|
| |
|
| |
![]() |
Tips for Stress free life > Expert Zone > Happiness Happiness Tips by experts |
|
|
|
|
A Model of Happiness
Everyone I've ever met considers happiness to be desirable. There is a whole wing of psychology called "positive psychology" studying things like happiness. One of the luminaries of this field is Dr. Martin Seligman, who wrote both Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness. His group publishes a newsletter called Authentic Happiness Coaching Newsletter. The most recent issue of this newsletter discusses a Model of Happiness developed by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky and others. This model describes our happiness as coming from three components. Our Set Point (50%). This is our natural happiness state. We all know people who seem to always be happy, and others who seldom laugh or seem joyful. Circumstances (10%) Our life circumstances also influence our happiness. Things like winning the lottery or spraining our ankle both influence our happiness, but typically over a short time period. Humans are very adaptable and so major boosts or dips in our happiness are generally short lived. Intentional Activity (40%). For this description, let me quote from the newsletter. "The term intentional activities refers to those thoughts and behaviors that require effort. This effort may be apparent only to us (for example, making a list of goals for the week) or it may be visible to others (for example, doing a favor for a friend). They suggest that intentional activities are the key to making lasting changes in happiness because such activities are more resistant to adaptation (the process by which we get used to something and become unaffected by it). We can deliberately engage in activities that make us happy while varying them enough to ward off adaptation." This brief summary of this model leaves me with two important conclusions: 1. Most people's world views on happiness rest with either Set point (we are either born happy or not) or circumstances (it's easy for them to be happy, look at what they have going for them). Either of these world views is too limiting and fatalistic. 2. We can actively impact our happiness, based on our decisions and actions! If you want to be happier you can take action to do just that - it is in your control! How do you do that? There are many ways you can intentionally improve your happiness. One way suggested by the article is to engage in random (or perhaps intentional) acts of kindness. Make these actions something that benefit others and require use of a personal resource of yours (time, effort, energy, money, food, etc.). Happiness matters to us as individuals. If we are happier we will likely be much more productive as individuals and as leaders of others too! Once we understand that a big part of our happiness is in our control, we put ourselves on track to be not just happier, but more effective productive and move more rapidly towards our potential. Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.
MORE RESOURCES: See the complete list of Articles on Happiness here Have a look at Best Selling Books on Happiness
See also : Other articles on
Depression,
Happiness,
Humor,
Inspirational,
Motivation,
Latest info on : Happiness
Happiness - Google News Why not be an expert yourself ? If you can write on
any of the above topic, you are welcome to submit your Submit
your article here |
RELATED ARTICLES
What is the Ultimate Lifestyle? Since the mission of this newsletter is to help you define, carve out, and live your own Ultimate Lifestyle, I figured I should devote some space to laying a proper foundation for doing that.Before you can hit a target, you need to know where it is! So, to begin, let's answer the question:What is The Ultimate Lifestyle?First of all, it's different for different people. How A Psychovirus May Be Destroying Your Life A pervasive sense of low self-esteem, a feeling of unworthiness, is perhaps the most debilitating belief system that you can entertain.If you feel unworthy, you will destroy hope, initiative, and the power to dream bold dreams. Find Shortcuts To Happiness If someone said you could feel inner peace and joy by just deciding to do it, would you believe them? Well, we're telling you just that! Anyone can choose inner comfort, ease or a feeling of well-being by learning simple tools that will teach you how to make these decisions. Here's a taste of one of the 6 Shortcuts To Happiness we teach at The Option Institute and how you can begin to use it now:Being GratefulTake a few moments to sit with your eyes closed and find a quiet place inside yourself. Laughter and Your Health Did you know that according to research, children laugh about 400 times a day while adults only laugh about 15 times a day? Some how we lost the ability to laugh, as we got older. Could it be that putting more humour and laughter into our day will improve our health and wellbeing?In an article written by Drs. Are You Getting in the Way? Getting out of our busy mode and into our heart occasionally, I'm certain that many of us would find at least one moment during our day where we could pause, reflect on a situation, and see something that we can do to make a difference in someone else's life.The pace of life and work has increased a lot and I daresay we don't give as much thought as we could to the circumstances of other people's lives. But I Bought All The Books And Tapes, And Im Still Unhappy! I love this quote by Zig Ziglar, and think it's a perfect introduction to this article:"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing- that's why we recommend it daily. 10 Ways to Bring Meaning to Your Life My life always appears to be so hectic. It's as if I purposely overload myself with more things than I could possibly ever accomplish. Divining Your Life Path Number The Life Path is determined by the sum that is arrived at after reducing your birth date by adding digits together. This number represents the traits and talents that you were born with and the probable journey you will take during your lifetime. Choose To Be Happy What if I told you that you have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. You would probably say that I'm crazy. The Science of Laughter The title I chose for this article makes me smile. The science of laughter? Laughter, one of the things we used to take for granted, is now the subject of scientific study. 5 Keys to Understanding Why Your Life (probably) Sucks # 4 We are in constant competitionIf we take evolution seriously, then the reason why welasted this long (individually and as a race) stems fromthe fact we have adopted a survivor mentality. Eitherconsciously or unconsciously we subscribe to the "survivalof the fittest" mentality. 7 Unique Ways To Make Someone Smile Do you want to put a smile on someone's face? Maybe make their day a little bit brighter? It doesn't have to take much time or money on your part. In fact, many things can be done as a part of your normal routine and cost little or nothing. You Need To Start To Like Yourself If you have a very low self esteem or a lack of self-confidence you may be seeking help to gain extra confidence.I was somebody who had a severe confidence crisis from the ages of four until the age of around twenty two. How To Dance With Life Fortunate, indeed, is the man who takes exactly the right measure of himself,and holds a just balance between what he can acquire and what he can use.~Peter Latham (1789-1875)In the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, right action and right living create a life of harmony and delight. Happiness - A Matter of Focus Imagine for a moment you have been given a task. That task is to count the number of times five basketballs are passed between a group of people who are running around each other. Happy Talk and 3 Simple Secrets to Happiness What is the one thing you want more than anything else for the people you love the most? If you had a magic wand what would you grant your family and friends? What is it that everyone wants?To be happy!How can you make other people happy until you are happy? How can you be happy?Lester Levenson, creator of The Sedona Method, discovered the key to happiness. He searched for 47 years and nearly died in the process but he did find it. Happiness Is A State Of Mind, Im Happy... I Think! You have the power to attract and repel anything in life you want! It's all in your hands. Contentment, happiness, and joy are right around the corner. Why Do We Feel Happiness? Although many for us strive for happiness in our daily lives to think of it as only a goal is I feel missing the true power of this very important emotion.In order to understand what I mean by this let me suggest a short exercise. Divining your Number of Destiny Your Destiny Number, which describes all of the talents and potentials that are at your disposal in this lifetime, is calculated from the letters that compose your full birth name. This is not your married name, but rather the name that is found written in full on your birth certificate. The Personal Cost of Shyness Has someone nearby been sending you emails rather than calling or meeting you face-to-face? When you do get together, does she or he stand back, avoid holding eye contact, or speaking up?While there are many possible reasons for their behavior, that person may, in fact, be a victim of what has become "the third most prevalent psychiatric disorder" according to Dr. Lynne Henderson, a director of The Shyness Clinic. |
|
You are here |
|
| Meditation Article Home | All articles on Meditation-complete list | |
|
Main Home | | Meditation Corner | |
|
|
|Health Tips | Workplace Tips | Soul Tips | |
|
|
| Recommend us | |
|
[About
us] [Contact] [Privacy
Policy]
Copyright 2006, Meditation
is Easy.com, All
rights reserved