and Louie's cinematography make this a stunningly beautiful piece, reminding us of the precious gift of life, and the beauty all around us.

Watching this video made me reflect that gratitude and love for life is the best happiness booster of all.

To your joy and happiness.

By: Michelle Simtoco