How can we be happy? Here are some quotes (and my additional notes) from Shawn Achor’s TED Talk: The Happy Secret to Better work.
When we have a success we then move the target of success to a new target (A better job, bigger house, and so on.). We are always chasing the future and neglecting the present. And if happiness is on the opposite side of success your brain never gets there. We think we have to be successful and then we will be happier, but the real problem is our brains work in the opposite order. Your brain at positive performs significantly better than at negative, neutral, or stressed.
When you are positive and happy your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, and your energy level rises.
But what do you do if you are unhappy or feeling negative? There are ways that you can train your brain to become more positive. In just 2 minutes of time done for just 21 days in a row you can actually rewire your brain allowing your brain to work more optimistically and more successfully…
- 3 Gratitudes – Write down 3 new things you are grateful for 21 days in a row and at the end of it your brain will start to retain a pattern to scan the world not for the negative, but for the positive first.
- Journaling – Journalling about 1 positive experience that you’ve had within the past 24 hours helps your brain to relive it thus keeping you focused on that happy moment and not on the bad moments from your day.
- Exercise – Exercise teaches your brain that your behavior matters. You will feel fresh and new.
- Meditation – Meditation allows your brain to escape the cultural ADHD that we have been creating by trying to do multiple tasks at once, it allows our brains to focus on the task at hand.
- Conscious Acts of Kindness – Write one positive email, tweet, or facebook post thanking or praising someone in your social support network. Be intentional about your kindness.
By doing these activities and by training your brain just like we train our bodies we can reverse the formula for happiness and success and in doing so not only create ripples of positivity, but create a happier life for ourselves. Let’s focus on the positive and change our world for the better.
