When we think about happiness, we often relate such pursuit to having big goals or the need to accomplish certain ‘epic’ things.
A lot of the time, we think happiness as something that’s out there and it’ll require us to give up something of ourselves in order to attain it.
On the contrary, what if I tell you that we’ve got it all wrong?
In fact, happiness is found within ourselves.
Numerous studies have shown that when we are happy, every aspect of our life is enhanced and it’ll subsequently impact our success.
Our brain works significantly better when we are at a positive state than of a negative, stressed or neutral one.
Shawn Achor, a world’s leading positive psychology expert and bestselling author for the book “The Happiness Advantage”, he mentioned that some of his studies have shown that happiness contributes to:
- 37% sales improvement cross-industry.
- 31% increase in productivity.
- 40% more likely to receive a promotion.
- Doctors are primed to make 19% more accurate diagnosis.
- Students and every profession are 10 times more engaged at what they do.
- Our immune systems improve; we are bound to live longer.
- Reduced level of anxiety and stress.
- We sleep better.
- Increased level of emotional intelligence; increasing the likelihood of making better decisions.
Finding happiness is in fact a lot more easier than we make it out to be.
Here is a 90 seconds happiness exercise we can perform effortlessly daily.
By the end of this scientifically backed exercise, we will all experience an exponential boost in our level of happiness really quickly.
This exercise is simply called:
Gratitude
My advice is that you consciously do it every day; preferably in the morning, just as you get out of bed, before you begin any of your everyday activities.
The key is to perform this exercise regularly that in due time, it becomes a habit; a gratitude habit — one that will surge your level of happiness and positivity.
Breakdown of gratitude exercise
It’s fairly simply — 3 steps.
Step 1: Think of 5 things you are grateful for in your personal life within the last 24 hours.
Step 2: Think of 5 things you are grateful for in your career or professional life within the last 24 hours.
Step 3: Think of 5 things you are grateful for about yourself.
A lot of people may struggle in coming up with these 5 things.
In fact, you shouldn’t. It doesn’t have to be a big thing.
Little things you are grateful for matters as well and it does exactly the same elevating effects.
Some grateful things and moments include:
- A nice cup of hot black rich coffee you just had yesterday morning.
- Waking up to a perfect weather – perfect for taking a stroll with your dog.
- A great song that you just heard on radio the other day.
- The remarkable conversation you had with your customer — a breakthrough where you learnt something new about someone.
- A kind word a stranger said to you.
- Being able to complete a project effortlessly before the dateline and reaping beneficial results from it.
- The courage to live a life true to yourself every day.
- Being grateful for another day, the opportunity to make amends and be a better person than you were yesterday.
- Grateful for being a forgiving person and one who does not hold grudges.
This act of self-love, self-respect or self-worth is a crucial part of this gratitude exercise.
It’s what locks the effect of this exercise in place.
If you find it difficult to think of something to be grateful for within the last 24 hours, don’t limit yourself to just that.
Expand the time frame. It could well be something you’re grateful for within the last 2, 3 or 4 days.
It’s phenomenal what this simple 90 seconds gratitude exercise can do.
You’ll radiate that aura of positivity within; becoming a beacon of influence that’ll surge happiness for yourself and others around.
Remember this:
Happiness does not depend upon what happens outside of you but on what goes on inside you because happiness is essentially within.
What makes you happy and what is it are you grateful for everyday?
Share in the comment section below.
